Loss of patch-scale heterogeneity on secondary productivity in the arid shrubland of Western Australia

Productivity of sheep at all except highest rates of stocking varied little between sites where shrubs were abundant or scarce. From an animal production point of view, greater rates of stocking were unsustainable through dry years on the degraded site, but animal performance was generally unaffected on the non-degraded site, where shrubs were abundant. While these results provide evidence of economic penalties associated with degrading a resilient landscape, important ecological penalties were only partially explored.