The long-term effect of fire and grazing by wildlife on range condition in moist and arid savannas in the Kruger National Park

Few assessments of the effects of fire and grazing on the herbaceous components of savannas have been reported for Africa. In the Kruger National Park, South Africa, range condition was monitored at three savanna sites spanning a rainfall gradient of 450 to 700 mm and subject to grazing by wildlife. The sites were burnt at 1-, 2- and 3-year intervals, in different seasons and included a control treatment excluding fire for >40 years. Initial surveys of the herbaceous vegetation were conducted between 1954 and 1957 and repeated between 1998 and 2001. Grass species were categorised as either decreaser or increaser species, which decline or increase with over- or under-utilisation, respectively, and their potential to provide forage and fuel for fires indicative of range condition were derived. Range condition improved with regular burning in the moist sites, but deteriorated in the arid sites over all seasons and frequencies of burning. It is concluded that the current homogenous approach to burning across the Park needs to be adapted by reducing the frequency of fires at more arid sites and can be achieved by burning according to the proportions of decreaser and increaser species reflecting the ecological status of the herbaceous vegetation.     

Ecological status of species on grazing gradients on the shallow soils of the western grassland biome in South Africa

Abstract

Grasses on the shallow soils of the western grassland biome of South Africa were classified on their ecological status on the basis of their reaction to grazing. Vegetation data were gathered in such a way that those of different successional stages could be identified. An ordination technique was used to define the grazing gradient. Species abundance curves were statistically fitted to the grazing gradient and used to classify the species into decreaser and increaser categories.     

Grazing Management in Tropical Savannas: Utilization and Rest Strategies to Manipulate Rangeland Condition

Grazing management is important for sustaining the productivity and health of rangelands. However, the effects of grazing management on herbage growth and species composition in the tropical savannas of northern Australia are not well known. In this eight-year study the influences of utilization rate and resting pastures from grazing on vegetation dynamics were measured at three sites in northeast Queensland, Australia. The sites had high, medium, and low soil fertility, and there were two land condition classes (States I and II) at each site. Severe drought occurred during the first four years, but above-average rainfall was received in the second half of the study. High utilization rates reduced biomass, perennial grass basal area, and ground cover. The reduction in biomass was due to both higher consumption and decreased primary production. State I condition plots at the high and medium soil fertility sites were initially dominated by decreaser perennial grasses, but these declined at all utilization levels, particularly the high rate. They were largely replaced by exotic perennial grasses. At the low fertility site there were no exotic grasses, and the decreaser grasses increased in all treatments, with the increases greatest in plots with low utilization or medium utilization plus resting. In the State II condition plots at the high and medium fertility sites, low or moderate utilization, led to an increase in both decreaser and exotic perennial grasses; with high utilization the decreaser perennial grasses declined and were replaced largely by exotic perennial grasses. This study clearly demonstrated that either conservative stocking with year-round grazing or a grazing system that includes some wet-season resting will help maintain land in a desirable state or help facilitate the transition from a less desirable ecological state to one more desirable for pastoral production and rangeland condition.     

Long-term impacts of livestock grazing and browsing in the Succulent Karoo: a 20-year study of vegetation change under different grazing regimes in Namaqualand§

This study used a fence-line contrast approach to investigate the long-term impact of high grazing pressure on the vegetation at a site in Namaqualand, South Africa. Forty pairs of permanently marked plots were surveyed in 1996, 2006 and 2016. The main objective was to investigate changes in the vegetation structure and species composition between the near-continuously grazed communal rangelands and the relatively lightly grazed commercial rangelands over the 20-year period. The results showed a decline in total vegetation cover in both commercial and communal rangelands in 2016 relative to the two earlier sampling periods. This can be attributed to the low rainfall in 2016 and was due largely to a reduction in annual plant cover, especially on the communal rangeland. Perennial shrub species provide a fodder bank that can be utilised by livestock in times of drought and can buffer short-term deficits in forage supply. However, the annuals that dominate the vegetation of the communal rangeland do not form such fodder banks and consequently do not have the same multi-year buffering capacity as perennial shrubs. This provides the mechanism whereby long-term continuous grazing decreases resilience to rainfall fluctuations and increases livestock variability, thereby promoting non-equilibrium-type dynamics in the system.     

