Effects of grazing and invasive grasses on desert vertebrates in California

Much of California's San Joaquin Valley is a desert and, like portions of other North American deserts, is experiencing an ecological shift from being dominated by ephemeral native forbs, with widely spaced shrubs, to fire-prone non-native annual grasses. Small terrestrial vertebrates, many of which are adapted to open desert habitats, are declining. One hypothesis is that the invasive plants contribute to the decline by altering vegetative structure. Although cattle may have originally been a factor in the establishment of these non-native plants, their grazing may benefit the terrestrial vertebrates by maintaining an open structure, especially during average or wet winters when the exotic grasses grow especially dense. We experimentally tested the effect of cattle grazing on invasive plants and a community of small vertebrates at a site in the southwestern San Joaquin Desert. We established and monitored 4 treatment (grazed) and 4 control (ungrazed) plots from 1997 to 2006, and assessed the abundances of blunt-nosed leopard lizards (Gambelia sila), giant kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ingens), short-nosed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides), and San Joaquin antelope squirrels (Ammospermophilus nelsoni), all of which are listed as threatened or endangered by state or federal agencies. We also recorded abundances of the non-protected western whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis tigris), side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana), San Joaquin pocket mice (Perognathus inornatus inornatus), and Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipdomys heermanni). Based on repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a 0.05 alpha level, only Heermann's kangaroo rats showed a treatment effect; they were more abundant on the control plots. However, this effect could be accounted for by the natural re-establishment of saltbush (Atriplex spp.) on part of the study site. Saltbush return also favored western whiptail lizards and San Joaquin antelope squirrels. A regression analysis indicated that populations of blunt-nosed leopard lizard and giant kangaroo rat increased significantly faster in grazed plots than the ungrazed controls, and abundances of 6 of 8 species were negatively correlated with increased residual dry matter. With relaxed alpha values to decrease Type II error, populations of blunt-nosed leopard lizards (500% greater), San Joaquin antelope squirrels (85% greater), and short-nosed kangaroo rats (73% greater) increased significantly on grazed plots over the course of the study compared to ungrazed plots. We did not find grazing to negatively affect abundance of any species we studied. When herbaceous cover is low during years of below average rainfall in deserts and other arid areas, grazing may not be necessary to maintain populations of small vertebrates. However, if cattle grazing is closely monitored in space and time to minimize adverse effects on the habitat, it could be an effective tool to control dense stands of non-native grasses and benefit native wildlife. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Interactive effect of flooding and grazing on the growth of Serengeti grasses

Summary Grazing and flooding may potentially interact in particular habitats of many grassland regions around the world. We tested the hypothesis that grazing and flooding induce different and largely opposed allocation responses in individual plants. As a result, their combined effect on plant growth would be negative. We studied the response of three grass species from the Serengeti ecosystem (Tanzania) to the effects of flooding and clipping. Plants under the combined effect of flooding and clipping had lower growth rates than plants growing under the effect of either of the two factors individually. Plants under flooding grew taller and allocated more resources to stem growth than controls; for two of the three species, flooded plants also generated a new root system above soil level. All these morphological and physiological responses conflict with the ability of a plant to respond to defoliation with minimum reduction in growth rates. The three species showed a response to flooding reflecting their distribution ranges in the field: the species from the most flood-prone habitat showed a positive effect of flooding on growth, whereas the species from dry uplands showed a strong negative effect of flooding. Flood-tolerant species were taller and less tolerant of clipping than flooding sensitive species. Our results suggest that, in ecological time, individuals subjected to both flooding and grazing have their growth reduced to a greater extent than by either of the two factors acting individually, whereas in evolutionary time, species adapted to flooding are poor grazing tolerators and species adapted to grazing are poor flooding tolerators.     

