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Forbs and forage brassicas are non-traditional forage crops in northwestern Alberta, Canada. Ten forage brassicas (barkant turnips, bayou kale hybrid, daikon radish, collard, inka brand marrowstem kale, malwira turnip rape, purple top turnips, tillage radish, vivant hybrid cross and winfred) and four forbs (buckwheat, chicory, plantain and phacelia) were seeded on 25 May 2018 and 23 May 2019. The above-ground parts of plants were harvested for forage yield and nutritive quality on 15 August 2018 and 29 August 2019. Forage dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) respectively varied from 2953 to 10740 kg DM ha−1, 12.2–23.5% CP and 58.8–77.9% TDN. Some crops had no nitrate (ant-nutritional factor) detected, while six crops (bayou kale cross, chicory, phacelia, plantain, purple top turnips and tillage radish) had nitrate concentrations ranging 0.26–0.56%, considered toxic for beef cattle. In general, the brassicas and forbs investigated produced forage with high nutritional quality. Based on forage DM yield and nitrate level in the forage, the crops with the most attractive forage options that can provide alternative forage feed for beef cattle production from this study would be buckwheat, daikon radish, inka brand marrowstem kale and forage collards.

Threats to and violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) have been increasing around the world for the last two decades. This has prompted governments to implement initiatives to promote F...

The right to Freedom of Religion of Belief (FoRB) is a focus of increasing concern in academia and policy. A key disagreement is whether a universally recognized right to FoRB actually exists. This article explores this disagreement by considering global, universalist narratives and local, context-specific application of FoRB in India and Indonesia. We argue that the language of FoRB is not universal, but across different cultures, concepts and practices existsuch as honoring the traditions of others and living together in harmonythat are consistent with FoRB. Rather than insist on the language of FoRB, international actors should focus on these already existing practices.

This study investigates the recent invasion of exotic grasslands by coyote brush in La Jolla Valley, California. We test the "event dependent" hypothesis that mechanical disturbances during the past century were a key cause. To examine the relationship between past mechanical disturbances and vegetation dynamics we first conducted a review of the historical literature on practices of shrub removal and documented disturbance history using historical imagery. We next analyzed vegetation-cover change over time using remotely sensed imagery and a vegetation map to document the history of native shrub advancement into exotic grassland by species association. Finally, we determined the topographic characteristics associated with different phases of shrub advancement. We found that mechanical disturbances historically varied by topography with upper and steeper slopes being least intensively disturbed. We found that shrub advancement rates, following release from grazing, varied by slope, elevation, and time period, and that Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush) was the main species to invade the more intensively disturbed sites at lower elevations. Our results indicate that mechanical disturbances played an important role in modifying the original vegetation cover with long-lasting consequences, including a facilitating role for the subsequent Baccharis pilularis invasion. We concluded that the practice of grazing often included exotic mechanical disturbances that had long-lasting impacts on native plants. Keywords: Baccharis pilularis, California sage scrub, invasive species, native invasives, grazing. Anthropogenic disturbance is a leading cause of biodiversity loss worldwide often resulting in the destruction or removal of native vegetation while facilitating the establishment of exotic invasive species (Gaston 2005, Simberlof 2013). Once established, invasives may persist on the landscape and prevent the reestablishment of native species through self-regulatory mechanisms. For example, the establishment of exotic annual grasses in shrubland areas of the western United States has increased fire frequency perpetuating exotic dominance (Keeley 2001). Exotic annual grasses now cover large areas of southern California that were once stands of native California sage scrub (CSS), or a mixture of CSS and native perennial grasses and forbs (Westman 1981; Freudenberger and others 1987; Minnich 2008). (1) These landscapes were invaded and replaced by exotic grasses of mostly European origin (Burcham 1957; Stromberg and others 2007). As Richard Minnich has argued, there were two waves of exotic grass invasion. The first occurred when grazing was heaviest prior to the late nineteenth century. The second wave occurred in the early twentieth century, commensurate with a gradual decline in grazing and focused on the interior of California as invasives spread onto CSS-covered hillsides where they persist (Minnich and Dezzani 1998; Minnich 2008). William Bond and Brian van Wilgen offer three hypotheses for vegetation cover changes that are useful for theorizing the causes of nonnative persistence on the landscape in fire prone environments (1996). The "event-dependent" hypothesis argues that vegetation-cover fluctuations are driven by the unique circumstances of a fire, such as fire intensity or postfire climate. The "fire-interval" hypothesis sees variation in the fire return interval as the main cause of vegetation response to fire; for instance, too frequent fire can cause a shift in vegetation cover. The "self-regulatory" hypothesis contends that changes in populations are regulated, not by extrinsic factors, but by internal density-dependent controls--consider that the rapid growth of annual grasses prevent native shrubs from accessing key resources, such as water. To these Jon Keeley and others (2005) add a fourth, the "environmental-filter" hypothesis, which argues that postfire changes in Californian shrublands are regulated by spatially variable extrinsic environmental factors. …

The sweet-clover vetch (Vicia pulchella) is generally a forb or herbaceous species native to the United States, used in farming as a forage plant. In this study, we examined the seeds of the two su...

