Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia

Autores
Cepeda, Carla Tamara; Oliva, Gabriel Esteban; Ferrante, Daniela
Año de publicación
2024
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Semiarid Patagonia represents 25% of the rangeland area in Argentina, and sheep overgrazing has degraded about a third of it in the past. In this century, depleted domestic stocks have mostly stabilized, but Guanaco populations have grown. These native camelids share habitat and diets with sheep, but their effect on vegetation is poorly understood and has long been debated. We set up an exclusion experiment in Monte León and Cañadón Vaca, a semiarid shrubland grassland in southern Patagonia, currently grazed only by guanacos. Vegetation baselines were studied in 2016 in twelve plots, and half of them were protected from guanaco grazing. Thirty-six plots were cleared to study revegetation. Vegetation was reassessed in 2021, and changes were evaluated using a paired t-test. Within protected plots, vegetation cover increased, bare soil diminished, and vegetated patches grew in size, but the density of the patch-interpatch arrangement did not change. Biodiversity, measured by richness and the Shannon-Wiener (SW) index, grew significantly. Nutrient recycling increased, as did the Stability and Infiltration Land Function indexes, although these last differences were not significant. Vegetation cover under guanaco grazing also increased, mainly due to the growth of dwarf shrubs, a typical tendency in sheep grazing-induced transitions in the region. Vegetated patches under grazing fragmented, resulting in smaller patches and denser patch structures, while diversity and land function indexes remained unchanged. Young plants established in cleared plots without guanacos showed higher cover density and individual size. These effects are similar to those observed in numerous experimental sheep exclosures. Guanaco grazing may thus prevent restoration and contribute to the generalized land degradation processes that overgrazing has been causing in Patagonia for over a century.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Cepeda, Carla Tamara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina
Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.
Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.
Fuente
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 93 (7) : 1383-1401. (2024)
Materia
Herbivory
Biodiversity
Overgrazing
Carrying Capacity
Fauna
Guanacos
Land Degradation
Grazing
Herbivoría
Biodiversidad
Sobrepastoreo
Capacidad de Carga
Lama guanicoe
Guanaco
Degradación de Tierras
Pastoreo
Vegetated Patches
Parches de Vegetación
Región Patagónica
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
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spelling Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in PatagoniaCepeda, Carla TamaraOliva, Gabriel EstebanFerrante, DanielaHerbivoryBiodiversityOvergrazingCarrying CapacityFaunaGuanacosLand DegradationGrazingHerbivoríaBiodiversidadSobrepastoreoCapacidad de CargaLama guanicoeGuanacoDegradación de TierrasPastoreoVegetated PatchesParches de VegetaciónRegión PatagónicaSemiarid Patagonia represents 25% of the rangeland area in Argentina, and sheep overgrazing has degraded about a third of it in the past. In this century, depleted domestic stocks have mostly stabilized, but Guanaco populations have grown. These native camelids share habitat and diets with sheep, but their effect on vegetation is poorly understood and has long been debated. We set up an exclusion experiment in Monte León and Cañadón Vaca, a semiarid shrubland grassland in southern Patagonia, currently grazed only by guanacos. Vegetation baselines were studied in 2016 in twelve plots, and half of them were protected from guanaco grazing. Thirty-six plots were cleared to study revegetation. Vegetation was reassessed in 2021, and changes were evaluated using a paired t-test. Within protected plots, vegetation cover increased, bare soil diminished, and vegetated patches grew in size, but the density of the patch-interpatch arrangement did not change. Biodiversity, measured by richness and the Shannon-Wiener (SW) index, grew significantly. Nutrient recycling increased, as did the Stability and Infiltration Land Function indexes, although these last differences were not significant. Vegetation cover under guanaco grazing also increased, mainly due to the growth of dwarf shrubs, a typical tendency in sheep grazing-induced transitions in the region. Vegetated patches under grazing fragmented, resulting in smaller patches and denser patch structures, while diversity and land function indexes remained unchanged. Young plants established in cleared plots without guanacos showed higher cover density and individual size. These effects are similar to those observed in numerous experimental sheep exclosures. Guanaco grazing may thus prevent restoration and contribute to the generalized land degradation processes that overgrazing has been causing in Patagonia for over a century.EEA Santa CruzFil: Cepeda, Carla Tamara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Tech Science Press2024-08-16T10:24:14Z2024-08-16T10:24:14Z2024-07-30info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18961https://www.techscience.com/phyton/v93n7/57482Cepeda, C., Oliva, G., Ferrante, D. (2024). Experimental exclusion of guanaco grazing increases cover, diversity, land function and plant recruitment in patagonia. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 93(7), 1383-1401. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.0525341851-5657 (online)0031-9457 (print)https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.052534Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 93 (7) : 1383-1401. (2024)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2025-09-29T13:46:43Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/18961instacron: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 13:46:45.609INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
title Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
spellingShingle Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
Cepeda, Carla Tamara
Herbivory
Biodiversity
Overgrazing
Carrying Capacity
Fauna
Guanacos
Land Degradation
Grazing
Herbivoría
Biodiversidad
Sobrepastoreo
Capacidad de Carga
Lama guanicoe
Guanaco
Degradación de Tierras
Pastoreo
Vegetated Patches
Parches de Vegetación
Región Patagónica
title_short Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
title_full Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
title_fullStr Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
title_full_unstemmed Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
