Editing Herbivore (section)

==Impacts==
[[File:Mixed feeding shoal herbivorous fish.jpg|thumb|Mixed feeding shoal of [[herbivorous fish]] on a [[coral reef]]]]

=== Trophic cascades and environmental degradation ===
When herbivores are affected by [[trophic cascade]]s, plant communities can be indirectly affected.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=van Veen|first1=F. J. F.|last2=Sanders|first2=D.|date=May 2013|title=Herbivore identity mediates the strength of trophic cascades on individual plants|journal=Ecosphere|volume=4|issue=5|pages=art64|doi=10.1890/es13-00067.1|issn=2150-8925|doi-access=free}}</ref> Often these effects are felt when predator populations decline and herbivore populations are no longer limited, which leads to intense herbivore foraging which can suppress plant communities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ripple|first=William J.|date=2011-04-20|title=Wolves, Elk, Bison, and Secondary Trophic Cascades in Yellowstone National Park|journal=The Open Ecology Journal|volume=3|issue=3|pages=31–37|doi= 10.2174/1874213001003040031 |doi-broken-date=22 November 2024 |doi-access=free|issn=1874-2130}}</ref> With the size of herbivores having an effect on the amount of energy intake that is needed, larger herbivores need to forage on higher quality or more plants to gain the optimal amount of nutrients and energy compared to smaller herbivores.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Forbes |first1=Elizabeth S. |last2=Cushman |first2=J. Hall |last3=Burkepile |first3=Deron E. |last4=Young |first4=Truman P. |last5=Klope |first5=Maggie |last6=Young |first6=Hillary S. |date=2019-06-17 |title=Synthesizing the effects of large, wild herbivore exclusion on ecosystem function |journal=Functional Ecology |volume=33 |issue=9 |pages=1597–1610 |doi=10.1111/1365-2435.13376 |s2cid=182023675 |issn=0269-8463|doi-access=free |bibcode=2019FuEco..33.1597F }}</ref> [[Environmental degradation]] from [[white-tailed deer]] (''Odocoileus virginianus'') in the US alone has the potential to both change vegetative communities<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Seager|first1=S Trent|last2=Eisenberg|first2=Cristina|last3=St. Clair|first3=Samuel B.|date=July 2013|title=Patterns and consequences of ungulate herbivory on aspen in western North America|journal=Forest Ecology and Management|language=en|volume=299|pages=81–90|doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2013.02.017|bibcode=2013ForEM.299...81S }}</ref> through over-browsing and cost [[forest restoration]] projects upwards of $750&nbsp;million annually. Another example of a trophic cascade involved plant-herbivore interactions are [[coral reef]] ecosystems. [[Herbivorous fish]] and marine animals are important [[algae]] and seaweed grazers, and in the absence of plant-eating fish, corals are outcompeted and seaweeds deprive corals of sunlight.<ref>{{cite web |date=n.d. |others=Photos by Richard Ling and Rian Tan |title=Plant-eating fish, Information sheets for fishing communities No 29 |url=https://spccfpstore1.blob.core.windows.net/digitallibrary-docs/files/89/89be346cf7b9cc83be17ef32d0614a5a.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=ytjzqw6EadlW%2FKW9XJ9ntZguXsJ2%2ByvIIsPojnaDheI%3D&se=2023-01-20T10%3A43%3A18Z&sp=r&rscc=public%2C+max-age%3D864000%2C+max-stale%3D86400&rsct=application%2Fpdf&rscd=inline%3B+filename%3D%22Anon_13_ISFC_29_Plant_eating_fish.pdf%22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724104433/https://spccfpstore1.blob.core.windows.net/digitallibrary-docs/files/89/89be346cf7b9cc83be17ef32d0614a5a.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=ytjzqw6EadlW%2FKW9XJ9ntZguXsJ2%2ByvIIsPojnaDheI%3D&se=2023-01-20T10%3A43%3A18Z&sp=r&rscc=public%2C+max-age%3D864000%2C+max-stale%3D86400&rsct=application%2Fpdf&rscd=inline%3B+filename%3D%22Anon_13_ISFC_29_Plant_eating_fish.pdf%22 |archive-date=24 July 2022 |access-date=24 July 2022 |publisher=SPC (www.spc.int) in collaboration with the LMMA Network (www.lmmanetwork.org)}}</ref>

=== Economic impacts ===
Agricultural crop damage by the same species totals approximately $100&nbsp;million every year. Insect crop damages also contribute largely to annual crop losses in the U.S.<ref>An Integrated Approach To Deer Damage Control Publication No. 809 West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Cooperative Extension Service, Wildlife Resources Section West Virginia University, Law Enforcement Section Center for Extension and Continuing Education, March 1999</ref> Herbivores also affect economics through the revenue generated by hunting and ecotourism. For example, the hunting of herbivorous game species such as white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, antelope, and elk in the U.S. contributes greatly to the billion-dollar annually, hunting industry.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} [[Ecotourism]] is a major source of revenue, particularly in Africa, where many large mammalian herbivores such as elephants, zebras, and giraffes help to bring in the equivalent of millions of US dollars to various nations annually.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}