Species composition determines forage quality and medicinal value of high diversity grasslands in lowland England

French, Katherine E.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2017.03.012

Cited by 43 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Plant species composition determines the nutritional quality of semi-natural grasslands (French 2017), alpine grasslands (Komac et al 2014) and pasture (Chapman et al 2014). Herbivores can consume herbaceous legumes and non-legumes, as well as the foliage of shrubs and trees (Wood et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

Lee

2018

J Plant Res

139

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Forage plants are valuable because they maintain wild and domesticated herbivores, and sustain the delivery of meat, milk and other commodities. Forage plants contain different quantities of fibre, lignin, minerals and protein, and vary in the proportion of their tissue that can be digested by herbivores. These nutritive components are important determinants of consumer growth rates, reproductive success and behaviour. A dataset was compiled to quantify variation in forage plant nutritive values within- and between-plant species, and to assess variation between plant functional groups and bioclimatic zones. 1255 geo-located records containing 3774 measurements of nutritive values for 136 forage plant species grown in 30 countries were obtained from published articles. Spatial variability in forage nutritive values indicated that climate modified plant nutritive values. Forage plants grown in arid and equatorial regions generally contained less digestible material than those grown in temperate and tundra regions; containing more fibre and lignin, and less protein. These patterns may reveal why herbivore body sizes, digestion and migration strategies are different in warmer and drier regions. This dataset also revealed the capacity for variation in the nutrition provided by forage plants, which may drive consumer species coexistence. The proportion of the plant tissue that was digestible ranged between species from 2 to 91%. The amount of fibre contained within plant material ranged by 23–90%, protein by 2–36%, lignin by 1–21% and minerals by 2–22%. On average, grasses and tree foliage contained the most fibre, whilst herbaceous legumes contained the most protein and tree foliage contained the most lignin. However, there were individual species within each functional group that were highly nutritious. This dataset may be used to identify forage plant species or mixtures of species from different functional groups with useful nutritional traits which can be cultivated to enhance livestock productivity and inform wild herbivore conservation strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10265-018-1024-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

Lee

2018

J Plant Res

139

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“…The paucity of data quantifying the nutritive value of different forage plants grown across different locations means that nutrition is rarely considered as a part of ecological or conservation studies (Pontes et al 2007). Plant species composition determines the nutritional quality of semi-natural grasslands (French 2017), alpine grasslands (Komac et al 2014) and pasture (Chapman et al 2014). Herbivores can consume herbaceous legumes and non-legumes, as well as the foliage of shrubs and trees (Wood et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

Lee

2017

Preprint

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7Forage plants are valuable because they maintain wild and domesticated herbivores, and sustain the delivery of 8This dataset also revealed the capacity for variation in the nutrition provided by forage plants. The proportion of 1 9 the plant tissue that was digestible ranged between species from 2-91%. The amount of fibre contained within 2 0 plant material ranged by 23-90%, protein by 2-36%, lignin by 1-21% and minerals by 2-22%. Water contents 2 1 also varied substantially; ranging from 3-89% of standing biomass. On average, grasses and tree foliage 2 2 contained the most fibre, whilst herbaceous legumes contained the most protein and tree foliage contained the 2 3 most lignin. However, there were individual species within each functional group that were highly nutritious. 4This dataset may be used to identify forage plant species with useful traits which can be cultivated to enhance 2 5 livestock productivity and inform wild herbivore conservation strategies.

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“…In the UK, willow trees (Salix spp.) contain high levels of salicylic acid and proanthocyanidins (Agnolet et al 2012), and cattle roaming natural pastures often actively consume the bark of the tree when ill (French 2017). Because these trees are also good for mitigating flooding, planting more of them would have both economic and environmental effects.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in South Africa aloes are the premier anthelmintic (Beinart and Brown 2013). In northern Europe, small farmers still value old "traditional" pastures rich in medicinal herbs and legumes for the perceived anthelmintic qualities of specific wild plants (French 2017). Because many of these plants are actively consumed by livestock within traditional agropastoral systems, their toxicity and environmental effects are likely low.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant-Based Solutions to Global Livestock Anthelmintic Resistance

French

2018

EBL

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Anthelmintic resistance in livestock is increasing globally. Livestock intestinal parasites now develop resistance to synthetic anthelmintics within 2–10 years, collectively costing billions of dollars annually in lost revenue around the world. Over-reliance on commercial drugs and dips and changes in livestock management practices are key drivers of this trend. To date, current research has focused on identifying new anthelmintics from bacterial and fungal sources or even synthesizing new drugs that target parasite metabolism or reproduction. Plant-derived anthelmintics are a promising alternative, yet to date major research funders and scientists have overlooked this option. Until the mid-20th century, rural communities relied on plant-based methods of controlling livestock parasites. These methods include feeding livestock specific medicinal plants and trees, grazing livestock on herbal leys, and changing where livestock grazed based on ecological factors (e.g., flooding) that increased parasite burdens. Many historic texts and ethnological accounts record the ethnobotanical knowledge of rural communities and the plants they used to control livestock intestinal parasites. Some traditions persist today yet the farmers, graziers, and shepherds who hold this knowledge are rapidly disappearing and with them perhaps a potential long-term solution to anthelmintic resistance. This short perspective piece will cover recent research using ethnobotanical data as a means to identifying potential new anthelmintics; the morphological, physiological, and metabolic effect of plant secondary metabolites on parasites; and an overview of “best practices” which can reduce bias in assessments of plant bioactivity and increase reproducibility of test results. This will hopefully bring recent advances in ethnobiology, chemistry, and ecology to new audiences, and, potentially, spark new interest in using medicinal plants to improve livestock health.

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Species composition determines forage quality and medicinal value of high diversity grasslands in lowland England

Cited by 43 publications

References 48 publications

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

A global comparison of the nutritive values of forage plants grown in contrasting environments

Plant-Based Solutions to Global Livestock Anthelmintic Resistance

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