Interactions of grazing and rainfall on vegetation at Grootfontein in the eastern Karoo§

Rainfall and grazing are primary drivers of vegetation composition in the Nama-Karoo. Increased rainfall increases grassiness, to where Nama-Karoo transitions to grassland. Severe grazing treatments (e.g. continuous or summer-only) increase abundance of grazing-tolerant dwarf shrubs and annual grasses, and decrease perennial grasses. Grootfontein, which is ecotonal between the Nama-Karoo and Grassland Biomes, houses long-term grazing trials. The area has experienced higher-than-average rainfall in recent decades. Plant basal cover data from the 1960s and 2010s allow several hypotheses to be addressed: (1) historical severe grazing (until 1985) will limit subsequent grassiness (grazing legacy effect); (2) severe grazing will preclude increases in grassiness, independent of rainfall (herbivore trap effect); and (3) historically leniently-grazed sites will transition to grassland with increased rainfall (biome shift effect). Rainfall was lower from 1957–1966 (350 mm) than from 2003–2012 (490 mm). The grazing legacy effect was supported based on the abundance of Aristida diffusa, despite all sites becoming much grassier. The herbivore trap effect was not supported. The biome shift effect was supported in that shifts to grassland sometimes occurred. Results suggest that increasing rainfall has prompted a shift to much increased grassiness and decreased abundance of dwarf shrubs, and that grazing had a smaller secondary effect.     

Vegetation responses to seasonal weather conditions and decreasing grazing pressure in the arid Succulent Karoo of South Africa§

The Succulent Karoo biome is a renowned centre of biodiversity and endemism in the arid winter rainfall region of South Africa that is threatened by climate change. On 20 permanently marked plots within a biodiversity observatory, species richness and cover were assessed annually from 2002 to 2017 during the growing season. We were interested, firstly, in whether the vegetation showed any trends in response to the strong decrease in grazing pressure, which occurred at the beginning of the monitoring period, and secondly, in the effect of seasonal climate on the vegetation. We analysed the responses of species richness and cover in four life forms to seasonal rainfall and the standardised precipitation–evapotranspiration index (SPEI) using linear mixed-effect models. Time had a positive effect on richness of annual species and a negative effect on cover of shrubs and annuals, which increased in response to SPEI and less strongly to rainfall during autumn and winter. Habitat did not have any effect and geophytes and perennial herbs did not show any significant response. The importance of SPEI during autumn and winter is discussed in relation to potential germination cues and the projected decrease in rainfall and increase in temperature during these seasons.     

Inselbergs persist as islands of diversity in a heavily grazed rangeland mosaic at the nexus of three arid biomes

Inselbergs are regarded as ‘islands of diversity’ due to the high number of plant species present and level of endemism. They also act as natural sources of fodder for livestock and thus risk becoming homogenised in a heavily grazed rangeland. The aim of this study was to compare plant diversity on inselbergs and matrices in heavily grazed sections of three arid biomes of South Africa’s west. The inselbergs are scattered in a matrix of rangeland vegetation in the Desert, Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes where pastoral herding is the main land use. Plant composition, cover and growth forms were quantified in plots and along transects in 21 inselberg and matrix sites. Inselbergs had more diverse plant and growth forms and greater cover than adjacent matrices. Defoliated plants on inselbergs are able to recover due to more mesic conditions and because inselbergs are largely grazed during drier periods, species are able to flower and set seed during winter. Inselbergs are also less accessible to livestock due to their unique geomorphology. Therefore, inselbergs are able to persist as islands of diversity and warrant inclusion into conservation and rangeland farming management plans since climate change will result in biome boundary shifts.     

草畜平衡管理--以时间机制调控的思路

对现行的草畜平衡监测和管理方法进行了剖析,指出了其机制上存在的缺陷和管理中存在的问题;根据北方草原地区草地生产力和家畜需求间存在着明显季节性差异的特点,提出了按"草地资源限量,时间机制调节,经济杠杆制约"思路对草畜平衡制度进行改革的设想.     

Effect of continuous grazing in the dohne sourveld on species composition and basal cover

Abstract

In a grazing trial conducted at the Dohne Agricultural Research Station, natural grassland was grazed continuously for 36 years with cattle. In a second investigation conducted on similar grassland, paddocks were grazed or rested, in all combinations of the four seasons of the year, over a ten year period. Changes in botanical composition and cover of the sward were monitored at regular intervals. The results of these investigations indicate that under a regime of non‐selective grazing the composition of Dohne Sourveld is remarkably stable. After 36 years of continuous grazing the species composition of the sward was largely maintained. Floristically Dohne Sourveld is dominated by a small number of grass species of which Andropogon appendiculatus, Elionurus muticus, Heteropogon contortus, Sporobolus africanus, Themeda triandra and Tristachya leucothrix are the most important. These species react differently to under‐utilization or increasingly severe defoliation, enabling them to be classified into decreaser or increaser categories. Severe defoliation resulted in a marked decrease in basal cover but only small changes in relative species composition. As the intensity of defoliation increases, decrease in grass cover is associated with an increase of forbs, such as Senecio retrorsus.     

