Scale of heterogeneity of forage production and winter foraging by elk and bison

Wallace, Linda; Turner, Monica G.; Romme, William H.; O’Neill, Robert V.; Wu, Yegang

doi:10.1007/bf00153825

Cited by 74 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…in the area with the highest temperature sum and the lowest elevation. As the population density at the regional or landscape level reflects resource availability at these scales (Wallace et al 1995), the size of the moose population in the area, and consequently the occurrence of moose damage might reflect the regional variation in the overall productivity of the vegetation and thus the amount of browse available for moose. However, as the effects of climatic and topographic factors are confounded in our study area, we can only conclude that climatic and topographic factors might have a more pronounced effect on the moose damage risk in northern latitudes than in the south or in areas with relatively flat terrain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the factors predisposing Scots pine to moose damage in artificially regenerated sapling stands in Finnish Lapland

Nikula¹,

Hallikainen²,

Jalkanen³

et al. 2008

Silva Fenn.

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Moose (Alces alces) damage in forest plantations have been at a high level in Finland in recent decades. Nowadays, moose is the most severe pest in Scots pine plantations also in Finnish Lapland. So far, despite the high level of damage and different bio-geographical conditions in Northern Finland, most of the moose-damage research has been carried out in Southern Finland. A number of research have also been performed to analyse factors affecting browsing but predictive models are rare. Data from 123 randomly selected and artificially regenerated pine plantations in Northern Finland were used in modelling the risk of moose browsing. The stands had been regenerated during 1984-1995. A total of 508 sample plots (range 2-8 plots per stand) were measured. Hierarchical logistic regression models with a random factor were constructed to predict the probability of leader-shoot browsing of pine on a plot. The number of planted pines and deciduous trees overtopping the pines were the most important predictors increasing the browsing probability. The results support earlier findings that deciduous trees overtopping or reaching the height of the pines should be cleaned from the immediate vicinity of the pines. Seedlings with a height ranging from 75 to 299 centimetres were more susceptible to browsing. Heavy soil scarification, such as ploughing or mounding, increased the browsing probability compared with lighter scarification methods. Soil type did not affect the browsing probability, but paludification decreased it. The within-stand variation in deciduous trees density and height should be taken into account in future moose browsing risk assessments. In Lapland, high moose damage risk areas are characterized by a low elevation and higher temperature sum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the factors predisposing Scots pine to moose damage in artificially regenerated sapling stands in Finnish Lapland

Nikula¹,

Hallikainen²,

Jalkanen³

et al. 2008

Silva Fenn.

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“…In situ hyperspectral data and foliar samples were collected in three watersheds (N1B, N4D and N20B) with fire frequencies of one year, four years and 20 years, respectively. Variations in fire frequency influence the proportion of green vegetation, senescent materials, stems, and litter in the canopy, which in turn influences spatial patterns of grazing by bison [46][47][48]. All of these fire-related factors contribute to a complex, spatially variable canopy.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Canopy Nitrogen Content in a Heterogeneous Grassland with Varying Fire and Grazing Treatments: Konza Prairie, Kansas, USA

et al. 2014

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Quantitative, spatially explicit estimates of canopy nitrogen are essential for understanding the structure and function of natural and managed ecosystems. Methods for extracting nitrogen estimates via hyperspectral remote sensing have been an active area of research. Much of this research has been conducted either in the laboratory, or in relatively uniform canopies such as crops. Efforts to assess the feasibility of the use of hyperspectral analysis in heterogeneous canopies with diverse plant species and canopy structures have been less extensive. In this study, we use in situ and aircraft hyperspectral data to assess several empirical methods for extracting canopy nitrogen from a tallgrass prairie with varying fire and grazing treatments. The remote sensing data were collected four times between May and September in 2011, and were then coupled with the field-measured leaf nitrogen levels for empirical modeling of canopy nitrogen content based on first derivatives, continuum-removed reflectance and ratio-based indices in the 562-600 nm range. Results indicated that the best-performing model type varied between in situ and aircraft data in different months. However, models from the pooled samples over the growing season with acceptable accuracy suggested that these methods are robust with respect to canopy heterogeneity across spatial and temporal scales.

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“…A well established web of cattle trails commonly observed in this arid landscape may be a better predictor of foraging distribution than roads (Pringle and Landsberg 2004). In addition, animal selection of foraging sites often dynamically adjusts to temporal changes in resource availability (Wallace et al 1995, Weber et al 1998, Adler and Hall 2005. Animal diets in this desert environment change seasonally with variation in forage availability (Holechek et al 1994, De Alba Becerra et al 1998.…”

Section: Predictive Models Of Foraging Distribution Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging behavior of heritage versus recently introduced herbivores on desert landscapes of the American Southwest

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Since the 1800s managed grasslands and shrublands of the arid American Southwest have been grazed predominantly by cattle originally bred for temperate climates in northern Europe. A heritage breed, the criollo cattle, has survived in northern Mexico for more than 400 years under desert-like conditions of low and variable rainfall, hot temperatures in the growing season, and both spatially and temporally scarce levels of primary production. We tested the hypothesis that the heritage breed has a broader spatial foraging distribution under harsh environmental conditions, and that its distribution is driven by environmental variables which differ from those that control the distribution of the introduced European breed. Movements of individual criollo and Angus breed animals were monitored autonomously in the northern Chihuahuan desert of southern New Mexico, USA. Georeferenced foraging locations acquired at 5-minute intervals for each animal were fit to a logistic regression using environmental factors as predictors. In the spring, when forage availability was high and more uniformly distributed across the landscape, animal foraging patterns were similar for both breeds. In the fall when forage availability was low and non-uniformly distributed, the two breeds exhibited very different foraging patterns: heritage animals foraged across a much larger spatial extent whereas their domestic counterparts remained in close proximity to the permanent source of water. These differences in foraging behavior driven by environmental variables have important implications for sustainability of rangelands in spatially and temporally variable environments. Heritage breeds of animals that are generalist foragers during unfavorable conditions can reduce environmental impacts compared to more recently introduced breeds.Key words: Chihuahuan desert; criollo cattle; GPS monitoring; herbivory; landscape foraging patterns; resource selection functions. Ecosphere 2(5):art57.

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Scale of heterogeneity of forage production and winter foraging by elk and bison

Cited by 74 publications

References 25 publications

Modelling the factors predisposing Scots pine to moose damage in artificially regenerated sapling stands in Finnish Lapland

Modelling the factors predisposing Scots pine to moose damage in artificially regenerated sapling stands in Finnish Lapland

Estimating Canopy Nitrogen Content in a Heterogeneous Grassland with Varying Fire and Grazing Treatments: Konza Prairie, Kansas, USA

Foraging behavior of heritage versus recently introduced herbivores on desert landscapes of the American Southwest

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