Achieving economically optimum livestock production on rangelands can conflict with conservation strategies that require lower stocking rate to maintain wildlife habitat. Combining the spatial and temporal interaction of fire and grazing (pyricherbivory) is a conservation-based approach to management that increases rangeland biodiversity by creating heterogeneous vegetation structure and composition. However, livestock production under pyric-herbivory has not been reported. In both mixed-grass prairie and tallgrass prairie, we compared livestock production in pastures with traditional fire and grazing management (continuous grazing, with periodic fire on tallgrass prairie and without fire on mixed-grass prairie) and conservation-based management (pyric-herbivory applied through patch burning) at a moderate stocking rate. Stocker cattle weight gain, calf weight gain, and cow body condition score did not differ (P. 0.05) between traditional and conservationbased management at the tallgrass prairie site for the duration of the 8-yr study. At the mixed-grass prairie site, stocker cattle gain did not differ in the first 4 yr, but stocker cattle gained more (P # 0.05) on conservation-based management and remained 27% greater for the duration of the 11-yr study. Moreover, variation among years in cattle performance was less on pastures under conservation management. Traditional management in mixed-grass prairie did not include fire, the process that likely was associated with increased stocker cattle performance under conservation management. We conclude that pyric-herbivory is a conservation-based rangeland management strategy that returns fire to the landscape without reduced stocking rate, deferment, or rest. Resumen Lograr el óptimo económico en la producción ganadera en pastizales puede interferir con estrategias de conservación que requieren baja carga animal para mantener el hábitat para la fauna silvestre. Combinando de manera espacial y temporal la interacción de fuego y pastoreo (fuego-herbivorismo) es un concepto con fundamente en la conservación para manejar el aumento de la biodiversidad del pastizal creando estructuras de vegetación y composición heteroge´neas. Sin embargo, la producción de ganado bajo fuego-herbivorismo no se ha reportado. En ambas, praderas de pastos medianos y largos comparamos la producción ganadera en potreros con manejo tradicional de fuego y manejo del pastoreo (pastoreo continuo con periodos de fuego en praderas de pastos largos y manejo basado en la conservación (fuego-herbivorismo aplicado a trave´s del quemas en parches) con carga animal moderada. Ganancia de peso en novillos en repasto, ganancia de peso en becerros y el grado de condición corporal de la vaca no fueron diferentes (P. 0.05) entre el manejo tradicional y el conservador en el sitio de pasto largos en ocho añ os de duración del estudio. En el sitio de pastos mixtos la ganancia de peso de novillos no fue diferente en los primeros cuatro añ os pero, los novillos en repasto ganaron más (P # 0.05) en el manejo basado en...
Landscapes with structural heterogeneity or patchiness can support diverse and stable wildlife populations. Visual obstruction methods (i.e., Robel pole and Nudd's coverboard) are common and useful techniques for quantifying vegetation structure; however, both rely on ocular estimations, which can be highly variable between observers. Our objectives were to 1) compare measurement and observer variation for visual obstruction among the two standard methods and the digital image method we developed using a digital camera; and 2) compare the performance of the Robel pole and digital image to estimate standing crop. The mean variation across the five observers using the digital image method (6.8%) was significantly lower (P , 0.05) than both the Nudds' coverboard (32.1%) and the Robel pole (52.2). There were no significant differences among locations for the digital image method; however, there were for both the Robel pole and Nudds' cover board (P , 0.05). The digital image method provided a better estimate of standing crop (r 2 5 0.89) compared to the Robel pole (r 2 5 0.68), accounting for 21% more of the observed variation in biomass. Long-term research programs that utilize seasonal field technicians to quantify habitat structure with a visual obstruction method could benefit from implementing use of the digital image method we developed. The low measurement error observed with this technique relative to the more traditional methods compared in this study might limit yearto-year and within-year variability of habitat structure data collected by numerous technicians with a high annual turnover. Resumen Los paisajes con una hetrogeneidad estructural o con muchos parches pueden sostener poblaciones diversas y estables de fauna silvestre. Los métodos de obstrucción visual (por ejemplo, el poste de Robel y la tabla de cobertura de Nudd) son te´cnicas comunes y útiles para cuantificar la estructura de la vegetación; sin embargo, ambas dependen de estimaciones oculares, las cuales pueden ser altamente variables entre observadores. Nuestros objetivos fueron: 1) comparar las mediciones y la variación de los observadores en la obstrucción visual entre los dos me´todos estándar y el me´todo de imagen digital que desarrollamos usando una cámara digital; y 2) comparar el comportamiento de los me´todos el poste de Robe y de imagen digital para estimar la biomasa aérea. La variación media entre los cinco observadores usando el método de imagen digital (6.8%) fue significativamente menor (P , 0.05) que los me´todos de la tabla de cobertura de Nudd (32.1%) y el poste de Robel (52.2%). No hubo diferencias significativas entre localidades para el me´todo digital; sin embargo, si la hubo para los me´todos de la tabla de cobertura de Nudd y el poste de Robel (P , 0.05). El método de imagen digital proveyó una mejor estimación de la biomasa (r 2 5 0.89), comparado con el me´todo del poste de Robel (r 2 5 0.68), explicando 21% más de la variación observada en la biomasa. Los programas de investigación a largo plazo que utilizan técnic...
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