Behavioral and Ecological Implications of Bunched,Rotational Cattle Grazing in East African Savanna Ecosystem

Rangelands and the wildlife and livestock they support are critical to human livelihoods, but rangeland ecosystems increasingly suffer from overgrazing and degradation. Planned grazing, a strategy that commonly involves time-controlled rotations of high-density (bunched) groups of cattle across a pasture, is marketed as a method to enhance rangeland health and lessen livestock impacts. However, the behavioral mechanisms underlying any potential rangeland improvements resulting from rotational, high-density planned grazing have rarely been examined. To investigate these mechanisms, we compared planned grazing with conventional continuous grazing management in a savanna ecosystem in Kenya. We surveyed cattle grazing behavior, measured changes in vegetation characteristics through surveys conducted before and after cattle grazing, and measured native ungulate abundance following grazing using camera traps. Stocking rates were held constant across treatments, resulting in a commensurate decline in total foliar hits per pin (a proxy for vegetative biomass) across treatments. Planned grazing management altered cattle behavior and reduced grazing selectivity by restricting movements, causing cattle to walk more slowly while grazing and to take more bites per step. Vegetation survey results supported this finding: cattle in the planned grazing treatment ate significantly more Pennisetum grasses (typically avoided because of their unpalatability), creating the opportunity for regrowth of more palatable species after seasonal rains. We also documented significantly higher zebra presence in planned grazing plots after cattle grazing, likely due to increased relative abundance of more palatable grass species. This investigation of grazing behavior, and specifically decreased grazing selectivity as a mechanism underpinning the benefits of planned grazing, shows that when conducted at appropriate stocking densities, planned grazing has the potential to help mitigate rangeland degradation and improve rangeland sustainability for both livestock and wildlife in pastoral African savanna ecosystems.     

Effects of Livestock Grazing Management on Grassland Birds in a Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecosystem

Grassland birds have undergone substantial population declines throughout much of their historic ranges in North America. Most of the remaining grassland bird habitat is restricted to rangelands managed for livestock production, so grazing management has strong implications for grassland bird conservation efforts. We conducted 1 830 point-count surveys at 305 sites during 2016–2017 to evaluate the relative effects of three livestock grazing systems on the abundance and community composition of grassland birds in a northern mixed-grass prairie ecosystem of eastern Montana, United States. Our objectives were to 1) evaluate effects of grazing management on abundance and community composition of grassland obligate birds, focusing specifically on grazing systems, stocking rates, and interactions with rangeland productivity; 2) evaluate the importance of local vegetation characteristics for grassland birds within grazing systems; and 3) assess the effectiveness of rest-rotation grazing to create patch-heterogeneity in rangeland vegetation through the alteration of structural components and the response of grassland birds to these treatments. Overall, we found inconsistent responses in abundances of grassland birds relative to livestock grazing systems and no discernable differences among grazing systems relative to community composition. However, local abundances were often driven by interactions between grazing system and rangeland production potential, suggesting the effects of livestock grazing management were generally mediated by rangeland productivity. In addition, associations between avian abundance and grazing management parameters (e.g., stocking rate) were species specific. Ubiquitous guidelines for livestock grazing systems may be inappropriate for grassland bird conservation efforts in the northern mixed-grass prairie, and high stocking rates may negatively impact populations of dense-grass obligate grassland birds in this region.     

昭苏马场山前平地、丘陵草地类型地上生物量动态变化研究

通过对昭苏马场丘陵山地草原冬草场、春秋草场、河滩阶地草原春秋牧场、沟谷平地人工草地、前山带低山丘陵草甸草原冬草场进行定位观测研究,结果表明:草地年度内地上生物量变化随年度的季态变化而变化,而草地产量的增减变化幅度与草地的草群组合、利用状况及所处的位置有关。     

Is the grazing tolerance of mesic decreaser and increaser grasses altered by soil nutrients and competition?

