Above- and belowground patterns in a subalpine grassland-shrub mosaic

Pornaro, Cristina; Schneider, Manuel K.; Leinauer, Bernd; Macolino, Stefano

doi:10.1080/11263504.2016.1187679

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Thus, adding environmental variables in the model did not improve the prediction of vegetation response beyond the explanatory power of the three major shrub species. Hence, the data did not confirm our hypothesis H2 that environmental conditions are the primary determinant of the response of vegetation to shrub cover as suggested by earlier investigations in various biomes (Howard et al 2012;Pornaro et al 2017;Soliveres et al 2014).…”

Section: Drivers Of Botanical Composition Along Pasture-shrub Transectscontrasting

confidence: 93%

Dominant shrub species are a strong predictor of plant species diversity along subalpine pasture-shrub transects

et al. 2020

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Abandonment of pastures and successional shrub expansion are widespread in European mountain regions. Moderate shrub encroachment is perceived beneficial for plant diversity by adding new species without outcompeting existing ones, yet systematic evidence is missing. We surveyed vegetation along 24 transects from open pasture into shrubland across the Swiss Alps using a new protocol distinguishing different spatial scales, shrub cover of each plot (2 × 2 m) and larger-scale zonal cover along the transect. Data were analysed using generalized linear models of shrub cover, shrub species and environmental conditions, such as geology, aspect or soil. Most shrub communities were dominated by Alnus viridis (62% of transects) and Pinus mugo (25%), and the rest by other shrub species (13%). These dominant shrub species explained vegetation response to shrub cover well, without need of environmental variables in the model. Compared to open pasture, A. viridis resulted in an immediate linear decline in plant species richness and a marginal increase in beta-diversity (maximally + 10% at 35% cover). Dense A. viridis hosted 62% less species than open pasture. In P. mugo, species richness remained stable until 40% shrub cover and dropped thereafter; beta-diversity peaked at 35% cover. Hence, scattered P. mugo increases beta-diversity without impairing species richness. In transects dominated by other shrubs, species richness and beta-diversity peaked at 40–60% shrub cover (+ 23% both). A. viridis reduced species richness in a larger area around the shrubs than P. mugo. Therefore, effects of shrub encroachment on plant diversity cannot be generalized and depend on dominant shrub species.

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Section: Drivers Of Botanical Composition Along Pasture-shrub Transectscontrasting

confidence: 93%

Dominant shrub species are a strong predictor of plant species diversity along subalpine pasture-shrub transects

et al. 2020

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“…Mountainous dairy farmers traditionally keep both replacement heifers and milking cows indoors during the cold months of the year to subsequently allow the herd to access the pasture when climatic conditions are more favourable. This practice is important for dairy farmers, and it has economic, social, historical, environmental and touristic implications [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Moreover, cheese manufactured with milk from grazing cows has peculiar flavour compounds, is richer in functional nutrients and is perceived by consumers as healthier and more sustainable; these aspects increase the value of the final product [ 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy

Niero

Bobbo

Callegaro

et al. 2021

Animals

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Extensive summer grazing is a dairy herd management practice frequently adopted in mountainous areas. Nowadays, this activity is threatened by its high labour demand, but it is fundamental for environmental, touristic and economic implications, as well as for the preservation of social and cultural traditions. Scarce information on the effects of such low-input farming systems on cattle health is available. Therefore, the present case study aimed at investigating how grazing may affect the health status of dairy cows by using milk traits routinely available from the national milk recording scheme. The research involved a dairy herd of 52 Simmental and 19 Holstein × Simmental crossbred cows. The herd had access to the pasture according to a rotational grazing scheme from late spring up to the end of summer. A total of 616 test day records collected immediately before and during the grazing season were used. Individual milk yield was registered during the milking procedure. Milk samples were analysed for composition (fat, protein, casein and lactose contents) and health-related milk indicators (electrical conductivity, urea and β-hydroxybutyrate) using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Somatic cell count (SCC) and differential SCC were also determined. Data were analysed with a linear mixed model, which included the fixed effects of the period of sampling, cow breed, stage of lactation and parity, and the random effects of cow nested within breed and the residual. The transition from barn farming to pasture had a negative effect on milk yield, together with a small deterioration of fat and protein percentages. Health-related milk indicators showed a minor deterioration of the fat to protein ratio, differential SCC and electrical conductivity, particularly towards the end of the grazing season, whereas the somatic cell score and β-hydroxybutyrate were relatively constant. Overall, the study showed that, when properly managed, pasture grazing does not have detrimental effects on dairy cows in terms of udder health and efficiency. Therefore, the proper management of cows on pasture can be a valuable solution to preserve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of small dairy farms in the alpine regions, without impairing cows’ health.

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“…Stolons and rhizomes also contain regularlyspaced nodes and internodes, as well as meristematic nodes that are capable of giving rise to new roots and shoots 1 . There have been a wide number of studies on different topics investigating roots, stolons, and rhizomes of various plants 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 . Root systems, stolons, and rhizomes of turfgrasses are studied because of their importance in turf quality 9 , spring green-up after winter dormancy 10 , and wear tolerance and recuperative ability 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Root systems, stolons, and rhizomes of turfgrasses are studied because of their importance in turf quality 9 , spring green-up after winter dormancy 10 , and wear tolerance and recuperative ability 11 . Furthermore, these organs are also studied in other crops, turfgrasses such as rice 12 , soybean 4 , and maize 13 , and pastures where lateral stems play a key role in soil erosion control 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Stolons and Rhizomes of Turfgrasses Using a Digital Image Analysis System

Pornaro

Macolino

Richardson

2019

JoVE

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Length and diameter of stolons or rhizomes are usually measured using simple rulers and calipers. This procedure is slow and laborious, so it is often used on a limited number of stolons or rhizomes. For this reason, these traits are limited in their use for morphological characterization of plants. The use of digital image analysis software technology may overcome measurement errors due to human mistakes, which tend to increase as the number and size of samples also increase. The protocol can be used for any kind of crop but is particularly suitable for forage or grasses, where plants are small and numerous. Turf samples consist of aboveground biomass and an upper soil layer to the depth of maximum rhizome development, depending on the species of interest. In studies, samples are washed from the soil, and stolons/rhizomes are cleaned by hand before analysis by digital image analysis software. The samples are further dried in a laboratory heating oven to measure dry weight; therefore, for each sample, the resultant data are total length, total dry weight, and average diameter. Scanned images can be corrected before analysis by excluding visible extraneous parts, such as remaining roots or leaves not removed with the cleaning process. Indeed, these fragments normally have much smaller diameters than stolons or rhizomes, so they can be easily excluded from analysis by fixing the minimum diameter below which objects are not considered. Stolon or rhizome density per unit area can then be calculated based on sample size. The advantage of this method is quick and efficient measurement of the length and average diameter of large sample numbers of stolons or rhizomes.

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Above- and belowground patterns in a subalpine grassland-shrub mosaic

Cited by 13 publications

References 42 publications

Dominant shrub species are a strong predictor of plant species diversity along subalpine pasture-shrub transects

Dominant shrub species are a strong predictor of plant species diversity along subalpine pasture-shrub transects

Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy

Measuring Stolons and Rhizomes of Turfgrasses Using a Digital Image Analysis System

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