In arid Australia, the antiquity, role and ecological contexts of ‘firestick’ farming in seed-based foraging economies remain unclear. We use Landsat imagery to analyse effects of contemporary Martu hunting fires on seed-bearing grasses and forbs. Today, Martu rarely harvest wild seeds but inadvertently foster patches of grass when they burn to hunt burrowing monitor lizards. Therefore, anthropogenic seed patches need only be by-products of fires set to achieve other goals rather than the intended crop of firestick farming. Nonetheless, sustained burning over the long-term creates and maintains closely juxtaposed mosaics of seed and small game patches. We use the marginal value theorem (MVT) to model how pre-contact foragers may have used seed patches within such mosaics in response to climate change and population growth. We show that seeds would have been reliably available to foragers in anthropogenic patches whenever small game hunting returns were low and travel distances to new hunting patch...

Capsule: Forb-rich and diverse, annually mown vegetation is the preferred Corncrake Crex crex breeding habitat in floodplains.Aims: To identify habitat preferences of female Corncrakes and characteristics of breeding sites in floodplain habitats and derive recommendations for management.Methods: We tracked six female Corncrakes and compared vegetation characteristics at 78 male calling sites with regard to breeding records and diurnal call activity of males, because we expect the latter to indicate female occurrence. Additionally, we analysed how practice and timing of land use in the preceding year affected vegetation structure.Results: Females preferred areas with high cover of forbs and a distinct relief heterogeneity, which was associated with overall vegetation diversity. All calling sites with breeding records and diurnal call incidence of males showed high forb and low sedge cover, low litter heights and a close location to ditches. Favourable conditions were best provided by mowing in the ...

Capsule: Habitats used by Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus chicks for feeding are significantly different to those used by adults for feeding and nesting.Aim: To identify habitats used by breeding Whimbrel on Mainland Shetland.Methods: Fourteen study sites were used to identify three main components of Whimbrel breeding habitats: (i) adult territorial and foraging habitats; (ii) nest site habitats; (iii) chick feeding habitats. The relationship between these components was investigated using principal components analysis.Results: Habitats used by adults comprised blanket bog dominated by ling heather, cross-leaved heath, common cottongrass, hare’s-tail cottongrass, deergrass and purple moor-grass. There was a thick layer of bryophytes but few forbs. Habitat used for nesting was similar to the general habitat used by adults. The habitats in which Whimbrel chicks foraged were significantly different in structure from the habitats used by adults. The chick feeding areas were characterized by small, wet and...

Background: Alpine plants on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau are exposed to an extremely harsh environment, namely severe cold, strong ultraviolet radiation, hypoxia and low CO2 partial pressure. These conditions are sources of oxidative stress, which increase in severity with increasing elevation.Aims: To examine whether antioxidant capacity and chemical composition of alpine plants change with increasing elevation.Methods: We measured the Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and chemical composition of five alpine plant species at 3016, 3814 and 4621 m a.s.l.Results: With increasing elevation: (1) the TEAC increased and total phenols and tannins tended to increase in two forb and two shrub species but not in a sedge species; (2) concentrations of protein and fat increased in all five plant species; (3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased and (4) mineral concentrations tended to decrease, but trends were inconsistent.Conclusions: We conclude that with increasing elevation, TEAC and total ph...

One of the management operations in rangeland ecosystems for pastures restoration and improvement is fertilizer application. This study was designed to investigate the effect of fertilizer (50 kg/ha urea and ammonium phosphate fertilizers) on species diversity changes in a 100-ha experimental field of Salmechal Rangeland, Golestan Province. Plant species mean canopy cover was recorded using a 50-m2 sampling plot. Statistical analysis was performed using Excel 2007 and PAST software. Fertilizer application increased the number of species present in the region from 21 to 51 and the plant families from 11 to 23. The forbs had the highest proportion (54.91%) and bushes and shrubs had the lowest percentage in the region. Fertilizer application increased plant diversity, uniformity, and coverage of the grasses. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) between the grass and forbs coverage before and after fertilizer treatments. The results showed that the biological and physiological growth periods ...

Burrowing mammals can be ecosystem engineers by increasing soil aeration and erosion and altering the structure of plant communities. Studies that characterize the constraints on the distributions of fossorial mammal disturbances to soil can help predict changes in ecosystem engineering under future climates. We quantified the density of soil disturbances caused by Thomomys talpoides (northern pocket gopher) over replicate elevation gradients spanning 2,700���4,000 m a.s.l. in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, USA. As a conceptual framework for predicting biogeographic variation in soil disturbance, we used the abundant center hypothesis (ACH), which proposes that species abundance declines monotonically away from the most abundant location in its distribution, with the assumption that ecosystem engineering scales with gopher abundance. We also evaluated the relative importance of abiotic and biotic variables as correlates of soil disturbance. Gopher disturbance peaked at mid elevations (~3,150 m), supporting the ACH. The best model for predicting gopher-caused soil disturbance contained both abiotic and biotic variables, with increased soil disturbance where mean annual temperature, forb cover, and plant diversity were greatest. Results suggest that mountain ecosystems may experience increases in gopher-caused soil disturbance as climate warms, possibly accompanied by increases in plant diversity and forb cover.

Capsule House Sparrows preferred millet over seeds of prairie forbs and grasses native to the USA. By reducing the abundance and availability of some grains, changing agricultural practices may contribute to the population declines of House Sparrows seen in some parts of their range.

