The effectt of shrubs on establishment of woody plant species in grazed landscape

My bachelor thesis is concerned about mechanisms that influence establishment and growth of woody plant species under grazing pressure in the temperate climate region. Based on literature sources it determines and explains individual mechanisms and attempts to merge them into a holistic view of the issues of reproduction, propagation and survival of trees and shrubs in the grazed landscape. In general, grazing affects the course of natural succession and under certain conditions helps to maintain shifting landscape mosaics. In addition, the effects of grazing are retroactively modified by the already existing vegetation mosaics. In this regard, existence of shrubs providing protection to seedlings and saplings against bad environmental conditions and against grazing pressure is important, as they help to change spatial heterogenity of vegetation and to establish the shifting mosaics mentioned above. As the spatial heterogenity and total diversity of vegetation can increase or decrease under influences of many factors, the bachelor thesis also pursues the importance of spatial distribution and intensity of grazing, different commonly grazed species and usual systems of grazing management. Keywords: grazing, associational resistance, cyclic succession, wood-pastures, spatial heterogenity of..