Impact of bush encroachment management on plant response and animal distribution

Stolter, Caroline; Joubert, David; Schwarz, Kathrin; Finckh, Manfred

doi:10.7809/b-e.00327

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…More interesting was our fi nding of a severe response in the morphological characteristics of the plants (see bush encroachment chapter, Stolter et al, 2018). Our feeding trial clearly demonstrated that neither do the measured PSMs lead to a total avoidance nor does the high nitrogen content lead to a feeding preference in goats.…”

Section: Synthesis and Outlookmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Neither sheep nor goats showed diff erences in selection between previously damaged or undamaged plants (for more detailed information, see the bush encroachment chapter, Stolter et al, 2018). Unlike goats, the chosen sheep breed (Cameroon blackbelly) totally avoided all four plant species, whether the plants were damaged or not.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Six months after damage, we tested their palatability to sheep and goats (more details about the methods are found in the bush encroachment chapter by Stolter et al [2018]). For chemical response, we analysed the leaves after simulation of feeding damage for nitrogen, diff erent fi bre fractions, condensed tannins, and total phenolics (see Stolter [2018] for more details about the chemistry of feeds).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forage quality and availability for large herbivores in southern African rangelands

Stolter¹,

Ramoelo²,

Kesch³

et al. 2018

Biodivers. Ecol.

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2018) Forage quality and availability for large herbivores in southern African rangelands. In: Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa -assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions (ed. by Revermann, R., Krewenka, K.M., Schmiedel, U., Olwoch, J.M., Helmschrot, J. & Jürgens, N.), pp. [187][188][189][190][191][192][193][194][195][196] Biodiversity & Ecology, 6, Klaus Hess Publishers, Rangelands B E 6 2018 187Abstract: In light of the growing human population, the pressure on herbivores (livestock and wild herbivores) will be accelerated, resulting in a need for eff ective land management. To achieve this, information and knowledge about the availability and quality of food resources of large herbivores and possible changes in those resources are a prerequisite.In this chapter, we wil l summarize diff erent projects conducted regarding food availability and quality within SASSCAL.We will give an example of the use of remote sensing as an eff ective tool for measuring food availability and quality on a large scale. Here, we visualize changes in leaf nitrogen concentration and annual grass biomass. In two other projects, we studied diff erent aspects of plant response. In a fence-line study, we investigated the infl uence of overgrazing on the plant quality of grasses. Though we detected positive impacts on plant quality, but due to high grazing pressure, the reduction in biomass resulted in an overall decline in the quality of the overgrazed site. In the other project, we tested the plant response of bush encroacher species to damage by herbivores. In contrast to the grasses of the fence-line study, in the shrub species we observed a tendency for reduced protein concentration. The reduction varied among the diff erent plant species, but it did not have consequences on subsequent consumers (Boer goats). In our last project we focused on the impact of increased temperature and reduced humidity on the plant quality of fi ve grass species. Here, we found a species-specifi c response. We conclude the article with a synthesis and an outline of possible management implications derived from the diff erent studies.Resumo: Devido ao crescimento da população humana, a pressão nos herbívoros (gado e herbívoros selvagens) irá acelerar, resultando na necessidade da gestão efectiva da paisagem. Para atingir este objectivo, é necessário informação e conhecimento sobre a disponibilidade e qualidade dos recursos alimentares de grandes herbívoros, e possíveis alterações.Neste capítulo, resumimos diferentes projectos realizados dentro do tópico da disponibilidade e qualidade de alimento no contexto do SASSCAL. Daremos um exemplo de detecção remota como uma ferramenta útil para a medição da disponibilidade e qualidade do alimento em grande escala. Aqui, visualizamos alterações das concentrações de azoto foliar e da biomassa anual das gramíneas. Em dois outros projectos, estudámos diferentes aspectos da resposta de plantas. Num estudo de cercas, investigámos a infl uência do pastoreio excessivo na qualidade da...

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Section: Synthesis and Outlookmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Forage quality and availability for large herbivores in southern African rangelands

Stolter¹,

Ramoelo²,

Kesch³

et al. 2018

Biodivers. Ecol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Vector and host responses to WPE will vary among species depending on resource needs and life histories. Grassland‐inhabiting species that gain no resources from WPE may decline, and generalists and other species that gain resources may increase (Coppedge et al., 2001; Stolter et al., 2018). The responses of all VBD system components will also vary relative to features of WPE systems (e.g.…”

Section: Conceptual Framework For Woody Plant Encroachment Effects On...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Woody plant encroachment and the ecology of vector‐borne diseases

