Data from: Quantification of population sizes of large herbivores and their long-term functional role in ecosystems using dung fungal spores ...

• Main Authors: Baker, Ambroise G., Cornelissen, Perry, Bhagwat, Shonil, Vera, Fransciscus W. M., Willis, Katherine J., Bhagwat, Shonil A.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2017
• Subjects: Anser albifrons; Barnacle goose; Sporormiella; Anser anser; Bos taurus Linnaeus; white-fronted goose; red deer; Equus ferus caballus Linnaeus; Konik horses; Cervus elaphus Linnaeus; Podospora; Branta leucopsis; Sordaria; greylag goose; Holocene
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5v8b7; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.5v8b7

The relationship between large herbivore numbers and landscape cover over time is poorly understood. There are two schools of thought: one views large herbivores as relatively passive elements upon the landscape and the other as ecosystem engineers driving vegetation succession. The latter relationship has been used as an argument to support reintroductions of large herbivores onto many landscapes in order to increase vegetation heterogeneity and biodiversity through local-scale disturbance regimes. Most of the research examining the relationship between large herbivores and their impact on landscapes has used extant studies. An alternative approach is to estimate the impact of variations in herbivore populations through time using fossil dung fungal spores and pollen in sedimentary sequences. However, to date, there has been little quantification of fossil dung fungal spore records and their relationship to herbivore numbers, leaving this method open to varied interpretations. In this study, we developed ... : Baker et al 2016 MEEContains all the data used in Baker et al 2016 MEE ...