Article

 

Cattle grazing in semiarid forestlands: Habitat selection during periods of drought Público Deposited

Conteúdo disponível para baixar

Baixar PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/bn999851h

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Climate change models are predicting increased frequency and severity of droughts in arid and semiarid environments, and these areas are responsible for much of the world's livestock production. Because cattle (Bos taurus) grazing can impact the abundance, distribution, and ecological function of native plant and animal communities, it is important to understand how cattle might respond to increasingly arid conditions. Here, we evaluate changes in habitat selection by cattle across an 8-yr period as a function of rainfall and other environmental covariates. Using resource selection functions, we evaluated habitat selection based on 2 behaviors, stationary and mobile. Models revealed similarity in cattle habitat selection across years, with only modest changes in selection as a function of precipitation, despite marked seasonal and interannual differences in rainfall. Cattle preferred gentle slopes, forest edges, wet meadows, and areas near water as well as areas far from water on plateaus. Cattle avoided areas at intermediate distances from water, typically associated with steep slopes. As conditions became drier during the late season, cattle did not switch selection patterns but instead contracted their selection around water. Cattle also selected similar habitats whether they were mobile or stationary, possibly making microsite decisions therein. This consistent pattern of selection across years could be particularly problematic for riparian communities as climates become drier; however, it may also simplify cattle management, as range managers can focus vegetation monitoring efforts on riparian areas. Due to the uncertainty surrounding future climatic conditions, it is imperative that both range and wildlife managers develop long-term plans to continue managing these multiuse landscapes in an ecologically sustainable manner based on expected patterns of livestock grazing.
  • Keywords: public land, impacts, climate change, cattle, Bos taurus, biodiversity
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Roever, C. L., DelCurto, T., Rowland, M., Vavra, M., & Wisdom, M. (2015). Cattle grazing in semiarid forestlands: Habitat selection during periods of drought. Journal of Animal Science, 93(6), 3212-3225. doi:10.2527/jas2014-8794
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 93
Journal Issue/Number
  • 6
Declaração de direitos
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • Our work was funded by USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and Oregon State University Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relações

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Itens