Plant species selection by sheep in semi-natural dry grasslands extensively grazed in the south-western Italian Alps

Pittarello, Marco; Gorlier, Alessandra; Lombardi, Giampiero; Lonati, Michele

doi:10.1071/rj16068

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…A higher stocking rate is generally assumed to lower forage selectivity, equalize space use and increase shrub consumption of ruminants (e.g. Pauler, Isselstein, Berard, et al, 2020; Pittarello et al, 2017; Utsumi et al, 2010). Indeed, cattle and sheep used space more evenly under high grazing pressure ( Grazing pressure hypothesis ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning the thickets: Foraging of hardy cattle, sheep and goats in green alder shrubs

Pauler

Zehnder

Staudinger

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Green alder shrubs Alnus viridis increasingly overgrow European mountain pastures but hinder natural forest succession. This nitrogen‐fixing, autochthonous invasive species has numerous negative effects including the loss of biodiversity and landscape aesthetic, eutrophication of soils and downstream waters, and greenhouse gas emission. Over centuries, A. viridis encroachment was impeded by grazing livestock, particularly goats. However, in modern agriculture, livestock numbers decreased on remote mountain pastures and goat farming became unprofitable. A grazing experiment tested if hardy breeds of the more economically attractive livestock species, cattle and sheep can replace goats as A. viridis antagonists. On a subalpine pasture heavily encroached by A. viridis, space use and debarking (bark foraging) by Dexter cattle, Engadine sheep and Pfauen goats were analysed using GPS tracking and vegetation mapping. Dexter cattle used space least evenly (Camargo evenness: cattle = 0.39; sheep = 0.52; and goats = 0.47) and preferred flat slopes and open pastures. They spent least time foraging in A. viridis stands (relative presence while foraging: cattle = 0.55; sheep = 0.76; and goats = 0.80). Dexter cattle did not debark any A. viridis, but damaged shrubs by trampling. Engadine sheep visited A. viridis stands nearly as often as goats, but preferred flat slopes, short vegetation and shrub edges more clearly than goats. This sheep breed debarked significantly more A. viridis branches (average 244 branches per paddock; 7.4% of all A. viridis branches) than goats (45; 0.8%). Goats preferred mountain‐ash shrubs Sorbus aucuparia covering only 2% of the shrub layer. Synthesis and applications. Green alder shrubs, controlled by goats traditionally, overgrow valuable mountain pasture ecosystems today. Cattle, kept instead of goats, may slow down but not hinder shrub encroachment, because they avoid shrub stands and do not debark green alder. However, this study is the first to show that Engadine sheep are even better suited for green alder clearance than goats. Moreover, if management goals include forest re‐establishment, Engadine sheep outperform goats, because they debark green alder (which hinders forest regeneration), but do not destroy elderberry—a valuable forest pioneer. Hardy breeds are an important tool to maintain biodiverse, open pastures, restore natural mountain forests and mitigate the negative environmental effects of shrub encroachment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning the thickets: Foraging of hardy cattle, sheep and goats in green alder shrubs

Pauler

Zehnder

Staudinger

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…A high stocking rate can reduce sheep selectiveness, but can be more deleterious to flower frequency than a low stocking rate or no sheep (Lanta et al, 2014 ). Lower stocking rates may reduce overall pressure, but sheep selectivity can still shape grassland community composition (Pittarello et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using former CRP lands for livestock production provides the incentive of livestock income and can benefit wildlife by maintaining perennial vegetation cover (Morandin et al, 2007 ). However, decisions about stocking rate (Herrero‐Jáuregui & Oesterheld, 2018 ), grazing regime (Jacobo et al, 2006 ; Pittarello et al, 2017 ), grazing duration (Ravetto Enri et al, 2017 ), grazing season (Hart et al, 1988 ), and livestock species (Celaya et al, 2010 ) can influence the structure and composition of the vegetation in grazed landscapes (Albon et al, 2007 ; Celaya et al, 2010 ; Rook & Tallowin, 2003 ). In particular, the influence of livestock species on vegetation and higher trophic levels has often been overlooked when considering grazing management decisions (Rook et al, 2004 ; Tóth et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cattle grazing results in greater floral resources and pollinators than sheep grazing in low‐diversity grasslands

