Matching type of livestock to desired biodiversity outcomes in pastures – a review

By A. J. Rook, B. Dumont, J. Isselstein, K. Osoro, M. WallisDeVries, G. Parente, J. Mills. 2004

530 citations recorded by the source corpus.

From a review of the literature, we conclude that the main mechanism by which grazing livestock affect biodiversity in pastures is the creation and maintenance of sward structural heterogeneity, particularly as a result of dietary choice. We identify lack of understanding of the currencies used by animals in their foraging decisions and the spatial scale of these decisions as major constraints to better management. We conclude that there are important differences between domestic grazing animal species in their impact on grazed communities and that these can be related to differences in dental and digestive anatomy, but also, and probably more importantly, to differences in body size. Differences between breeds within species appear to be relatively minor and again largely related to body size. We conclude that there is an urgent need to understand the genetic basis of these differences and also to separate true breed effects from effects of rearing environment. We also review the economic implications of using different animal types and conclude that there is a need for more research integrating these aspects with biodiversity outcomes.

Subfields: Agronomy and Crop Science, Forestry, Genetics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/b4ad2f41d89cdf268b8aab449158ab95a1a7da4f

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Agronomy and Crop Science

1. M. Hejcman
2. M. Fischer
3. M. Sanderson
4. W. Weisser

In Forestry

1. M. Hejcman
2. E. Schulze
3. M. Sebastiá
4. M. Sanderson
5. J. Lepš
6. I. Lunt
7. Brian J. Wilsey
8. Francesco de Bello

In Genetics

1. K. Mody
2. M. Hejcman
3. Norbert Hölzel
4. Melanie N. Chisté
5. E. Schulze
6. D. Prati
7. M. Fischer
8. Jörg C Müller

Citations in the corpus

• Interactions between nutrition and gastrointestinal infections with parasitic nematodes in goats (2005, background): “Such basic information is clearly needed since this could have major applied implications for nutrition and health of ruminants as well as for the ecology of the grazing and browsing systems ( Rook et al., 2004 ).”
• Diet preference for grass and legumes in free-ranging domestic sheep and cattle: Current theory and future application (2006, background): “The second way in that diet choice is likely to play a role in achieving environmental benefits is through the increased use of the grazing animal as a tool to promote and maintain plant (and dependent animal e.g. insect and bird) biodiversity (Rook et al., 2004).”
• Factors and processes affecting plant biodiversity in permanent grasslands. A review (2011, unknown): “parasitism, horses avoid grazing in specific areas used for feces deposition (Rook et al. 2004).”
• Livestock Type is More Crucial Than Grazing Intensity: Traditional Cattle and Sheep Grazing in Short‐Grass Steppes (2018, unknown): “In addition, the two livestock types have a different feeding strategy reviewed by Jerrentrup et al. (2015): sheep are biting single plants with their incisors close to the ground (Rook et al., 2004), but cattle wrap the plant biomass by their tongue.”
• Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 2. Diet selection (2007, background): “These comparisons support the hypothesis that breed differences can largely be explained by differences in body size and the consequent allometric relationships with food intake, digestibility and selectivity ( Rook et al., 2004 ).”
• Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 1. Nutritive value of herbage and livestock performance (2007, background): “The exploitation of grazing preferences by selective grazing might not only be beneficial for biodiversity targets ( Rook et al., 2004a ) but is also a means of maintaining individual livestock performance.”
• Comparison of grazing behaviour, dietary overlap and performance in non-lactating domestic ruminants grazing on marginal heathland areas (2007, background): “…adaptations of the different ruminant species to selective feeding behaviour, related to differences in dental and digestive anatomy, have been previously documented (Hofmann, 1989; Illius and Gordon, 1993) and these characteristics have been mainly related to body size (Rook et al., 2004).”
• Interacting effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on plant species diversity of 1500 grasslands in Germany differ between regions (2013, background): “10, D-07745 Jena, Germany Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburgerstr.”
• Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on grazing systems: 3. Effects on diversity of vegetation (2007, background): “For example, traditional breeds are often recommended for conservation management because of their perceived better adaptation to local conditions than commercial breeds although this is not strongly supported by experimental evidence (Rook et al., 2004).”
• Foraging behaviour of domestic herbivore species grazing on heathlands associated with improved pasture areas (2013, background): “…et al., 2011; Putman et al., 1987), equines (Lamoot et al., 2005; Lechner-Doll et al., 1995; Menard et al., 2002; Putman et al., 1987) and sheep (Celaya et al., 2007, 2008; Grant et al., 1984) and, for that reason, they are normally classified as grazers (Hofmann, 1989; Rook et al., 2004).”
• Impacts of grazing by different large herbivores in grassland depend on plant species diversity (2015, background): “Species with narrow mouths and highly curved incisor arcades, such as sheep, are more selective feeders than large herbivores such as cattle (Rook et al. 2004).”
• A framework to predict the effects of livestock grazing and grazing exclusion on conservation values in natural ecosystems in Australia. (2007, background): “livestock grazing can provide a practical management tool to help achieve conservation objectives, as in other continents of the world (Bakker 1989; Perevolotsky and Seligman 1998; Rook et al. 2004).”
• Direct and productivity‐mediated indirect effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on grassland species richness (2012, background): “Generally, grazing can have similar effects as mowing, but in a much more patchy manner in space and time (Rook et al. 2004; Klimek et al. 2007).”
• Effect of continuous grazing on forage quality, quantity and animal performance (2006, background): “Extensive grazing promotes selective patch grazing, which results in an uneven distribution of grazing pressure, both within and between plant communities and plant species (Tainton et al., 1996; Rook et al., 2004).”
• Goat grazing, its interactions with other herbivores and biodiversity conservation issues (2012, background): “…controversial as they might compete for the forge resources, while they are complementary with others, epending on multiple factors like the stocking densities, razing behaviour of each species, vegetation, year, and eason (Bartolomé, 1994; Cuartas, 1992; Rook et al., 2004; hrestha et al., 2005).”
• The role of herbivores in Great Plains conservation: comparative ecology of bison and cattle (2011, background): “Other breeds of cattle are likely to respond differently (Rook et al. 2004, VanWagoner et al. 2006).”
• Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 4. Effects on animal diversity (2007, background): “The use of traditional breeds is frequently advocated but mainly rests on anecdotal information and requires more study to assess its impact on biodiversity (Rook et al., 2004).”