Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park

Autores
Riedel, José Luis Francisco; Bernues, Alberto; Casasus, Isabel
Año de publicación
2013
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Shrub encroachment can be explained by the abandonment of extensive livestock farming and changes to land use, and it is a common problem in the Mediterranean mountain pastures of Europe, with direct effects on biodiversity and landscape quality. In this paper, the effects of livestock exclusion vs. grazing on the dynamics of shrub and herbaceous vegetation were analyzed in a Spanish natural park located in a dry Mediterranean mountain area over a 5-yr period. Twelve 10 × 10 m exclosures were set up in six representative pasture areas of the park (with two replicates per location). Each year, the shrub number, volume, and biomass were measured in April, and the herbage height, biomass, and quality were measured in April and December (which represent the start and end of the vegetative growth season). A sustained increase of the shrub population and individual biomass was observed throughout the study, which was reflected in total shrub biomass per ha. Growth was greater in nongrazed exclosures (2 563 kg dry matter [DM] · ha−1 · yr−1), but it also happened in the grazed control areas (1 173 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), with different patterns depending on the location and shrub species. Herbage biomass did not change when grazing was maintained, but it did increase in places where grazing was excluded (291 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), mostly as a consequence of the accumulation of dead material, with a concomitant reduction in herbage quality. It was concluded that at the current stocking rates and management regimes, grazing alone is not enough to prevent the intense dynamics of shrub encroachment, and further reductions in grazing pressure should be avoided.
EEA San Luis
Fil: Riedel, José Luis Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; Argentina
Fil: Bernues, Alberto. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; España
Fil: Casasus, Isabel. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; España
Fuente
Rangeland Ecology & Management 66 (2) : 224-233 (March 2013)
Materia
Arbustos
Ganado
Pastoreo
Sistemas Agrosilvopascícolas
Cultivos de Pasto
Shrubs
Livestock
Grazing
Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Herbage Crops
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso restringido
Condiciones de uso
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/3140

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oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/3140
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network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural ParkRiedel, José Luis FranciscoBernues, AlbertoCasasus, IsabelArbustosGanadoPastoreoSistemas AgrosilvopascícolasCultivos de PastoShrubsLivestockGrazingAgrosilvopastoral SystemsHerbage CropsShrub encroachment can be explained by the abandonment of extensive livestock farming and changes to land use, and it is a common problem in the Mediterranean mountain pastures of Europe, with direct effects on biodiversity and landscape quality. In this paper, the effects of livestock exclusion vs. grazing on the dynamics of shrub and herbaceous vegetation were analyzed in a Spanish natural park located in a dry Mediterranean mountain area over a 5-yr period. Twelve 10 × 10 m exclosures were set up in six representative pasture areas of the park (with two replicates per location). Each year, the shrub number, volume, and biomass were measured in April, and the herbage height, biomass, and quality were measured in April and December (which represent the start and end of the vegetative growth season). A sustained increase of the shrub population and individual biomass was observed throughout the study, which was reflected in total shrub biomass per ha. Growth was greater in nongrazed exclosures (2 563 kg dry matter [DM] · ha−1 · yr−1), but it also happened in the grazed control areas (1 173 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), with different patterns depending on the location and shrub species. Herbage biomass did not change when grazing was maintained, but it did increase in places where grazing was excluded (291 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), mostly as a consequence of the accumulation of dead material, with a concomitant reduction in herbage quality. It was concluded that at the current stocking rates and management regimes, grazing alone is not enough to prevent the intense dynamics of shrub encroachment, and further reductions in grazing pressure should be avoided.EEA San LuisFil: Riedel, José Luis Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Bernues, Alberto. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; EspañaFil: Casasus, Isabel. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; España2018-08-22T12:20:17Z2018-08-22T12:20:17Z2013-03info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742413500224http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/31401550-74241551-5028https://doi.org/10.2111/REM-D-11-00196.1Rangeland Ecology & Management 66 (2) : 224-233 (March 2013)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess2025-09-29T13:44:24Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/3140instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2025-09-29 13:44:24.696INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
title Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
spellingShingle Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
Riedel, José Luis Francisco
Arbustos
Ganado
Pastoreo