Capsule Reintroduced Great Bustards achieve dietary and habitat diversity despite living in an intensive agricultural setting. Aims To investigate dietary composition and habitat use of reintroduced Great Bustards Otis tarda released in southwest England and the impact of supplemental feed on autumn dietary selection. Methods Faecal samples were collected from a mixed group of free-ranging bustards without (July 2012, May, September, and November 2013) and with (October and December 2012) access to supplemental feeds. Concurrently, diurnal land use observations were recorded for all months but September and December. Composite monthly faecal samples were micro-histologically analysed to assess dietary composition. Year-round landscape-level habitat use was determined using re-sightings and satellite telemetry data for birds surviving more than 182 days post-release. Generalized linear models were used to test for differences in habitat selection across the year, by sex and within and outside release areas for each habitat type, and habitat diversity was quantified using the Shannon–Weaver Index. Results Dietary composition varied depending on plant availability and phenological stage, and invertebrates were rarely selected. Agricultural crops – primarily oil-seed rape, mustard, barley grass, lucerne, and barley seed – comprised the bulk of the diet, but grassland and weedy forbs were always important secondary foods (>25%), except when provided extruded pellets. Monthly changes in habitat use suggest sex-based habitat segregation, with females living in higher habitat diversity settings. Grasslands were used across the year. When supplemental food was provided, it came to dominate dietary intake. Conclusion Great Bustards can adapt to an intensive agricultural setting, but require unrestricted access to adjacent grasslands. They would be best served with small-scale habitat mosaics. If supplemental foods are to be provided to juvenile birds, quantities must be limited and the birds weaned off before dispersal to maximize reintroduction success.

Warming temperatures in the Arctic are resulting in greater plant growth, particularly deciduous shrubs, in a phenomenon termed the “Greening of the Arctic.” Local expansion of deciduous shrubs is most likely resulting from vegetative growth, while the contribution of recruitment from seed is unknown. Here we compare seeds dispersed from plant communities created by experimental nutrient addition for 5 or 22 years with those from a community of sedges, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs at ambient soil nutrients. Nutrient addition decreased species richness and diversity and shifted the plant community toward dominance by dwarf birch, Betula nana, and a forb, Rubus chamaemorus. Generally, the composition of the seed rain resembled the adjacent plant community for deciduous shrubs, but not for other growth forms. Total seed abundance and proportion and total abundance of deciduous shrub seeds were greater adjacent to plots fertilized for 22 years. The deciduous shrub seed response was driven b...

Capsule Composition of Yellowhammer diet differed significantly between two major habitat categories: semi-natural (fallow lands, abandoned grassland and road verges) and agricultural habitats (managed fields, stubble fields and manure heaps). Semi-natural habitats and winter stubble fields were important sources of non-cereal plant food and plant parts of cereals were the staple diet in fallow lands, managed fields and manure heaps.Aims To determine the composition of the winter diet and food niche of Yellowhammers feeding on various farmland habitat types characteristic of lowland agricultural areas in Central Europe.Methods Diet was determined on the basis of faecal sample analysis. Multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis and two measures of diversity (Shannon Diversity Index and Berger–Parker Index of Dominance) were used to assess the variation in contribution of various plant parts of dicotyledons (henceforth referred to as forbs), wild grasses and cereals in the diet.Results...

Lactating Boer does grazing grass/forb pastures were used in a 16-wk study starting 22 days after birth. Treatments were no supplementation (CO), access to a 20% crude protein supplement block (SB), and placement in a supplement pasture with mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) trees for 6 h 1 day/wk (1X) or twice weekly for 3 h/day (2X). Available forage dry matter in nonsupplement pastures ranged between 2423 and 3477 kg/ha. Treatment did not affect doe average daily gain (ADG), although kid ADG in the first 12 wk differed (P

The diversity of natural enemies harboured by flowering forbs on rice field bunds was recorded. Ageratum conozoides with a maximum Shannon diversity index of 1.8 followed by Acmella uliginosa, Eclipta alba and Tridax procumbens are amenable for ecological engineering, providing nectar, pollen and alternate prey to natural enemies.

Herbicide application on permanent grassland to reduce weeds and improve forage quality is common agricultural practice. However, it still remains unclear how long it takes for the herbicide-disturbed swards to recover in terms of yield and forage quality. In a removal experiment in the Solling Uplands (Germany), the sward composition of permanent grassland had been manipulated by herbicides in order to obtain either relatively pure grass swards or swards with comparatively large amounts of forbs and legumes, in addition to untreated control swards. The short-term resilience of these sward types was examined under a gradient of management intensity regulated by both cutting regime and fertilizer supply. In the next growing season, the yield did not differ among any of the three sward types regardless of the management regime. All disturbed swards showed a complete recovery in terms of biomass. Yield was only influenced by functional sward characteristics across all disturbance treatments; the gro...

