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Tulloch AIT, Healy A, Silcock J, Wardle GM, Dickman CR, Frank ASK, Aubault H, Barton K, Greenville AC. Long-term livestock exclusion increases plant richness and reproductive capacity in arid woodlands. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2909. [PMID: 37602895 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Herbivore exclusion is implemented globally to recover ecosystems from grazing by introduced and native herbivores, but evidence for large-scale biodiversity benefits is inconsistent in arid ecosystems. We examined the effects of livestock exclusion on dryland plant richness and reproductive capacity. We collected data on plant species richness and seeding (reproductive capacity), rainfall, vegetation productivity and cover, soil strength and herbivore grazing intensity from 68 sites across 6500 km2 of arid Georgina gidgee (Acacia georginae) woodlands in central Australia between 2018 and 2020. Sites were on an actively grazed cattle station and two destocked conservation reserves. We used structural equation modeling to examine indirect (via soil or vegetation modification) versus direct (herbivory) effects of grazing intensity by two introduced herbivores (cattle, camels) and a native herbivore (red kangaroo), on seasonal plant species richness and seeding of all plants, and the richness and seeding of four plant groups (native grasses, forbs, annual chenopod shrubs, and palatable perennial shrubs). Non-native herbivores had a strong indirect effect on plant richness and seeding by reducing vegetative ground cover, resulting in decreased richness and seeding of native grasses and forbs. Herbivores also had small but negative direct impacts on plant richness and seeding. This direct effect was explained by reductions in annual chenopod and palatable perennial shrub richness under grazing activity. Responses to grazing were herbivore-dependent; introduced herbivore grazing reduced native plant richness and seeding, while native herbivore grazing had no significant effect on richness or seeding of different plant functional groups. Soil strength decreased under grazing by cattle but not camels or kangaroos. Cattle had direct effects on palatable perennial shrub richness and seeding, whereas camels had indirect effects, reducing richness and seeding by reducing the abundance of shrubs. We show that considering indirect pathways improves evaluations of the effects of disturbances on biodiversity, as focusing only on direct effects can mask critical mechanisms of change. Our results indicate substantial biodiversity benefits from excluding livestock and controlling camels in drylands. Reducing introduced herbivore impacts will improve soil and vegetation condition, ensure reproduction and seasonal persistence of species, and protect native plant diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha I T Tulloch
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Al Healy
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jennifer Silcock
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Glenda M Wardle
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher R Dickman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anke S K Frank
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Pilungah Reserve, Bush Heritage Australia, Boulia, Queensland, Australia
- School of Agriculture, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Helene Aubault
- Ethabuka Reserve, Bush Heritage Australia, Bedourie, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kyle Barton
- Ethabuka Reserve, Bush Heritage Australia, Bedourie, Queensland, Australia
| | - Aaron C Greenville
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Jones TA, Monaco TA, Larson SR, Hamerlynck EP, Crain JL. Using Genomic Selection to Develop Performance-Based Restoration Plant Materials. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158275. [PMID: 35955409 PMCID: PMC9368130 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective native plant materials are critical to restoring the structure and function of extensively modified ecosystems, such as the sagebrush steppe of North America’s Intermountain West. The reestablishment of native bunchgrasses, e.g., bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata [Pursh] À. Löve), is the first step for recovery from invasive species and frequent wildfire and towards greater ecosystem resiliency. Effective native plant material exhibits functional traits that confer ecological fitness, phenotypic plasticity that enables adaptation to the local environment, and genetic variation that facilitates rapid evolution to local conditions, i.e., local adaptation. Here we illustrate a multi-disciplinary approach based on genomic selection to develop plant materials that address environmental issues that constrain local populations in altered ecosystems. Based on DNA sequence, genomic selection allows rapid screening of large numbers of seedlings, even for traits expressed only in more mature plants. Plants are genotyped and phenotyped in a training population to develop a genome model for the desired phenotype. Populations with modified phenotypes can be used to identify plant syndromes and test basic hypotheses regarding relationships of traits to adaptation and to one another. The effectiveness of genomic selection in crop and livestock breeding suggests this approach has tremendous potential for improving restoration outcomes for species such as bluebunch wheatgrass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. Jones
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Forage & Range Research Laboratory, 696 North 1100 East, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (T.A.M.); (S.R.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Thomas A. Monaco
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Forage & Range Research Laboratory, 696 North 1100 East, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (T.A.M.); (S.R.L.)
| | - Steven R. Larson
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Forage & Range Research Laboratory, 696 North 1100 East, Logan, UT 84322, USA; (T.A.M.); (S.R.L.)
