Site use of grazing cattle and sheep in a large-scale pasture landscape: A GPS/GIS assessment Export

@article{citeulike:3846806, abstract = {Year-round mixed-species grazing at low densities in large-scale pasture systems has become a popular conservation concept as it is assumed to maintain the valuable biodiversity of semi-open cultural landscapes. This study aims to elucidate which vegetation types are preferentially grazed by cattle and sheep and whether the grazing animals change their preferences through the seasons so that year-round grazing leads to a utilization of all habitats. Additionally, we wanted to determine the main factors underlying the site use patterns of the animals. Cattle preferred moist and productive habitats, whereas sheep preferred dry and nutrient-poor habitats. Only when feed was in extremely short supply, the animals switched to sites they had previously avoided. Differences in the spatial preferences of the two species were more marked than seasonal changes. Spatial demands of cattle and sheep were largely complementary. Grazing sites with better water availability (i.e. lower distance from the drinking trough and ponds) were significantly preferred by cattle. The sheep preferred grazing sites close to their shed. Our results show that only a combination of different herbivores guarantees that all habitats of such a large low-intensity pasture are grazed and thus are kept in a management status favourable to conservation. However, the positioning of drinking troughs, fences, and sheds should be carefully considered as these facilities seriously influence the site use of the animals.}, author = {Putfarken, D. and Dengler, J. and Lehmann, S. and Hardtle, W.}, citeulike-article-id = {3846806}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2007.05.012}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0168159107001633}, doi = {10.1016/j.applanim.2007.05.012}, issn = {01681591}, journal = {Applied Animal Behaviour Science}, keywords = {behavior, gps}, month = {May}, number = {1-2}, pages = {54--67}, posted-at = {2009-01-04 11:31:02}, priority = {2}, title = {Site use of grazing cattle and sheep in a large-scale pasture landscape: A GPS/GIS assessment}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2007.05.012}, volume = {111}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:3846806 L3 - citeulike-article-id:3846806 N2 - Year-round mixed-species grazing at low densities in large-scale pasture systems has become a popular conservation concept as it is assumed to maintain the valuable biodiversity of semi-open cultural landscapes. This study aims to elucidate which vegetation types are preferentially grazed by cattle and sheep and whether the grazing animals change their preferences through the seasons so that year-round grazing leads to a utilization of all habitats. Additionally, we wanted to determine the main factors underlying the site use patterns of the animals. Cattle preferred moist and productive habitats, whereas sheep preferred dry and nutrient-poor habitats. Only when feed was in extremely short supply, the animals switched to sites they had previously avoided. Differences in the spatial preferences of the two species were more marked than seasonal changes. Spatial demands of cattle and sheep were largely complementary. Grazing sites with better water availability (i.e. lower distance from the drinking trough and ponds) were significantly preferred by cattle. The sheep preferred grazing sites close to their shed. Our results show that only a combination of different herbivores guarantees that all habitats of such a large low-intensity pasture are grazed and thus are kept in a management status favourable to conservation. However, the positioning of drinking troughs, fences, and sheds should be carefully considered as these facilities seriously influence the site use of the animals. IS - 1-2 JF - Applied Animal Behaviour Science SN - 01681591 EP - 67 TI - Site use of grazing cattle and sheep in a large-scale pasture landscape: A GPS/GIS assessment VL - 111 SP - 54 KW - behavior KW - gps AU - Putfarken, D AU - Dengler, J AU - Lehmann, S AU - Hardtle, W PY - 2008/05// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2007.05.012 ER -