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Recent losses in the abundance and diversity of arthropods have been documented in many regions and ecosystems. In grasslands, such insect declines are largely attributed to land use, including modern machinery and mowing regimes. However, the effects of different mowing techniques on arthropods remain poorly understood. Using 11 years of data from 111 agricultural grassland plots across Germany, we analyzed the influence of various grassland management variables on the abundance and abundance‐accounted species richness of four arthropod orders: Araneae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Orthoptera. The analysis focused on detailed mowing information, for example, days after mowing and mower type, and compared their effect with other aspects of grassland management, that is, rolling, leveling, fertilization, and grazing. We found strong negative effects of mowing on all four arthropod orders, with arthropod abundance being lowest directly after mowing and steadily increasing to three to seven times the abundance after 100 days post‐mowing. Likewise, Hemiptera and Coleoptera species richness was 30% higher 100 days after mowing. Mower width showed a positive effect on Orthoptera abundance, but not on the other arthropods. Arthropod abundance and Coleoptera species richness were lowest when a mulcher was used compared to rotary or bar mowers. In addition to mowing, intensive grazing negatively affected Orthoptera abundance but not the other orders. Mowing represents a highly disturbing and iterative stressor with negative effects on arthropod abundance and diversity, likely contributed by mowing‐induced mortality and habitat alteration. While modifications of mowing techniques such as mower type or mowing height and width may help to reduce the negative impact of mowing on arthropods, our results show that mowing itself has the most substantial negative effect. Based on our results, we suggest that reduced mowing frequency, omission of mowing in parts of the grassland (refuges), or extensive grazing instead of mowing have the greatest potential to promote arthropod populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial body of empirical evidence suggests that anthropogenic disturbance can affect the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. Despite this, few studies have elucidated the mechanisms through which grazing and mowing, the two most widespread land management practices, affect the stability of natural grassland communities. In this study, we draw upon 9 years of field data from natural grasslands in northern China to investigate the effects of gazing and mowing on community stability, specifically focusing on community aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and dominance, which are two major biodiversity mechanisms known to characterize community fluctuations. We found that both grazing and mowing reduced ANPP in comparison to areas enclosed by fencing. Grazing reduced community stability by increasing the likelihood of single‐species dominance and decreasing the relative proportion of nondominant species. In contrast, mowing reduced the productivity of the dominant species but increased the productivity of nondominant species. As a consequence, mowing improved the overall community stability by increasing the stability of nondominant species. Our study provides novel insight into understanding of the relationship between community species fluctuation‐stability, with implications for ecological research and ecosystem management in natural grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed rain and the soil seed bank represent the dispersal of seeds in space and time, respectively, and can be important sources of recruitment of new individuals during plant community regeneration. However, the temporal dynamics of seed rain and the mechanisms by which the seed rain and soil seed bank may play a role in plant community regeneration with increased grazing disturbance remain unclear. Seed rain, soil seed bank, aboveground vegetation, and rodent density were sampled along a grazing gradient in an alpine marsh on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We described the temporal dynamics of seed dispersal using Bayesian generalized mixed models, and nonmetric multidimensional scaling and the structural equation model were used to examine the effects of grazing disturbance on the relative role of seed rain and soil seed bank on aboveground plant community regeneration. The temporal dynamics of seed rain changed from a unimodal to a bimodal pattern with increased grazing disturbance. Both species diversity and seed density of the seed rain and seed bank increased significantly with increased grazing disturbance. Increased grazing disturbance indirectly increased the similarity of composition between seed rain, seed bank, and aboveground plant community by directly increasing species diversity and abundance of aboveground plant community. However, increased grazing disturbance also indirectly decreased the similarity of seed rain, soil seed bank, and aboveground plant community by directly increasing rodent density. The similarity between seed rain and aboveground plant community was greater than that of the soil seed bank and aboveground plant community with increased grazing disturbance. Grazing disturbance spreads the risk of seed germination and seedling establishment by changing the temporal dynamics of seed dispersal. Plants (positive) and rodents (negative) mediated the role of seed rain and soil seed bank in plant community regeneration. The role of seed rain in plant community regeneration is higher than the seed bank in disturbed alpine marshes. Our findings increase our understanding of the regeneration process of the plant community, and they provide valuable information for the conservation and restoration of alpine marsh ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding fire and large herbivore interactions in interior western forests is critical, owing to the extensive and widespread co‐occurrence of these two disturbance types and multiple present and future implications for forest resilience, conservation and restoration. However, manipulative studies focused on interactions and outcomes associated with these two disturbances are rare in forested rangelands. We investigated understory vegetation response to 5‐year spring and fall prescribed fire and domestic cattle grazing exclusion in ponderosa pine stands and reported long‐term responses, almost two decades after the first entry fires. In fall burn areas open to cattle grazing, total understory cover prior to utilization was about 12% lower compared with fall burn areas where cattle were experimentally excluded. This response was not strongly driven by a particular palatable or unpalatable plant functional group. Fire and grazing are likely interacting in a numerically mediated process, as we found little evidence to support a functionally moderated pathway. Post‐fire green‐up may equalize forage to a certain extent and concentrate herbivores in the smaller burned areas within pastures, constraining a positive understory response to burning. Fall fire and grazing also increased annual forbs and resprouting shrubs. The effects of spring burning were relatively minor, and we found no interaction with grazing. The nonnative annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) remains a problematic invader linked to fall burning but not grazing in stands that had higher propagule pressure when the experiment was initiated. At these sites, exotic grass was a major component of the vegetation by 2015, and invasion was also increasing in spring burn and unburned areas. Information from our study suggests that frequent fall fires and cattle grazing combined may reduce understory resilience in similar dry ponderosa pine forests. Consideration of longer fire return intervals, resting areas after fire, virtual fencing, or burning entire pastures may help to mitigate the effects noted