This paper investigates the relationship between grasslands and game management. It focuses on three questions:
- grasslands as habitats for game,
- grasslands as sites for prolification,
- grasslands as sources of nutrition.
Five so-called big, and five so-called small game species were considered, based on my own research and a literature review. Main results and consequences:
- grasslands as ecosystems are more important in game management than as solely resources of nutrients,
- compared to their territorial proportions, grasslands play a 2-3 time grates role in game management,
- grasslands are more preferred on areas where vegetation types are frequently changing (a given vegetation occupies only a small area),
- there is a remarkable seasonality in grassland use of small game, spring being the peak season,
- classification of game considering grasslands as sources of nutrients:
I. grasslands are hardly eaten by: red deer, wild pig, wild ducks
II. grass is consumed, but it is not a main source of nutrients: for fallow deer
III. grass is consumed as frequently as other forages by roe deer, wild sheep
IV. grasslands are important feeding sites for pheasants, partridges
V. grass is the main forage for hares, wild ducks