Comparative Studies of the Ingestive Behaviour and Herbage Intake of Sheep and Cattle Grazing Indigenous Hill Plant Communities

Hodgson, J.; Forbes, T. D. A.; Armstrong, R. H.; Beattie, M. M.; Hunter, E. A.

doi:10.2307/2404126

Cited by 94 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Differences between seasons in the quantity of herbage intake by grazing animals were also noted by several authors (Baker et al, 1980;Penning et al, 1991). Herbage intake increased as digestibility of herbage intake increased and this agrees with the results obtained by several workers (Hodgson, 1968;Hodgson et al, 1991). However, it should be noted that perhaps some changes in sward canopy structure between summer and autumn resulted in a more heterogeneous structure in autumn.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Herbage intake by Churra ewes grazing at two different sward heights

Valdés¹,

Mantecón²,

Giráldez³

et al. 1995

J. Anim. Feed Sci.

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Herbage intake and some characteristics of diet selected by grazing Churra ewes were studied on two plots of a Lolium-Festuca-Trifolium pasture maintained at two different sward heights (sward heights (SH): 4 cm (SSH) and 8 cm (HSH) in two periods (PE): summer and autumn. Herbage intake was estimated from measurements of faecal output and of digestibility of extrusa samples. With the exception of crude protein content, no significant (P > 0.05) effects of PE nor SH were detected in the chemical composition and digestibility of herbage on offer. Daily herbage intake (g OM/kg live weight) was greater (P ^0.10) on HSH than on SSH and was also greater (P =£ 0.05) in autumn than in summer. Significant effects of PE (P^O.01) and SH (P=%0.05) were obtained in the selection ratios (calculated as the content of each considerate component in extrusa samples divided by its content in the herbage on offer) for all chemical fractions and for digestibility. Except for cellulose, interaction between main factors had a significant (P^ 0.001) effect on the selection ratios.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Herbage intake by Churra ewes grazing at two different sward heights

Valdés¹,

Mantecón²,

Giráldez³

et al. 1995

J. Anim. Feed Sci.

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“…Their behavioral adjustments in response to reduced food availability are therefore chiefly geared to maintaining the nutrient value of the diet (Hodgson et al, 1991;Dumont et al, 1995;Garcia et al, 2003). Grazing with sheep can thus lead to a dominance of grasses in temperate plant communities because of their high selectivity for legumes and forbs (Krahulec et al, 2001;Warren et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Scohier

Dumont

2012

Animal

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Grasslands being used in sheep farming systems are managed under a variety of agricultural production, recreational and conservational objectives. Although sheep grazing is rarely considered the best method for delivering conservation objectives in seminatural temperate grasslands, the literature does not provide unequivocal evidence on the impact of sheep grazing on pasture biodiversity. Our aim was therefore to review evidence of the impacts of stocking rate, grazing period and soil fertility on plant communities and arthropod populations in both mesotrophic grasslands typical of agriculturally improved areas and in native plant communities. We therefore conducted a literature search of articles published up to the end of the year 2010 using 'sheep' and 'grazing' as keywords, together with variables describing grassland management, plant community structure or arthropod taxa. The filtering process led to the selection of 48 articles, with 42 included in the stocking rate dataset, 9 in the grazing period dataset and 10 in the soil fertility dataset. The meta-analysis did not reveal any significant trends for plant species richness or plant community evenness along a wide stocking rate gradient. However, we found frequent shifts in functional groups or plant species abundance that could be explained by the functional properties of the plants in the community. The meta-analysis confirmed that increasing soil fertility decreased plant species richness. Despite the very limited dataset, plant species richness was significantly greater in autumn-grazed pastures than in ungrazed areas, which suggests that choosing an appropriate grazing period would be a promising option for preserving biodiversity in sheep farming systems. Qualitative review indicated that low grazing intensity had positive effects on Orthoptera, Hemiptera (especially phytophagous Auchenorrhyncha) and, despite a diverse range of feeding strategies, for the species richness of Coleoptera. Lepidoptera, which were favoured by more abundant flowering plants, also benefited from low grazing intensities. Spider abundance and species richness were higher in ungrazed than in grazed pastures. In contrast, there are insufficient published studies to draw any firm conclusions on the benefits of late grazing or stopping fertilization on insect diversity, and no grounds for including any of this information in decision support tools at this stage.Keywords: biodiversity, grazing period, insect, stocking rate, soil fertility ImplicationsThere is a general trend toward a gradual intensification of ruminant production to meet the increasing demand for livestock products (Bouwman et al., 2005), which logically raises major concerns over the environmental consequences involved. Grassland intensification entails higher livestock densities and fertilizer application rates to increase soil productivity, which negatively affects the diversity of resident plant communities. Grasslands are being managed under a variety of agricultural production and conservation objectives;...

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“…Under harsh pasture conditions, intake and time per bite are the factors limiting the daily intake of nutrients [53]. Through feeding site selection, herbivores can increase their intake rate [21,68].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection and use of feeding sites and feeding stations by herbivores: A review

Roguet¹,

Dumont²,

Prache³

1998

Ann. Zootech.

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-A better understanding of the animal x plant interaction is needed to develop management practices which will maintain a sufficiently rich and abundant vegetation in the pastures. Such practices would permit the animals to meet their nutritional requirements, and to ensure a sufficient production, while contributing to the maintenance of the environment. This review, drawn on a large number of experimental studies, takes stock of the factors influencing the selection and use of feeding sites and stations by herbivores. First, we present the theoretical framework in which the experimental observations are discussed. The general context of optimal foraging theory (OFT) and its predictions are described. Its 'applicability', usefulness and validity to study the foraging behaviour of herbivores are then discussed. Second, we analyse how forage (quantity and quality, plant species, distribution), environment (topography, distance to water, predator risk) and some animal factors (cognitive abilities, social organisation) affect the choice and use of feeding sites and stations. In spite of some problems of definitions ('patch', 'prey' for an herbivore?) and of the herbivores' specific characteristics, the OFT has been successfully used to explain the foraging behaviour of herbivores. However, animals' choices are rarely as absolute as predicted. Under

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Comparative Studies of the Ingestive Behaviour and Herbage Intake of Sheep and Cattle Grazing Indigenous Hill Plant Communities

Cited by 94 publications

References 26 publications

Herbage intake by Churra ewes grazing at two different sward heights

Herbage intake by Churra ewes grazing at two different sward heights

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Selection and use of feeding sites and feeding stations by herbivores: A review

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