Digital Commons Network^™

Grazing Alters Ecosystem Functioning And C:N:P Stoichiometry Of Grasslands Along A Regional Precipitation, Yongfei Bai, Jianguo Wu, Chris M. Clark, Qingmin Pan, Lixia Zhang, Shiping Chen, Qibing Wang, Xingguo Han

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands have experienced dramatic shifts in structure and functioning driven primarily by human disturbances and global climate change. The long-term grazing has resulted in widespread declines in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services. This is triggered by the direct and indirect effects of grazing and often mediated by the complex interactions between vegetation and environmental. Thus, it is critical to obtain a better understanding of how grazing, abiotic factors and biotic–abiotic interactions influence key properties of ecosystem functioning and sustainability and thereby provide guideline for improving grassland management practices in the Eurasian steppe. While abundant evidence demonstrates that heavy grazing …

The Impact Of Different Herdsmen’S Size On Grassland Ecosystem Of Eastern Transect In Tibetan Plateau: A Case Study From Maqu, Huilan Wei, Xin Zong, Da Guo, Longfei Yan, Yang Liu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In order to address grassland degradation, an individual contracting system, or namely, single-household rangeland management, based on Garrett Hardin theory of “tragedy of the commons”, had been conducted in Maqu since 1980s. Despite the support of local government, such a well-intentioned system saw little fruits on managing degradation, encountering extensive frustration due to its poor practical outcomes. Meanwhile, joint-household rangeland management, as an inheritance of locality-based management, has been vigorously pursued and has played an important role on Maqu’s grassland management system. In order to better illustrate the impact of size on managing the grassland ecosystem, an experiment was set …

Introducing The Gis-Based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model Of Nutrition Resources, Gholamreza Badjian

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The GIS-based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model of Nutrition Resources (ECCNR-GIS) software is a new approach based on rangeland assessment and the estimated energy content of forage. This software is derived from Badjian (2005) following studies on the ecological capacity model of livestock feed resources in Bakkan plain area, Southern Iran. ECCNR-GIS software is designed to calculate the regional ecological carrying capacity based on available forage resources and considers the energy metabolism (ME) requirements in relation to livestock management to estimate the animal needs. ECCNR-GIS software is written in Visual Basic, as a set of mathematical equations that represent a system …

Optimising Management To Achieve Sustainable Economic Yields From Grasslands, Karl Behrendt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper describes the output from the integration of a dynamic pasture resource development (DPRD) simulation model into a seasonal stochastic dynamic programming (SSDP) model. The combined modelling process was used to identify optimal tactical and strategic decision rules that achieve maximum economic yields from a grassland resource under climatic uncertainty on a sustainable basis. The model was calibrated based on the Cicerone farmlet experiment (Behrendt et al. 2013a).

Resilience And Degradation In A Tropical Wetland Overgrazed By Cattle, Sandra A. Santos, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Dylan Young

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is highly valued for its diversity of flora and fauna, and the dynamic hydrological regime, combined with heterogeneous topography, has resulted in a mosaic of diverse habitats types in terms of species and physical structure. However, the Pantanal floodplains are also important for beef cattle production due to the abundance of forage resources. Cattle prefer grazing near water bodies because these areas have high quality forage as a result of flooding regimes (Santos et al. 2002). Many wetlands go through a wet/dry cycle that is essential to maintain their …

Estimating Pasture Land Cover In The New England Region Of Northern New South Wales, Graham E. Donald, Mark Trotter, Elizabeth L. Hulm

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Land cover across the southern Australian temperate agricultural region comprises primarily of native pasture, introduced improved pastures and crops for livestock production and also perennial remnant vegetation. A feed-base pasture audit was carried out throughout southern Australia commencing mid-year 2011 (Donald and Burge 2012; Donald et al. 2012). The purpose of the audit was to map and analyse information obtained about the pasture feed-base for livestock production by surveying Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) across the southern states. The purpose of this Feed-Base audit was to survey pastures within agricultural NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and South-Western Australia, collate these …

The Impact Of Advanced Treatment Technologies On The Engery Use In Satellite Water Reuse Plants, Jonathan R. Bailey, Sajjad Ahmad, Jacimaria Batista

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

With an ever-increasing world population and the resulting increase in industrialization and agricultural practices, depletion of one of the world’s most important natural resources, water, is inevitable. Water reclamation and reuse is the key to protecting this natural resource. Water reclamation using smaller decentralized wastewater treatment plants, known as satellite water reuse plants (WRP), has become popular in the last decade. Reuse plants have stricter standards for effluent quality and require a smaller land footprint (i.e., real estate area). They also require additional treatment processes and advanced treatment technologies. This greatly increases the energy consumption of an already energy intensive …