in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Redes is the property of Redes-Revista Hispana para el Analisis de Redes Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Qinghai−Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is the largest contiguous grazing area in the world, while its soil has a low soil selenium (Se) content, an essential rare element for human health. Grazing and Se addition are two common management practices in the regional grasslands, but their interactions with the vegetation growth of alpine meadows in the QTP remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted a two−year field experiment (2017 and 2018) to explore the effects of grazing [two stocking rates (0 and 6 sheep months ha−1)] and Se addition [six Se addition levels (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 g ha−1)] on above−ground biomass (AGB), below−ground biomass (BGB), root−to−shoot ratio (R/S), species richness and Shannon−Wiener's diversity index of an alpine meadow at the Maqu county in the Eastern QTP. The results indicate that AGB peaked at a Se addition rate of 21 g ha−1 combined with no grazing (i.e., exclosure) and at a rate of 20 g ha−1 Se addition with a stocking rate of 6 sheep months ha−1; BGB was highest under a Se addition of 23.5 g ha−1 (under exclosure) and 23 g ha−1 (under grazing). After Se addition, the species richness and Shannon−Wiener index of the alpine meadow under the grazing treatment were significantly lower than those in the exclosure treatment, which was mainly driven by the reduction of sedges and forbs. The structural equation model showed that grazing reduced the biomass of sedge, gramineae, and forbs, while Se addition increased the soil available nitrogen and phosphorus content and promoted the growth of sedge, gramineae, and forbs. Our results suggested that moderate grazing combined with Se addition is a suitable management method for maintaining alpine meadow productivity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic annual grass invasion is a widespread threat to the integrity of sagebrush ecosystems in Western North America. Although many predictors of annual grass prevalence and native perennial vegetation have been identified, there remains substantial uncertainty about how regional‐scale and local‐scale predictors interact to determine vegetation heterogeneity, and how associations between vegetation and cattle grazing vary with environmental context. Here, we conducted a regionally extensive, one‐season field survey across burned and unburned, grazed, public lands in Oregon and Idaho, with plots stratified by aspect and distance to water within pastures to capture variation in environmental context and grazing intensity. We analyzed regional‐scale and local‐scale patterns of annual grass, perennial grass, and shrub cover, and examined to what extent plot‐level variation was contingent on pasture‐level predictions of site favorability. Annual grasses were widespread at burned and unburned sites alike, contrary to assumptions of annual grasses depending on fire, and more common at lower elevations and higher temperatures regionally, as well as on warmer slopes locally. Pasture‐level grazing pressure interacted with temperature such that annual grass cover was associated positively with grazing pressure at higher temperatures but associated negatively with grazing pressure at lower temperatures. This suggests that pasture‐level temperature and grazing relationships with annual grass abundance are complex and context dependent, although the causality of this relationship deserves further examination. At the plot‐level within pastures, annual grass cover did not vary with grazing metrics, but perennial cover did; perennial grasses, for example, had lower cover closer to water sources, but higher cover at higher dung counts within a pasture, suggesting contrasting interpretations of these two grazing proxies. Importantly for predictions of ecosystem response to temperature change, we found that pasture‐level and plot‐level favorability interacted: perennial grasses had a higher plot‐level cover on cooler slopes, and this difference across topography was starkest in pastures that were less favorable for perennial grasses regionally. Understanding the mechanisms behind cross‐scale interactions and contingent responses of vegetation to grazing in these increasingly invaded ecosystems will be critical to land management in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-two Japanese Black cattle on two farms in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan were used in this study. The rearing style of farm A was in a dark barn with a large roof to block sunlight (n=21). The rearing style of farm B was grazing, and exposed to direct sunlight (n=21). Blood sampling was performed twice on the same cattle in August 2022 (summer) and February 2023 (winter). As the results, the serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were significantly lower in cattle of farm A than in cattle of farm B (P<0.01), and were significantly lower in winter season than in summer season (P<0.01). These results showed that there were differences in blood 25(OH)D3 concentrations between the farms or seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree holdings provide important socio-economic and environmental benefits, but invasive alien trees can constrain these benefits. However, some invasive alien plants provide both costs and benefits, making management complex due to varied stakeholder perceptions. Using household surveys, the study explored local people's perceptions of Acacia dealbata invasion and clearing in six villages located in upper Tsitsana communal areas, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The results suggest that most respondents are aware of A. dealbata invasion but not its invasion status. The respondents valued A. dealbata for its service provision including firewood, construction poles and shade but also cited negative impacts such as loss of grazing land and water. The respondents were aware of the Working for Water clearing programme and reported employment, income, and are awareness of restored grazing land and increased water availability as key clearing benefits. Although some respondents cleared A. dealbata in their homesteads, a small percentage were opposed to clearing due to the perceived loss of benefits. Overall, the study shows conflicting perceptions on the impacts of A. dealbata invasion and clearing, highlighting the value of considering the social dimensions of invasive alien plant species management to avoid conflict generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a period of ~2 wk, 5 adult beef cows developed severe necrotizing skin lesions on the face and neck shortly after being moved to a field with a cover crop of Brassica spp. turnips. We describe here the clinical signs, hematology, and serum chemistry results, as well as gross and histopathologic findings, from this outbreak. We made a presumptive diagnosis of Brassica- associated liver disease (BALD) based on the similarities in the history and diagnostic findings observed with previously reported cases of BALD from elsewhere in the world. BALD has not been reported previously in cattle in North America, to our knowledge, despite the increasing usage of cover crops to improve soil conditions and provide forage for livestock. After the presumptive diagnosis of BALD was made, the cattle were removed from the turnip field and no additional cases were noted by the producer. BALD is well known in other parts of the world, and veterinarians and diagnosticians should be aware of this condition given that the usage of cover crops is likely to continue to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore animal- and herd-level risk factors influencing age at puberty in predominantly Holstein-Friesian dairy heifers managed in seasonal, pasture-based systems. Heifers born in spring 2018 (n = 5,010) from 54 commercial dairy herds in New Zealand were visited on three occasions when the mean heifer age, within herd, was 10 (visit 1; V1), 