title_sort Experimental Exclusion of Guanaco Grazing Increases Cover, Diversity, Land Function and Plant Recruitment in Patagonia
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Cepeda, Carla Tamara
Oliva, Gabriel Esteban
Ferrante, Daniela
author Cepeda, Carla Tamara
author_facet Cepeda, Carla Tamara
Oliva, Gabriel Esteban
Ferrante, Daniela
author_role author
author2 Oliva, Gabriel Esteban
Ferrante, Daniela
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Herbivory
Biodiversity
Overgrazing
Carrying Capacity
Fauna
Guanacos
Land Degradation
Grazing
Herbivoría
Biodiversidad
Sobrepastoreo
Capacidad de Carga
Lama guanicoe
Guanaco
Degradación de Tierras
Pastoreo
Vegetated Patches
Parches de Vegetación
Región Patagónica
topic Herbivory
Biodiversity
Overgrazing
Carrying Capacity
Fauna
Guanacos
Land Degradation
Grazing
Herbivoría
Biodiversidad
Sobrepastoreo
Capacidad de Carga
Lama guanicoe
Guanaco
Degradación de Tierras
Pastoreo
Vegetated Patches
Parches de Vegetación
Región Patagónica
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Semiarid Patagonia represents 25% of the rangeland area in Argentina, and sheep overgrazing has degraded about a third of it in the past. In this century, depleted domestic stocks have mostly stabilized, but Guanaco populations have grown. These native camelids share habitat and diets with sheep, but their effect on vegetation is poorly understood and has long been debated. We set up an exclusion experiment in Monte León and Cañadón Vaca, a semiarid shrubland grassland in southern Patagonia, currently grazed only by guanacos. Vegetation baselines were studied in 2016 in twelve plots, and half of them were protected from guanaco grazing. Thirty-six plots were cleared to study revegetation. Vegetation was reassessed in 2021, and changes were evaluated using a paired t-test. Within protected plots, vegetation cover increased, bare soil diminished, and vegetated patches grew in size, but the density of the patch-interpatch arrangement did not change. Biodiversity, measured by richness and the Shannon-Wiener (SW) index, grew significantly. Nutrient recycling increased, as did the Stability and Infiltration Land Function indexes, although these last differences were not significant. Vegetation cover under guanaco grazing also increased, mainly due to the growth of dwarf shrubs, a typical tendency in sheep grazing-induced transitions in the region. Vegetated patches under grazing fragmented, resulting in smaller patches and denser patch structures, while diversity and land function indexes remained unchanged. Young plants established in cleared plots without guanacos showed higher cover density and individual size. These effects are similar to those observed in numerous experimental sheep exclosures. Guanaco grazing may thus prevent restoration and contribute to the generalized land degradation processes that overgrazing has been causing in Patagonia for over a century.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Cepeda, Carla Tamara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina
Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.
Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.
description Semiarid Patagonia represents 25% of the rangeland area in Argentina, and sheep overgrazing has degraded about a third of it in the past. In this century, depleted domestic stocks have mostly stabilized, but Guanaco populations have grown. These native camelids share habitat and diets with sheep, but their effect on vegetation is poorly understood and has long been debated. We set up an exclusion experiment in Monte León and Cañadón Vaca, a semiarid shrubland grassland in southern Patagonia, currently grazed only by guanacos. Vegetation baselines were studied in 2016 in twelve plots, and half of them were protected from guanaco grazing. Thirty-six plots were cleared to study revegetation. Vegetation was reassessed in 2021, and changes were evaluated using a paired t-test. Within protected plots, vegetation cover increased, bare soil diminished, and vegetated patches grew in size, but the density of the patch-interpatch arrangement did not change. Biodiversity, measured by richness and the Shannon-Wiener (SW) index, grew significantly. Nutrient recycling increased, as did the Stability and Infiltration Land Function indexes, although these last differences were not significant. Vegetation cover under guanaco grazing also increased, mainly due to the growth of dwarf shrubs, a typical tendency in sheep grazing-induced transitions in the region. Vegetated patches under grazing fragmented, resulting in smaller patches and denser patch structures, while diversity and land function indexes remained unchanged. Young plants established in cleared plots without guanacos showed higher cover density and individual size. These effects are similar to those observed in numerous experimental sheep exclosures. Guanaco grazing may thus prevent restoration and contribute to the generalized land degradation processes that overgrazing has been causing in Patagonia for over a century.
publishDate 2024
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-08-16T10:24:14Z
2024-08-16T10:24:14Z
2024-07-30
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 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18961
https://www.techscience.com/phyton/v93n7/57482
Cepeda, C., Oliva, G., Ferrante, D. (2024). Experimental exclusion of guanaco grazing increases cover, diversity, land function and plant recruitment in patagonia. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 93(7), 1383-1401. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.052534
1851-5657 (online)
0031-9457 (print)
https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.052534
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/18961
https://www.techscience.com/phyton/v93n7/57482
https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.052534
identifier_str_mv Cepeda, C., Oliva, G., Ferrante, D. (2024). Experimental exclusion of guanaco grazing increases cover, diversity, land function and plant recruitment in patagonia. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 93(7), 1383-1401. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.052534
1851-5657 (online)
0031-9457 (print)
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Tech Science Press
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Tech Science Press
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 93 (7) : 1383-1401. (2024)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
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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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