An Efficient Sampling Protocol For Sagebrush/Grassland Monitoring, Larry L. Larson, Mounir Louhaichi, Patrick E. Clark, Douglas E. Johnson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangeland scientists and quantitative ecologists have developed numerous methods and monitoring techniques that can be used for vegetation sampling (Barbour et al. 1987). The methods used to position samples (transects, quadrats, lines, and points) vary and can be classed as selective, capricious, systematic, or random. One of the prerequisites for valid statistical inference is that samples are taken randomly. A random sampling procedure implies that all elements or units of the population being studied have an equal chance of being represented in the sample. It also implies that selection of an element or unit does not influence the chance …

Landscape Change In Arid And Semi-Arid Rangeland Of Borana, Southern Ethiopia: Implication For Management, Teshome Abate, A. Angassa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Borana rangelands in southern Ethiopia (between 4°3’N to 5°0’N and 37°4’E to 38°2’E) comprise important cultural landscapes with a unique feature of the tula-well landscapes. Until a few decades ago, the Borana rangelands were considered one of the most productive and resilient ecosystems in East Africa. In recent years, however, the Borana rangelands have undergone a large reduction in grassland cover probably as a result of anthropogenic and natural-induced factors (Coppock 1994), with consequences on the livelihood of the local communities. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the dynamics of landscape change in the Borana …

Calibration Of The Rising Plate Meter For Pasture Yield Determination In Kikuyu (Pennisetum Clandestinum) Over-Sown With Ryegrass (Lolium Spp.), Janke Van Der Colf, Philip R. Botha, Robin Meeske, Wayne F. Truter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Accurate feed budgeting and management of forage in grazing systems requires frequent assessment of forage mass and growth of pastures (Gabriёls and Van den Berg 1993; Sanderson et al. 2001). The rising plate meter (RPM) developed by Earle and McGowan (1979) has been used widely by researchers and farmers to estimate pasture dry matter (DM) production. The advantages associated with using the RPM for the estimation of pasture DM yield include its low sensitivity to environmental conditions, stability of calibration equations across years and seasons (if pasture composition remains similar), and the fact that its robustness and ease of …

Spatial Gis Database For Adaptive Grassland Management In Dudhwa National Park, India, Neha Midha, Pradeep K. Mathur

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ecologically important tall grasslands of Dudhwa National Park (DNP) in Northern India are being threatened by various natural and biotic factors including varying grassland burning regimes viz. cut and burn, harrowed and burn, or only burn adopted by management for their maintenance (De 2001). Uncertainty regarding resultant grassland composition and disturbance to grassland obligate species prompted the management and scientific communities concerned to develop an adaptive management strategy for long term conservation goals (Chadden et al. 2004). In view of this, the present study attempted to develop comprehensive GIS (Geographic Information System) spatial database and associated hard copy …

Describing Ecological Potential And Ecological States Of Rangeland To Support Livestock Management In Mongolia, D. Bulgamaa, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, U. Budbaatar, S. Sumjidmaa, T. S. Enkh-Amgalan, J. W. Van Zee, B. Bolormaa, L. Otgontuya

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perception of rangeland degradation in Mongolia and its causes are well known but herders and policy makers lack clear messages on how much rangeland is degraded, whether is it reversible, and what management changes should be implemented. This paper illustrates a portion of our ongoing efforts to develop ESDs that can be used at the grass roots level as management tools. At the Undurshireet soum study site, which is split mainly into Gravelly, Loamy, Sandy, and Deep sandy ecological sites, rangeland community shifts in Gravelly and Loamy ecological sites are interpreted as reversible shifts in species composition or species proportion …

Active Growth Of Non-Hydrothermal Subaqueous And Subaerial Barite (Baso4) Speleothems In Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, Usa), Max Wisshak, Hazel A. Barton, Katey E. Bender, Harvey R. Duchene

International Journal of Speleology

Barite (BaSO₄) speleothems have been reported from caves around the globe and interpreted to have chiefly formed in phreatic, hypogene, hydrothermal settings. Here we report two contrasting types of barite speleothems (bluish tabular crystals in a shallow pool and actively dripping greenish stalactites), which today form at lower temperatures in the non-hydrothermal and vadose environment of Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, USA. Scanning electron microscopy analysis, along with energy- and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, WDS), as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD), characterize the habit and chemical composition as barite. Fractionation of the minor element calcium is related to growth …

