Vegetation, water infiltration, and soil carbon response to Adaptive Multi-Paddock and Conventional grazing in Southeastern USA ranches

Apfelbaum, Steven I.; Thompson, Ry; Wang, Fugui; Mosier, Samantha; Byck, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114576

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Conventional management had 44% greater ratios of glucose‐induced:basal activities ( p = 0.009) and 7% greater glucose:phenol substrate‐induced activities ( p = 0.010; Table 5) than AMP management which indicate strong limitation of C mineralization activities by the amount of labile C such as root exudates. This explanation is consistent with the decreased vegetation biomass reported under conventional compared to AMP management at these same farms (Apfelbaum et al., 2022). Greater labile C limitation reduces soil C processing and the formation of microbial biomass, which is the predecessor of microbial necromass and the formation of stabilized soil organic matter.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Detailed information on the farm selection process, including matching soil types and slopes, is described in Apfelbaum et al. (2022). For this study, AMP management had >40 paddocks, stocking densities >60 animal units ha −1 , stocking rates >1 animal unit ha −1 , and a rest/grazed ratio >40 days for the grasslands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed information on the vegetation present at each location is provided in Table S2 and further description of the influence of grazing management on grassland vegetation is available in Apfelbaum et al. (2022).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

White

Yeater

Lehman

2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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Variable results from studies of the associations between grazing management and soil microbiological properties in grasslands suggest the need for further investigation. We assessed the response of soil microbiological properties to conventional and adaptive multi‐paddock (AMP) grazing management practices at paired farms at five locations in the southeastern United States. We measured total DNA and abundances of fungi and bacteria by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as proxies for soil microbial biomass, potential carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling activities using qPCR of functional genes, and carbon mineralization activities by respiratory assays. Abundances of fungi (p = 0.009) and bacteria (p = 0.001) were greater under AMP management compared to conventional management; however, there was no difference in the fungal/bacterial ratios between management practices. Gene copies encoding for nitrification, denitrification, and phosphate hydrolysis were significantly greater (p < 0.05) under AMP compared to conventional management. Basal soil respiration was elevated (p = 0.004) under AMP compared to conventional management presumptively due to the greater abundance of microbes that were actively transforming plant exudates and residues. In contrast, labile carbon limitation of respiratory activities was greater (p ≤ 0.01) under conventional compared to AMP management indicating decreased processing of soil carbon and formation of microbial biomass. Using discriminant function analysis, the 19 biological response variables successfully classified 94% of the 180 soil samples according to grazing management. In summary, AMP grazing management influenced the numbers and key activities of soil microbes in a distinctive manner that is associated with the retention of soil organic carbon and nitrogen reported in these grazed grasslands.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

White

Yeater

Lehman

2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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“…There were intense periods of grazing followed by a long period of rest, which allowed the pasture fully recover [ 13 ]. There is evidence that grazing can also be used to improve soil health and sequester carbon [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Another sustainability benefit of well-managed grazing is increased plant biodiversity [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Insight From Learning That Animals Are Part Of the Landmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is evidence that grazing can also be used to improve soil health and sequester carbon [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Another sustainability benefit of well-managed grazing is increased plant biodiversity [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. There is also an abundance of scientific evidence that shows that rotating crops, such as corn or soy, with livestock grazed on cover crops can improve soil health [ 18 ], sequester carbon [ 14 , 19 ], and increase the abundance of pollinating insects [ 20 ].…”

Section: Insight From Learning That Animals Are Part Of the Landmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Are Important Parts of a Sustainable Agricultural Future

Grandin

2022

Animals

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Many people believe that animal agriculture should be phased out and replaced with vegetarian substitutes. The livestock industry has also been attacked because it uses vast amounts of land. People forget that grazing cattle or sheep can be raised on land that is either too arid or too rough for raising crops. At least 20% of the habitable land on Earth is not suitable for crops. Rotational grazing systems can be used to improve both soil health and vegetation diversity on arid land. Grazing livestock are also being successfully used to graze cover crops on prime farmland. Soil health is improved when grazing on a cover crop is rotated with conventional cash crops, such as corn or soybeans. It also reduces the need for buying fertilizer. Grazing animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, or bison, should be used as part of a sustainable system that will improve the land, help sequester carbon, and reduce animal welfare issues.

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Breeding bird response to adaptive multi‐paddock and continuous grazing practices in Southeastern United States

McGraw,

Apfelbaum,

Thompson

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Grassland bird populations are declining steeply, reflecting the degradation and loss of native grassland habitats. To assess how grazing management affects declining grassland bird populations, we compared breeding avifaunal communities in adaptive multi‐paddock (AMP) grazed and continuously grazed (CG) pastures in the Southeastern United States. AMP grazing involves alternating very short grazing periods at high animal densities with prolonged recovery periods across many small paddocks. Both the AMP and CG paddocks attracted obligate grassland birds during the breeding season; however, AMP‐grazed paddocks supported significantly higher detection of four obligate grassland breeding bird species. We used distance sampling techniques to account for differences in detectability for each species. The resulting densities for the grassland guild and Eastern Meadowlark as a species both revealed significantly higher densities within the AMP versus CG paddocks. Despite significantly more unadjusted detections of confirmed breeding ecotonal species, such as Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher, Yellow‐breasted Chat, Eastern Towhee, Loggerhead Shrike, and Field Sparrow in AMP versus CG paddocks, no significant difference was found in the ecotonal guild after adjusting densities using effective detection radii. The CG paddocks supported fewer obligate grassland and ecotonal birds, with some exceptions (e.g., higher adjusted density of Eastern Bluebirds in CG) but supported comparable overall bird species richness. AMP grazing practices offer a viable strategy for increasing the diversity and abundance of obligate grassland and ecotonal breeding birds within existing cattle‐grazed landscapes in the Southeastern United States.

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Vegetation, water infiltration, and soil carbon response to Adaptive Multi-Paddock and Conventional grazing in Southeastern USA ranches

Cited by 21 publications

References 54 publications

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

Grazing Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Are Important Parts of a Sustainable Agricultural Future

Breeding bird response to adaptive multi‐paddock and continuous grazing practices in Southeastern United States

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