RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Sward variables did not differ between the indoor grazed turves and the outdoor grazed swards (P>0.05), giving confidence that turves extracted from the plots were representative of in situ swards. Sward height was generally greater for grasses than white clover at the same maturity stage, but bulk density was greater for the clover. Reproductive swards had greater mass b...

Knowledge of the relationships between biotic components of rangeland ecosystem i.e. herbivores and plants is important for range managers. In order to study herbivorse grazing intensity on plant species diversity, an experiment was conductef using fuor grazing treatments in darrehshar rangelands, Ilam province in 2015. Plant species data were taken based on a randomized-systematic sampling met...

Some seaweed species have been shown to release water-borne cues after herbivore attack, for example, to attract natural enemies of the herbivore. These cues may also be sensed by neighboring seaweeds and used to adjust their defenses in anticipation of a possible herbivore attack. Several studies indicated information transfer between seaweed individuals in the past, including the brown seawee...

A study was conducted to determine the abundance of potential foods and the feeding substrates and behaviors of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in central Washington state. Aphid colonies with honeydew, a presumed food source for flies, were not seen on randomly selected branches of sweet cherry trees, Prunus avium L., ...

Vegetation composition and reproduction of vascular plants were studied in relation to seven spatial structures: Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris, Juniperus communis, Rosa dumalis, dung pats, grazing rejects and grazed patches. Th e study was performed in 14 unfertilized semi-natural pastures, with diff erent grazing intensities, in southcentral Sweden. Vegetation height diff ered between sites...

Overgrazing has been the primary cause of grassland degradation in the semi-arid grasslands of the agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China. However, there has been little evidence regarding grazing intensity impacts on vegetation change and soil C and N dynamics in this region. This paper reports the effects of four grazing intensities namely un-grazed (UG), lightly grazed (LG), moderat...

Increasing resistance of gastro-intestinal nematode parasites to anthelmintics and consumer resistance to the possibility of residues in animal products have prompted research on the effect of pasture species on nematodes and animal performance. Lambs (either infected with high rates of gastrointestinal nematodes or maintained nematode-free) were grazed on pure swards of chicory, highor low-end...

The importance of disturbance in prairie has long been recognized. Increasingly interest and research have focused on the action and interaction of multiple disturbances. The distribution of Flodman's thistle [Cirsiumflodmanii (Rydb.) Arthur] on ant mounds, badger mounds, buffalo wallows, and potholes and in a lightly and a moderately grazed pasture was compared at the Nature Conservancy's S. H...