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Haslem A, Clarke RH, Maisey AC, Stewart A, Radford JQ, Bennett AF. Temporal dynamics in the composition of bird communities along a gradient of farmland restoration. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2947. [PMID: 38305124 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2947] [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: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Revegetation plantings are a key activity in farmland restoration and are commonly assumed to support biotic communities that, with time, replicate those of reference habitats. Restoration outcomes, however, can be highly variable and difficult to predict; hence there is value in quantifying restoration success to improve future efforts. We test the expectation that, over time, revegetation will restore bird communities to match those in reference habitats; and assess whether specific planting attributes enhance restoration success. We surveyed birds in 255 sites in south-east Australia, arranged along a restoration gradient encompassing three habitat types: unrestored farmland (paddocks), revegetation plantings (comprising a chronosequence up to 52 years old) and reference habitats (remnant native vegetation). Surveys were undertaken in 2006/2007 and again in 2019, with data used to compare bird assemblages between habitat types. We also determined whether, in the intervening 12 years, bird communities in revegetation had shifted toward reference habitats on the restoration gradient. Our results showed that each habitat contained a unique bird community and that, over time, assemblages in revegetation diverged away from those in unrestored farmland and converged toward those in reference habitats. Two planting attributes influenced this transition: the bird assemblages of revegetation were more likely to have diverged away from those of unrestored farmland (with scattered mature trees) 12 years later if they were located in areas with more surrounding tree cover, and were mostly ungrazed by livestock (compared with grazed plantings). Our results highlight three key ways in which revegetation contributes to farmland restoration: (1) by supporting richer and more diverse bird assemblages than unrestored farmland, (2) by enhancing beta diversity in rural landscapes through the addition of a unique bird community, and (3) by shifting bird assemblages toward those found in reference habitats over time. However, revegetation plantings did not replicate reference habitats by ~40-50 years in our region, and complete convergence may take centuries. These findings have implications for environmental offset programs and mean that effective conservation in farmland environments depends on the retention and protection of natural and seminatural habitats as a parallel management strategy to complement restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angie Haslem
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rohan H Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex C Maisey
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alistair Stewart
- Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - James Q Radford
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew F Bennett
- Department of Environment and Genetics, and Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
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Deniz M, De-Sousa KT, Vieira FMC, Vale MMD, Dittrich JR, Daros RR, Hötzel MJ. A systematic review of the effects of silvopastoral system on thermal environment and dairy cows' behavioral and physiological responses. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2023; 67:409-422. [PMID: 36680629 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-023-02431-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Does the silvopastoral system (SPS) promote a satisfactory thermal environment for dairy cows to perform their natural behaviors and perform a suitable thermoregulatory function? To answer this, peer-reviewed articles, written in English and evaluating the effects of silvopastoral systems on thermal environment, dairy cows' behavior, and physiology were used in this systematic review; additionally, a bibliometric approach was performed. Web of Science and Google Scholar were used to compile the literature. The resulting articles (1448) underwent a 4-step appraisal process and resulted in 19 articles that fitted our inclusion criteria. Microclimate variables and thermal comfort indicators were the most researched topics (discussed in 89% of studies); 47% of studies addressed cattle behavior and 36% physiological responses. Our review highlights different benefits of silvopastoral systems for grazing dairy cows. For example, the SPS provides a more comfortable thermal environment than treeless pasture, which increases feeding behaviors; furthermore, dairy cows in SPS show lower drinking events, surface temperature, and respiratory rate than cows raised in treeless pasture. However, for nine of the variables related to cows' behavior (e.g., resting, rumination) and physiology responses (e.g., internal temperature), the results of the studies were unclear. Furthermore, behaviors associated with lying down (e.g., idling and rumination) and milk production in SPS were explored only in six and two studies, respectively. These findings provide consistent evidence that the silvopastoral systems are beneficial to thermal comfort of dairy cows; nonetheless, the effect on cows' behavioral and physiological responses is still scarce and unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Deniz
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Dep. de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
- Grupo de Estudos em Biometeorologia, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Dois Vizinhos, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Dep. de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Marcos Martinez do Vale
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Dep. de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - João Ricardo Dittrich
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Dep. de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Ruan Rolnei Daros
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Escola de Medicina e Ciências da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Maria José Hötzel
- Laboratório de Etologia Aplicada e Bem-estar Animal, Dep. de Zootecnia e Desenvolvimento Rural, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16769. [PMID: 36202891 PMCID: PMC9537417 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21089-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
A large area of the terrestrial land surface is used for livestock grazing. Trees on grazing lands provide and can enhance multiple ecosystem services such as provisioning, cultural and regulating, that include carbon sequestration. In this study, we assessed the above- and belowground carbon stocks across six different land-uses in livestock-dominated landscapes of Mexico. We measured tree biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in fodder banks, live fences, pasturelands with dispersed trees, secondary forests, and primary forests from three different geographical regions and compared them with conventional open pasturelands respectively. We also calculated tree diversity indices for each land-use and their similarity with native primary forests. The aboveground woody biomass stocks differed significantly between land-uses and followed the gradient from less diverse conventional open pasturelands to silvopastoral systems and ecologically complex primary forests. The SOC stocks showed a differential response to the land-use gradient dependent on the study region. Multivariate analyses showed that woody biomass, fine root biomass, and SOC concentrations were positively related, while land-use history and soil bulk density showed an inverse relationship to these variables. Silvopastoral systems and forest remnants stored 27–163% more carbon compared to open pasturelands. Our results demonstrate the importance of promoting appropriate silvopastoral systems and conserving forest remnants within livestock-dominated landscapes as a land-based carbon mitigation strategy. Furthermore, our findings also have important implications to help better manage livestock-dominated landscapes and minimize pressures on natural protected areas and biodiversity in the hotspots of deforestation for grassland expansion.
