Activity time budget patterns of sheep and goats co-grazing on semi-natural species-rich dry grassland

Abstract

Activity time budget patterns and grazing response to sward and environmental conditions were investigated for paddocks of sheep and goats co-grazing for conservation purposes on a semi-natural speciesrich dry grassland community endangered by shrub and tall perennial plant encroachment in a protected nature reserve in South Moravia (Czech Republic). Grazing was conducted by a rotational stocking system for 14 weeks in late grazing season in 2008 with 60 dry ewes and 20 goats. Twelve ewes and four goats were observed; grazing, ruminating, idling and other activities (salt licking, social interactions, walking), along with topographical position in the paddock were recorded at 5-minute intervals within 14 hours of daylight. Sheep and goats did not differ in their principal activity time budgets, such as the average total daylight time spent grazing (sheep: 8.57 h, goats: 8.59 h), ruminating (sheep: 1.42 h, goats: 1.44 h), or idling (sheep: 3.23 h, goats: 3.18 h), the duration of bouts of each activity, or the number of bouts of grazing and ruminating. There was no pattern in activity time budgets indicating dynamics in progressing season, nor was there a response to daily average temperature or to paddock size. Sheep and goats showed similar responses to groundcover of particular plant functional types. The animals showed a positive trend in response of total daylight grazing time to grass available biomass and a negative response of total daylight grazing time to herbaceous biomass for both sheep and goats. The total daylight grazing time was independent of availability of woody plants. Goats devoted more time (1.51 h) to other activities than sheep (1.34 h), especially to social interactions and salt licking. On the other hand, sheep spent proportionally more time walking. Both sheep and goats showed similar patterns in spatial use of paddocks on hill slopes, spending the most time in the middle part and the least time in the lower part of paddocks.

Phosphorus limitation relates to diet selection of sheep and goats on dry calcareous grassland

“…; Pokorná et al. ). The benefits of co‐grazing derive primarily from the partitioning and more efficient utilisation of forage resources (Ferreira et al.…”

Impacto De Caprinos E Ovinos Sobre a Comunidade De Plantas Regenerantes Na Caatinga

“…Por exemplo, foi identificado que estes animais consomem plântulas, folhas novas e maduras, flor e fruto das espécies de Cnidosculus quercifolius (Leal et al 2003). Pokorná et al (2013) evidenciaram que não houve efeito da pressão dos caprinos sobre um grupo de plantas, onde o maior tempo de pastejo não influenciou a cobertura vegetal dos arbustos; o mesmo efeito neutro foi observado por Arévalo et al (2011), sobre a riqueza de uma comunidade de plantas numa floresta Mediterrânea, na Espanha, corroborando os resultados encontrados em nossos estudos. Tais resultados evidenciam a necessidade de novos trabalhos para um melhor entendimento dos impactos dos caprinos sobre as comunidades de plantas.…”

Low amplitude and high frequency mechanical stimulation does not affect directly cell differentiation during bone healing

“…The combined stimulation was considered from the 7th day to the 21st day. During this period, a combination of 17 minutes (1020 seconds, 90 Hz) of external stimulus (GOODSHIP and KENWRI-GHT, 1985) and 8.5 hours (30600 seconds, 1 Hz) of gait per day (POKORNÁ et al, 2013) was considered. In the first week of simulation and from the 22nd day to the 60th day again only stimulation from gait was considered.…”