Native grasslands in the PlainsTender incentive scheme: conservation value, management and monitoring

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi C. Zimmer ◽  
Jaimie Mavromihalis ◽  
Vivienne B. Turner ◽  
Claire Moxham ◽  
Canran Liu
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Incentive Scheme ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Exotic Grass

The native grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain, in south-western Victoria, Australia, is a critically endangered community. Much of the remaining grassland exists on private land, where it is grazed by livestock. The impacts of two grazing management strategies, implemented under the PlainsTender incentive scheme, were monitored at 18 on-farm native grassland sites for 4 years. The management strategies were (1) excluding grazing during spring, or (2) flexible grazing and resting. Maintenance of >70% vegetation cover was required under both strategies. Generalised least-squares (repeated-measures) modelling revealed a significant correlation between plant functional group cover and management. However, this correlation was present at the outset of the study and was maintained for the duration of monitoring. Sites rested from livestock grazing in spring had higher native and exotic grass cover, while exotic forb cover was higher at sites where grazing was managed flexibly. Native and exotic grass cover varied significantly from year-to-year under both management strategies; we attribute this to variation in rainfall, particularly drought in the second year. A key outcome of this study was the recognition that high conservation value native grasslands, i.e. large (≥100 ha) and intact (≥36 native species), are being managed successfully on private land, using a range of conservative livestock grazing strategies.

scholarly journals The Botteri's Sparrow and Exotic Arizona Grasslands: An Ecological Trap or Habitat Regained?

The Condor ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zach F. Jones ◽  
Carl E. Bock
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Late 19Th Century ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Sporobolus Wrightii

Abstract The Botteri's Sparrow (Aimophila botterii) is a bird of tall grasslands that temporarily disappeared from Arizona following heavy livestock grazing in the 1890s. Its return was noted first in sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii), an uncommon native floodplain tallgrass often >2 m in height, and subsequently in stands of exotic lovegrasses (Eragrostis spp.) spreading into adjacent uplands that otherwise supported shorter native grasslands. We examined whether the exotic grasslands provided suitable breeding habitat for Botteri's Sparrows, compared to native grasslands. We counted birds for three years on 18 plots, monitored 314 nests on 323 home ranges, banded 583 birds, and measured vegetation on plots and home ranges, and at nests and fledgling locations. Abundance and site fidelity were positively associated with grass height and cover, being greatest in sacaton, intermediate in exotics, and lowest in native upland grasslands. The three habitats did not differ in young fledged per capita. Vegetation cover on Botteri's Sparrow home ranges did not differ from the surrounding available habitat, but locations of flightless recently fledged young included taller and more dense vegetation than either nest sites or random locations, especially in sparsely vegetated native grasslands. These results suggest that fledglings required substantial cover to avoid predation while they completed development. Far from being an ecological trap, the exotic lovegrasses apparently are providing essential cover for the Botteri's Sparrow in Arizona, perhaps allowing it to regain an abundance similar to what existed regionally prior to overgrazing of the late 19th Century.

scholarly journals Apparent Competition, Lion Predation, and Managed Livestock Grazing: Can Conservation Value Be Enhanced?

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline C. Ng'weno ◽  
Steven W. Buskirk ◽  
Nicholas J. Georgiadis ◽  
Benard C. Gituku ◽  
Alfred K. Kibungei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apparent Competition ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Conservation Value

Grazing and plant biodiversity in upland acid grassland systems - why can we manipulate animal performance easily but not plant biodiversity?

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 ◽  
pp. 62-62
Author(s):  
A. Waterhouse ◽  
J.P Holland ◽  
J.Milner
Keyword(s):  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Environmental Support ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Livestock Systems ◽  
Cross Compliance

Upland livestock systems dominate land use on upland semi-natural habitats of high conservation value. The future is unclear. CAP reform is likely to highlight the poor financial performance of hill livestock, cross compliance may be very light and agri-environmental support for positive management is likely to be limited. There is much debate about management for different objectives. Trends of abandonment of livestock grazing may continue. This paper highlights alternative outcomes of management of semi-natural grasslands and the linked impacts on livestock production.

Functional diversity and seasonal activity of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) on native grasslands in southern Alberta, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kadiri ◽  
J.-P. Lumaret ◽  
K.D. Floate
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
European Origin ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Southern Alberta

AbstractTo characterise their functional diversity and seasonal activity, dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) were collected with baited pitfall traps at three sites for three years on a native grassland in southern Alberta, Canada. The total collection of 125 820 beetles comprised 12 species of which eight were of European origin. For each combination of site and year, assemblages were dominated by two or three core species of European origin that represented 70–95% of total beetles and more than 75% of total biomass, but only 10–30% of species richness. Core species consistently includedOnthophagus nuchicornis(Linnaeus) and occasionallyChilothorax distinctus(Müller) andColobopterus erraticus(Linnaeus). Coexistence of these core species appears to be facilitated by differences in their size, seasonal activity, and life history traits.

scholarly journals How are Brewer's Sparrows Affected by the Encroachment of the Exotic Grass Species, Smooth Brome (Bromus Inermis Leyss.)?

