Legacy of avian-dominated plant-herbivore systems in New Zealand.

• Main Authors: Lee, WG, Wood, JR, Rogers, GM
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: New Zealand Ecological Society, Inc. 2010
• Subjects: Canada; Moa; New Zealand; Branta canadensis; Canada Goose
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/17399

Avian herbivores dominated New Zealand’s pre-settlement terrestrial ecosystems to an unparalleled extent, in the absence of a terrestrial mammal fauna. Approximately 50% (88 taxa) of terrestrial bird species consumed plant foliage, shoots, buds and flowers to some degree, but fewer than half these s...