夏季胶州湾微型浮游动物摄食初步研究

2002年6月至7月间对胶州湾内、外和港口3个典型站位进行了微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食研究．按陆基半现场方式进行了4次稀释法实验,对湾外相同的站位进行了两次实验,对湾内和港口各进行了一次实验,获取了研究站位浮游植物和微型浮游动物种类、丰度、体积转换浮游植物碳含量、碳／叶绿素比率、浮游植物净生长率、微型浮游动物摄食率、对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力、对浮游植物现存量的摄食压力以及碳摄食通量等参数．湾外和湾内站位的浮游植物组成相似,优势种为新月柱鞘藻(Cylindrotheca closterium)和中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum),港口浮游植物优势种类为中肋骨条藻、浮动湾角藻(Eucampia zodiacus)和旋链角毛藻(Chaetoceros curvisetus)．湾外微型浮游动物的优势种为百乐拟铃虫(Tintinnopsis beroidea),而在湾内为百乐拟铃虫和急游虫(Strombidium sp．),港口主要为急游虫,也有少数的百乐拟铃虫．微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率和对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力,在湾内最高,其次在湾外,港口最低．微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率,在湾外,分别为0．96和1．20d^-1,在湾内为1．33d^-1,在港口为0．36d^-1．微型浮游动物对潜在初级生产力的摄食压力,在湾外,分别为74％和84％,在湾内为93％,在港口为53％．微型浮游动物的碳摄食通量在港口最高达到281mgC·m^-3·d^-1,在湾内为102mgC·m^-3·d^-1,在湾外最低范围在31～49mgC·m^-3·d^-1．浮游植物的细胞大小和两种微型浮游动物的摄食习性的不同是造成研究站位微型浮游动物摄食率和摄食压力不同的主要原因．同世界其它内湾相比,胶州湾微型浮游动物的摄食压力处于中等水平。     

放牧对草原土壤的影响

介绍了放牧对草原土壤物理性质 (容重、渗透率 )、化学性质 (有机质、N素 )和微生物的影响。由于草原土壤系统本身的复杂性、滞后性和弹性 ,放牧对土壤性质的影响不尽相同。一般而言 ,随放牧强度的增大 ,动物践踏作用的增强 ,土壤孔隙分布的空间格局发生变化 ,土壤的总孔隙减少 ,特别是大孔隙 (>5 0μm)和较大中等孔隙 (9～ 5 0μm)减少 ,使土壤容重增加 ,土壤的渗透阻力加大 ,土壤的保水和持水能力下降。但在有机质含量很低的沙质土壤中 ,超载过牧 ,造成有机质含量降低 ,土壤的团粒结构减少 ,稳定性团聚体减少 ,土壤结构遭到破坏 ,使得土壤容重反而降低。土壤有机质和放牧之间存在复杂的相互关系 ,土壤有机质对放牧的响应受多种因素的影响 ,这些因素包括植被和土壤的初始状况 ;环境因素 ,特别是水分和温度 ;放牧历史 (强度、频率、持续时间和动物类型 )。同时 ,土壤有机质含量低的土壤比含量高的土壤更易受放牧的影响 ,而使有机质发生变化。土壤微生物量碳是最具活性的土壤碳库 ,对环境的变化敏感 ,能较早地指示生态系统功能的变化。当考虑时间尺度时 ,高强度放牧对土壤肥力有负面的影响 ,短期内 ,由于加速了养分的循环效率 ,产生有利的影响 ,但长期无管理的超载放牧必然造成系统物质 (资源 )输入和输     

Restricting dairy cow access time to pasture in early lactation: the effects on milk production, grazing behaviour and dry matter intake