| | - Erik P. Hamerlynck
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Range & Meadow Forage Management Research Laboratory, 67826-A Highway 205, Burns, OR 97720, USA;
| | - Jared L. Crain
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, 1712 Claflin Road, 4024 Throckmorton PSC, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA;
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Kerby JT, Krivak-Tetley FE, Shikesho SD, Bolger DT. Livestock impacts on an iconic Namib Desert plant are mediated by abiotic conditions. Oecologia 2022; 199:229-242. [PMID: 35524862 PMCID: PMC9120118 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05177-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Resolving the relative contributions of top-down versus bottom-up drivers of vegetation dynamics is a major challenge in drylands. In the coming decades, growing livestock populations and shifts in water availability will simultaneously impact many arid systems, but a lack of empirical data on plant responses to these pressures limits understanding of how plants will respond. Here, we combine ground and drone observations from an herbivore exclosure experiment to identify ungulate visitation patterns and their impacts on the cover and melon production of !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), a large, long-lived desert plant in the hyper-arid Namib Desert. !Nara are of key ecological, social, and economic importance to Namib ecosystems and to the local Topnaar people. At our study site, we find that among native and domestic herbivores, free-ranging donkeys have the largest impact on !nara cover and melon production. !Nara cover was negatively affected by herbivores close to the desert-ephemeral river ecotone during a dry period, whereas !nara cover increased on all plants across the landscape during a wetter period, regardless of herbivore access. !Nara near the river channel and those protected from herbivores had more mature melons, particularly during the wetter period. At this site, the potential for conflict between Topnaar !nara melon harvesting and pastoral practices varies with a plant’s distance from the river and prevailing abiotic conditions. This work advances monitoring approaches and adds empirical support to the understanding that top-down and bottom-up regulation of plant dynamics varies with spatiotemporal context, even within landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Kerby
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark. .,Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Flora E Krivak-Tetley
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Saima D Shikesho
- Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Douglas T Bolger
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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Marchetto KM, Wolf TM, Larkin DJ. The effectiveness of using targeted grazing for vegetation management: a meta‐analysis. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Marchetto
- Veterinary Population Medicine University of Minnesota 225 Veterinary Medical Center, 1365 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - Tiffany M. Wolf
- Veterinary Population Medicine University of Minnesota 225 Veterinary Medical Center, 1365 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - Daniel J. Larkin
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology University of Minnesota 135 Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
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Creamer M, Horback K. Researching Human-Cattle Interaction on Rangelands: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030725. [PMID: 33799955 PMCID: PMC8000822 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Research investigating the influence of human-animal interactions on beef cattle production and welfare often occurs during stress-inducing contexts, such as restraint and transport. Given that beef cattle which graze on expansive rangelands do not frequently interact with humans, assessment of animal response to humans may be inaccurate if they are only recorded during such stressful context. Future research aimed at identifying the causes and impacts of individual human–cattle relationships may consider conducting experiments while the cattle are in a low stress context, such as while ruminating, resting, or, grazing. By adapting methods used to research wildlife response to humans, researchers may be able to better understand how animal personality and previous experience can influence cattle production and welfare. Abstract Human-animal interaction (HAI) research spans across many scientific fields and animal taxa. For livestock species, HAI research tends to focus on animals that are managed in close proximity with humans such as poultry, dairy cattle, and swine. Given the nature of rangeland cattle production, HAI research with beef cattle often occurs in and around the processing environment. This high arousal context may skew behavioral and physiological responses by the animals due to the potentially negative interaction. The aim of this review is to describe cattle production on rangelands, examine the considerations and limitations of current HAI research used to evaluate interaction quality or traits of rangeland cattle, identify contexts in which rangeland cattle interact with humans, and provide recommendations for improving future HAI research with rangeland cattle. Current research delineating individual differences in response to humans by beef cattle occur during routine husbandry and management on rangelands (pragmatic) and in a research context (experimental). Human-cattle interactions can be distinguished based on the quality and goal of the interaction into four broad categories: human presence, human approach, human contact, and restraint. Limitations of HAI research with rangeland cattle are identified and reconciled by recommendations for HAI research that can take place outside of the processing environment (i.e., while cattle are ruminating, resting or grazing on rangelands).
