A 6-year study was conducted in tallgrass prairie to assess the effects of grazing management (cattle stocking densities and grazing systems) on plant community composition and diversity. Treatments included sites grazed season-long (May to October) at 3 stocking densities (3.8, 2.8, and 1.8 hectares per animal unit), ungrazed control sites, and sites under a late-season rest rotation grazing s...

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...

Concentrations and loadings (output, number day-' km-2) of fecal coliform (FC) indicator bacteria were measured from 1979 through 1984 in streamflow from 13 forested watersheds under the following range management strategies: (A) no grazing; (B) grazing without management for livestock distribution; (C) grazing with management to obtain livestock distribution, and (ID) grazing with management t...

Reports of positive or neutral effects of grazing on plant species richness have prompted calls for livestock grazing to be used as a tool for managing land for conservation. Grazing effects, however, are likely to vary among different response variables, types, and intensity of grazing, and across abiotic conditions. We aimed to examine how grazing affects ecosystem structure, function, and co...

BACKGROUND In order to understand the impact of grazing livestock on pasture ecosystems, it is essential to quantify pasture use intensity at a fine spatial scale and the factors influencing its distribution. The observation and analysis of animal activity is greatly facilitated by remote tracking technology and new statistical frameworks allowing for rapid inference on spatially correlated dat...

Semi-natural dry grassland sites are of great importance for nature conservation because they support high species diversity and the abundance of "Red-List" species. Grazing has proved to be a successful management tool in terms of maintenance and restoration of biodiversity. For a deeper understanding of the effects of different grazers on species biodiversity in dry grasslands, it is necessar...

Domestic sheep (Ovis spp.) grazing is emerging as an integrated pest management tactic for alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), management and a degree-day model is needed as a decision and support tool. In response to this need, grazing exclosures with unique degree-days and stocking rates were established at weekly intervals in a central Montana alfalfa field during 2008 and 2009. Anal...

BACKGROUND Grazing is one of the main grassland disturbances in China, and it is essential to quantitatively evaluate the effects of different grazing intensities on grassland production for grassland carbon budget and sustainable use. METHODS A meta-analysis was conducted to reveal general response patterns of grassland production to grazing in China. We used weighted log response ratio to a...

Theoretical models predict that drylands can cross critical thresholds, but experimental manipulations to evaluate them are non-existent. We used a long-term (13-year) pulse-perturbation experiment featuring heavy grazing and shrub removal to determine if critical thresholds and their determinants can be demonstrated in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands. We asked if cover values or patch-size metric...

Control of ration quantity and composition is important in the management of horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) or equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) that exhibit obesity and/or hyperinsulinemia. In obesity, restriction of daily dry matter intake to 1.25% to 1.5% of current body weight will facilitate weight loss and improvement in insulin sensitivity in most horses, although...