scholarly journals Effect of terrain heterogeneity on feeding site selection and livestock movement patterns

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek W. Bailey ◽  
Mitchell B. Stephenson ◽  
Marco Pittarello

Feeding site selection is a critical part of livestock foraging that can constrain and/or increase the choices available during diet selection. When livestock choose new feeding sites, vegetation and nutrient profiles can differ from other areas, especially in heterogeneous environments with rugged terrain. Correspondingly, livestock should remain longer in feeding sites in rugged heterogeneous pastures than in homogeneous pastures where animals may alternate among feeding sites to facilitate diet mixing and to prevent satiation. The objective of this study was evaluate how terrain and corresponding heterogeneity may affect the sequence and pattern of feeding site selection of free-roaming livestock. Grazing patterns of mature cows were evaluated on six ranches located in Arizona, Montana and New Mexico. In total, 11–19 cows were tracked for 1–3-month periods at each ranch by using global positioning system (GPS) collars. Positions were recorded at 10- or 15-min intervals and used to identify where cows grazed during the early morning (0500 hours to 1000 hours). Pastures (336–9740 ha) at each ranch were divided into seven to nine sections (48–1082 ha) as an indicator of feeding sites. Classification was based on cattle density and topographical and vegetation types. Sequences of daily section selection were evaluated using transition matrixes. For all ranches, the sequence of section selection differed from what would be expected by chance, indicating that the section selected on the following day depended on the section selected on the previous day. For ranches with relatively gentle terrain, cattle selected different feeding sites ~70% of the tracking period. In contrast, cows at the ranch with the largest pasture and enclosing both mountainous and gentle terrain stayed in the same feeding site for over 10 successive days for 42% of the tracking period. Smaller pastures with only mountainous terrain were intermediate. Cows grazing gentle topography and relatively homogeneous vegetation alternated among feeding sites (sections in the present study) more frequently than cows grazing pastures with more rugged topography and more heterogeneous vegetation. This pattern could help livestock mix forages and select a more diverse diet.

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Sol ◽  
David M Santos ◽  
Mariano Cuadrado

Although age-specific habitat use has received much attention in recent years, the mechanisms that underlie ecological separation are not well known. This study examined the age-specific feeding site selection and its ecological mechanism in free-ranging Rock doves (Columba livia; referred to as pigeons). The distribution of age-classes at the feeding sites adjusted to a partially truncated distribution as follows: adults were consistently found more often than expected in the most rewarding feeding site, while juveniles were more often found in suboptimal sites. A removal experiment was conducted to determine whether competition accounted for the niche segregation between juvenile and adult pigeons. The reduction in intraspecific competition following removal was accompanied by an increased use of the preferred feeding site by juveniles. However, when the population recovered its initial size through immigration, juveniles were once again more frequently found in the suboptimal site. The proportion of juveniles feeding in each site was related to the total number of birds present; the higher the total number of birds, the higher the percentage of juveniles feeding in the less preferred site. These results support the idea that segregation between age-classes is due to competition by which adults displace juveniles from the richer foraging sites.


The Auk ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale L. Rabe ◽  
Harold H. Prince ◽  
Donald L. Beaver

Abstract Live-trapped, adult American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) were tested in a series of laboratory experiments designed to evaluate the role of soil as a proximal cue for selecting feeding sites and to investigate foraging strategies for capturing earthworms (Lumbricidae). Foraging trials were conducted in a circular arena and showed that color, which tends to be correlated with the soil types and moisture regimes preferred by earthworms, was an important proximal cue for selecting feeding sites. Woodcock captured earthworms most efficiently in areas of relatively high prey density, because they used a nonrandom search pattern following an initial capture.


animal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 991-999
Author(s):  
R.L. Wesley ◽  
A.F. Cibils ◽  
C.M. Black-Rubio ◽  
E.R. Pollak ◽  
S.A. Utsumi

2014 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estanislao Martín Díaz Falú ◽  
Miguel Ángel Brizuela ◽  
María Silvia Cid ◽  
Andrés Francisco Cibils ◽  
María Gabriela Cendoya ◽  
...  

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