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 149-152
Author(s):  
Megan Rhuemann ◽  
Sue Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Native Plants ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
The West ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Smooth Brome ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Exotic Grass

Sagebrush habitats (Artemisia spp.) across the western United States have been continuously altered since the arrival of early European settlers. Habitat loss and fragmentation in sagebrush-dominated habitats has been attributed to domestic livestock, introduction of non-native vegetation, agricultural expansion, urbanization, and changes in ecological processes that regulate ecosystems (Knick et al. 2003). These alterations have resulted in landscape level changes; for example, it is estimated that between 50-60% of the nearly 63 million hectares once covered by sagebrush in the west have been either completely converted to non-native grasslands or now contain non­native grasses in the understory (Miller and Eddleman 2001, West 2000 and 1996). The encroachment of non-native plants that compete with native vegetation has been identified as one of the most serious threats to the health and integrity of sagebrush ecosystems throughout the west (Paige and Ritter 1999).

scholarly journals Livestock and grassland interrelationship along five centuries of ranching the semiarid grasslands on the southern highlands of the Mexican Plateau

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Mellink ◽  
Mónica E. Riojas-López
Keyword(s):  
Central Mexico ◽  
Range Management ◽  
Grassland Degradation ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Historical Archives ◽  
Buffalo Grass ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Section

Native grasslands worldwide have been degraded by grazing, but the processes involved have been studied insufficiently. Grasslands were a major habitat on the southern section of the Mexican Plateau when the Spaniards arrived 500 years ago. Since then, they have been impacted heavily through grazing, but the details and history of such impacts have not been established. We aimed at untangling almost 500 years of grazing of these grasslands, based on extensive searches of published information and of documents in historical archives. We identified three periods of ranching: Cattle, from the mid-16th to the mid-17th Centuries; sheep, reflecting a change from tall to short grasses; and, finally, goats and horses, along with sheep, asses and some cattle, after serious grassland degradation by the mid-20th Century. Overgrazing has impacted grassland composition in the region and its capacity to support livestock, but also, strongly affect some 20 species of native vertebrates and an unknown number of plant and invertebrate species. The current condition of some ranges and a livestock exclosure indicate that grassland improvement is possible, but realistic objectives based on biodiversity conservation and livestock production should be targeted, rather than utopic pre-livestock frameworks. Grasslands in the region at the time of Spanish arrival possibly had a mixture of grasses and herbs, but buffalo grass and the central Mexico tobosa grass are potential initial range management targets for grassland recovery of the ranges in worst condition, while blue gramma and the Mexican plateau gramma are good targets for ranges that still have some grass cover.

Relationship between fire frequency and nitrogen limitation on foliage production in a native grassland community in Victoria, Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
N Availability ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Grassland Community ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Western Victoria

The relationship between fire frequency (annual v. infrequent) and nitrogen (N) limitation to foliage production in a temperate native grassland community in western Victoria, Australia, was assessed over one growing season using a simple ammonium nitrate addition experiment. Fire history affected the magnitude of the vegetation responses to N addition. At the community level, mean live biomass in infrequently-burned grasslands declined by 20 ± 8% in response to N addition. In contrast, mean biomass increased by 60 ± 15% in annually-burned grasslands in response to N addition. Both grasses and forbs responded positively to N addition in annually-burned grasslands, with forbs responding more substantially than grasses. Foliage production in annually-burned native grasslands therefore appears to be constrained by N availability. The results of this study may have important implications for understanding species coexistence and invasion by non-native species in temperate native grasslands.

Forb responses to grazing and rest management in a critically endangered Australian native grassland ecosystem

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi C. Zimmer ◽  
Vivienne B. Turner ◽  
Jaimie Mavromihalis ◽  
Josh Dorrough ◽  
Claire Moxham
Keyword(s):  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Temperate Grasslands ◽  
Original Distribution ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Management Regimes

Worldwide, temperate grasslands have been extensively cleared for agriculture and urban expansion and the ‘Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain’ in south-eastern Australia has recently been listed as critically endangered. Because of land clearing, these grasslands now occupy <1% of their original distribution and much of the remaining grassland continues to be grazed by livestock. Although forbs (wildflowers) constitute most of the floristic richness in natural grasslands, few experimental studies have focused on their responses to strategic livestock grazing and rest. This paper reports on the outcomes of five grazing and rest management regimes imposed for 4 years at three sites on the Victorian Volcanic Plain. Seasonal grazing and rest management regimes resulted in significantly different native and exotic forb frequencies, but not richness. Native perennial and exotic annual forb frequency was higher when management incorporated grazing and rest periods (14 and 16% deviance explained), particularly with spring rest from grazing. However, the most important influence on native perennial and exotic annual and perennial forb frequency (46, 58 and 41% deviance explained) and native perennial and exotic annual species richness (62 and 35% deviance explained) was site. Differences among the three sites included soil, rainfall, size of remnant, presence of small burrowing mammals, management history and consequent species assemblages. Despite differences among sites, the results indicate that native perennial forb frequency may be increased using management regimes that incorporate both grazing and rest. However, targeted management may be necessary to reduce exotic annual forbs, also promoted by grazing with seasonal rest.

Effect of distance from edge on exotic grass abundance in tropical dry forests bordering pastures in Ecuador

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Ruth Lyons-Galante ◽  
Xavier Haro-Carrión
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Pasture Grass ◽  
Pasture Grasses ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Explained Variation ◽  
Exotic Grass

Abstract:We compared exotic pasture grass cover near the edges of 20–25-y-old secondary forests (N = 8) with those of mature forests (N = 8), bordering actively grazed pastures on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador. We estimated grass cover in 224 1 × 3-m plots along transects that ran from the pasture edge into forest interiors (11–44 m). Using a spline regression, we divided the transects into three segments: exterior (in the pasture), edge and interior (in the forest). With a stepwise regression, we tested the effect of transect section, forest type and distance from edge on grass cover. Forest type, distance from edge, interior transect section and the combined effect of distance from edge in both the interior and exterior sections explained variation in grass cover. Grass abundance was higher and penetrated further into secondary than mature forests. Edge proximity and differences in forest canopy openness likely favours recruitment and persistence of pasture grasses.

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