Cutter

Hovick

McGranahan

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Land‐use and land‐cover change associated with agriculture is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. In heavily modified agricultural landscapes, grazing lands may be the only areas that can provide essential resources for native grassland species. Management decisions, such as choice of livestock species, affect the extent to which grazing lands provide suitable habitat for native species such as pollinators. Our study compared how sheep versus cattle herbivory affected floral resources and butterfly abundance across low‐diversity, former Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) pastures managed with patch‐burn grazing. Across all years (2017–2019), flowering species richness and abundance were significantly higher in cattle pastures than sheep pastures. On average, we recorded 6.9 flowering species/transect in cattle pastures and 3.8 flowering species/transect in sheep pastures. The average floral abundance per transect was 1278 stems/transect in cattle pastures and 116 stems/transect in pastures grazed by sheep. Similarly, we observed higher butterfly species richness, diversity, and abundance in cattle than in sheep pastures. In cattle pastures, we observed an average of 75 butterflies and 6.75 species per transect, compared with an average of 52 butterflies and 3.37 species per transect in sheep pastures. However, the butterfly community composition did not significantly differ between grazing treatments likely because agricultural‐tolerant, habitat generalists comprised the majority of the butterfly community. Five generalist butterflies comprised 92.3% of observations; Colias philodice was the most abundant (61% of observations). Speyeria idalia and Danaus plexippus, two butterflies of conservation concern, comprised less than 0.5% of butterfly observations. Our results, which are among the first attempt quantifying butterfly use of post‐CRP fields grazed by livestock, show that increased precipitation and cattle grazing promoted higher forb abundance and richness. However, additional interventions may be needed to enhance floral resources to sustain and improve pollinator diversity in these landscapes.

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“…To meet ever-changing nutritional needs and adapt to a changing environment, grazing livestock may alter their feeding strategies, i.e., forage preferences, based on forage palatability and whether they are provided supplemental feed (Newman et al 1995). For example, sheep were found to select certain plant species (e.g., graminoids) as forage under a low stocking rate in abandoned dry grasslands of the southwestern Italian Alps (Pittarello et al 2017). Also, lambs preferred Plantains more in the spring than in summer (Pain et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-term study on the yak dung seed bank on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: effects of grazing season, seed characteristics and forage preferences

Hou

2021

Plant Soil

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Aims Viable seeds in herbivore dung constitute the dung seed bank, and the contribution of livestock dung to this seed bank in grazing pastures is often overlooked. Grazing season (warm and cold), seed characteristics (size and shape), and forage preference are the main factors that affect the size and composition of the dung seed bank and ultimately affect grassland ecology. However, how these three factors interact is unclear. Methods We collected yak dung as well as seeds of the common plant species from warm- and cold-season alpine meadows in northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and explored how grazing season (warm and cold), seed characteristics (size and shape) and foraging preferences (temporary cages method) affects yak dung seedling density, richness and diversity in an alpine pasture. Results Forty-three plant species (mainly perennials) germinated from yak dung. Dung seedling density, richness, and diversity did not differ significantly between the two grazing seasons. Small to medium-sized spherical seeds (seed size < 10 mg, shape index < 0.5) had the greatest germination potential. Conclusions Yaks vary their forage preference depending on the season (phenological period), and endozoochory occurs throughout both grazing seasons. Seed shape and size directly regulate the dung seedling density, richness, and diversity. Dung seedlings increase the heterogeneity of the aboveground vegetation near the microsites of the dung pieces and therefore promote grassland patching. Our study demonstrates that grazing season, seed characteristics, and yak forage preferences affect the dung seed bank in grazing ecosystems.

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Plant species selection by sheep in semi-natural dry grasslands extensively grazed in the south-western Italian Alps

Cited by 12 publications

References 41 publications

Thinning the thickets: Foraging of hardy cattle, sheep and goats in green alder shrubs

Thinning the thickets: Foraging of hardy cattle, sheep and goats in green alder shrubs

Cattle grazing results in greater floral resources and pollinators than sheep grazing in low‐diversity grasslands

Short-term study on the yak dung seed bank on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: effects of grazing season, seed characteristics and forage preferences

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