Estimation of localized cattle stocking rate from dung frequency in a mountain grassland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.12.22.3.0.1223Keywords:
domestic herbivory, distribution patterns, livestock management, faeces, decomposition rateAbstract
Indirect quantification of localized stocking rate in a certain place within a paddock could be a useful management tool to study livestock spatial and temporal distribution patterns. In the present study, we aimed to adjusting a model to estimate localized cattle stocking rates on the basis of dung frequency. We also determined the previous time period of localized stocking rate that is best reflected by the dung counts. We quantified the animals grazing in paddocks with different livestock managements, every 10 days during 15 months, to obtain a value of localized stocking rate. Likewise, in the same plots dung frequency was evaluated after 15 months. Dung frequency was linearly, positive and significantly related to localized stocking rate for all of the previous periods considered (from 1 to 15 months). We considered a previous period of 12 months, a timing which is in accordance to temporal management decisions and the estimated model explained a reasonable proportion of the variance (R2=0.49), and finally, had a normally distributed residuals. The model was validated at paddock scale by using dung frequency data from dates and/or paddocks not included in the model adjustment. We conclude that the proposed model based on dung frequency and the proposed methodology is a good indicator of localized cattle stocking rate of the previous year.
References
ADLER, PB; DA RAFF & WK LAUENROTH. 2001. The effect of grazing on the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation. Oecologia, 128:465-479.
AERTS, R. 1997. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship. Oikos, 79:439-449.
BAILEY, DW. 1995. Daily selection of feeding areas by cattle in homogeneous and heterogeneous environments. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 45:183-200.
BAILEY, DW; JE GROSS; EA LACA; LR RITTENHOUSE; MB COUGHENOUR; ET AL. 1996. Mechanisms that result in large herbivore grazing distribution patterns. J. Range. Manage., 49:386-400.
BARNES, MK; BE NORTON; M MAENO & JC MALECHEK. 2008. Paddock Size and Stocking Density Affect Spatial Heterogeneity of Grazing. Range. Ecol. Manage., 61:380-388.
BERTILLER, MB & JO ARES. 2008. Sheep spatial grazing strategies at the arid Patagonian Monte, Argentina. Range. Ecol. Manage., 61:38-47.
CABIDO, M. 1985. Las comunidades vegetales de la Pampa de Achala. Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina. Doc. Phytosociologiques, 9:431-443.
CINGOLANI, A; J ANCHORENA; S STOFFELLA & M COLLANTES. 2002. A landscape-scale model for optimal management of sheep grazing in the Magellanic steppe. Appl. Veg. Sci., 5:159-166.
CINGOLANI, A; M CABIDO; D RENISON & V SOLÍS-NEFFA. 2003. Combined effects of environment and grazing on vegetation structure in Argentine granite grasslands. J. Veg. Sci., 14:223-232.
CINGOLANI, A; D RENISON; M ZAK & M CABIDO. 2004. Mapping vegetation in a heterogeneous mountain using Landsat data: an alternative method to define and classify land-cover units. Rem. Sens. Environ., 92:84-97.
CINGOLANI, AM; I NOY-MEIR & S DÍAZ. 2005. Grazing effects on rangeland diversity: A synthesis of contemporary models. Ecol. Appl., 15:757-773.
CINGOLANI, AM; I NOY-MEIR; D RENISON & MD CABIDO. 2008a. La ganadería extensiva, ¿es compatible con la conservación de la biodiversidad y de los suelos? Ecología Austral, 18:253-271.
CINGOLANI, AM; D RENISON; PA TECCO; DE GURVICH & M CABIDO. 2008b. Predicting cover types in a mountain range with long evolutionary grazing history: a GIS approach. J. Biogeogr., 35:538-551.
CINGOLANI, AM; MV VAIERETTI; DE GURVICH; MA GIORGIS & M CABIDO. 2010. Predicting alpha, beta and gamma plant diversity from physiognomic and physical indicators as a tool for ecosystem monitoring. Biol. Conserv., 143:2570-2577.
COCIMANO, M; A LANGE & E MENVIELLE. 1975. Estudio sobre equivalencias ganaderas. Producción Animal, 4:161-190.
COLLADÓN, L; GS FELICI & I PAZOS. 2010. Anuario Pluviométrico 2005/06-2009/10. Cuenca del Río San Antonio. Sistema del Río Suquia-Provincia de Córdoba. INA y CRSA.
DIMANDER, SO; J HÖGLUND & PJ WALLER. 2003. Disintegration of dung pats from cattle treated with the ivermectin anthelmintic bolus, or the biocontrolv agent Duddingtonia flagrans. Acta Vet. Scand., 44:171-180.
