A modified litter-bag method was used to measure plant fineroot decomposition in relation to biomass quality in a mixedgrass prairie. Measurements were made during three years on moderately and heavily grazed pastures that had been under cattle grazing for 17 years prior to sampling. Although we found no significant difference in initial fine-root litter quality between grazing treatments, nitr...

Even when no baseline data are available, the impacts of 150 years of livestock grazing on natural grasslands can be assessed using a combined approach of grazing manipulation and regional-scale assessment of the flora. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of this method across 18 sites in the semidesert Mitchell grasslands of northeastern Australia. Fifteen-year-old exclosures (ungrazed and macro...

natural resources are valuable capitals for all nations. rangelands as the most extensive natural ecosystems in iran provide numerous services, including fodder production and red meat supply, soil conservation and water regulation. although uncontrolled exploitation of these resources has imposed much pressure and caused many losses within the ecosystems. impacts of overutilization of nomadic ...

Predicting the grass dry matter intake (GDMI), milk yield (MY) or milk fat and protein yield (milk solids yield (MSY)) of the grazing dairy herd is difficult. Decisions with regard to grazing management are based on guesstimates of the GDMI of the herd, yet GDMI is a critical factor influencing MY and MSY. A data set containing animal, sward, grazing management and concentrate supplementation v...

Extensively managed pastures are of crucial importance in sustaining biodiversity both in local- and landscape-level. Thus, re-introduction of traditional grazing management is a crucial issue in grassland conservation actions worldwide. Traditional grazing with robust cattle breeds in low stocking rates is considered to be especially useful to mimic natural grazing regimes, but well documented...

The creation of improved areas is one way of increasing the productivity of livestock on Cantabrian heathland (NW Spain), a habitat that is frequently located in less favourable mountainous areas where the development of sustainable husbandry is limited. The effect of this on the biodiversity of heathland is unclear and likely to depend on several factors, such as the grazing regime. In order t...

In contrast with the marine reaches of estuaries, few studies have dealt with zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton in the upper estuarine reaches, where freshwater zooplankton species tend to dominate the zooplankton community. In spring and early summer 2003, grazing by microand mesozooplankton on phytoplankton was investigated at three sites in the upper Schelde estuary. Grazing by mesozoopla...

Eight beef steers fitted with esophageal (four steers/pasture) and 12 beef calves fitted ruminal and duodenal (six calves/pasture; beginning BW = 267 +/- 6 kg) cannulas grazed either midgrass prairie rangeland (excellent range condition; MIDGRASS) or plains bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum var. Plains) pasture (BLUESTEM) during mid-May, late June, mid-August, and mid-October of 1990 and 1991 in...

Parasitic helminths present one of the most pervasive challenges to grazing herbivores. Many macro-parasite transmission models focus on host physiological defence strategies, omitting more complex interactions between hosts and their environments. This work represents the first model that integrates both the behavioural and physiological elements of gastro-intestinal nematode transmission dyna...

Expert opinion was sought on 2 issues relating to herbivory: seasonal sheep preferences for plant species and seasonal plant response to grazing. Expert opinion is commonly used to parameterize models: it is therefore important to assess its quality. Understanding the limitations of expert knowledge can allow prioritization of future research. Nine experts in plant or grazing ecology from Scotl...