Nitrogen Fertilization Restructured Spatial Patterns Of Soil Organic Carbon And Total Nitrogen In Switchgrass And Gamagrass Croplands In Tennessee Usa, Jianwei Li, Siyang Jian, Chad S. Lane, Chunlan Guo, Yuehan Lu, Qi Deng, Melanie A. Mayes, Kudjo E. Dzantor, Dafeng Hui

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers can potentially alter spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in croplands such as switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.), but it remains unclear whether these effects are the same between crops and under different rates of fertilization. 13C and 15N are two important proxy measures of soil biogeochemistry, but they were rarely examined as to their spatial distributions in soil. Based on a three-year long fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, the top mineral horizon soils (0–15 cm) were collected using a spatially explicit design within …

Green Edge Ice Camp Campaigns: Understanding The Processes Controlling The Under-Ice Arctic Phytoplankton Spring Bloom, Philippe Massicotte, Rémi Amiraux, Marie-Pier Amyot, Philippe Archambault, Mathieu Ardyna, Laurent Arnaud, Lise Artigue, Cyril Aubry, Pierre Ayotte, Guislain Bécu, Simon Bélanger, Ronald Benner, Henry C. Bittig, Annick Bricaud, Éric Brossier, Flavienne Bruyant, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

The Green Edge initiative was developed to investigate the processes controlling the primary productivity and fate of organic matter produced during the Arctic phytoplankton spring bloom (PSB) and to determine its role in the ecosystem. Two field campaigns were conducted in 2015 and 2016 at an ice camp located on landfast sea ice southeast of Qikiqtarjuaq Island in Baffin Bay (67.4797∘ N, 63.7895∘ W). During both expeditions, a large suite of physical, chemical and biological variables was measured beneath a consolidated sea-ice cover from the surface to the bottom (at 360 m depth) to better understand the factors driving the …

Cenozoic Vertebrate Biostratigraphy Of South Carolina, Usa, And Additions To The Fauna, L. Barry Albright Dr., Albert Sanders Dr., Robert Weems, David Cicimurri, James Knight

Showcase of Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activity

Although South Carolina has not typically been considered a state yielding a wealth of vertebrate paleontological resources, study of its fossils, particularly those from the famous “Ashley River phosphate beds” near Charleston, played a significant role in the early history of vertebrate paleontology as a scientific discipline in North America. Long overshadowed by the exceptionally rich Cenozoic record from Florida, renewed efforts in South Carolina over the last three decades have resulted in a wealth of new data from sites that rival, and in some cases surpass, any others along the US Atlantic Coastal Plain. With increasing study of these …

Identifying Grazing-Driven Plant Indicators Of Rangeland Degradation In Semi Arid Zones Of Uzbekistan, Toshpulot F. Rajabov, Bakhtiyor K. Mardonov, Mahmud A. Muminov

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The development of practical indicators of vegetation degradation is an important element in predicting and assessing rangeland health due to disturbances such as livestock grazing. Once established, phytoindicators provide a simple and visual operative way to diagnose active and possibly undesirable vegetation changes. This paper aimed to identify rapid, yet realistic and easily communicated plant indicators of rangeland degradation caused by intense grazing. The grazing gradient approach is applied to study plant traits affected by increased levels of grazing pressure. Qualitative and quantitative changes in key species of the plant community alongside successive changes of vegetation attributes along an apparent …

The Influence Of Geo-Morphological Landscape Patterns On Vegetation Characteristics In Tajikistan Grasslands, Mounir Louhaichi, Aziz Nubekov, Abdulla Madaminov, Barbara Rischkowsky

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grassland ecosystems are affected by a combination of physical and environmental factors, as well as by grazing and human induced activities. The primary objective of this study was to examine the influence of geo-morphological landscape patterns on vegetation characteristics in Tajikistan where two sites were selected. The vegetation sampling took place in spring and fall. Vegetation characteristics were assessed using the line intercept method for vegetation cover and species composition and quadrat sampling for biomass production. An ANOVA using replicated trials in complete block design was used to determine the relationship between aspect and vegetation characteristics. Treatments included location (site), …