An ability to tolerate recurrent defoliation likely plays a role in the compositional shift from decreaser to increaser species with overgrazing of mesic grassland, but the grazing tolerance of local species has not been extensively studied. The growth response of two decreasers, three Increaser II grasses, and an Increaser III species to frequent, severe defoliation under three levels of competition from neighbours and two levels of soil nutrients was examined in a pot trial. The effects of competition and especially nutrients markedly modified the defoliation tolerance of different species, and grazing response groups varied in the manner in which their defoliation responses were mediated by these interactions. Contrary to expectation, defoliation constrained potential productivity most in nutrient-rich, competition-free environments, probably because it exacerbates a carbon limitation on growth. However, nutrient enrichment did enable Increaser II grasses, but not other species, to better tolerate intense defoliation, explaining why they can persist on intensively grazed fertile patches and in heavily stocked grassland, such as in communal areas, where nutrients are more available. It is concluded that grazing tolerance is not a fixed property of species or grazing response groups but depends on biotic and abiotic environmental factors.     

青海省"三江源"地区植被退化原因及其保护策略

对治多县32年的降水和气温变化资料的分析表明,自20世纪90年代以来,由于出现了较明显的增温减水现象,大气干旱加重,空气中相对湿度呈明显的波动减少趋势,因而造成了该地区的气候干旱化,不利于该地区草地生态系统生产力的提高和维持。同时,由于人口和家畜数量的增加,每个羊单位占有可利用草地从1953年的2．3hm^2降低到1994年的1．1hm^2,使牧压成倍增加。与60年代相比,平均产草量降低了50％以上,而有毒有害类杂草增加了20％～30％。到目前为止,约有1／3以上的草地处于不同程度的退化状态,约有1万hm^2的天然草地已经荒漠化或沙化,主要分布在水边、河岸附近、滩地、坡麓和居民点周围即冬季牧场,是局部的退化;但夏季牧场牧压较小,牧草利用率较低,因而保持相对良好状态。由此可见,草地退化的主要原因是超载过牧。但气候的干旱化给过牧对草地的影响起到了推波助澜的作用,其叠加效应加速了草地的退化沙化。同时,由于气候的干旱化可能导致高寒草甸面积的缩小,使高寒草原及荒漠草原的面积有扩大的趋势,从而导致该地区草地总生产力的下降。     

草原碳汇管理对策

我国约4亿hm²草原,草原具有强大碳汇功能,但人们对草原碳汇管理的认识和研究还不足。综述了CO₂、温度及降雨等气象因子和草原开垦、放牧、割草、施肥、人工草地建植等草地管理措施对草原碳汇功能的影响及其作用机制,以期对我国草原管理实践提供借鉴。温度和降雨的改变对不同类型草原的碳汇功能影响不同,以碳汇为目标的草地管理,必须综合考虑气候变化对碳固持的影响。草地退化生产力下降,土壤理化环境恶化,土壤有机碳含量降低,退化草地具有较大的固碳潜力,采用合理的草原管理措施能够极大的提高草地有机碳含量,据估算全国重度退化草地如果全面实施围栏封育措施,固碳潜力每年达12.01 Tg C。过度放牧改变了草原植被群落结构,降低净初级生产力,C∶N增加,土壤氮的亏缺限制碳的固持,枯落物的量也降低,减少有机质的形成,草原碳汇功能降低。合理放牧管理增强草原碳汇功能。草原开垦减少枯落物的输入增加了土壤侵蚀,使土壤有机质暴露在空气中,土壤有机质的氧化分解加快,降低土壤有机质含量。高强度的刈割利用不利于草地碳汇,刈割利用要选择合适的刈割时间和刈割高度,并通过粪尿或施肥等管理措施,返还割草地损失的营养物质。施肥、补播、耕翻和灌溉等改良措施促进草原植被更新,提高草原生产力,增强草原固碳能力。农田弃耕和围封禁牧增强草地碳汇功能,配合施肥补播等其他管理措施,可以促进植被恢复,提高其固碳效率。退耕还草增加草原碳汇,牧草固碳能力强弱为:豆禾混播＞多年生豆科牧草＞多年生禾本科牧草＞一年生禾草。     

昭苏马场山前平地、丘陵草地类型地上生物量动态变化研究

通过对昭苏马场丘陵山地草原冬草场、春秋草场、河滩阶地草原春秋牧场、沟谷平地人工草地、前山带低山丘陵草甸草原冬草场进行定位观测研究，结果表明：草地年度内地上生物量变化随年度的季态变化而变化，而草地产量的增减变化幅度与草地的草群组合、利用状况及所处的位置有关。     