One of the main aims of pasture-based systems of dairy production is to increase the proportion of grazed grass in the diet. This is most easily achieved by increasing the number of grazing days. However, periods of inclement weather conditions can reduce the number of days at pasture. The two objectives of this experiment were: (i) to investigate the effect of restricting pasture access time on animal production, grazing behaviour and dry matter intake (DMI) of spring calving dairy cows in early lactation; and (ii) to establish whether silage supplementation is required when cows return indoors after short grazing periods. In all, 52 Holstein-Friesian spring calving dairy cows were assigned to a four-treatment study from 25 February to 26 March 2008. The four treatments were: full-time access to pasture (22H; control); 4.5-h- pasture access after both milkings (2 × 4.5H); 3-h pasture access after both milkings (2 × 3H); 3-h pasture access after both milkings with silage supplementation by night (2 × 3SH). All treatments were offered 14.4 kg DM/cow per day herbage from swards, with a mean pre-grazing yield of 1739 kg DM/ha above 4 cm, - and were supplemented with 3 kg DM/cow per day of concentrate. The 2 × 3SH treatment was offered an additional 4 kg DM/cow of grass silage by night. Restricting pasture access time (2 × 3H, 2 × 3SH and 2 × 4.5H) had no effect on milk (28.3 kg/cow per day) and solids-corrected milk (27.2 kg/cow per day) yield when compared with the treatment grazing full time. Supplementing animals with grass silage did not increase milk production when compared with all other treatments. Milk protein concentration tended to be lower (P = 0.08; 32.2 g/kg) for the 2 × 3SH animals when compared with the 22H animals (33.7 g/kg). The grass DMI of the 2 × 3SH treatment was significantly lower (-2.3 kg DM/cow per day) than all other treatments (11.9 kg DM/cow per day), yet the total DMI of these animals was highest (16.6 kg DM/cow per day). The 22H cows grazed for 481 min/cow per day, which is significantly longer than all other treatments. The 2 × 3H animals grazed for 98% of the time, whereas the 2 × 3SH grazed for 79% of their time at pasture. Restricting pasture access time did not affect end body weight or body condition score. The results of this study indicate that restricting pasture access time of dairy cows in early lactation does not affect milk production performance. Furthermore, supplementing cows with grass silage does not increase milk production but reduces grazing efficiency.     

浮游动物摄食在赤潮生消过程中的作用

浮游动物摄食在赤潮生消过程中起相当重要的作用。由于摄食过程的复杂性和生物物种与个体行为存在的多样性 ,使得赤潮过程中浮游动物的摄食研究具有相当难度。从浮游动物的摄食类型和习性、浮游动物摄食率测定、浮游动物选择性摄食对赤潮群落演替发展方向、浮游动物摄食在有毒微藻赤潮中的作用、浮游动物摄食在中国赤潮研究中的关键科学问题等几个方面探讨了浮游动物摄食对赤潮生物种群动力学的影响 ,为理解和治理赤潮提供科学依据     

Pasture intake and milk production of dairy cows rotationally grazing on multi-species swards

Increasing plant species diversity has been proposed as a means for enhancing annual pasture productivity and decreasing seasonal variability of pasture production facing more frequent drought scenarios due to climate change. Few studies have examined how botanical complexity of sown swards affects cow performance. A 2-year experiment was conducted to determine how sward botanical complexity, from a monoculture of ryegrass to multi-species swards (MSS) (grasses-legumes-forb), affect pasture chemical composition and nutritive value, pasture dry matter (DM) intake, milk production and milk solids production of grazing dairy cows. Five sward species: perennial ryegrass (L as Lolium), white clover and red clover (both referred to as T as Trifolium because they were always sown together), chicory (C as Cichorium) and tall fescue (F as Festuca) were assigned to four grazing treatments by combining one (L), three (LT), four (LTC) or five (LTCF) species. Hereafter, the LT swards are called mixed swards as a single combination of ryegrass and clovers, whereas LTC and LTCF swards are called MSS as a combination of at least four species from three botanical families. The experimental area (8.7 ha) was divided into four block replicates with a mineral nitrogen fertilisation of 75 kg N/ha per year for each treatment. In total, 13 grazing rotations were carried out by applying the same grazing calendar and the same pasture allowance of 19 kg DM/cow per day above 4 cm for all treatments. Clover represented 20% of DM for mixed and MSS swards; chicory represented 30% of DM for MSS and tall fescue represented 10% of DM for LTCF swards. Higher milk production (+1.1 kg/day) and milk solids production (+0.08 kg/day) were observed for mixed swards than for ryegrass swards. Pasture nutritive value and pasture DM intake were unaffected by the inclusion of clover. Pasture DM, organic matter and NDF concentrations were lower for MSS than for mixed swards. Higher milk production (+0.8 kg/day), milk solids production (+0.04 kg/day) and pasture DM intake (+1.5 kg DM/day) were observed for MSS than for mixed swards. These positive effects of MSS were observed for all seasons, but particularly during summer where chicory proportion was the highest. In conclusion, advantages of grazing MSS on cow performance were due to the cumulative effect of improved pasture nutritive value and increased pasture DM intake that raised milk production and milk solids production.     

