We present a methodology for distinguishing between three types of animal movement behavior (foraging, resting, and walking) based on high-frequency tracking data. For each animal we quantify an individual movement path. A movement path is a temporal sequence consisting of the steps through space taken by an animal. By selecting a set of appropriate movement parameters, we develop a method to assess movement behavioral states, reflected by changes in the movement parameters. The two fundamental tasks of our study are segmentation and clustering. By segmentation, we mean the partitioning of the trajectory into segments, which are homogeneous in terms of their movement parameters. By clustering, we mean grouping similar segments together according to their estimated movement parameters. The proposed method is evaluated using field observations (done by humans) of movement behavior. We found that on average, our method agreed with the observational data (ground truth) at a level of 80.75% ± 5.9% (SE).
-Plant and vegetation preferences of two Norwegian cattle breeds grazing semi-natural mountain pastures were studied for two weeks at two farms during one summer. Two rather different grazing sites gave the opportunity to study the two breeds at different pasture qualities, as well as to test if there is any interaction between breeds and study sites. Each of the two herds consisted of the old, moderate yielding Norwegian dairy breed Blacksided Trønder and Nordland Cattle (STN) and the modern, high yielding dairy breed Norwegian Red (NRF). In order to measure the plant preferences of the animals, faeces samples were collected and analysed for plant fragments. In addition, GPS-data showed the terrain chosen by the herds, and vegetation maps were drawn to find the connections between the grazed vegetation and plant preferences. The study shows that on nutrient and especially species rich vegetation growing on base and nutrient rich soil, as at the first study site (Skåbu), the plant species, plant genera and plant groups analysed for in the faeces samples indicate that both the STN and NRF breeds graze very much the same vegetation. However, the results from the second study site (Valdres), where the soil is less fertile, the plant species diversity is lower and the plant species distribution less uniform, the moderate yielding NRF breed seems to cover its higher nutritious requirements by grazing in areas with more nutrient rich vegetation compared to the lower yielding breed, STN. d'altitude semi-naturelles ont été étudiées durant deux semaines dans deux fermes pendant un été. Deux sites de pâturage ont permis d'étudier les deux races face à différentes qualités de pâturage et de tester une éventuelle interaction entre les races et les sites d'étude. Chacun des deux troupeaux comprenait des bovins laitiers de race Blacksided Trønder et Nordland (STN, race norvégienne ancienne avec une production laitière modérée) et des bovins de race Pie rouge (NRF, race prédo-minante en Norvège avec une production laitière élevée). Pour mesurer les préférences alimentaires des animaux au pâturage, des échantillons de fèces ont été collectés et analysés. En outre, les données GPS ont permis de localiser le site privilégié de pâture des animaux et la cartographie de la végétation a eu pour but de déterminer les relations existantes entre la végétation pâturée et la pré-férence des animaux pour certaines espèces végétales. Sur un couvert végétal riche en éléments nutritifs et particulièrement riche en espèces végétales se développant sur un sol basique et riche en nutriments, comme sur le premier site d'étude (Skåbu), les espèces, les genres et les familles de plantes détectées dans les échantillons de fèces indiquent que les races STN et NRF pâturent la même végétation. Sur le second site (Valdres), où le sol est moins fertile, la diversité des espèces est inférieure et la distribution des espèces est moins uniforme, la race NRF semble couvrir ses besoins nutritifs plus élevés en pâturant les secteurs où la végétation e...
Antioxidants prevent oxidation of fatty acids in milk and meat. In the present study, the content of tocopherol antioxidants (vitamin E) in vegetative and reproductive parts of 22 grazing plants was estimated in two alpine areas used for summer farming. The overall mean content of α-tocopherol was 135 ± 34 μg g(-1) DW, and grasses had much lower content (28 ± 11 μg g(-1) DW) than herbs (215 ± 94 μg g(-1) DW), sedges (186 ± 78 μg g(-1) DW), and woody species (178 ± 52 μg g(-1) DW). Highest and lowest species-specific levels were 649 ± 91 and 2 ± 1 μg g(-1) DW, respectively. Plants from light and shady habitats did not differ in their α-tocopherol content, which was idiosyncratic as indicated by significant interactions between species, sampling occasion, site, and tissue type. Our results show that alpine ranges provide fodder with high levels of α-tocopherol.
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