Improved grazing activity of dairy heifers in shaded tropical grasslands

Mello, Andréia Cristina Tavares de; Carnevalli, Roberta Aparecida; Shiratsuchi, L. S.; Pedreira, B. C. e; Lopes, Luciano Bastos; Xavier, Diego Batista

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20160316

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The largest probability difference between the breeds (22 percentage points) was registered at the hottest hours of the day, when the temperature exceeded 40°C. These results are in agreement with those of de Mello et al (2016), who reported that 3 / 4 Holstein × 5 / 8 Gir heifers in grazing systems preferred to use shade between 09:45 and 12:00 h.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Shade-seeking behavior and grazing activity of Pantaneira and Girolando heifers

Lima

Silva

Rossi

et al. 2020

Trop Anim Health Prod

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to model and compare the shade-seeking behavior and grazing activity of Pantaneira and Girolando heifers by time of day. Eight heifers were used, four Pantaneira and four Girolando ( 3 / 4 Holstein × 1 / 4 Gir). The animals were about 18 months old and weighed 328 ± 14 kg (Pantaneira) and 430 ± 28 kg (Girolando). Shade-seeking behavior and grazing activity were recorded during the summer from 06:00 to 18:00 h in 10-min intervals, totaling 288 observations for each breed. A binary regression model was developed by means of a Bayesian approach considering logit, probit, cloglog, and Cauchy link functions. The most parsimonious model was constructed using the Cauchy function. The variables varied according to the time of day. Heifers of both breeds were more likely to graze toward the end of the day, when ambient temperatures were lower. Girolando heifers were more likely to seek shade between 06:00 and 14:00 h. From 12:00 to 13:00, the probability of seeking shade between breeds differed 22 percentage points. Pantaneira heifers were more likely to graze from 06:00 to 13:00 h, and their probability of grazing at 11:00 h was 21 percentage points higher than that of Girolando heifers. The results suggest that Pantaneira heifers are more heat-tolerant.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Models describing this activity had positive β values, showing that heifers were more likely to graze as the evening approached. Dairy animals tend to change their eating habits under high-temperature conditions, preferring to graze during the coolest hours of day (de Mello et al 2016;Saizi et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shade-seeking behavior and grazing activity of Pantaneira and Girolando heifers

Lima

Silva

Rossi

et al. 2020

Trop Anim Health Prod

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Scattered trees have also been shown to alter the microclimate under their crowns which can facilitate tree species establishment (Siqueira et al, 2017). Additionally, scattered paddock trees provide environmental services as shade for the cattle, which has been found to increase milk and beef yield in tropical areas (Paciullo et al, 2011;Mello et al, 2017). Hedges, hedgerows and tree lines are common in agricultural lands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small Landscape Elements Double Connectivity in Highly Fragmented Areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is a biodiversity hotspot, yet its diverse ecosystems and species are becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss and extreme habitat fragmentation. Most habitat patches of Atlantic Forest are dispersed across agricultural landscapes (e.g., grazing and cropping) in relatively small and isolated fragments (80% < 50 ha). Forest fragments < 1 ha, scattered trees in pastures, tree lines on trenches and fences, and remnant riparian forest, collectively called here Small Landscape Elements (SLEs), are very common in this context. While these SLEs make up much of the Atlantic Forests footprint, very little is known about their role or impact on the persistence and conservation of species. In this study, we investigate the role of SLEs on landscape configuration, particularly their contribution toward landscape connectivity of individual species and the genetic flow of species between larger forest fragments. We randomly selected 20 buffers of 707 hectares within a 411,670 hectare area of the Atlantic Forest that was completely covered by forest in the past located in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The forest cover randomly varied between these buffers. We used graph theory to measure landscape connectivity as the probability of connectivity for different disperser movement types between landscape knots (habitat patches). We used three estimated dispersal distances in the models: pollen disperser insect (50 m), low-mobility seed disperser bird (100 m) and high-mobility seed disperser bird (760 m). The SLEs together increased the probability of connection by roughly 50%, for all model dispersers, if compared to a theoretical baseline landscape containing no SLEs. Of all SLEs, riparian forests contribute the most toward enhancing landscape connectivity. In these highly fragmented landscapes, such as the Atlantic Forest (>70%), the position of SLEs within the landscapes was more important than their respective areas for connectivity. Although the landscapes were deeply fragmented, we showed that the presence of SLEs can increase connectivity and reduce further biodiversity loss in the Atlantic Forest.

show abstract

“…However, in moderate shade conditions, there is evidence of the maintenance or an increase in forage production at sunny conditions (Baruch and Guenni, 2007). Mello et al (2017) assessed the influence of shade level (full sun, moderate shade, and intensive shade) on dairy heifer behavior during three seasons in Midwest of Brazil. The system with intensive shade shown negative effects on sward structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%