FUHLENDORF, SD & DM ENGLE. 2001. Restoring Heterogeneity on Rangelands: Ecosystem Management Based on Evolutionary Grazing Patterns. BioScience, 51:625-632.
GRIGERA, G; M OESTERHELD & F PACÍN. 2007. Monitoring forage production for farmers’ decision making. Agric. Syst., 94:637-648.
IGLESIAS, L; C SAUMELL; A FERNÁNDEZ; L FUSÉ; A LIFSCHITZ; ET AL. 2006. Environmental impact of ivermectin excreted by cattle treated on dung fauna and degradation of faeces on pasture. Parasitol. Res., 100: 93-102.
KEMP, DR & DL MICHALK. 2007. Towards sustainable grassland and livestock management. J. Agr. Sci., 145:543-564.
KOHLER, F; F GILLET; S REUST; HH WAGNER; F GADALLAH; ET AL. 2006. Spatial and seasonal patterns of cattle habitat use in a mountain wooded pasture. Landscape Ecol., 21: 281-295.
MADSEN, M; B OVERGAARD NIELSEN; P HOLTER; OC PEDERSEN; J BROCHNER JESPERSEN; ET AL. 1990. Treating cattle with Ivermectin: Effects on the fauna and decompsition of dung pats. J. Appl. Ecol., 27:1-15.
PROVENZA, FD; JJ VILLALBA; LE DZIBA; SB ATWOOD & RE BANNE. 2003. Linking herbivore experience, varied diets, and plant biochemical diversity. Small Rumin. Res., 49: 257-274.
SENFT, RL; LR RITTENHOUSE & RG WOODMANSEE. 1983. The use of regression models to predict spatial patterns of cattle behavior. J. Range Manage., 36:553-557.
SENFT, RL; MB COUGHENOUR; DW BAILEY; LR RITTENHOUSE; OE SALA; ET AL. 1987. Large herbivore foraging and ecological hierarchies. BioScience, 37:789-799.
SOMMER, C & BM BIBBY. 2002. The influence of veterinary medicines on the decomposition of dung organic matter in soil. Eur. J. Soil Biol., 38:155-159.
SØRENSEN, JT. 1990. Validation of livestock herd simulation models: a review. Livest. Prod. Sci., 26:79-90.
SWAIN, DL; MA FRIEND; GJ BISHOP-HURLEY; RN HANDCOCK & T WARK. 2011. Tracking livestock using global positioning systems - are we still lost? Anim. Prod. Sci., 51:167-175.
SWIFT, MJ; OW HEAL & JM ANDERSON. 1979. Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Blackwell, Oxford.
TATE, KW; ER ATWILL; NK MCDOUGALD & MR GEORGE. 2003. Spatial and temporal patterns of cattle feces deposition on rangeland. J. Range Manage., 56:432-438.
TEICH, I; AM CINGOLANI; D RENISON; I HENSEN & MA GIORGIS. 2005. Do domestic herbivores retard Polylepis australis Bitt. Woodland recovery in the mountains of Córdoba, Argentina? For. Ecol. Manage., 219:229-241.
VAIERETTI, MV. 2010. Estructura de la vegetación y dinámica de la descomposición: el rol de la herbivoría en pastizales de altura bajo uso ganadero (Córdoba, Argentina). Tesis doctoral. FCEFyN-UNC. Córdoba. Argentina.
VAIERETTI, MV; AM CINGOLANI; N PÉREZ HARGUINDEGUY; DE GURVICH & M CABIDO. 2010. Does decomposition of standard materials differ among grassland patches maintained by livestock? Austral Ecol., 35:935-943.
VAN SOEST, PJ. 1994. Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Cornell University Press. USA.
VON MÜLLER, A. 2011. Factores ecológicos y de manejo en la selección de hábitat de herbívoros domésticos en las Sierras Grandes de Córdoba. Tesis doctoral. FCEFyN-UNC. Córdoba. Argentina.
WHITE, SL; RE SHEFFIELD; SP WASHBURN; LD KING & JT GREEN. 2001. Spatial and time distribution of dairy cattle excreta in an intensive pasture system. J. Environ. Qual., 30:2180-2187.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Axel R. von Müller, Ana M. Cingolani, María V. Vaieretti, Daniel Renison
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Authors retain their rights as follows: 1) by granting the journal the right to its first publication, and 2) by registering the published article with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which allows authors and third parties to view and use it as long as they clearly mention its origin (citation or reference, including authorship and first publication in this journal). Authors can make other non-exclusive distribution agreements as long as they clearly indicate their origin and are encouraged to widely share and disseminate the published version of their work.