Loss

Noden

Fuhlendorf

2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) impact human and animal health globally, and their ecology and transmission are affected by human-caused ecosystem and biome transitions. Woody plant encroachment (WPE), a top driver of biome and land cover transitions in grasslands and savannas of the world, greatly changes abiotic conditions, vegetation and animal populations and communities. Although these effects mirror mechanisms by which other ecosystem and land cover changes influence VBD ecology, few studies have evaluated if WPE expands distributions and increases the transmission of VBDs.2. We develop a conceptual framework for WPE effects on VBDs by synthesizing key literature on these topics and on impacts of land cover change on diseases broadly. We also present examples of WPE systems from two continents illustrating documented and likely effects on VBD systems, and we outline a prospectus for future research evaluating such effects.3. This synthesis highlights the potential for WPE to increase the transmission of VBDs world-wide. WPE's effects on landscape composition, local vegetation, abiotic conditions, and vector and host resources, interactions and population and community processes, likely impact VBD distributions, transmission and health outcomes. Much additional research is needed on topics like the effects of WPE management on health risks associated with VBDs. Synthesis and applications. Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is drastically chang-ing grasslands and savannas world-wide. Its well-documented influences on abiotic conditions (e.g. temperature and humidity), vegetation and wildlife are having previously underappreciated effects on the ecology of vector-borne diseases, likely increasing spatial distributions and transmission of diseases. Management to reduce WPE is ongoing in much of the world due to its degradation of ecosystem services like biodiversity, livestock production and water quality and quantity. The ecosystem disservice of elevated disease risk in humans, wildlife and domestic animals should be an additional consideration when making land management and policy decisions related to WPE.

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“…6), manual tree cutting, stem burning (Tainton 1999;Suttie et al 2005;Lukomska et al 2014;Reed et al 2015;Harmse et al 2016;Hare et al 2020). There are also more long-term approaches of introducing (more) browsers and adapting the veld and livestock management in a way that will slow down bush encroachment or potentially even put it to a halt (Tainton 1999;Biggs et al 2009;Kellner 2009;Kgosikoma and Mogotsi 2013;Stolter et al 2018;Swemmer and Ward 2019).…”

Section: Savanna Dynamics and Land Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling, management and restoration of savannas in southern Africa

Heß¹

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Context -Bush encroachment has been observed in southern African savannas for several decades. This form of land degradation reduces the abundance of (palatable) grass biomass on farms, which in turn can support less livestock sustainably. A reduction in livestock usually results in lower income or less food for farmers and can therefore threaten livelihoods. The vegetation dynami cs of savannas are complex and multifactorially interconnected. Spatially explicit, process-oriented rangeland models are ideal tools to study these complex vegetation dynamics and the phenomenon of bush encroachment. These models can aid in optimizing management to reduce bush encroachment and give guidance to focus future research on the most relevant factors influencing vegetation processes and bush encroachment in savannas.Objectives -This dissertation aims to identify and examine the key factors that can cause and influence the emergence and expansion of bush encroachment in southern African savannas. To this end, we incorporated potentially important factors and processes in a simulation model to study their impact on bush encroachment and to be able to test different environmental and management scenarios with a focus on realistic vegetation dynamics and livestock management.Methods -To identify the potentially most important environmental and management factors that influence the vegetation dynamics of bush encroachment, we interviewed farmers and stakeholders, held workshops and had discussions with scientists and leading experts in the field.Through programming a landscape generator (PioLaG) and a process-oriented rangeland simulation model (Midessa), we gained the ability to set these influential factors and processes in relation to another and to observe and test their cause-and-effect relationship in terms of the impact on vegetation type distribution and livestock condition.Results -The most important factors that determine the current state of savanna rangelands are heterogeneous precipitation patterns, soil moisture, vegetation competition and succession, fire events, seed availability, grazing and browsing, wood reduction by firewood remo val or through arboricides, as well as other management factors such as livestock type and stocking density, type and characteristics of the grazing system, and farmer back-up plans for drought periods. Simulation results showed that introducing browsers and/or mixed feeders to a farm will greatly slow down bush encroachment. A grazer/browser mix thus seems to be a promising approach for a nonchemical management tool against bush encroachment. Careful and adaptive farming strategies including a sophisticated rotational grazing system, will improve vegetation conditions for livestock.Reducing the livestock density on a farm has also been found to slow down bush encroachment and delay the decline of livestock condition. From a modelling perspective , an interesting observation was that spatially heterogeneous distributed precipitation had a major impact on Abstract II simulation results ...

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Impact of bush encroachment management on plant response and animal distribution

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Forage quality and availability for large herbivores in southern African rangelands

Forage quality and availability for large herbivores in southern African rangelands

Woody plant encroachment and the ecology of vector‐borne diseases

Modelling, management and restoration of savannas in southern Africa

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