Sistemas Agrosilvopascícolas
Cultivos de Pasto
Shrubs
Livestock
Grazing
Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Herbage Crops
title_short Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
title_full Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
title_fullStr Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
title_full_unstemmed Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
title_sort Livestock Grazing Impacts on Herbage and Shrub Dynamics in a Mediterranean Natural Park
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Riedel, José Luis Francisco
Bernues, Alberto
Casasus, Isabel
author Riedel, José Luis Francisco
author_facet Riedel, José Luis Francisco
Bernues, Alberto
Casasus, Isabel
author_role author
author2 Bernues, Alberto
Casasus, Isabel
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Arbustos
Ganado
Pastoreo
Sistemas Agrosilvopascícolas
Cultivos de Pasto
Shrubs
Livestock
Grazing
Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Herbage Crops
topic Arbustos
Ganado
Pastoreo
Sistemas Agrosilvopascícolas
Cultivos de Pasto
Shrubs
Livestock
Grazing
Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Herbage Crops
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Shrub encroachment can be explained by the abandonment of extensive livestock farming and changes to land use, and it is a common problem in the Mediterranean mountain pastures of Europe, with direct effects on biodiversity and landscape quality. In this paper, the effects of livestock exclusion vs. grazing on the dynamics of shrub and herbaceous vegetation were analyzed in a Spanish natural park located in a dry Mediterranean mountain area over a 5-yr period. Twelve 10 × 10 m exclosures were set up in six representative pasture areas of the park (with two replicates per location). Each year, the shrub number, volume, and biomass were measured in April, and the herbage height, biomass, and quality were measured in April and December (which represent the start and end of the vegetative growth season). A sustained increase of the shrub population and individual biomass was observed throughout the study, which was reflected in total shrub biomass per ha. Growth was greater in nongrazed exclosures (2 563 kg dry matter [DM] · ha−1 · yr−1), but it also happened in the grazed control areas (1 173 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), with different patterns depending on the location and shrub species. Herbage biomass did not change when grazing was maintained, but it did increase in places where grazing was excluded (291 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), mostly as a consequence of the accumulation of dead material, with a concomitant reduction in herbage quality. It was concluded that at the current stocking rates and management regimes, grazing alone is not enough to prevent the intense dynamics of shrub encroachment, and further reductions in grazing pressure should be avoided.
EEA San Luis
Fil: Riedel, José Luis Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; Argentina
Fil: Bernues, Alberto. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; España
Fil: Casasus, Isabel. Gobierno de Aragón. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; España
description Shrub encroachment can be explained by the abandonment of extensive livestock farming and changes to land use, and it is a common problem in the Mediterranean mountain pastures of Europe, with direct effects on biodiversity and landscape quality. In this paper, the effects of livestock exclusion vs. grazing on the dynamics of shrub and herbaceous vegetation were analyzed in a Spanish natural park located in a dry Mediterranean mountain area over a 5-yr period. Twelve 10 × 10 m exclosures were set up in six representative pasture areas of the park (with two replicates per location). Each year, the shrub number, volume, and biomass were measured in April, and the herbage height, biomass, and quality were measured in April and December (which represent the start and end of the vegetative growth season). A sustained increase of the shrub population and individual biomass was observed throughout the study, which was reflected in total shrub biomass per ha. Growth was greater in nongrazed exclosures (2 563 kg dry matter [DM] · ha−1 · yr−1), but it also happened in the grazed control areas (1 173 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), with different patterns depending on the location and shrub species. Herbage biomass did not change when grazing was maintained, but it did increase in places where grazing was excluded (291 kg DM · ha−1 · yr−1), mostly as a consequence of the accumulation of dead material, with a concomitant reduction in herbage quality. It was concluded that at the current stocking rates and management regimes, grazing alone is not enough to prevent the intense dynamics of shrub encroachment, and further reductions in grazing pressure should be avoided.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013-03
2018-08-22T12:20:17Z
2018-08-22T12:20:17Z
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742413500224
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3140
1550-7424
1551-5028
https://doi.org/10.2111/REM-D-11-00196.1
url https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742413500224
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3140
https://doi.org/10.2111/REM-D-11-00196.1
identifier_str_mv 1550-7424
1551-5028
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
eu_rights_str_mv restrictedAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Rangeland Ecology & Management 66 (2) : 224-233 (March 2013)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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