Cumulative biomass and vegetation cover in experimental plots.

(A)–Cumulative mean grass and forb biomass [kg/ha] and (B) mean grass and forb cover at the end of the growing period [%]) in experimental plots that were clipped each month (‘month’) or once after the growing period (‘season’), in the rangelands of the community of Loibor Siret, Tanzania. Half of the quadrats, containing the plots, were fenced to exclude herbivores (‘fenced’), the other half were open for grazing (‘grazed’). The graphs show the results of two growing periods: Growing period 1 (March- June 2019) and Growing period 2 (November 2019 –January 2020). Growing period 1: Significant interaction between clipping frequency and herbivory for grass biomass and grass cover. Significant differences (p<0.05) are indicated by different letters of same style. Capital letters indicate treatment effects of clipping frequency on grass biomass. Small letters indicate differences of grass biomass between fenced and grazed plots within the clipping frequency. Underlined, small letters refer to differences in forb biomass. Vertical bars represent ± 1 s.e..