Scottish alpine vegetation is subject to constantly changing pressures from grazing and from climatic shifts but there has been no long-term field study of the consequences. In 1987, permanent plots were set up at Ben Lawers in the Scottish Highlands to examine the effects of protection from sheep-grazing on the population size of the rare annual Gentiana nivalis L. and on the alpine dwarf-herb vegetation among which it grows. The botanical composition of grazed and ungrazed vegetation was recorded annually from 1987 to 1996. Then grazing was restored on the ungrazed plots. The vegetation was recorded again in 2010 and the results compared with the 1996 data. Decreases in vegetation height and the amount of plant litter as well as increases in the cover of annual forbs and of bryophytes followed from the restoration of grazing in 1996. This is consistent with the hypothesis that sheep-grazing may help to maintain the dwarf-herb vegetation. However, in continuously grazed vegetation, the cover of graminoids, annual forbs and bryophytes increased, while that of bare ground decreased between 1996 and 2010. This finding suggests that an increasingly warm and prevailingly wet climate is linked with the spread of graminoids and bryophytes and eventually may alter the characteristics of the dwarf-herb vegetation.

The natural diet of khulan (Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775) was observed over the period of a year in northern Xinjiang, China, using faecal analysis. The winter food habits of the khulan and domestic sheep were also compared. The faecal analysis method demonstrated that khulan ate 46 species of plants during the year. Diets varied seasonally, with the widest food breadth in winter (0.43) and the least in summer (0.10). Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae were major foods of khulan, and during spring, forbs were quite important as well. In contrast, Stipa glareosa was preferred during spring and summer, but consumed less during autumn and winter. Shrubs dominated the khulan's natural diet during autumn and winter. The dietary overlap between khulan and domestic sheep was 48.3% during winter. As a grazer living in arid environments, khulan ate more shrubs than other equids living in grassland, and their winter diet was an adaptation to avoid competition from domestic sheep. The number of sheep in the reserve ...

Thinnings using cut-to-length and whole-tree harvesting systems followed by prescribed underburning were assessed for their effects on shrub, forb, and grass understory species in a second-growth Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) stand. Prior to treatment installation, a mixed shrub-dominated understory featuring antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata [Pursh] DC.) with mules ears (Wyethia mollis A. Gray) as the only forb and Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) the most prominent among sparse grasses was inventoried such that both percent cover and dry weight by species were revealed. Five growing seasons after thinning and four after underburning, this inventory was repeated. By either abundance measure, bitterbrush was reduced by approximately two-thirds in the cut-to-length treatment and by one-half in the whole-tree treatment in comparison to that in the unthinned control at the final inventory. For the cut-to-length treatment, a similar reduction in mules ears was noted, but that in ...

An experimental restoration in Wisconsin planted in 1986 tested the hypothesis that growing-season fire maintained richness of native herbaceous dicots (forbs). Replicated plantings were burned in May or July, or left unburned, every third year from 1989 to 2004 and monitored for differences in cover and richness through 2006. Native forb richness was higher in burned than unburned plots, with greatest richness following July burns. Two seasons after the 2004 fires, counts averaged 2 more native forb species in replicates burned in July than those burned in May and 4 more species in replicates burned in July than those left unburned. The strongest statistical response to fire season was higher richness of early-flowering species in replicates burned in July, largely attributable to early-flowering forbs planted in 1986 that persisted better after July burns than in other treatments. Spring fire increased cover of late-flowering C4 grasses. As of 2006, C4 grasses accounted for 76% cover after May fires, 52% after July fires, and 39% in unburned plots. Replicates burned in July held more alien species for the first 12 y, after which alien richness declined and differences among treatments disappeared. Summer fire best maintained richness of native, especially early-flowering, species.

To better understand how mammalian herbivory affects tallgrass prairie, I set up field exclosures to test effects of above-ground herbivory (AGH) (Bison bison L. is a potential above-ground herbivore), below-ground herbivory (BGH) (Geomys bursarius and Spermophilus tridecemlineatus are potential below-ground herbivores), and the interaction of the exclusion of both, on tallgrass prairie plant species, plant community parameters, and soil parameters in the Flint Hills of Northeastern Kansas. I found that (1) AGH reduced the cover of some forbs but increased the cover of others while both AGH and BGH decreased the cover of dominant C4 grasses, (2) no treatments significantly affected species richness but ABH reduced total cover and maximum height of the vegetation while BGH reduced species evenness and maximum height, and (3) no treatments affected soil pH or soil nitrogen but BGH reduced soil organic matter, soil phosphorus, and soil potassium. Whereas above-ground mammalian herbivory has significant effec...

Accumulated biomass of sown species and litter plays an important role in success of restoration projects. We studied the effects of litter and graminoid biomass on species richness and biomass of early colonising forbs in former alfalfa fields sown with seed mixtures containing seeds of native grass species (Festuca pseudovina, Festuca rupicola, Poa angustifolia, Bromus inermis, 2005). The amount of litter, forbs and graminoids was measured in the first 3 years after sowing (2006–2008). Ten aboveground biomass samples (20 cm × 20 cm) per field were collected in June every year. We found significantly lower forb biomass in the second and third year, than in the first year after sowing. Litter and biomass of graminoids increased significantly during the study, and correlated negatively with the biomass and species richness of forbs. Mean scores of litter and graminoid biomass were two to three times higher in sown fields than in native grasslands. Our results suggest that the accumulation of litte...

In the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, mean annual precipitation was found to be the dominant factor that correlated positively with species richness at the community level and for the perennial forb functional group. Shrub and semi-shrub functional group exhibited positive correlation with mean temperature of the coldest month.