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Abdul-Salam Y, Ovando P, Roberts D. Understanding the economic barriers to the adoption of agroforestry: A Real Options analysis. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 302:113955. [PMID: 34700088 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Agroforestry has a potentially important role in helping agriculture address both the climate and biodiversity crises. It provides a means of producing additional marketable goods from agricultural land and enhancing biodiversity at the same time as increasing carbon sequestration and, in silvo-pastural systems, reducing carbon emissions if livestock stocking rates are reduced. However, the uptake of agroforestry in the UK has been limited. This paper adopts Real Options techniques to explore how the decision to adopt agroforestry is influenced by the relative levels of returns from agriculture, forestry and the price of carbon under the scenario where there are financial penalties from livestock Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, financial benefits from carbon sequestration in trees and reversibility in land use decisions. The results are compared to the equivalent findings from a Land Equivalent Value capital budgeting approach to agroforestry adoption. Analysis is based on data from a case study upland livestock farm in Scotland, comparing the impacts of introducing agroforestry into the hill sheep enterprise or the low ground cattle and sheep enterprise. The results suggest that the adoption of agroforestry is far less likely than would be suggested by standard budgeting approaches, especially in more extensive upland enterprises (hill area) where sequestration benefits are low relative to more productive farmland areas (low ground area). Upfront support payments are shown to increase the likelihood of agroforestry adoption. They also have the effect of reducing the rotation length of forestry in such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola Ovando
- The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, AB15 8HL, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Deborah Roberts
- The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, AB15 8HL, Aberdeen, UK.
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Baker TP, Marais ZE, Davidson NJ, Worledge D, Mendham DS. The role of open woodland in mitigating microclimatic extremes in agricultural landscapes. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Roberts NJ, Zhang Y, Convery I, Liang X, Smith D, Jiang G. Cattle Grazing Effects on Vegetation and Wild Ungulates in the Forest Ecosystem of a National Park in Northeastern China. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.680367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence that cattle grazing in forests limits big cat abundance. There is concern, too, about competition with wild ungulate prey through bottom-up effects on vegetation. Hence, there have been calls to remove or control forest livestock grazing in aid of restoring endangered large carnivores and their prey. To help inform scientific debate and decision making, we explored cattle-vegetation-prey dynamics in Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, northeast China and present a reappraisal of livestock grazing in the context of coexistence and an integrated approach to land use in China. Inside long-term forest grazing enclosures, wild boar (Sus scrofa) density increased with cattle density. Roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) density and occurrence probability of wild boar and roe deer were not influenced by cattle density. Wild ungulate densities were not related with the number of annual shoots, i.e., forage plant abundance. The presence/absence and abundance of annual shoots was not related with cattle density. Wild ungulate density had mixed associations with vegetation structure; arbor tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and habitat “openness” increased with cattle density. Finally, inside and outside enclosures had different vegetation characteristics and wild boar densities, while roe deer densities were equal. We conclude that cattle density and associated changes to vegetation have positive, negative, and neutral effects on two wild ungulate prey species. Each of these factors warrant consideration in evidence-based management decisions in regard to regulating ungulate community composition to support different large predators as preferred prey in core areas and corridors of habitats.