Quantification of the soil-water balance under different veld condition classes in a semi-arid climate

The monthly herbage production, water-use efficiency (WUE: above-ground phytomass production per unit of evapotranspiration), surface runoff and soil loss were determined on grassland in three different ecological conditions, viz. poor, moderate and good, over a four year (1995/1996 to 1998/1999) period. In addition the same measurements were also made on an undisturbed bare soil surface and a soil cultivated twice per annum, only for the last four years. Herbage production and water-use efficiency decreased (P<0.01) when plant cover was reduced or grassland and soil condition declined. The effect of rainfall on productivity is enhanced as plant composition improves from poor through moderate to good. The highest seasonal WUE of 4.76 kg ha^?1 mm^?1 occurred in grassland in good condition. The dense plant cover of grassland in good condition provides a situation in which surface runoff and soil loss are lower (P<0.01) than that from grassland in poor condition. Direct evaporation from the bare uncultivated soil surface was on average 69% of the rainfall. These monthly production and water-use efficiency results are of the few, if not the only, data available for the semi-arid climates of southern Africa and can be used with great success in future fodder flow planning.     

垂穗披碱草/星星草混播草地优化牦牛放牧强度的研究

以植被和牦牛生产力变化为目标研究草地不退化的最大放牧强度,在垂穗披碱草/星星草高寒混播草地3年的牦牛放牧试验结果表明,1)优良牧草比例和牦牛个体增重的平均年度变化随放牧强度的增加而减小,牦牛个体增重和优良牧草比例的平均年度变化之间存在着正相关,因此确立了不同放牧强度下优良牧草比例的年度变化是评价高寒混播群落放牧价值的直接度量指标.2)虽然群落相似性系数和草地质量指数可以评价草场的相对变化,但相似性系数的变化与牦牛个体生产力没有显著关系,因而不能反映草场放牧价值的变化,而计算草地质量指数时,不同植物类群盖度的测定和适口性的判别受人为因素的干扰较大,因此它也不是一个很客观的指标.3)当放牧强度为9.97头/hm2时,优良牧草比例和牦牛个体增重的年度变化能维持基本不变,因此,可以认为该放牧强度是高寒人工草地生长季放牧不退化的最大放牧强度.     

Functional Resource Heterogeneity Increases Livestock and Rangeland Productivity

Most of the world's rangelands are subject to large spatial and temporal variation in forage quantity and quality, which can have severe consequences for the stability and profitability of livestock production. Adaptive foraging movements between functional seasonal resources can help to ameliorate the destabilizing effects on herbivore body stores of spatial and temporal variability of forage quantity and quality. Functional dry-season habitats (key resources) provide sufficient nutrients and energy to minimize reliance on body stores and are critical for maintaining population stability by buffering the effects of drought. Functional wet-season habitats dominated by short, nutritious grasses facilitate optimal intake of nutrients and energy for lactating females, for optimal calf growth rates and for building body stores. Adaptive foraging responses to high-quality focal patches induced by rainfall and disturbance further facilitate intake of nutrients and energy. In addition, focused grazing impact in high-quality patches helps to prevent grassland maturing and losing quality. In this regard, the design of many rotational grazing systems is conceptually flawed because of their inflexible movement of livestock that does not allow adaptation to spatial and temporal variability in forage quantity and quality or sufficient duration of stay in paddocks for livestock to benefit from self facilitation of grazing. Similarly the fixed intraseasonal resting periods of most rotational grazing systems might not coincide with the key pulses of nitrogen mineralization and rainfall in the growing season, which can reduce their efficiency in providing a functional recovery period for grazed grasses. This might explain why complex rotational grazing systems on average have not out-performed continuous grazing systems. It follows, therefore, that ranchers need to adopt flexible grazing management practices that allow adaptation to spatial and temporal variability in forage quantity and quality, allow facilitation of grazing (season-long grazing), and allow more effective recovery periods (season-long resting).     

新疆阿勒泰地区草地生产力变化及对策研究

通过遥感技术、地理信息技术和地面实地调查技术的结合运用,将阿勒泰的历史资料(1985年前草地类型图、草地等级图、放牧利用图)与2009年遥感影像资料、野外测产资料进行对比分析,确定了阿勒泰地区可利用草地系数K1、可食牧草系数K2、草地利用系数K3,建立了各季节牧场产量模型,计算出阿勒泰地区及各县市草地的产草量、理论载畜...