Background: The Festuca ovina–Alchemilla alpina–Silene acaulis dwarf-herb community is a rare component of the few and scattered calcareous grasslands found at high altitude in the Scottish Highlands. It contains nationally scarce and rare arctic-alpine species. The community is often heavily grazed and it has been suggested that it is a plagioclimax maintained by herbivores, principally sheep. Aim: Determine the role of sheep grazing in conserving the dwarf-herb community on Ben Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland. Methods: Sheep-proof cages were erected each spring from 1987 to 1996 and dismantled again each autumn. Species cover, the height of the vegetation, the amount of litter and the extent of bare ground were estimated every summer. Data were analysed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Excluding sheep caused major shifts in the balance amongst species. Initially, graminoids and some forbs increased in cover, the vegetation increased in height and the amount of bare ground decreased. Howe...

The species composition of the soil seed banks and their distribution in the revegetated desert ecosystems were studied with the seedling emergence method around re-established Caragana korshinskii shrubs by comparing these with that of natural C. korshinskii shrubs patches, which grow under identical bioclimatic conditions. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the soil seed banks composition among the microhabitats in both areas, while the orientation effects were detected at the revegetated site, where the wind plays an important role in structuring the soil seed banks. There were more forb seeds in southeastern and southwestern directions of the C. korshinskii shrubs than in the northwest and northeast, and their abundance decreased from microhabitats under the shrub canopies, to the shrub edges, and to the intercanopy spaces. The grass seeds, by contrast, were most abundant at the intercanopy spaces, intermediate at the edges of the shrub canopies, and lowest at the centre ...

After 110 years of sustained fire suppression, the 2000 Jasper fire consumed about 33,785 ha (83,500 acres), or 12% of the Black Hills National Forest. We mapped the severity of the Jasper fire using Landsat imagery and then investigated post-fire vegetation regeneration conditions using field data, Quickbird imagery, and regression modeling. We found that fire scar and severity could be delineated and mapped accurately based on remotely sensed and field-acquired data. Results also revealed that vegetative recovery relative to burn severity, topography, and soil factors could be modeled effectively using local geographically weighted regression (GWR). Further regeneration assessment revealed that severely or heavily burned areas were more rapidly re-vegetated with grasses, forbs, and woody shrubs in the short term. The field survey showed that prescribed burns retard crown fires and that after eight years ponderosa pine seedlings have not re-established.

Beker, A., Gipson, T.A., Puchala, R., Askar, A.R., Tesfai, K., Detweiler, G.D., Asmare, A. and Goetsch, A.L. 2009. Effects of stocking rate, breed and stage of production on energy expenditure and activity of meat goat does on pasture. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 36: 159–174. Sixteen Boer and 16 Spanish multiparous does were used to determine how stocking rate (SR), breed and stage of production influence energy expenditure and behavioral activities on pasture and to develop a simple method of predicting energy used for activity. The experiment began in late spring at an average of 24 d after kidding. Litter size was two and kids were Boer and Spanish. Two does of each breed resided in eight 0.5-ha grass/forb pastures. There were five periods, 56, 60, 63, 64 and 73 d in length, corresponding to mid-lactation, early post-weaning, the late dry period, early gestation and mid-gestation. During period 1 and the first part of period 2, two additional does with kids of each breed grazed in four High SR pastur...

To analyse patterns of functional groups (life forms and palatability type) along an 8‐year succession of zokor (Myospalax fontanerii) mounds we conducted an investigation in a meadow on the Qinghai‐Tibetan plateau. Aboveground biomass of each life form showed a significantly different pattern along the successional status: annuals, grasses and sedges showed a linear trend, while forbs showed a non‐linear pattern. Species diversity also showed different patterns for the different life forms, and the order along the successional status was similar to biomass. The pattern of biomass for each palatability type along the successional status varied differently: the extremly palatable, moderately palatable and poisonous species showed a significantly increasing pattern along the successional status, the unpalatable species showed a decreasing pattern, and the highly palatable species showed a non‐linear pattern. Species richness for all palatability types showed a similar pattern, and their number of s...

Clemente F., Holechek, J. L., Valdez, R., Mendoza, G.D. 2009. Influence of range condition on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and cattle diets in southern New Mexico. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 36: 13–16. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of good (GC) and fair (FC) range condition classes on pronghorn and cattle diets. There was a higher preference for the GC (84%) than for the FC (16%) area (P

During 1998–1999 a severe drought occurred in northwestern Patagonia that provoked an extensive wildfire. We monitored vegetation cover and the soil seed bank to study the diversity and functional group gap dynamics in burned and unburned sites. Species were grouped into 3 functional groups: forbs, fugitive species, and annual grasses. Post-drought vegetation recovered quickly due to a rainy spring in the second year but decreased after a dry and warm spring in the third year. These patterns underline the close relationship that exists between phenological phases and meteorological variables. Drought decreased richness but did not affect the presence of stress-tolerant species, whereas fire increased richness by allowing the establishment of fugitive species. Species in the fugitive functional group may be fire adapted and depend on seed accumulation in the seed bank (storage effect) to coexist with other gap species. Forbs exhibited their highest vegetation cover and seed bank density in the un...