Spatial Variability Of Soil Phosphorus In Grazing Systems, Mark Trotter, Warwick B. Badgery, Joshua Barron, Chris Guppy, Rebecca Haling, David Mitchell, Geoff Millar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Phosphorus (P) use efficiency has been identified as a key issue for Australian grazing systems. This project examined the spatial variability in soil P concentration from two separate surveys of grazed pasture fields. A field on the central tablelands of NSW had a range in Bray P of 1.2 to 140 mg/kg and a COV of 107%. The other field on the northern tablelands of NSW reported a range in Colwell P from 13.0 to 121.1 mg/kg and a COV of 59%. Maps of the spatial variability of soil P demonstrated that there is a relationship with field elevation. Application …

Monitoring Landscape Changes Using Remote Sensing Technology In Southern Africa, Anthony R. Palmer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands are a major global resource, and there is an urgency to improve the assessment of landscape performance to capture carbon, produce biomass, and improve water use. Effective monitoring necessitates the collection of high quality rangeland condition data using repeatable techniques. Despite much effort, there are few comprehensive data sets that allow confident detection of landscape change. Data are lacking for several reasons, including high cost of data collection, conflicting methodologies, and loss of archival data. Satellite imagery provides the basis for trend and pattern analysis of rangeland in different conditions classes and this paper presents some examples of the …

Alternative For Intensification Of Beef Production Under Grazing, Valéria P. B. Euclides, Kepler Euclides Filho, Denise B. Montagner, Geraldo Ramos Figueiredo, Flávia Da Conceição Lopes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

One of the challenges to overcome in order to assure the position occupied by Brazil as one of the most important players in the world beef market is to design sustainable technological alternatives, which will maintain a constant uniform beef supply all year round. This crucial problem could be solved by using more intensively, the alternatives available for pastures management and feed supplement-ation. However, the potential results created by these strategies might be better explored by using the right choice of animals as far as genetic group and weaning weight is concerned. Thus, in order to fulfill this goal it …

Pasture Improvement Needs And Options For New Zealand Sheep And Beef Farms, Andy R. Bray, Tom J. Fraser, Warren Mcg. King, Alec D. Mackay, Derrick Moot, David R. Stevens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In recent years in New Zealand, sheep and beef farming has been outcompeted for prime land. This means that the government and industry targets to increase sheep and beef production have to be achieved on farms with significant constraints on pasture production. They are increasingly restricted to hilly and other locations with variable climates and soils, and landscape constraints on farming practices. Thus there are limits on the ability to improve pasture production – whether by pasture renewal or through means like grazing management, fertiliser use, or weed and pest control.

Improving Summer/Autumn Feed Quality In New Zealand Hill Country, Grant M. Rennie, Warren Mcg. King, Coby J. Hoogendoorn, Brian Devantier, Trevor L. Knight, Catherine Cameron

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture management in spring has a strong influence on pasture quality in summer and autumn in New Zealand hill country pastures. Manipulation of defoliation frequency and intensity during mid-late spring can impact summer and autumn pasture quality and quantity (Orr et al. 1988). Summer/autumn management is mainly concerned with maintaining herbage quality in summer wet areas and controlling animal pressure in summer dry areas for drought management and winter feed stocks (Clark 1994). Deferred grazing to transfer pasture growth from late spring into summer and autumn deficits is difficult due to detrimental effects on pasture quality, plant density and …

Effects Of Continuous Grazing And Exclusion On The Structure Of Modified Flooding Pampa Grassland In Argentina, Estrella M. Oyhamburu, María L. Agnelli, Roberto O. Refi, Mario C. Ursino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The breeding of beef cattle is the predominant activity in the Flooding Pampa wet grasslands. The stocking rate of this region is increasing because of livestock displaced by agriculture in other regions. This increased load has been achieved through the alteration of grassland with the use of herbicides and fertilizers or replacement thereof by pasture (Cahuepé and Hidalgo 2005). The large herbivores grazing cause changes in species composition and diversity (Hall et al. 1986) in both the original and the modified grassland. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different stocking rates under continuous grazing …

Beef Heifers Performance Under Continuous Grazing On Modified Grassland In Argentina Flooding Pampa, María L. Agnelli, Roberto O. Refi, Estrella M. Oyhamburu, Mario C. Ursino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Salado river basin is the main beef cattle breeding region of Argentina. It is a flat flooding area with poor slopes (< 3%). Their soils are Natracuoles, Natraqualfes and Argiacuoles. The grasslands are predominately continuously grazed and with a set stocking rate cow – calf system. Stocking rate and grazing pressure are two core variables that directly affect animal production. Reduced animal performance is believed to be due to poor grazing management. During 2010, 2011 and 2012 an experiment on the effect of stocking rate on animal growth and body condition with Angus heifers continuously grazing annual winter grasses, was carried out. Previous studies have demonstrated the practicability of producing replacement females with this management (Carrillo 2001; Eirin et al. 2011; Agnelli et al. 2011) that involves mesothermic grasslands modification into self sown winter grasses by using glyphosate and other herbicides (Oyhamburu et al. 2000, Rodriguez and Jacobo 2010).