11 (V2) and 12 (V3) months old. Blood samples were collected on each visit and liveweight, stature and anogenital distance (AGD) were measured at V2. Heifers were defined as having reached puberty at the first visit where blood progesterone was elevated (≥ 1 ng/mL). Animal-level response variables included pubertal status by V1, V2 and V3, and age at puberty (or age at V3 plus 31 days for those that had not attained puberty by V3). To explore herd-level management factors, farmers answered a questionnaire relating to animal location, land type, health, feeding, and management between weaning and mating. A partial least squares regression was undertaken to identify herd-level factors associated with the greatest influence on puberty rate within herd. The mean age at puberty was 352 (SD 34.9) days. Heavier animals at a greater proportion of expected mature liveweight based on their breeding value for liveweight, or animals with a higher breed proportion of Jersey and lower breed proportion of Holstein, were associated with earlier puberty. Herd puberty rates varied widely among enrolled herds, and averaged 20%, 39% and 56% by V1, V2 and V3, respectively. Liveweight, followed by breed and land type, had the greatest influence on the herd puberty rate. Heifer herds with a greater mean liveweight (absolute and proportion of expected mature weight) or greater Jersey proportion had more animals that reached puberty at any visit, whereas herds located on steep land or with greater Holstein breed proportions had lower puberty rates. Management-related factors such as vaccinations, provision of feed supplements, and weighing frequency were also herd-level risk factors of puberty but had less influence. This study highlights the importance of having well-grown heifers for increasing the chances of earlier puberty onset and the effect of breed and youngstock management to achieve growth targets. These outcomes have important implications for the optimal management of heifers to achieve puberty before their maiden breeding and for the timing of measurements to potentially incorporate a puberty trait in genetic evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted with main purpose to state the existing situation of habitat Wild Water Buffalo in the regards of land use and vegetation and to explore the allocation of diurnal time in different activities in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. The Wild Water Buffalo categorized as endangered species on the IUCN Red list, restricted to south and Southeast Asia. For the estimation of land utilization freely available satellite imagery Landsat-5 TM (2011), Landsat-8 OLI-TIRS (2015) and Landsat-8 OLI-TIRS (2021) were used. Some circular plots were designed for vegetation studies. The behaviour was observed by focal animal sampling method. Most of the land was covered by agriculture (62.37%), followed by grassland (20.57%) and by water (4.79%) in buffer zone. In core zone mostly area covered by grassland (56.62%) then by sand (18.35%) and by water (10.97%). A total of 15 species of trees, 17 species of shrubs and 61 species of grasses and herbaceous plants were found in its preferred habitat. Common plant known to be eaten by Wild Water Buffalo were found as 3 species of tree, 4 species of shrub and 25 species of grasses. It was remarked that the time spent for grazing was 42%, followed by resting (30%), wallowing (11%), moving (9%) and for other activities (8%). It can be recommended to expand the area of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve for the sustainable conservation of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Grassland degradation caused by increases in livestock grazing threatens a variety of ecosystem services. Understanding changes in plant community assembly during the process of grassland degradation in the presence of grazing is important to help restore degraded grasslands worldwide but has received little attention thus far. The grassland degradation process is typified by heterogeneous degradation, that is, gradual formation of degraded patches (hereafter "patchy degradation"). Here, we experimentally examined the effects of herbivore grazing and patchy degradation on plant community assembly using nine pairs of non‐degraded (intact) and patch‐degraded (fragmented) grasslands subject to grazing by different‐sized herbivores (i.e., NG, no grazing; SG, sheep grazing; CG, cattle grazing) over 4 years. Using a null‐model approach, we estimated the relative magnitude of deterministic processes of community assembly by comparing the observed and expected β‐diversity. We found that in the absence of herbivore grazing, deterministic processes played a greater role in community assembly, regardless of whether patchy degradation had occurred. However, the deterministic processes resulted in plant communities being more spatially similar in non‐degraded grasslands while being more dissimilar in patchy degraded grasslands. Compared with non‐degraded grasslands, species with strong competitive abilities (i.e., Leymus chinensis) were less dominant in patchy degraded grasslands, indicating relaxed competition and a reduced role of species interactions over plant communities. Instead, patchy degradation added the role of environmental variables over plant communities. SG consistently promoted more stochastic plant community assembly in both non‐degraded and patch‐degraded grasslands, while CG promoted more stochastic plant community assembly only in the non‐degraded state, having no effect in the patch‐degraded state. Our study offers important insights into changes in plant community assembly during ongoing patch‐degradation of grasslands, indicating the role of increased environmental filtering of soil and reduced species interactions in driving plant community dynamics with increasing grassland patchy degradation. We also uncovered an herbivore species‐specific effect on plant community assembly during the process of grassland degradation, which will better inform and improve future grassland restoration planning efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrologic, terrestrial, and biologic disturbances influence stream channel conditions that are important to the persistence of aquatic biota. Past studies of how disturbance events alter streams have focused on fires, floods, and debris torrents as the magnitude of these events make them easy to detect. This approach has led to a bias in understanding which disturbances are likely to affect stream conditions. To address this concern, we used stream habitat data to identify where a substantial change in stream conditions had occurred and then used photographs of the evaluated reach to determine the disturbance that potentially caused those changes. We evaluated conditions in over 2,000 stream reaches and found that nearly a quarter of them had seen a substantial change in at least one of the five stream channel characteristics (bank‐full width, wood frequency, median particle size, pool depth, and bank stability) in the two decades that these streams were monitored. Although many stream reaches were affected by charismatic disturbance events such as fires, floods, and mass wasting, the majority of the substantial changes we observed in channel conditions were related to small‐scale disturbances. Mechanisms such as beavers, tree fall, vegetative growth, grazing, and active restoration all played an important role in bringing about large changes in stream channel conditions. While the majority of the disturbances were natural, some channel changes remain tied to anthropogenic activities. Our results suggest that no single sampling approach can be used to evaluate how stream conditions respond to all disturbances as they vary in intensity, over space and time, and based on which stream attribute is measured. By better understanding the full range of possible disturbances, managers should be better able to use such events to improve outcomes for streams and aquatic biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological integrity of US national