Rotational Grazing Effects on Rangeland Vegetation at a Farm Scale

Jacobo, Elizabeth Juliana; Rodríguez, A. M.; Bartoloni, Norberto; Deregibus, V. A.

doi:10.2458/azu_jrm_v59i3_jacobo

Cited by 19 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Comparing the benefits of continuous vs. rotational grazing on grassland quality and livestock production Rotational grazing has been claimed to improve forage yield and quality, and maintain pasture species diversity, because farmer control of grazing frequency and duration, allows beneficial plants to recover without repeated selective grazing of preferred plants (Jacobo et al 2006, Briske et al 2011, Sanderman et al 2015. The results of this study showed that grassland quality and livestock production were not influenced by grazing regime (i.e., by neither rotational nor continuous grazing), but that precipitation, temperature, also stocking rate, are the driving factors.…”

Section: Comparing the Benefits Of Grazing Exclusion Vs Grazing On Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In North America, an eightyear grazing trial showed that rotational grazing resulted in greater perennial herbaceous basal area and less bare ground on bottom land soils and clay-loam soils, than the continuously grazed control (Teague and Dowhower 2003). Rotational grazing promoted functional groups composed of high forage value species and reduced bare soil, through the accumulation of litter (Jacobo et al 2006). However, in southeast Australia, a study over 12 yr found that grazing exclusion led to limited changes in vegetation cover, and species composition, because of presumed low site productivity and a high degree of understory degradation (Lunt et al 2007, Schultz et al 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

et al. 2018

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In an attempt to alleviate the problem of grassland degradation on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau in China, state and local authorities in 2003, initiated the “Retire Livestock and Restore Pastures” ecological engineering program, requiring the use of enclosure fencing to enable grazing exclusion and rotational grazing. A five‐year controlled grazing experiment was conducted to determine the effects of this program on (1) sheep live weight gain; and (2a) standing herbage biomass; and (2b) species diversity. Effects of temporal within‐year variation in precipitation and temperature on livestock productivity, standing herbage biomass, and species diversity were also investigated. At the end of 5 yr, grazing exclusion showed no significant difference in standing herbage biomass or in species diversity, compared with either continuous grazing or rotational grazing. Rotational grazing at the high stocking rate significantly promoted sheep live weight gain per hectare, but not per sheep; neither standing herbage biomass, nor species diversity, whether under continuous (i.e., traditional) or rotational grazing, showed a significant difference. Under rotational grazing, higher standing herbage biomass and species diversity were required to maintain or increase sheep liveweight, compared with continuous grazing. Temporal distribution of precipitation and temperature had more influence on alpine grassland parameters, than did grazing. Results of this study suggest that herders’ local traditional knowledge and expertise might be useful in modifying Government guidelines to fine tune grazing management with the dynamics of the alpine meadow ecosystem, and that it is important to consider equilibrium and non‐equilibrium theory in formulating a policy which benefits both herders and grassland. Traditional continuous grazing at a carefully chosen light stocking rate appears to be the most appropriate way to manage livestock and grassland in this region.

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Section: Comparing the Benefits Of Grazing Exclusion Vs Grazing On Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

et al. 2018

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“…A combination of intensive grazing and management can lead to soil degradation and invasion by exotic species, which may negatively affect carbon inputs of large fragments. Previous studies in Rio de la Plata grasslands showed that grazing reduces the contribution of the dominant grasses, increases the abundance of subordinate grasses and promotes the invasion of dicotyledonous exotic species, many of them from Asia and Europe (Sala et al 1986;Rusch & Oesterheld 1997;Jacobo et al 2006). As a result of these floristic changes, ANPP is significantly reduced under continuous grazing (Rusch & Oesterheld 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Fragment size, vegetation structure and physical environment control grassland functioning: a test based on artificial neural networks

Herrera

Texeira

Paruelo

2012

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions How do fragment‐level characteristics affect remnant grassland functioning in a highly transformed landscape? Are artificial neural networks (ANNs) a better statistical tool to model variations in grassland functioning compared to linear regression models (LRMs)? Location Tandilia Range, Southern Pampa, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Methods We characterized the dynamics of the vegetation functioning in 60 remnant grasslands using enhanced vegetation index (EVI) data provided by MODIS/Terra images from July 2000 to June 2005. First, we performed a principal components analysis (PCA) on the fragment mean monthly values of EVI in order to obtain synthetic measures (i.e. the PCA axes) of grassland functioning. Grassland fragments were also characterized by size, vegetation structure (abundance of the tall‐tussock grass Paspalum quadrifarium) and physical environment (soil type – abundance of litholitic soils – elevation, aspect and slope). The relationship between grassland functioning and these explanatory variables was explored using linear regression models (LRMs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Results The first and second PCA axes were related to the annual integral of EVI (EVI‐I) and EVI seasonality (EVI‐S), respectively; these explained jointly ca. 80% of total variability in mean EVI values. ANNs captured better than regression models the relationships among the proposed controls and the spatial variability of grassland functioning in Southern Pampa. Results showed that EVI‐I variability was related to all independent variables except aspect. While fragment size, litholitic soils and slope were negatively related to EVI‐I, the abundance of P. quadrifarium had a positive effect on the spectral index. Grasslands with high seasonality were large and had high slope and aspect, low abundance of P. quadrifarium and increased abundance of litholitic soils. Conclusions Our results showed that grassland functioning in Southern Pampa, as estimated by EVI, depends on fragment size, vegetation structure and physical factors (soil type, aspect and slope). Paspalum quadrifarium may have an important functional role in this grassland system.

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“…These canopy gaps could be created by flooding events in herbaceous communities (Insausti & Soriano 1995) and then kept open by grazing animals, such as large herbivores (Deregibus et al . 1994; Jacobo et al . 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flooding and grazing promote germination and seedling establishment in the perennial grass Paspalum dilatatum

Cornaglia¹,

Schrauf²,

Deregibus³

2009

Austral Ecology

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Seed germination and seedling emergence are key processes for population recruitment. Flooding and grazing are disturbances forming gaps that may strongly influence recruitment patterns in space and time, but their combined effects and action mechanisms have rarely been addressed. In this study we analysed the effects of microhabitat conditions associated with winter flooding and spring-summer defoliation on seed germination and seedling establishment of Paspalum dilatatum, a dominant perennial C4 grass in native grasslands of the Flooding Pampa, Argentina. The dynamics of seedling emergence from natural seed banks and buried seeds was studied in a factorial experiment with flooding and defoliation treatments applied to soil monoliths (mesocosms) collected from natural grassland. Additional laboratory experiments were applied to investigate seed germination under different combinations of temperature, light quality and simulated flooding. Seed germination and seedling emergence of P. dilatatum were promoted by flooding and high intensity defoliation. Gaps generated by flooding were maintained by high intensity defoliation exercising a synergistic effect on survival seedlings. Flooding resulted in the breaking of seed dormancy and higher germination rates associated with alternating temperature and the activation of the phytochrome system. Our results indicate that microhabitat conditions associated with the disturbances forming gaps, such as flooding and heavy grazing, synergistically promote the recruitment process of this dominant grass species.

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Rotational Grazing Effects on Rangeland Vegetation at a Farm Scale

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Fragment size, vegetation structure and physical environment control grassland functioning: a test based on artificial neural networks

Flooding and grazing promote germination and seedling establishment in the perennial grass Paspalum dilatatum

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