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Deniz M, de Sousa KT, Moro MF, Vale MMD, Dittrich JR, Machado Filho LCP, Hötzel MJ. Social hierarchy influences dairy cows’ use of shade in a silvopastoral system under intensive rotational grazing. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Spiekermann RI, McColl S, Fuller I, Dymond J, Burkitt L, Smith HG. Quantifying the influence of individual trees on slope stability at landscape scale. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 286:112194. [PMID: 33652255 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Silvopastoralism in New Zealand's highly erodible hill country is an important form of erosion and sediment control. Yet, there has been little quantitative work to establish the effectiveness of space-planted trees in reducing shallow landslide erosion. We propose a method to provide high-resolution spatially explicit individual tree influence models at landscape scale for the dominant species in pastoral hill country. The combined hydrological and mechanical influence of trees on slopes is inferred through the spatial relationship between trees and landslide erosion. First, we delineate individual tree crowns and classify these into four dominant species classes found in New Zealand's pastoral hill country. This is the first species classification of individual trees at landscape scale in New Zealand using freely accessible data, achieving an overall accuracy of 92.6%. Second, we develop tree influence models for each species class by means of inductive inference. The inferred empirical tree influence models largely agree with the shape and distribution of existing physical root reinforcement models. Of exotic species that were planted for erosion and sediment control, poplars (Populus spp.) and willows (Salix spp.) make up 51% (109,000 trees) in pastoral hill country at a mean density of 3.2 trees/ha. In line with previous studies, poplars and willows have the greatest contribution to slope stability with an average maximum effective distance of 20 m. Yet, native kānuka (Kunzea spp.) is the most abundant woody vegetation species in pastoral hill country within the study area, with an average of 24.1 stems per ha (sph), providing an important soil conservation function. A large proportion (56% or 212.5 km2) of pastoral hill-country in the study area remains untreated. The tree influence models presented in this study can be integrated into landslide susceptibility modelling in silvopastoral landscapes to both quantify the reduction in landslide susceptibility achieved and support targeted erosion and sediment mitigation plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael I Spiekermann
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Palmerston North, New Zealand; School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
| | - Sam McColl
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Ian Fuller
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - John Dymond
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Lucy Burkitt
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Hugh G Smith
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Guerin-Laguette A. Successes and challenges in the sustainable cultivation of edible mycorrhizal fungi – furthering the dream. MYCOSCIENCE 2021; 62:10-28. [PMID: 37090021 PMCID: PMC9157773 DOI: 10.47371/mycosci.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The cultivation of edible mycorrhizal fungi (EMF) has made great progress since the first cultivation of Tuber melanosporum in 1977 but remains in its infancy. Five cultivation steps are required: (1) mycorrhizal synthesis, (2) mycorrhiza development and acclimation, (3) out-planting of mycorrhizal seedlings, (4) onset of fructification, and (5) performing tree orchards. We provide examples of successes and challenges associated with each step, including fruiting of the prestigious chanterelles in Japan recently. We highlight the challenges in establishing performing tree orchards. We report on the monitoring of two orchards established between Lactarius deliciosus (saffron milk cap) and pines in New Zealand. Saffron milk caps yields reached 0.4 and 1100 kg/ha under Pinus radiata and P. sylvestris 6 and 9 y after planting, respectively. Canopy closure began under P. radiata 7 y after planting, followed by a drastic reduction of yields, while P. sylvestris yields still hovered at 690 to 780 kg/ha after 11 y, without canopy closure. The establishment of full-scale field trials to predict yields is crucial to making the cultivation of EMF a reality in tomorrow's cropping landscape. Sustainable EMF cultivation utilizing trees in non-forested land could contribute to carbon storage, while providing revenue and other ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Guerin-Laguette
- Microbial Systems for Plant Protection, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited
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Wassmer T. Phenological Patterns and Seasonal Segregation of Coprophilous Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea and Hydrophilidae) on a Cattle Farm in SE-Michigan, United States Throughout the Year. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.563532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Abstract
Background: Agroforestry systems can improve the provision of ecosystem services at the farm scale whilst improving agricultural productivity, thereby playing an important role in the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Natural capital accounting offers a framework for demonstrating the capacity of agroforestry systems to deliver sustained private benefits to farming enterprises, but traditionally is applied at larger scales than those at which farmers make decisions. Methods: Here we review the current state of knowledge on natural capital accounting and analyse how such an approach may be effectively applied to demonstrate the farm-scale value of agroforestry assets. We also discuss the merits of applying a natural capital approach to agroforestry decision-making and present an example of a conceptual model for valuation of agroforestry assets at the farm scale. Results: Our findings suggest that with further development of conceptual models to support existing tools and frameworks, a natural capital approach could be usefully applied to improve decision-making in agroforestry at the farm scale. Using this approach to demonstrate the private benefits of agroforestry systems could also encourage adoption of agroforestry, increasing public benefits such as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. However, to apply this approach, improvements must be made in our ability to predict the types and amounts of services that agroforestry assets of varying condition provide at the farm or paddock scale.
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