Understanding how grass species’ traits relate to their invasiveness and the invasibility of their monocultures can inform restoration of diverse grassland. We measured vegetative traits for 18 bunch grass species local to Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) and measured their competitive effect on a phytometer. Using 3 m × 3 m plots planted as monocultures 12 years earlier, we related principal components of these traits to how species had invaded other species’ plots (invasiveness), and how their monocultures had been invaded (invasibility). Species with high total leaf mass, many tillers and low specific leaf area (SLA) were most invasive and most resistant to invasion by other grasses. Short, slow-growing grasses were most invasible by forbs. This was partly explained by linking traits to invasion through competitive effect: grasses with high total leaf mass, many tillers and low SLA showed the strongest competitive effect, which appears to be necessary but not sufficient for invasiveness. Thus, traits can predict species’ ecological performance and provide insight into the processes structuring plant communities. Restoring grasses with short stature, slow growth, low leaf mass, few tillers, and high SLA may facilitate invasion by other native species, thereby increasing species richness.African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2009, 26(2): 59–68

The extent to which woody vegetation exhibits more expansive community structures and different relationships with environmental variables than herbaceous plants is poorly understood in savannas and barrens worldwide, especially those with shallow soils. We explored this question in oak barrens, which are savanna habitats characterized by shallow soils, in southern Ohio, USA. Groundcover plant aerial cover and environmental data were collected using 75 randomly located 1-m2 quadrats in 3 barrens. A combination of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and β-flexible cluster analysis revealed 3 distinct herbaceous plant assemblages that varied in abundances of C4 and C3 graminoid species and several forbs. Herbaceous vegetation patterns were correlated with soil acidity, soil depth, plant available water, and especially soil organic matter and quadrat slope. By contrast, woody plants were more widely distributed than herbs, and woody vegetation patterns were strongly correlated only with soil...

To investigate whether species other than perennial grasses may contribute to a more balanced trace element supply for livestock, three studies have been conducted in coastal areas of Norway. From two series of field trial samples of green fodder crops were collected. Fodder vetch, broad beans and lupin may improve the supply of Co but do not solve severe deficiencies. None of the investigated species appeared to have the potential to counterbalance severe deficiencies in Cu and/or Mo. In a third study, samples of common dicotyledonous forbs and leaves from trees were collected from semi-natural pastures. Rumex species and tree leaves were high in Co (0.39–1.1 mg Co kg DM−1) and may be good sources for Co to grazing animals. Ranunculus repens was relatively high in Cu (10–13 mg kg DM−1) whereas the Cu:Mo ratio was not consistently high. Tree leaves on the other hand, would counterbalance a low Cu:Mo ratio.

Australia’s only federally listed endangered samphire, the fan or bead samphire Tecticornia flabelliformis (Paul G.Wilson) K.A.Sheph. & Paul G.Wilson, is a small deciduous forb up to twenty centimetres high that is generally found growing in monospecific patches on clay pans or sabkhas directly behind coastal barrier dunes or on salt lakes further inland. The habitat requirements that control the distribution of fan samphires are poorly understood.During September 2004, thirty-six soil samples were collected from within and surrounding three stands of fan samphires near Gulf St Vincent, South Australia. Analysis of the samples showed that pH had the strongest association with the presence of fan samphires, with field moist chlorinity also strongly associated. Oven dried chlorinity and percentage moisture were not significantly different between sites with fan samphires and those sites without, although the fan samphires occurred on soils with a wider range for these parameters than the surrounding...

Scopolia carniolica is an orophilous forb widspread from the Eastern Italian border to the Caucasian regions, with some few disjointed populations in the Western Alps (Piedmont, NW Italy) at about 420 km from the nearest Eastern populations. The species is reported in Piedmont as a critically endangered species (CR). On the basis of the discovery of new populations, the synecological and syntaxonomical characteristics in the Western Alps have been studied. The Scopolia carniolica distribution area in the Western Alps is now estimated to be of almost 800 ha and total extant population size to be around 8.000–9.000 ramets. The species occurs mainly on highly shaded habitats, located on scree and boulder fields. In the Western Alps the vegetation could be ranked in a Corylus avellana community, referred to the central European Tilio platyphylli- Acerion pseudoplatani. Forest management planning should be encouraged with a conservational purpose, avoiding the alteration of the Corylus avellana canopy...

Prescribed fire is used to reduce woody plant and cactus cover and restore degraded rangelands in the southern Great Plains, but little is known regarding the impact of summer fires. We evaluated the effects of summer fires applied as patch burns in continuously grazed rangeland in north Texas. Vegetation and soil responses were measured on patches burned within grazing units in the summers of 1998, 1999, and 2000 relative to that on adjacent unburned control areas in the same grazing units. Annual rainfall during the study was below average for six burns (1998 and 1999) and average or above for three burns (2000). If average rainfall preceded and followed summer burning, degradation was limited to a modest increase in bare ground which recovered to exceed unburned control levels within 2 years. However, when drought conditions preceded and followed burning, there was an increase in bare ground and the proportion of annual forbs and annual grasses at the expense of perennial grasses. These areas took 3–5 ...

