A Grazer in a Browser's Habitat: Resource Selection of Foraging Cattle in Productive Boreal Forest

IF 2.4 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
Mélanie Spedener , Morten Tofastrud , Gunnar Austrheim , Barbara Zimmermann
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In Norway, cattle (Bos taurus) are released to large areas of boreal forest for summer grazing. To determine to what degree this practice challenges timber production and wildlife management, we need a better understanding of basic cattle ecology. What do cattle, typical grazers, feed on in a habitat typically used by browsers? We determined cattle's resource use and selection at three scales: habitat and microhabitat selection when foraging and diet selection. Boreal forest is dominated by grass-poor habitats, and despite their strong selection for grass-rich habitats, cows spent a lot of time in suboptimal habitats, like old bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) spruce (Picea abies) forest. However, they managed to find grass-rich habitat patches within those, selecting for patches with bentgrass (Agrostis spp.). Graminoids, mainly wavy hair-grass (Avenella spp.), tussock grass (Deschampsia), and true sedges (Carex spp.), made up the biggest part of the fecal samples. Woody plants, mainly willow (Salix spp.), Vaccinium spp., pine (Pinus spp.), and birch (Betula spp.), made up 9.4% ± 4.7% of the samples, a value lower than reported for other forest grazing cattle. Cattle avoided woody plants in their diet and selected for graminoids. They preferred deciduous over coniferous species. At these low stocking densities, the cows were grazers in this browser's habitat. Moreover, they selected rather on habitat and patch scale than for individual plants within a given habitat patch, considered typical for a grazer. Their grass-rich diet indicates little overlap with the diet of local wild ungulates, which are mostly browsers. Their aversion of spruce and selection for graminoids and deciduous trees indicates low conflict risk for browsing damages and even a beneficial weeding effect on trees planted for timber production.

浏览器栖息地中的食草动物:北方森林中觅食牛的资源选择
在挪威,牛(Bos taurus)被放养到大片北方森林中进行夏季放牧。为了确定这种做法对木材生产和野生动物管理的挑战程度,我们需要更好地了解牛的基本生态学。牛是典型的食草动物,它们在通常由食草动物使用的栖息地中以什么为食?我们在三个尺度上确定了牛的资源利用和选择:觅食时的栖息地和微生境选择以及饮食选择。北方森林以贫草栖息地为主,尽管牛对富草栖息地有很强的选择性,但它们在次优栖息地(如古老的山桑子(越橘)云杉林)中花费了大量时间。不过,它们还是设法在这些栖息地中找到了富含草的斑块,并选择了长有翦股颖(Agrostis spp.)的斑块。禾本科植物,主要是波浪毛草(Avenella spp.)、草垫草(Deschampsia)和真莎草(Carex spp.),占粪便样本的最大部分。木质植物,主要是柳树(Salix spp.)、越橘(Vaccinium spp.)、松树(Pinus spp.)和桦树(Betula spp.),占样本的 9.4% ± 4.7%,这一数值低于其他森林放牧牛的报告值。牛在食物中避免食用木本植物,而选择禾本科植物。与针叶树相比,它们更喜欢落叶树种。在这种低放养密度下,牛是这种浏览器栖息地的食草动物。此外,它们选择的是栖息地和斑块,而不是特定栖息地斑块中的单个植物,这被认为是典型的食草动物。它们富含青草的食物与当地野生有蹄类动物的食物几乎没有重叠,而后者主要是食草动物。它们对云杉的厌恶以及对禾本科植物和落叶树的选择表明,它们因啃食而造成损害的冲突风险很低,甚至对为木材生产而种植的树木产生了有益的除草效果。
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来源期刊
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Rangeland Ecology & Management 农林科学-环境科学
CiteScore
4.60
自引率
13.00%
发文量
87
审稿时长
12-24 weeks
期刊介绍: Rangeland Ecology & Management publishes all topics-including ecology, management, socioeconomic and policy-pertaining to global rangelands. The journal''s mission is to inform academics, ecosystem managers and policy makers of science-based information to promote sound rangeland stewardship. Author submissions are published in five manuscript categories: original research papers, high-profile forum topics, concept syntheses, as well as research and technical notes. Rangelands represent approximately 50% of the Earth''s land area and provision multiple ecosystem services for large human populations. This expansive and diverse land area functions as coupled human-ecological systems. Knowledge of both social and biophysical system components and their interactions represent the foundation for informed rangeland stewardship. Rangeland Ecology & Management uniquely integrates information from multiple system components to address current and pending challenges confronting global rangelands.
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