Using livestock to manage plant composition: A meta-analysis of grazing in California Mediterranean grasslands

Stahlheber, Karen A.; D’Antonio, Carla M.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2012.09.008

Cited by 67 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Although domestic grazing is often the causative agent of exotic plant species dominance [31], careful manipulation of timing and intensity of grazing can reduce exotic plant species dominance [32]. Reducing cover of exotic plant species via grazing [33–36] can allow rarer plant species a chance to recover [37]. Using grazing to reduce exotic plant species cover does not work in every instance [38], and results will vary depending on the specific grazing regime employed [33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic-Dominated Grasslands Show Signs of Recovery with Cattle Grazing and Fire

et al. 2016

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In grasslands, overgrazing by domestic livestock, fertilization, and introduction of exotic forage species leads to plant communities consisting of a mixture of native and exotic species. These degraded grasslands present a problem for land managers, farmers, and restoration ecologists concerned with improving biodiversity while continuing to use the land for livestock production. Here we assessed the response of butterfly and plant community composition to the use of fire and moderate grazing by domestic cattle on degraded grasslands dominated by exotic plants. We evaluated change by comparing experimental pastures to two reference sites that were grasslands dominated by native plants. We used two burning and grazing treatments: 1) patch-burn graze, a heterogeneously managed treatment, where one third of the pasture is burned each year and cattle have free access to the entire pasture, and 2) graze-and-burn, a homogenously managed treatment, where the entire pasture is grazed each year and burned in its entirety every three years. We tested for change in the butterfly and plant community composition over seven years using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity measures. Over the course of seven years, degraded pastures in both treatments became more similar to reference sites with respect to the butterfly and plant communities. Only two butterfly species and two plant functional guilds exhibited significant linear trends over time, with varying responses. Compositional changes in both the butterfly and plant communities indicate that the use of moderate grazing and fire may shift butterfly and plant communities of exotic-dominated grasslands to be more similar to reference tallgrass prairies over time.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic-Dominated Grasslands Show Signs of Recovery with Cattle Grazing and Fire

et al. 2016

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“…Grazing can be effective but is controversial, and there is also evidence that while it reduces exotics, it can also negatively impact native vegetation restoration (Stahlheber and D'Antonio 2013). Grazing can be effective but is controversial, and there is also evidence that while it reduces exotics, it can also negatively impact native vegetation restoration (Stahlheber and D'Antonio 2013).…”

Section: Implications From Habitat Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

et al. 2018

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Strategic retirement and restoration of agricultural lands is a critical conservation opportunity globally. The objective of this synthesis was to examine whether ecological habitat assessments, endangered species historical occurrence data, and restoration research can be used to develop evidence-based strategy for retiring and restoring agricultural lands. The San Joaquin Desert (SJD) of California is a prominent example because it experienced an extensive conversion to agriculture. Now, new groundwater regulations will lead to retirement on large areas of agricultural lands over the next 20 yr. This presents an opportunity to not only restore some of these lands but also explore the challenges associated with balancing direct human needs with other ecosystem-level functions. California is thus an ideal case study for globally rethinking context-specific, single-case study solutions. We used a systematic review and synthesis to address the following three main questions for habitat recovery of endangered species in the SJD. (1) What are the habitat requirements for key endangered animal species in the region? (2) Is there historical evidence to support an assessment of suitable habitats for these species? (3) What restoration techniques apply to these species? Using the Web of Science and other resources, we reviewed over 1000 independent studies on this topic, refined the evidence, and selected a total of 266 relevant publications. Habitat requirements for each species were described, but there was a critical need to examine quantitative thresholds for these factors to better evaluate habitat suitability of retired lands. There was sufficient evidence of historical vegetation to model suitable habitats and design the physical restoration of retired lands. Direct interventions associated with restoration strategies have been infrequently tested. Sparse and diverse evidence associated with direct experimental manipulations is not uncommon in applied ecology, and synthesis is an excellent tool for highlighting these gaps for future research to examine. This review suggests that retired agricultural land is a viable asset for threatened and endangered species, but to effectively advance restoration research and management, direct tests of restoration techniques and an assessment of relative costs for interventions are needed for a given region.

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“…However, this hypothesis is predicated on the assumption that C. helmsii would be selected by grazing animals or that it would be suppressed by trampling, and furthermore, that it would experience more negative impacts from grazing disturbance than other plant species in the community. In fact, studies of other invasive plants and ecosystems have shown that grazing can sometimes facilitate dominance by a nonnative invasive species, if that species is less negatively affected by grazing disturbance than the native competitors (Hille Ris Lambers et al 2010;Kimball and Schiffman 2003;Stahlherber and D'Antonio 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Grazing Vertebrates Promote Invasive Swamp Stonecrop (Crassula helmsii) Abundance

Dean

Day

Gozlan

et al. 2015

Invasive plant sci. manag.

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The macrophyte swamp stonecrop has invaded a wide range of wetland habitats across Europe. An experiment was conducted within an invaded fen habitat, which tested whether the presence of grazing disturbance affected the relative abundance of swamp stonecrop, and whether any detected effect was suppressive or facilitative. The abundance of swamp stonecrop and co-occurring resident plants was monitored within fenced grazing exclosures and in adjacent unfenced plots. Swamp stonecrop abundance was higher in the unfenced plots compared to the fenced exclosures (t(87) = 28.974, P < 0.001), whereas the abundance of co-occurring plants was higher in the fenced exclosures compared to the unfenced plots (t(87) = 6.264, P < 0.001). These results indicate that the presence of large vertebrates could facilitate a higher abundance of swamp stonecrop in situations where competitive resident plant species were selectively removed by these grazing animals.

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Using livestock to manage plant composition: A meta-analysis of grazing in California Mediterranean grasslands

Cited by 67 publications

References 77 publications

Exotic-Dominated Grasslands Show Signs of Recovery with Cattle Grazing and Fire

Exotic-Dominated Grasslands Show Signs of Recovery with Cattle Grazing and Fire

Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

Grazing Vertebrates Promote Invasive Swamp Stonecrop (Crassula helmsii) Abundance

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