How the carbon balance of arctic ecosystems responds to climate warming will depend on the changes in carbon assimilation capacity of tundra plant species. Along with air and soil warming, one of the consequences of warming likely to be important for carbon assimilation of tundra plant species is an expected 40% increase in growing season length. We examined the effects of a lengthened growing season and soil warming on the photosynthetic capacity of seven tundra plant species from four growth forms that comprise >90% of the vascular cover of wet tussock tundra. Maximum photosynthetic capacity of these key species was relatively unchanged by the manipulation that significantly altered growing season length, active layer depth, and soil temperatures. Highest photosynthetic rates were found for the forb, Polygonum bistorta, and the lowest for dwarf evergreen shrubs. Seasonal patterns revealed that plants maintained relatively high light-saturated photosynthetic capacity (Amax) values throughout mos...

Models were developed to predict understory vegetation response to multi-nutrient fertilization at six conifer-forested stands in the inland Northwest United States. Equations are presented to estimate how fertilization as well as other factors impacting understory production in the inland Northwest change total understory vegetation production and the production of three individual lifeforms (shrubs, forbs, and grasses and grass-likes). Overstory stand density was found to have the greatest impact on understory production, and regardless of factors such as fertilization or precipitation, large stand densities will limit understory production. At lower stand densities, multi-nutrient fertilization as well as greater amounts of precipitation will increase understory production. These factors were also found to be synergistic; thus, greater amounts of precipitation increase the effects of multi-nutrient fertilization on understory production. For sites of the same stand density, Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] was shown to have a greater negative impact on understory production than ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.). The models predict that multi-nutrient fertilization of ponderosa pine stands will produce increases in understory production across a broader range of stand densities.

In a five year experiment the weight gain of a total of 106 steers on three grazing treatments was studied: Partial–Delay (delayed onset of grazing in part of the grazing area), Intermittent (grazing every second year) and Continuous (continuous yearly grazing). Daily weight gain of steers was similar between treatments during the first three years but lower (P

Evaluating forest ecological integrity remains a major challenge for ecologists. We analyzed understory vegetation using an approach that combined plant functional types and vertical stratification to evaluate the effects of human disturbances on the ecological integrity of sugar maple-dominated stands in southern Quebec. Ecological integrity was evaluated by analyzing the divergence of understory species assemblages from those observed in comparable unmanaged forest. Multivariate analyses of biological traits revealed 13 emergent groups that share common traits associated with a similar life history strategy. Responses of these groups, of specific traits, and of understory structure to different human disturbances were tested. Nine of the 13 emergent groups varied in occurrence or diversity among disturbance types. Analyses also revealed a set of traits specifically associated with unmanaged old growth forest, indicating that species possessing these traits may be sensitive to human disturbance....

1. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how feed intake of organic layers varies according to type of forage vegetation available when hens are fed a normal concentrate for organic layers or a nutrient-restricted diet with whole wheat and oyster shells, assuming that the nutrient-restricted diet would reflect the capacity of the hens to forage. 2. Two 23-d experiments were arranged with chicken runs in a 2 x 2 factorial design with two types of complementary feed (concentrate with 184 g/kg dry matter (DM) crude protein vs whole wheat with 120 g/kg DM crude protein) and two types of forage vegetation (grass/clover vs a mixture of forbs in experiment 1 and grass/clover vs chicory in experiment 2): each experiment was carried out in three replications. 3. Twice during each experiment two hens from each run were slaughtered - two in the evening and two the following morning. Subsequently, the birds' crops were removed. Crop content was separated into 8 fractions. 4. For most feed items crop content was found to be significantly higher in the evening than in the morning. 5. Complementary feed significantly influenced the content of several feed items in the crop. In both experiments wheat-fed hens had a significantly higher amount of soil in the crops and a significantly lower amount of weed seeds compared to the concentrate-fed hens. Plant material and grit stone were significantly more abundant in wheat-fed hens only in experiment 2 and numerically more abundant in experiment 1, whereas the amount of oyster shells was significantly higher in wheat-fed hens in experiment 1 and numerically higher in experiment 2. 6. Type of forage itself only significantly influenced the amount of soil in the crops in experiment 1 and amount of seeds in experiment 2, since more soil was found in hens foraging on the mixed forbs and more seeds were found in the hens foraging on the chicory plots, respectively.

The food and foraging strategies of the Lesser Rhea (Pterocnemia pennata) were studied in the high arid pampas of the Andean Precordillera in Mendoza, Argentina. The Lesser Rhea is primarily herbivorous and the composition of, and seasonal changes in, the diet were analysed in relation to the availability of vegetation. The analysis of vegetation and sampling of faeces were carried out in spring, summer and autumn 2002–03. Grasses and shrubs dominated the vegetation of the study area, while forbs and cactus (Cactaceae) were present only in low proportions. The main dietary component was leaf matter (94.30%), with the rest seeds (5.66%) and a small proportion of insects (0.03%). Stones constituted 2.24% of the dry weight of faeces. The diet included 70% of the available plant species in the area. Rheas showed a preference for forbs and shrubs in relation to the availability of these plant-types and, while grasses were the dominant plant-type in the environment, they were not selected in relation to their availability; Rheas showed no preference for cactuses. Dietary diversity (Shannon–Wiener index of diversity of plant species in the diet = 0.77) exceeded environmental diversity (Shannon-Wiener index = 0.29). The diet of the Lesser Rhea in the Andean Precordillera of Mendoza was almost completely herbivorous and generalist, although selective for some plant species, features that would constitute an adaptation to survive in this clearly arid environment.