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Filazzola A, Brown C, Dettlaff MA, Batbaatar A, Grenke J, Bao T, Peetoom Heida I, Cahill JF. The effects of livestock grazing on biodiversity are multi-trophic: a meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1298-1309. [PMID: 32369874 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance has generated a significant loss of biodiversity worldwide and grazing by domestic herbivores is a contributing disturbance. Although the effects of grazing on plants are commonly explored, here we address the potential multi-trophic effects on animal biodiversity (e.g. herbivores, pollinators and predators). We conducted a meta-analysis on 109 independent studies that tested the response of animals or plants to livestock grazing relative to livestock excluded. Across all animals, livestock exclusion increased abundance and diversity, but these effects were greatest for trophic levels directly dependent on plants, such as herbivores and pollinators. Detritivores were the only trophic level whose abundance decreased with livestock exclusion. We also found that the number of years since livestock was excluded influenced the community and that the effects of grazer exclusion on animal diversity were strongest in temperate climates. These findings synthesise the effects of livestock grazing beyond plants and demonstrate the indirect impacts of livestock grazing on multiple trophic levels in the animal community. We identified the potentially long-term impacts that livestock grazing can have on lower trophic levels and consequences for biological conservation. We also highlight the potentially inevitable cost to global biodiversity from livestock grazing that must be balanced against socio-economic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Filazzola
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Charlotte Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Margarete A Dettlaff
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Amgaa Batbaatar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Jessica Grenke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Tan Bao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Isaac Peetoom Heida
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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Creamer ML, Roche LM, Horback KM, Saitone TL. Optimising cattle grazing distribution on rangeland: a systematic review and network analysis. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2019. [DOI: 10.1071/rj19066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Optimising beef cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus) distribution, both spatially and temporally, is one of the most significant challenges associated with managing extensive grazed rangelands. Landscape variability and behavioural patterns of cattle may lead to non-uniform and inefficient forage utilisation, damage to critical habitats, and water quality impairment. In order to overcome these distribution challenges, a large suite of tools have been developed and researched to optimise grazing patterns. The objectives of this synthesis paper are 2-fold: (i) to survey and categorise distribution tools; and (ii) to analyse the connectivity of existing research across academic disciplines to identify and isolate knowledge gaps. A systematic literature review revealed specific types of tools and strategies to improve cattle distribution, which were categorised as either ‘animal’ or ‘environmental manipulations’. Animal manipulations utilise aspects of individual behaviour and herd dynamics to alter grazing patterns, whereas environmental manipulations involve transforming aspects of the animal’s surroundings to overcome challenges associated with inefficient distribution. This review reveals that strategies are overwhelmingly studied in isolation, and that there is potential to increase efficacy by integrating multiple strategies to achieve a desired outcome. Motivated by these findings, an author collaboration network analysis was conducted to investigate connectivity within and among author fields of expertise to understand why more integrated management strategies are not currently studied. Authors were classified into five fields of research: animal behaviour science, animal production science, biophysical rangeland science, economics, and other. The network analysis revealed that communities of authors contributing to papers on enhancing cattle distribution are disjointed. These results suggest that in order to fulfil knowledge gaps about the efficacy and cost of management strategies, there needs to be interdisciplinary engagement with particular attention to strategies that integrate animal and environmental manipulations to enhance cattle grazing distribution on extensively grazed landscapes.
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Historical Cover Trends in a Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem from 1985 to 2013: Links with Climate, Disturbance, and Management. Ecosystems 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-017-0191-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Hamerlynck EP, Sheley RL, Davies KW, Svejcar TJ. Postdefoliation ecosystem carbon and water flux and canopy growth dynamics in sagebrush steppe bunchgrasses. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Erik P. Hamerlynck
- United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research ServiceEastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center 67826‐A Highway 205 Burns Oregon 97720 USA
| | - Roger L. Sheley
- United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research ServiceEastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center 67826‐A Highway 205 Burns Oregon 97720 USA
| | - Kirk W. Davies
- United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research ServiceEastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center 67826‐A Highway 205 Burns Oregon 97720 USA
| | - Tony J. Svejcar
- United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research ServiceEastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center 67826‐A Highway 205 Burns Oregon 97720 USA
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Beschta RL, Donahue DL, DellaSala DA, Rhodes JJ, Karr JR, O'Brien MH, Fleischner TL, Williams CD. Reducing livestock effects on public lands in the western United States as the climate changes: a reply to Svejcar et al. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2014; 53:1039-1042. [PMID: 24687319 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-014-0263-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Svejcar et al. (Environ Manage, 2014) offered several perspectives regarding Beschta et al. (Environ Manage 51:474-491, 2013)--a publication that addressed the interacting ecological effects of climate change and domestic, wild, and feral ungulates on public lands in the western United States (US)--by largely focusing on three livestock grazing issues: (1) legacy versus current day impacts; (2) grazing as a fire reduction tool; and (3) the complexity of grazing. Regarding these issues, we indicate that (1) legacy effects to western ecosystems were indeed significant and contemporary livestock use on public lands generally maintains or exacerbates many of those effects; (2) livestock grazing has been a major factor affecting fire frequency, fire severity, and ecosystem trajectories in the western US for over a century; and (3) the removal or reduction of grazing impacts in these altered ecosystems is the most effective means of initiating ecological recovery. Svejcar et al. (Environ Manage, 2014) offer no evidence that livestock use is consistent with the timely recovery of grazing-degraded uplands, riparian areas, or stream systems. We thus conclude that public-land ecosystems can best persist or cope with a changing climate by significantly reducing ungulate grazing and related impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Beschta
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA,
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