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The article describes the effects of rabbit grazing on the grasslands of Macquarie Island, located mid-way between New Zealand and Antarctica. The two widespread dominant species in the grasslands are the Poa foliosa and Stilbocarpa polaris, while the Polystichum vestitum and Poa hamiltoni are the co-dominants that are not widely developed. The article states that the effects of rabbits are due to the selective grazing of only the most number of species. In addition, remote plant communities consisting of few species are likely to be susceptible to rabbit invasion.

The article presents a discussion on the vegetation of grass verges and explores the grass habitats which are regarded as excessively trodden places. It is implied that a considerable degree of similarity exist between the vegetation of the trampled grass verge found on highways and that of the grassy footpath or the sheep track situated whether on lowlands or at high elevation. The article is supplemented with details regarding the botanical composition of the plant communities, ecological distribution, climatic and edaphic backgrounds, and observations drawn from investigating samples coming from Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.