Effects of grazing intensity and grazing exclusion on litter decomposition in the temperate steppe of Nei Mongol,China

Aims Grazing intensity and grazing exclusion affect ecosystem carbon cycling by changing the plant community and soil micro-environment in grassland ecosystems. The aims of this study were: 1) to determine the effects of grazing intensity and grazing exclusion on litter decomposition in the temperate grasslands of Nei Mongol; 2) to compare the difference between above-ground and below-ground litter decomposition; 3) to identify the effects of precipitation on litter production and decomposition. Methods We measured litter production, quality, decomposition rates and soil nutrient contents during the growing season in 2011 and 2012 in four plots, i.e. light grazing, heavy grazing, light grazing exclusion and heavy grazing exclusion. Quadrate surveys and litter bags were used to measure litter production and decomposition rates. All data were analyzed with ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation procedures in SPSS. Important findings Litter production and decomposition rates differed greatly among four plots. During the two years of our study, above-ground litter production and decomposition in heavy-grazing plots were faster than those in light-grazing plots. In the dry year, below-ground litter production and decomposition in light-grazing plots were faster than those in heavy-grazing plots, which is opposite to the findings in the wet year. Short-term grazing exclusion could promote litter production, and the exclusion of light-grazing could increase litter decomposition and nutrient cycling. In contrast, heavy-grazing exclusion decreased litter decomposition. Thus, grazing exclusion is beneficial to the restoration of the light-grazing grasslands, and more human management measures are needed during the restoration of heavy-grazing grasslands. Precipitation increased litter production and decomposition, and below-ground litter was more vulnerable to the inter-annual change of precipitation than above-ground litter. Compared to the light-grazing grasslands, heavy-grazing grasslands had higher sensitivity to precipitation. The above-ground litter decomposition was strongly positively correlated with the litter N content (R² = 0.489, p < 0.01) and strongly negatively correlated with the soil total N content (R² = 0.450, p < 0.01), but it was not significantly correlated with C:N and lignin:N. Below-ground litter decomposition was negatively correlated with the litter C (R² = 0.263, p < 0.01), C:N (R² = 0.349, p < 0.01) and cellulose content (R² = 0.460, p < 0.01). Our results will provide a theoretical basis for ecosystem restoration and the research of carbon cycling.     

Lack of intraspecific variation in resistance to defoliation in a grass that evolved under light grazing pressure

Grass species frequently show marked intraspecific variation inmorphology and tolerance to defoliation. Remarkably, most of this evidencecomesfrom grasslands with long evolutionary history of grazing. Here, we explore theintraspecific variation in grazing tolerance and morphometric traits associatedwith grazing avoidance of Paspalum dilatatum (Poir.), agrass from the Flooding Pampa (Argentina), where grazing is a novel disturbancein evolutionary time. We performed a clipping experiment in a greenhouse withtwo populations from sites with contrasting short term grazing regime:continuous grazing and 20 year-old grazing exclosure. The populations did notdiffer in their tolerance to clipping, and showed minor differences in the wayclipping affected plant height, a trait associated with grazing avoidance. Ourresults indicate that there are exceptions to the generalized findings of highlevels of intraspecific variation in grazing resistance among populations ofgrasses. These exceptions may be associated to evolutionary history of grazing.     