Animut, G., Goetsch, A.L., Aiken, G.E., Puchala, R., Detweiler, G., Krehbiel, C.R., Merkel, R.C., Sahlu, T. and Dawson, L.J. 2007. Effects of pasture inclusion of mimosa on growth by sheep and goats co-grazing grass/forb pastures. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 31: 1–10. Effects of mimosa alley-cropped in grass/forb pastures on growth performance of co-grazing sheep and goat wethers were determined. Eighteen sheep (Katahdin) and eighteen goats (≥75% Boer blood), with BW of 22±0.3 and 21±0.2 kg, respectively, and age of 4 to 5 months were used. Wethers grazed 0.4-ha pastures of grasses andforbs for 16 weeks. Three pastures with alley-cropped mimosa (W) and three without (WO) were divided into four paddocks for 2-week rotational grazing. Based on mimosa leaf mass at the beginning of grazing periods and animal days, daily consumption of mimosa leaf DM averaged 47 g per animal, although mimosa leaf harvest was complete long before the end of the grazing periods. Mimosa leaf samples averaged 2.81, 37.8, and 85....

Tundra ecosystems are sensitive to disturbance and slow to recover. To account for environmental costs of development in the North, cumulative impacts of roads and dust deposition must be quantified. After a previous study, we re-examined tundra adjacent to the 577-km-long Dalton Highway in northern Alaska to assess 13 y of additional calcareous road dust deposition. Dust loading continues to alter substrate properties and community composition. Moist, acidic, tussock-sedge tundra typically has a soil pH of 4. At the road margin the pH of the fibric horizon had increased to pH 5.5 by 1989 and to pH 6.0 by 2002. Plots adjacent to the road have significantly higher graminoid and Rubus chamaemorus biomass and less moss, evergreen shrub, lichen, and forb biomass. Graminoid cover ranges from 30% in undisturbed tundra to over 80% within 5 m of the road. We observed an 80 g·m−2 increase in graminoid biomass and a 130 g·m−2 decline in moss biomass across the study site between 1989 and 2002. Ordinations ...

Heavy, increasing recreation on Colorado's high peaks has created numerous social trails requiring restoration. We studied success of turf transplants 3 yr after transplanting on Mount Belford in the Sawatch Range, and Humboldt Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Based on point-intercept data, sum of all vascular species' covers was 12% to 31% lower in transplanted plots than in control areas. We found no differences in canopy density and height between transplant and control plots on Mount Belford, while both were about 40% lower in transplants on Humboldt Peak. Species richness adjusted for plot size was slightly greater in transplant plots on Mount Belford and slightly lower on Humboldt Peak. On both peaks, we found greater absolute cover of grasses in transplant plots, while forb cover was lower. After 3 yr, turf transplants effectively established vegetation cover and maintained high species richness in these communities. Whenever turf is available, e.g., new trail construction, it should be...

In view of the increasing demand for forests resources, particularly fodder and fuel species, and the rapid loss of biodiversity from forests in the Indian Himalayan region, studies assessing diversity and extraction trends, species preference and probability of use (PU) in forests are urgently required. A new approach was used to examine extraction trends of fodder species in a botanical hot spot (Gori Valley) of Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Kumaun Himalaya, India. In all, 115 species from 100 genera and 51 families were found to be used as fodder, of which 39% were native to the Himalaya. Fodder is collected in winter and summer from woody species and in the rainy season from forbs and grasses. The low altitude village use pattern does not vary due to similarities in species and forest communities in this area, whereas it varied considerably at higher altitudes. Similar, the total number of species used was very low at both low and high altitude villages, whereas the quantity collected was very high in b...

The present paper describes vegetation heterogeneity at contrasting spatial scales in order to analyse patterns of floristic diversity and vegetation – environment relations in the Flooding Pampa grasslands of Argentina. The overall grassland flora contains a large proportion of exotic species, which are mostly annual forbs. At a regional scale, there is a latitudinal turnover in relative abundance of major grass tribes, and C3 grasses become increasingly common in grasslands at higher latitudes. The principal gradients in overall vegetation composition were associated with landscape-level changes in topography and soil chemistry. Both native and exotic species richness increased with topographic elevation, and markedly decreased in flood-prone habitats with acidic or saline soils. In remnants of tussock grassland, the predominant physiognomy of the Pampas in pre-settlement times, the presence of the tall native grass Paspalum quadrifarium is a strong determinant of local community structure, red...

We evaluated the importance of the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) in controlling plant species composition and richness in two alpine tundra plant communities. We hypothesized that forb diversity and relative abundance is modified by gopher mounding activities in moist meadows of Niwot Ridge, Colorado, U.S.A., where both the pocket gopher and forbs are most concentrated. We tested this hypothesis with simulated gopher mounds. Forbs recovered faster following burial than graminoids or cushion plants, demonstrating a resilience that we propose confers a competitive advantage over other growth forms and favors forb dominance in moist meadows. Gopher effects on species richness varied according to spatial scale of measurement and community type. For one decade we monitored the responses of a sedge-dominated community to gopher activity in 1.5 m2 plots that included both gopher mounds and intermound spaces and found that species richness was significantly positively correlated with recent...