Forage plants used by local communities for livestock production systems in the Argentine Chaco and their dependence on pollinators

Abstract

In the Chaco region of Argentina coexist different livestock production systems operating under a variety of management regimens and represented by different social actors. The sustainability of peasant extensive grazing systems is mainly based on the high degree of ecological knowledge of the wild forage sources available in the forest by local producers. In this study, we conducted a literature review focused on ethnobiological studies to assess the plant species used as forage by local communities in the Argentine Chaco to evaluate their degree of pollinator dependence. The proportion of forage species that depend to some degree on pollinators was lower (60.6 %) than the overall average found across angiosperms (90 %). Such results can be explained by the predominance of grasses that are used as fodder (22 %) in the Chaco, which are wind-pollinated and do not rely on pollinators to produce fruits and seed. However, when analyzing the most important forage species, we found that nearly all of them depend on animal pollinators to produce nutritious forage. Our findings emphasize the need for conservation actions that safeguard both pollination services and the plant resources that sustain local livelihoods.