Grasslands are among the most imperilled biomes of the world. Identifying the most appropriate framework for restoring grasslands is dependent on the objectives of restoration, which is inherently determined by human priorities. Debates over the appropriate conservation model for grasslands have often focused on which species of herbivores should be the focus of restoration efforts. Here we discuss three perspectives of herbivore-based conservation in North American grasslands. First, the Pleistocene rewilding perspective is based upon the idea that early humans contributed to the demise of megafauna that were important to the evolution and development of many of North America's grasslands; therefore, their aim of restoration is rewilding of landscapes to pre-human times. Second, the bison rewilding perspective considers American bison a keystone herbivore that is culturally and ecologically important to North American grasslands. A third perspective focuses on restoring the pattern and processes of herbivory on grasslands and is less concerned about which herbivore is introduced to the landscape. We evaluate each of these three conservation perspectives in terms of a framework that includes a human domain, an herbivore domain and a biophysical domain. While all conservation perspectives partly address the three domains, they all fall short in key areas. Specifically, they fail to recognize that past, current and future humans are intimately linked to grassland patterns and processes and will continue to play a role in structuring grasslands. Furthermore, these perspectives seem to only superficially consider the role of fragmentation and climate change in influencing grassland patterns and processes. As such, we argue that future grassland conservation efforts must depend on the development of a model that better integrates societal, economic and policy objectives and recognizes climate change, fragmentation and humans as an integral part of these ecosystems. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change’.
The American plains bison (Bison bison) is an iconic herbivore on North American grasslands, yet many questions surrounding their basic biology remain unanswered. We analyzed fine-resolution movement data (12 minute) from two of the largest remaining prairie tracts in the Great Plains of North America to address whether bison movement and distance travelled are affected by seasonal or diurnal rhythms. We fit binomial movement and movement distance data to generalized linear mixed models to test whether site, season, or time of day affected movement. Our top models included season-site and season-time of day interactions as fixed effects. Overall, bison were more likely to move during the day than at night regardless of season or site. There was considerable overlap between our sites across most seasons, with the strongest divergence occurring in autumn for movement probability and distance. During the summer, daytime bison movement declined in favor of nighttime movement, potentially in response to high temperatures. Day and nighttime movement distance and probability both were lowest in the winter. That site alone was not a significant predictor of bison movement or movement distance may suggest that their response to seasonal and diurnal rhythms is biologically innate. Therefore, we conclude that season and time of day should be considered in future bison movement analyses. Here, we present the first replicated analysis of fine-resolution, seasonal, and diurnal bison movements across two large complex landscapes using a long-term dataset. As ungulate behavior changes in response to the Anthropocene, filling the knowledge gaps in their basic biology is critical to their continued conservation.
Woody plant encroachment -the conversion of open grasslands and savannas to woodlands -represents one of the gravest threats to grassland biomes worldwide. This is especially true for the Great Plains of the US. We contend that the widespread adoption of pyric herbivory (the synergistic application of fire and grazing) and mixed-species grazing (cattle [Bos taurus] and goats [Capra spp]) would not only make grasslands and savannas more resilient to woody plant encroachment but would also enhance the profitability and resiliency of livestock production systems. These management strategies control woody plants, increase biodiversity, improve grassland ecosystem function, and favor livestock production. Although this management paradigm holds tremendous potential by mimicking original grassland disturbance regimes, it has not been widely adopted because of cultural constraints. Saving the remaining natural grasslands in the Great Plains and elsewhere will require a widespread shift in cultural norms -facilitated by targeted government incentives and a coordinated program of regional research, extension, and education that involves farmers and ranchers as key stakeholders.
On the Ground • The American beef industry is paying more attention to cattle temperament, but studies examining relationships between temperaments and grazing behavior or animal performance on rangelands are limited. • We studied range beef cow temperaments using the behavioral syndromes framework. Cows classified into behavioral type groups on the basis of a suite of correlated behaviors showed contrasting rangeland use patterns and different reproductive efficiency. These differences resulted in temperament-related culling rates over time. • We argue that the behavioral syndromes conceptual framework could be a valuable tool to advance current understanding about how cattle temperaments are related to grazing patterns and animal performance on rangeland.
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