The release of genetically modified grasses. Part 2: the influence of wind direction on pollen dispersal

 In part 1 an experiment was described for determining the extent of pollen dispersal from a Lolium source. The results were used to test Bateman’s pollen dispersal equations, which were found to be not particularly useful for describing variation in pollen deposition with distance. An improvement is suggested here which takes the influence of wind direction into account. For 11 of the 12 datasets the new equations fit significantly better than the original ones. Mean wind directions were used to produce 15 data subsets for testing Bateman’s equations for dispersal downwind of a pollen source. These equations fitted only 4 of the data subsets, all of which were collected from traps facing towards the pollen source. The usefulness of the model equations in estimating the importance of turbulence is brought into question. It is shown that models incorporating only distance and wind direction do not accurately describe pollen deposition. The amount of pollen deposited does not always decrease smoothly with increasing distance from the source. The variation in the amount of pollen deposited is probably influenced by several factors, including wind speed and turbulence. Received: 5 June 1996 / Accepted: 11 October 1996     

Restricting dairy cow access time to pasture in autumn: The effects on milk production,grazing behaviour and DM intake of late lactation dairy cows

Extending the grazing season in pasture based systems of dairy production can increase farm profitability; poor weather and soil conditions can reduce the number of grazing days. The study objectives were to (i) examine the effect of restricted access to pasture in the autumn on the milk production, grazing behaviour and DM intake (DMI) of late lactation spring-calving dairy cows and (ii) establish the effect of alternating restricted and continuous access to pasture on dairy cow production, DMI and grazing behaviour. Cows were randomly assigned to one of four grazing treatments: (i) 22 h (full-time) access to pasture (22H; control); (ii) Two 5-h periods of access to pasture (2×5H); (iii) Two 3-h periods of access to pasture (2×3H); and (iv) alternating between full-time and 3-h access to pasture with no more than three continuous days on any one regime, e.g. Monday – full-time access, Tuesday − 2x3H access, Wednesday − 2x3H access; Thursday – full-time access, etc. (2×3HV). Restricted access to pasture was offered after a.m. and p.m. milking. Swards of similar quality and pregrazing herbage mass were offered. Treatment had no effect on milk yield (13.2 kg/day), milk fat (48.2 g/kg), protein (39.0 g/kg) or lactose content (42.6 g/kg) and milk solid yield (1.15 kg/day). Similarly, there was no effect of treatment on final BW (483 kg) or final BCS (2.66). There was no significant difference in DMI (15.1 kg DM/cow/day) between treatments. There was an effect on daily grazing time, 22H cows (565 min/cow/day) grazed for longest time, however, when the 2x3HV treatment had full-time access to pasture, they had a similar grazing time (543 min/cow/day) to the 22H cows and were similar to the 2x3H treatment on days with restricted access to pasture (357 min/cow/day). The 22H and 2x5H animals had similar grass DMI/min (29.2 g/min), the 2x3HV were higher (33.9 g/min) but were similar to the comparable treatment when offered 2x3H access time (41.6 g/min) and when offered 22H access time (27.7 g/min). The results from this study show how when offered a grass only diet of autumn pasture grazing behaviour can be modified by restricting pasture access time without reducing dairy cow production in late lactation at low production levels. There was also no effect of alternating access time between 22H and 2x3H on milk production and DMI in the 2x3HV treatment. Restricted access time to pasture in autumn may be a strategy which farmers can use to extend the grazing season.     