parks and other protected areas are under threat in the Anthropocene. For Yellowstone National Park (YNP), the impacts that global change has already had on the park's capacity to sustain its large migratory herds of wild ungulates is incompletely understood. Here we examine how two understudied components of global change, the historical increase in atmospheric CO2 and the spread of nonnative, invasive plant species, may have altered the capacity of YNP to provide forage for ungulates over the last 200‐plus years. We performed two experiments: (1) a growth chamber study that determined the growth rates of important invasive and native YNP grasses that are forages for ungulates under preindustrial (280 ppm) versus modern (410 ppm) CO2 levels and (2) a field study that compared the effect of defoliation (clipping) on the shoot growth of invasive and native mesic grassland plants under ambient CO2 conditions in 2019. The growth chamber experiment revealed that modern CO2 increased the growth rates of both invasive and native grasses, and invasive grasses grew faster regardless of CO2 conditions. The field results showed a continuum of positive to negative responses of shoot growth to defoliation, with a subgroup of invasive species responding most positively. Altogether the results indicated that the historical increase in CO2 and the spread of invasive species, some of which were planted to provide forage for ungulates in the early and mid‐1900s, have likely increased the capacity of forage production in YNP. However, rising CO2 has also resulted in regional warming and increased aridity in YNP, which will likely reduce grassland productivity. The challenge for global change biologists and park managers is to determine how competing components of global change have already affected and will increasingly affect forage dynamics and the sustainability of Yellowstone's iconic ungulate herds in the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated, seasonal wetlands within agricultural landscapes are important ecosystems. However, they are currently experiencing direct and indirect effects of agricultural management surrounding them. Because wetlands provide important ecosystem services, it is crucial to determine how these factors affect ecological communities. Here, we studied the long‐term effects of land‐use intensification, cattle grazing, prescribed fires, and their interactions on wetland plant diversity, community dynamics, and functional diversity. To do this, we used vegetation and trait data from a 14‐year‐old experiment on 40 seasonal wetlands located within seminatural and intensively managed pastures in Florida. These wetlands were allocated different grazing and prescribed fire treatments (grazed vs. ungrazed, burned vs. unburned). Our results showed that wetlands within intensively managed pastures have lower native plant diversity, floristic quality, evenness, and higher nonnative species diversity and exhibited the most resource‐acquisitive traits. Wetlands embedded in intensively managed pastures were also characterized by lower species turnover over time. We found that 14 years of cattle exclusion reduced species diversity in both pasture management intensities and had no effect on floristic quality. Fenced wetlands exhibited lower functional diversity and experienced a higher rate of community change, both due to an increase in tall, clonal, and palatable grasses. The effects of prescribed fires were often dependent on grazing treatment. For instance, prescribed fires increased functional diversity in fenced wetlands but not in grazed wetlands. Our study suggests that cattle exclusion and prescribed fires are not enough to restore wetlands in intensively managed pastures and further highlights the importance of not converting seminatural pastures to intensively managed pastures. Our study also suggests that grazing levels applied in seminatural pastures maintained high plant diversity and prevented tree and shrub encroachment and that in the absence of grazing, prescribed fire became crucial to maintaining higher species evenness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Grazing is the simplest and most cost-effective way of grassland utilization in the world, and it also has a significant impact on the grassland soil environment. Artificial grassland is an important basis for the development of animal husbandry and an important means to solve the contradiction between grass and livestock. This study analyzed the characteristics of the karst artificial grassland environment, and systematically reviewed the effects of grazing on soil physical and chemical properties, as well as the effects of microorganisms, forage functional traits, and forage quality. We believe that moderate grazing is an effective means of sustainable utilization of the soil environment. At the same time, it is inferred that grazing in the tropical and subtropical karst areas of southern China has a greater impact on grassland species composition, and according to the current situation, the key scientific issues that need to be paid attention to in the study of current grassland grazing and other utilization methods are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluates the interactive effects of mammalian herbivores and trees on soil biochemical properties of a semi-arid savanna ecosystem in South Africa. Composite soil samples were collected at three radial distances from a tree base, namely besides the tree trunk, canopy edge, and outside canopy, for two trees (Combretum apiculatum and Grewia bicolor), in the full exclosure and open access area in the Nkuhlu exclosures of Kruger National Park. We measured total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC), pH, available phosphorus (P), microbial activity, exchangeable cations (calcium [Ca2+], magnesium [Mg2+], sodium [Na+] and potassium [K+]) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Result indicates that pH and Mg2+ in full exclosure were significantly higher than outside, whereas TN, TC, available P, microbial activity, K+ and CEC were lower. Under canopy samples had more pH, TN, TC, available P, K+ and Ca2+ than those collected from other sampling zones, mainly because of the effect of litter accumulation under the tree canopies. With the exceptions of CEC and microbial activity, the effects of the two tree species on soil nutrients were similar. Microbial activity was significantly high, whereas CEC was low under G. bicolor than C. apiculatum. The canopy edge of G. bicolor had the highest microbial activity, while the area outside the canopy of C. apiculatum had the lowest than all the other treatments. These results indicate that the presence of herbivores and woody species differentially affects the spatial distribution of the various nutrients, soil microbiota and other chemical properties depending on their radial distances from the tree base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vegetation cover negatively affects activity of the ecological engineer root-rat. • Reciprocally, plant species richness positively affects activity of the giant root-rat. • Livestock grazing modulates the ecological engineering role of the giant root-rat. Subterranean rodents can act as ecosystem engineers by shaping the landscape due to soil perturbation and herbivory. At the same time, their burrow density is affected by environmental conditions, vegetation and anthropogenic factors. Disentangling this complex interplay between subterranean rodents and their environment remains challenging. In our study, we analysed the interplay of abiotic conditions, vegetation patterns and human land-use and the burrow density of the giant root-rat (GRR; Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a subterranean rodent endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains in south-east Ethiopia. Specifically, we examined the effects of GRR on plant species richness and vegetation cover and vice-versa , and how these reciprocal effects might be modulated by temperature, habitat wetness and grazing. Our results showed