Altered Herbivore Distribution Associated With Focal Disturbance |
| |
| Authors: | Ryan F Limb David M Engle Samuel D Fuhlendorf Donald P Althoff Philip S Gipson |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Senior Research Specialist, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;2. Regents Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;3. Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;4. Assistant Professor, School of Sciences, University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, OH 84674, USA;5. Professor and Head, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA;1. Research Ecologist, USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;2. Research Scientist, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;3. Research Leader and Rangeland Scientist, USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit, Cheyenne, WY 82009, USA;1. PhD student, Rangeland Ecology, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa;2. Senior Research Scholar, Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana, Maun, Botswana;3. National Director, South African Science Service for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) Botswana National Node, Gaborone, Botswana;1. Assistant Professor, Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Sanite-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada;2. Plant Physiologist, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit, Crops Research Laboratory, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;3. Research Agronomist USDA-ARS Agricultural Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;4. Research Leader, USDA-ARS Agricultural Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;5. Research Leader, USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit, High Plains Grasslands Research Station, Cheyenne, WY 82009, USA;1. Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3209, South Africa;2. Professor Grassland Science, Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3209, South Africa;3. Professor and Director, Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3209, South Africa |
| |
| Abstract: | Natural disturbances historically created structurally diverse patterns across the landscape, and large herbivores concentrated herbivory in areas where disturbance decreased standing senesced biomass that acted as a grazing deterrent through decreased palatability and overall forage quality. However, following European settlement, many natural large-scale disturbance regimes that influence vegetation and herbivore grazing selection were altered or removed and replaced with fine-scale anthropogenic disturbances. It is unclear how fine-scale focal disturbance and alteration of vegetation structure influences livestock distribution and grazing. Therefore we used a tracked vehicle as a disturbance agent in a mesic mixed-grass prairie to assess the influence of focal anthropogenic disturbance on livestock distribution and grazing. Track vehicle disturbance decreased the height of vegetation (P < 0.05) but did not alter plant species composition (P > 0.05). Cattle fecal pat density was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in locations with track vehicle disturbance. Little bluestem tiller height was shorter (P ≤ 0.05) in tracked locations than nontracked locations in grazed treatments, but was not different in nongrazed locations the first growing season following disturbance. Fecal pat density and tiller height were not different (P > 0.05) between tracked and nontracked locations following the second growing season. Therefore, we concluded that fine-scale focal anthropogenic disturbance alters herbivore distribution and defoliation and can maintain structural heterogeneity, but the effect is ephemeral and does not create long-lasting grazing lawns. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
