Empty space is rare in nature, so when 

 more useful plants (the decreasers) are re- 

 moved from the plant community, others 

 come in that are better adapted to constant 

 grazing and trampling. These are called in- 

 creasers {figure 2) — they increase to fill the 

 spaces left when the decreasers are forced 

 out. 



Increasers are a natural part of the cli- 

 max vegetation, and may grow in about 

 equal numbers with the decreasers. How- 

 ever, they are usually less appetizing to 

 grazing animals. This gives them added 

 protection against heavy use. But like 

 most plants, increasers can be weakened 

 by continued close grazing. 



2. Increasers 



Nebraska Sedge 



Blue Grama 



Needle-and-Thread 



6 