that increasing GRR burrow density led to decreased vegetation cover, and that effects of GRR on vegetation cover were slightly stronger than vice - versa. Considering the reciprocal causation models, we found that increasing plant species richness led to increased GRR burrow density, while GRR burrow density decreased as vegetation cover increased. Increases in habitat wetness and livestock grazing intensity also directly led to increased GRR burrow density. Our results stress the importance of subterranean ecosystem engineers on vegetation and highlight the vulnerability of these complex interactions to human activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock grazing is a globally important land use and has the potential to significantly influence plant community structure and ecosystem function, yet several critical knowledge gaps remain on the direction and magnitude of grazing impacts. Furthermore, much of our understanding of the long‐term effects on plant community composition and structure are based on grazer exclusion experiments, which explicitly avoid characterizing effects along grazing intensity gradients. We sampled big sagebrush plant communities using 68 plots located along grazing intensity gradients to determine how grazing intensity influences multiple aspects of plant community structure over time. This was accomplished by sampling plant communities at different distances from 17 artificial watering sources, using distance from water and cow dung density as proxies for grazing intensity at individual plots. Total vegetation cover and total grass cover were negatively related to grazing intensity, and cover of annual forbs, exotic cover, and exotic richness were positively related to grazing intensity. In contrast, species richness and composition, bunchgrass biomass, shrub density and size, percentage cover of bare ground, litter, and biological soil crusts did not vary along our grazing intensity gradients, in spite of our expectations to the contrary. Our results suggest that the effects of livestock grazing over multiple decades (mean = 46 years) in our sites are relatively small, especially for native perennial species, and that the big sagebrush plant communities we sampled are somewhat resistant to livestock grazing. Collectively, our findings are consistent with existing evidence that indicates the stability of the big sagebrush plant functional type composition under current grazing management regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has got the huge potential to address the issue of global food security with ecological resilience and replenishment. The present study was conducted across 40 counties of the state of Ohio in the United States of America to assess and prioritize the social-ecological factors operating at CA farms, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It has been elucidated from the study that selected owner-farmers of the study area (n = 230) have no hesitation to consider CA as the future of farming to address food security in response to mitigate climate change effects. They have been applying the combination of the CA principles on their farms: 60% of the respondents do not till their field, 80% leave crop residues on the soil surface, and 97% follow crop rotations. Finally, the CA farmers have achieved 10 to > 40% fuel savings during farm operations, having farm soil salinity reduced in the case of 70% of respondents. Apart from this, grazing animals are also integrated to CA systems, adding animal manure to their farms. However, the study indicates that there is a need to encourage the use of CA, which can minimize the negative impacts of dry spells in order to maximize crop production, and polish the strategies and policies in each and every sphere. • Successful adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) depends on the interaction between farm social-ecological factors. • Farmer's own perception drives adoption of conservation agriculture. • CA farmers are being rewarded with 10 to > 40% fuel savings during farm operations. • farm soil salinity reduced in the case of 70% of respondents who are practising CA. • Grazing animals are important to integrate within CA systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large nutrient levels and herbivory stress, particularly when acting together, drive a variety of responses in seagrass communities that ultimately may weaken their carbon balance. An in situ three-months experiment was carried out in two contrasting seasons to address the effects of two levels of nutrient load and three levels of artificial clipping on Cymodocea nodosa plants. Nutrient enrichment shifted the community from autotrophic to heterotrophic and reduced DOC fluxes in winter, whereas enhanced community carbon metabolism and DOC fluxes in summer. Herbivory stress decreased the net primary production in both seasons, whereas net DOC release increased in winter but decreased in summer. A reduction of seagrass food-web structure was observed under both disturbances evidencing impacts on the seagrass ecosystems services by altering the carbon transfer process and the loss of superficial OC, which may finally weaken the blue carbon storage capacity of these communities. • Effects of nutrients and simulated herbivory on seagrass C dynamics and biodiversity • An in situ 3-months experiment in two seasons in a full factorial design • Seagrass production–DOC fluxes relationship can be altered under disturbance conditions. • 90 % leaf clipping under nutrient increase stimulate respiration and loss of sediment OC • Fewer trophic groups and links connecting top to basal species under disturbances [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fallow age and cattle grazing affect plant functional traits. • In early succession, functional traits are associated with water conservation. • In late succession, functional traits are linked to sunlight acquisition. • In cattle present, plants showed functional traits related to defense against herbivory. • Soil nutrients increase with fallow age driving changes in plant functional traits. Evaluating plant functional traits helps to understand how plants respond to changing environmental conditions and resource availability associated with disturbance events. Livestock production is one of the primary drivers of tropical forest loss and degradation. Livestock alter environmental conditions within the forest by grazing, trampling and nutrient inputs, which in turn can influence species composition and functional traits of species. Understanding how livestock influence functional traits along a successional gradient is poorly understood. Here, we studied the effect of cattle grazing and fallow age on plant functional traits and soil nutrients in secondary and old-growth tropical dry forests. We analyzed plant functional traits of the most important species in successional and old-growth forest communities in both cattle present and cattle excluded plots. Our results showed the effects of cattle grazing and fallow age on plant functional traits, with fallow age explaining more variation than cattle grazing. In early succession, functional traits were associated with water conservation (thicker leaves, lower specific leaf area), and in later successional they were linked with sunlight conservation (larger height, higher specific leaf area). The presence of large fruits and seeds in advanced successional sites suggests high resource availability, which may help plants to successfully reproduce. Moreover, under cattle grazing some functional traits are associated with herbivory defense (high foliar dry weight and thick leaves). Even though N and C increased as succession advanced, the sites with cattle grazing had higher NH4 and NO3 concentrations as a result of fecal deposition. Plant functional traits responded to fallow age than to cattle grazing. Our study showed that cattle exclusion, as a management and biodiversity conservation strategy, contributes positively to soil nutrition. Thus, fallow age and cattle exclusion facilitate soil