Scientists have proven that large animals can save other people’s ecosystems

Animal species that are alien to a particular ecosystem do not always cause harm to it. This was proven by a study conducted by Danish scientists from Aarhus University. In the journal Science, they shared information that large animals – horses, camels, pigs – can restore their population in places where people exterminated them, ridus.ru reports. Herbivores weighing more than 44 kilograms are distributors of plant seeds, regardless of their habitat.

A study by Danish scientists refutes the theory that these animal species – representatives of the so-called megafauna – are harmful to the ecosystem. Often this opinion was the main factor in the extermination of a given animal population – for example, wild pigs in Texas (USA) or camels and donkeys in Australia. As a result, millions of individuals were killed.

Researchers studied more than 200 papers on this topic and found no differences in the impact on the habitat of native and introduced animal species. It is the animal’s size and diet that matter most, not the appearance of a particular species.

Large mammals, such as horses, reduce grass diversity. However, this thesis can be applied to all animal species. Wild pigs loosen the soil for new plants and create conditions for the appearance of swamps, which, in turn, allows water to be retained in the soil, but harms crop yields.

Wild donkeys in Death Valley, Nevada, USA, have been deliberately shot since the 1930s because they ate a lot of plants and wasted water, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. At the same time, according to other sources, donkeys increased water supplies by digging wells. The destruction of donkeys entailed the destruction of wetlands, which led to the drying out of water bodies and the death of fish.

The authors of the study draw attention to the fact that it is necessary to carefully assess the impact of alien animals on the environment and prevent unreasonable extermination.