The aim of this study was to establish the stocking rate that optimizes beef rearing heifer’s performance for early mating.

The Nutritional Status Of Japanese Black Breeding Cows Grazed In A Larger Abandoned Paddy Field, Motohiko Ishida, Naoki Matsumoto, Yojiro Maki, Jyunichi Tanimoto, Kohei Takahashi, Keigo Asano, Mizuho Ogino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Because rice consumption has decreased in Japan, the number of abandoned paddy fields has increased. Some of the abandoned paddy fields are being used for livestock grazing, effectively using the abandoned fields and reducing the production costs on livestock farms. Such grazing may use an integrated grazing system of scattered small pastures where each of the small abandoned paddy fields scattered in a given agriculture area is defined as one grazing yard, and a herd consisting of two or three head of cattle is moved from one grazing yard to another. However, because the number of abandoned paddy fields has …

Pasture Grass Conversion In Digestive Tract Of Red Deer Over Different Grazing Periods, Imants Jansons, Ira I. Vitina, Vera Krastina, Aleksandrs Jemeljanovs, Sallija Cerina, Biruta Lujane, Baiba Osmane, Liga Proskina

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Deer farming is an alternative to traditional animal farming which also promotes a more economic use of pasture grass resources in Latvia. 61 holdings of farmed red deer and fallow deer have been registered in this country (Paeglits et al. 2006). Over the summer season, pasture grass is the main feed source for red deer (Cervus elaphus) (Miller 2004). No matter how much feed animals get, it is of no use unless it can be digested. This is the process that happens in the stomach and gut, when the feed is broken down (Tuckwell 2003).

The goal …

Improving Student Outcomes In Introductory Earth Science Courses Using Active Learning Strategies, Kalyca N. Spinler

Theses and Dissertations

For many students, introductory core earth science courses, like UA Little Rock’s Earth and the Environment course, represent their last formal education in the Earth Sciences. This project looked to determine if using active learning strategies during lectures will increase understanding in introductory geoscience courses. A series of ConcepTests with Peer Instruction, intended to increase student involvement, were used. To assess the impact of using ConcepTests, two sections of the course, fall 2018 and spring 2019, were given pre- and post-tests using Geoscience Concept Inventory questions. Pre- and post-test scores were compared with classes that did not use ConcepTests with …

Carbon Use Efficiency And Its Temperature Sensitivity Covary In Soil Bacteria, Grace Pold, Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta, Eric W. Morrison, Serita D. Frey, Seeta A. Sistla, Kristen M. Deangelis

Faculty Publications

The strategy that microbial decomposers take with respect to using substrate for growth versus maintenance is one essential biological determinant of the propensity of carbon to remain in soil. To quantify the environmental sensitivity of this key physiological trade-off, we characterized the carbon use efficiency (CUE) of 23 soil bacterial isolates across seven phyla at three temperatures and with up to four substrates. Temperature altered CUE in both an isolate-specific manner and a substrate-specific manner. We searched for genes correlated with the temperature sensitivity of CUE on glucose and deemed those functional genes which were similarly correlated with CUE on …

Effect Of Plant Spacing On The Growth And Yield Of Forage Plant, Maize, Intercropped With Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata Sub Spp. Sesquipedalis), Kelechi A. Ike, Leonard C. Nwaigbo, Ugochukwu H. Ukpabi, Sunday N. Ukachukwu, Olufemi S. Onifade, Uchenna Y. Anele, Princewill N. Njoku

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Feed constraint is the most important impediment to improved livestock production in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries (Agyemang 2003), as a result of seasonal shortages in the quantity and quality of forage from natural pastures that supply most of the feed for animals due to the prolonged annual dry season. Appropriate technologies to improve the performance of the local animal breeds and feed resources under the traditional system are generally lacking. Maize forms a major part of the cereal crops consumed by man and the residues serve as a source of fodder for livestock (Asawalam and Adesiyan 2001). Demand for …