recovery and allows establishing species with suitable functional attributes for overcoming environmental filters in abandoned cattle fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Avances is the property of Instituto de Informacion Cientifica y Tecnologica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• The spatial extent of non-state conservancies in Kenya is rapidly increasing. • This rapid expansion has sparked heightened tensions and conflicts. • Landowners employ grazing arrangements to spatially fix pastoralist communities. • These arrangements (re)shape established 'conservation subjectivities'. • Night grazing practices highlight limitations of conservation subject formation. Across much of eastern Africa, the land area coverage of private or otherwise non-state conservation areas is rapidly increasing. In Kenya, these trends have sparked renewed contestation and debate concerning the property rights and broader terms of access to non-state conservation spaces. Pursuant to these disputes, emergent conservation territories are increasingly governed through practices of landscape stratification, demarcation, and surveillance, as well as via the formalization of community-based grazing arrangements in hybridized 'buffer zone' spaces. Examining the empirical implications of these practices in Kenya's Laikipia County, we highlight the somewhat counterintuitive ways in which private conservationists increasingly employ grazing arrangements 'from above' not only to regulate access to natural resources, but also to influence subject formation processes and to fix or otherwise reshape the spatial contours of pastoralist systems. Emphasizing the limitations of such initiatives, however, we foreground the significance of ongoing patterns of agro-pastoral transformation and their implications for the persistence of night grazing or other illicit nocturnal responses 'from below' amongst certain strata of Laikipia's internally diverse communities. Whilst such forms of nocturnal agency are inherently significant insofar as they frustrate conservationists' efforts to uniformly enforce resource access restrictions throughout the nychthemeron or complete 24-hour 'day-night' cycle, we suggest that these practices also grant important insight into the nature of shifting 'conservation subjectivities' in East African drylands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock grazing is an important management tool for biodiversity conservation in many native grasslands across the globe. Understanding how different grazing species interact with their environment is integral to achieving conservation goals. In the semiarid grasslands of Australia, grazing by sheep or cattle is used to manipulate vegetation structure to suit the habitat needs of a globally unique, critically endangered grassland bird, the plains‐wanderer Pedionomus torquatus. However, there has been no investigation of whether sheep and cattle differ in their effects on plains‐wanderer habitat and, therefore, it is unknown if these grazers are substitutable as a management tool. Using a grazing experiment in native grasslands over 3 years, we determined the effects of grazer type (sheep, cattle) on occurrence and vocal activity of plains‐wanderer, vegetation structure and composition, and food availability. We also examined grazer effects on encounter rates of other grassland birds. Plains‐wanderer breeding activity was inferred from vocalization rates captured by bioacoustic recorders. Spotlighting was used to measure encounter rates of other grassland birds. We found that different grazers altered the structure of the habitat. Grasslands grazed by cattle were typically more open, less variable, and lacked patches of dense vegetation relative to those grazed by sheep. Grazer type did not influence the likelihood of plains‐wanderer occurrence, but it did interact with year of survey to affect breeding activity. The number of days with one or more calls significantly increased at sheep grazed sites in year‐3, which coincided with enduring drought conditions. Similarly, grazer effects on encounter rate of all birds, bird species richness, and Australasian pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae were different between years. Dense vegetation specialists (such as stubble quail Coturnix pectoralis) were positively associated with grasslands grazed by sheep. As a habitat management tool, sheep or cattle grazing are useful when the goal is to support an open grassland structure for the plains‐wanderer. However, their substitutability is likely to be dependent upon climate. We caution that a loss of dense vegetation in grasslands grazed by cattle during drought could limit the availability of optimal habitat for the plains‐wanderer and habitat for other grassland birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Societe et Environnement is the property of Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rangeland ecosystem is currently one of the area's most sensitive to biodiversity because of both natural and human effects. There is still much to learn about the sustainable management of dry and semi-arid rangelands in order to protect their rich biodiversity resources. This is due to the uncertain indirect effects of environmental factors, such as dryness, on vegetation species, which are mediated by shifting both living and non-living components. The purpose of this project was to ascertain the effects of land use intensity (LUI) on the various species of rangeland flora along the elevation gradient in the Borana Rangeland. We gathered a total of 37 plant species, comprising 22 grasses, 7 graminoids, and 8 forbs, from the nine sampling locations, which were exposed to LUI and included three locations within each elevation range of 500–900, 1000–1400, and 1500–1900 m.a.s.l. At every sampling site, we evaluated the dynamics of the plant species, taking into account their diversity, richness, percentage of undesirable species, and properties of the soil. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the effects of LUI on the different vegetation species along the elevation gradient. We found that the density and diversity of vegetative species decreased and the fraction of undesired species increased as elevation climbed (from lower to higher). Because of the heavy livestock grazing, these impacts were substantially linked with high LUI at lower elevations. According to our research, the complex relationships between elevation gradient and LUI have a big influence on the diversity and density of the flora. This demonstrates that we need to account for environmental gradients in order to generalize LUI's effects on rangeland biodiversity. This study sheds important light on the complex interactions between vegetation dynamics and LUI in savanna grasslands. To create practical strategies for maintaining ecosystem health and biodiversity in the Southern Ethiopian Savanna Grasslands, policymakers, environmentalists, and land managers should take these findings into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing of both domestic and wild large herbivores can contribute to multiple ecosystem services. However, grazing systems strongly differ in the intensity of management and outcomes, and we define sustainable grazing as grazing which benefits multiple environmental ecosystem services. Previous studies have found that, in general, grazing systems with relatively low densities of animals, and with minimal and only targeted applications of deworming and other medicinal treatments, are most sustainable. However, for people engaged in such grazing management, a key question is what are their challenges and motivation. We conducted interviews with 74 land-users, who are engaged in sustainable grazing management, in eight case-study areas in Europe. Employing the capability, opportunity and motivation-behaviour model (COM-B), we identified key motivation factors driving sustainable grazing management and the challenges which these land-users face. We found that capability and opportunity linked to land