Aarssen and Turkington studied the effects of four pasture ages, seeded in 1914, 1939, 1958, and 1977, on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of three plant species (Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens), under similar grazing management. Two of the three species studied (Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens) decreased in size with increasing pasture age, possibly as a response to grazing pressure, as larger plants tend to be grazed before smaller plants. Plants from older pastures generally flowered before plants from younger pastures, which may be a response to plant community competition; plants that seed sooner may be able to occupy seedling sites first. In general, the growth and development of plants tended to be more variable in younger pastures and less variable in older pastures, and the reduced variation may be due to selection of more grazing and competition resistant plants over time.
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