内蒙古温带草原不同放牧强度和围栏封育对凋落物分解的影响

放牧和围封通过影响植物群落结构和土壤微环境来调控草地生态系统的碳循环。该研究在内蒙古温带草原设置轻度放牧后围封、轻度放牧、重度放牧后围封、重度放牧4种样地, 通过测定干旱年(2011年)和湿润年(2012年)地上、地下凋落物产量、质量及其分解速率和土壤养分含量, 分析不同放牧强度对凋落物形成和分解的影响, 以及围栏封育对生态系统恢复的作用。结果表明: 重度放牧地上凋落物产量和分解速率均高于轻度放牧。干旱年轻度放牧样地地下凋落物产量和分解速率高于重度放牧, 湿润年相反。短期围封显著提高了凋落物产量, 轻度放牧样地围封后地上凋落物分解速率和养分循环加快, 而重度放牧样地围封后地上凋落物分解减慢。因此, 与重度放牧相比, 轻度放牧草地的恢复更适合采用围栏封育措施; 而重度放牧草地的恢复可能还需辅以必要的人工措施。降水显著促进地上、地下凋落物形成和分解。地下凋落物的生产和分解受降水年际波动影响较大, 重度放牧草地对降水变化的敏感度比轻度放牧草地高。地上凋落物分解速率与凋落物N含量显著正相关, 与土壤全N显著负相关, 与地上凋落物C:N和木质素:N相关性不大; 地下凋落物分解速率与凋落物C、C:N和纤维素含量显著负相关。该研究结果将为不同放牧强度的草地生态系统恢复和碳循环研究提供理论依据。     

The development of a model to assess the effects of rabbit grazing on grass

Grass for use as silage is widely grown in the UK. However there is little information on the effects of rabbit grazing on crop yield. In a three‐year trial, grass was grown in six enclosures following current agronomic procedures and was subjected to grazing by two population densities of rabbits. The annual yield loss at the end of the trial was found to be 1% per rabbit ha^?1. The yield loss per rabbit was calculated to be around 200 kg and the financial loss was calculated as £3.40 per rabbit at 1998 prices (approx. £17 t^?1). This new information provides farmers with a better understanding of the economics of damage caused by rabbits enabling them to make more informed decisions as to whether their rabbit population needs to be managed, or whether their crop needs to be protected by some other means.     

The effects of sheep grazing on seedling establishment and survival in grassland

This paper examines the effects of sheep and insect grazing on the generation of natural gaps in turf and the establishment of seedlings therein. The site is on an old field on limestone. There were five sheep grazing treatments: ungrazed, and grazed briefly in spring, briefly in autumn, in autumn or in summer and autumn. The first three of these treatments also contained plots in which insecticide was applied regularly during the growing season. Pins of increasing size (1.6 mm–12.8 mm diameter) were lowered at grid intersections in permanent quadrats to record gap type and the occurrence of seedlings on seven dates over 15 months.Heavily-grazed plots had more bare ground in spring and more herb seedlings established in them. Seedlings of annual species of Bromus were able to establish in gaps (bare ground and litter) of smaller size than was required by herb seedlings (which had much smaller seeds). The use of an insecticide increased seedling establishment in October in ungrazed and in spring-grazed paddocks but decreased it in autumn-grazed paddocks. This may indicate the greater importance of insect herbivory in making gaps in the matted sward of autumn-grazed plots.Seedlings which established in October 1986 and March 1987 were more likely to die than those establishing earlier in 1986. This may be because of winter-kill and especially vigorous spring vegetation growth respectively. Seedling mortality was not affected by gap size or grazing treatment (unless such effects operated before we detected the seedlings).     

北部湾北部海域夏季微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食压力

2011年8月份于北部湾北部海域5个观测站位获得的分层水样,分析了表层叶绿素a含量和表层微型浮游动物丰度以及类群组成;同时于现场采用稀释培养法研究了该海域浮游植物生长率(μ)和微型浮游动物的摄食率(g)。分析和测定结果表明:调查海区的微型浮游动物丰度400—1167个/L,类群组成以无壳纤毛虫为主;浮游植物的生长率为-1.50—1.13 d-1,微型浮游动物摄食率为0.33—1.08 d-1;推算微型浮游动物对浮游植物现存量以及初级生产力的摄食压力分别为28.1%—66.0%和-7.4%—438.4%。相对于中国其他海区,8月份北部湾北部海域微型浮游动物摄食速率处于中等水平。调查期间,广西沿海高生产力海区,浮游植物生长率大于微型浮游动物动物的摄食率,浮游植物生物量处于积累期;涠洲岛以南海域,浮游植物生产力较低,微型浮游动物摄食作用是控制浮游植物生长的重要因素。     

划区轮牧中不同放牧利用时间对草地植被的影响

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放牧对草原植物功能性状影响研究进展

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