why does grass thrive even after being trampled on, but other plants wouldn’t survive?
In: 150
Grass is a heavily grazed-on plant that has evolved to deal with lots of foliar damage. It grows from its base, so after the top has been damaged/removed it can quickly allocate resources to new groth. But when frequently tramped, it will die – it doesn’t thrive. My university keeps having to re-sod an area that students keep turning into a dirt path by taking a shortcut across the lawn. Sports fields have to be carefully and frequently maintained to keep the grass looking nice, including aerating the soil to keep the soil from getting compacted to promote healthy root growth/ water drainage.
– I’m studying urban soils for my dissertation and turfgrass lawns are a major focus.
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