abandonment and rural exodus impact upon land-users' management, especially in parts of South and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, challenges linked to the environment were particularly important in remote areas. In addition, we found economic aspects to be important in driving land-users' behaviour, especially fiscal measures of the Common Agricultural Policy. Moreover, our results indicate that engagement in sustainable grazing management is often intrinsically motivated by the interest in nature conservation, intergenerational continuity and cohesion in the rural community. Based on these results, using the Behaviour Change Wheel, we identify key interventions that could facilitate and encourage the capabilities and opportunities to conduct sustainable grazing management. These include incentivising extensification using subsidies, developing direct market possibilities and removing administrative hurdles for practises related to very extensive and semi-wild grazing. • Land users performing sustainable grazing management in Europe face multiple challenges. • Social and physical opportunity are important driver of land users' management. • Rural depopulation and land abandonment represent challenges for land users performing extensive management. • Rewilding with large herbivores faces different challenges, such as rules and regulations on large herbivores management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large herbivores are considered a natural and important determinant for high biodiversity in woodland habitats and have been increasingly reintroduced to nature areas across Europe with the aim of re-establishing natural processes to promote and protect biodiversity. One of the herbivore species playing an increasing role in ecological restoration initiatives is the European bison – the largest extant terrestrial mammal in Europe. However, despite numerous reintroductions of bison for biodiversity purposes, the empirical evidence for their impact is highly limited. Using permanent plots, we investigated the impact of European bison on ground vegetation in forest habitats over a period of eight years. The bison increased the species richness of vascular plants, though mainly to the benefit of graminoids. The effect varied, however, among forest types, with the strongest effect in oak forests with dense and abundant ground vegetation while beech forests characterized by full canopy cover were unaffected. Bison also benefitted bryophytes, which increased in abundance, indicating a generally altered competitive environment with reduced dominance. These results thus provide some of the first empirical evidence, indicating that European bison can promote plant species diversity in forest habitats, by removal of plant biomass, zoochorous seed dispersal, and creation of microhabitat. We thus suggest that introduction of European bison to mixed light woodlands can be a good strategy, benefitting both biodiversity and the conservation of the threatened herbivore species itself. • European bison increase species richness of vascular plants in forest. • Bison grazing increases abundance of bryophytes. • Effects of bison grazing vary among forest habitat types. • The strongest effect is in habitats with dense and abundant ground vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody encroachment in savannas represents an ecological process of current global interest given its negative impact on ecosystem functioning, particularly on forage production. Traditional savanna models propose competition and niche differentiation as the main mechanisms allowing tree-grass coexistence. Demographic models, instead, propose abiotic and biotic factors as bottlenecks controlling vital rates and transitions from seeds to adult trees. The role played by domestic grazing on woody encroachment is yet controversial. Here, using a multistage tree life approach, we combine both models and evaluate the role of grazing and herbaceous vegetation on woody recruitment in a Neotropical savanna dominated by Vachellia caven , a successful and widely spread encroacher tree species. We performed three experiments to evaluate seed predation, seedling emergence and survival of V. caven by manipulating cattle grazing (grazed and ungrazed areas) and herbaceous vegetation presence (vegetated and unvegetated). Finally, we combined the results of the three experiments to estimate the probability of plant recruitment across these experimental factors. Grazing decreased seed predation by half, did not modify seedling emergence and decreased seedling survival. Herbaceous vegetation did not affect seed predation nor seedling emergence rate, but increased seedling survival. Overall, the net effect of grazing on V. caven recruitment was neutral since the increase in seed availability due to the reduction in seed predation rate was compensated by the negative effect of grazing on seedling survival. Our analysis revealed that cattle grazing and herbaceous vegetation had contrasting effects on the seed and seedling life stages. We propose that in order to restrain the early stages of encroachment, cattle grazing pressure could be managed following the seasonality of demographic tree transitions. Through rotational grazing amongst paddocks, stocking rates could be relaxed during the primary dispersal stage to maximize granivory, and then increased to enhance the chance of seedling consumption and trampling. [Display omitted] • Woody encroachment drivers change whit the encroacher's life stage. • Cattle increased seed availability by a negative effect on seed predation rate. • Cattle decreased seedling survival through consumption and trampling. • Woody encroachment could be limited through rotational grazing amongst paddocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to produce a Theileria-free grazing system for Holstein heifers reared on a dairy farm in the Hita area, Kyushu, Japan. In the grazing area, spreading of T. orientalis infection was confirmed in 2009. To eradicate the T. orientalis infection, four measures were conducted: 1) 7-year deferred grazing; 2) grazing only T. orientalis-uninfected heifers; 3) anemia check by red blood cell parameters at least once per month; and 4) protecting heifers from bloodsucking T. orientalis-infected ticks. Grazing was restarted in 2017 in the same area and continued to 2021. During last 2 years of pasturing (2020-2021) all of the 129 heifers were confirmed to be T. orientalis-free. In summary, it is possible to establish a T. orientalis-free grazing system by conducting appropriate measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody plant encroachment – the conversion of open grasslands and savannas to woodlands – represents one of the gravest threats to grassland biomes worldwide. This is especially true for the Great Plains of the US. We contend that the widespread adoption of pyric herbivory (the synergistic application of fire and grazing) and mixed‐species grazing (cattle [Bos taurus] and goats [Capra spp]) would not only make grasslands and savannas more resilient to woody plant encroachment but would also enhance the profitability and resiliency of livestock production systems. These management strategies control woody plants, increase biodiversity, improve grassland ecosystem function, and favor livestock production. Although this management paradigm holds tremendous potential by mimicking original grassland disturbance regimes, it has not been widely adopted because of cultural constraints. Saving the remaining natural grasslands in the Great Plains and elsewhere will require a widespread shift in cultural norms – facilitated by targeted government incentives and a coordinated program of regional research, extension, and education that involves farmers and ranchers as key stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colchicum luteum is currently a rare and threatened medicinal plant species in the Kashmir Himalaya. Due to the subsequent increase in anthropogenic pressure on medicinal plant species, it is imperative to understand the