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
- Institución
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
- OAI Identificador
- oai:localhost:20.500.12123/18961
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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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INTA Digital (INTA) |
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Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria |
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INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria |
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tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar |
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