phytosociological and conservational status of the plant in its natural habitat. The objectives of this study were analysed in year 2018–2019 on the phytosociological data, viz. density, frequency, and abundance, as well as the rhizospheric soil microbial diversity of C. luteum in disturbed and undisturbed areas of the Kashmir Himalaya. We examined the distribution pattern, phytosociological data, and conservation status of C. luteum by analysing ecological features like abundance, frequency, and density in all three selected locations in Kashmir, Northern India and were found maximum values at Undisturbed areas. The highest values of density (3.24 ± 0.69 m2), frequency (57.77 ± 13.55%), and abundance (5.49 m2) were recorded at undisturbed site Harwan. The total bacterial count (CFU) and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) spore population from the rhizospheric soil of C. luteum were also analysed, with higher bacterial count i.e., Pseudomonas, Azatobacter, Rhizobium and PSB were (26.2 ± 0.648) (21.88 ± 0.675) (30.11 ± 0.576) and (14.11 ± 0.671) and VAM spore population (g−1) of soil recorded 6.36 ± 0.550 at undisturbed areas viz. Harwan. The bacteria and fungi are likely keystone organisms that form an interface between soils and plant roots. Mutualistic associations with host plants have been observed in various natural and agricultural ecosystems. The present findings could be helpful in formulating conservation strategies for C. Luteum threatened and endangered medicinal plant present in North western Himalayan regions. The plant in disturbed areas that are affected by anthropogenic activities like tourism, grazing, deforestation, urbanization, transport etc. impacts on phytosociological and soil microbial patterns in the area. Because of these abiotic pressures, causes a reduction in plant cover in forest regions, soils become exposed, affecting soil microbial health. Therefore, the study shows the necessity for best practices for medicinal plant and forest management that provide effective monitoring and regulation of human activities in the offshore forest regions and avoid the intrusion of existing reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of forest degradation, along with deforestation, is the second greatest producer of global greenhouse gas emissions. A key challenge that remains unresolved is how to quantify the critical threshold that distinguishes a degraded from a non‐degraded forest. We determined the critical threshold of forest degradation in mature stands belonging to the temperate evergreen rain forest of southern Chile by quantifying key forest stand factors characterizing the forest degradation status. Forest degradation in this area is mainly caused by high grading, harvesting of fuelwood, and sub‐canopy grazing by livestock. We established 160 500‐m2 plots in forest stands that represented varied degrees of alteration (from pristine conditions to obvious forest degradation), and measured several variables related to the structure and composition of the forest stands, including exotic and native species richness, soil nutrient levels, and other landscape‐scale variables. In order to identify classes of forest degradation, we applied multivariate and machine‐learning analyses. We found that richness of exotic species (including invasive species) with a diameter at breast height (DBH) < 10 cm and tree density (N, DBH > 10 cm) were the two composition and structural variables that best explained the forest degradation status, e.g., forest stands with five or more exotic species were consistently found more associated with degraded forest and stands with N < 200 trees/ha represented degraded forests, while N > 1,000 trees/ha represent pristine forests. We introduced an analytical methodology, mainly based on machine learning, that successfully identified the forest degradation status that can be replicated in other scenarios. In conclusion, here by providing an extensive data set quantifying forest and site attributes, the results of this study are undoubtedly useful for managers and decision makers in classifying and mapping forests suffering various degrees of degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We use a simple model of coupled carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems to examine how "explicitly representing grazers" vs. "having grazer effects implicitly aggregated in with other biogeochemical processes in the model" alters predicted responses to elevated carbon dioxide and warming. The aggregated approach can affect model predictions because grazer‐mediated processes can respond differently to changes in climate compared with the processes with which they are typically aggregated. We use small‐mammal grazers in a tundra as an example and find that the typical three‐to‐four‐year cycling frequency is too fast for the effects of cycle peaks and troughs to be fully manifested in the ecosystem biogeochemistry. We conclude that implicitly aggregating the effects of small‐mammal grazers with other processes results in an underestimation of ecosystem response to climate change, relative to estimations in which the grazer effects are explicitly represented. The magnitude of this underestimation increases with grazer density. We therefore recommend that grazing effects be incorporated explicitly when applying models of ecosystem response to global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland restoration is gaining momentum worldwide to tackle the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Restoration methods and their effects on ecological community reassembly have been extensively studied across various grassland types, while the importance of post‐restoration management has so far received less attention. Grassland management is an important surrogate for natural disturbances, with which most ancient grasslands have coevolved. Thus, without the reintroduction of management‐related disturbance, restoration targets are unlikely to be achieved in restored grasslands. In this study, we aimed to explore how 20 yr of management by mowing once a year or light cattle grazing affects restoration success in Palearctic meadow‐steppe grasslands restored by either sowing native grasses (sown sites), applying Medicago sativa as a nurse plant (Medicago sites), or allowing spontaneous succession (spontaneous sites). We found that, following mowing, sown sites maintained long‐lasting establishment limitation, while Medicago sites experienced a delay in succession. These limitations resulted in low total and target species richness, low functional redundancy, and distinct species and functional composition compared to reference data from ancient grasslands. Spontaneous sites that were mowed reached a more advanced successional stage, although they did not reach reference levels regarding most vegetation descriptors. Sown and Medicago sites that were grazed had higher total and target species richness than those that were mowed, and showed restoration success similar to that of spontaneous sites, on which grazing had only moderate further positive effects. Grazed sites, irrespective of the restoration method, were uniformly species rich, functionally diverse, and functionally redundant, and thus became important biodiverse habitats with considerable resilience. We conclude that an optimally chosen post‐restoration management may have an impact on long‐term community reassembly comparable to the choice of restoration method. Restoration planners may, therefore, need to put more emphasis on future management than on the initial restoration method. However, our findings also imply that if local constraints, such as potentially high invasive propagule pressure, necessitate the application of restoration methods that could also hinder the establishment of target species, the long‐term recovery of the grassland can still be ensured by wisely chosen post‐restoration management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of MESO is the property of Zadruzna Stampa D.D. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)