Recovery and germinability of seeds ingested by yaks and Tibetan sheep could have important effects on the population dynamics of alpine meadow plants on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Yu ◽  
Changlin Xu ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Zhanhuan Shang ◽  
Ruijun Long

Seed dispersal by livestock in lowland rangelands has received attention from researchers in recent decades while there has been little research into the dispersal of alpine meadow plants’ seed after ingestion by yaks and Tibetan sheep. This study assessed the recovery and germination of seeds by feeding known quantities of seeds from 20 alpine meadow species to yaks and Tibetan sheep. Seeds from 18 out of 20 of the plant species fed to Tibetan sheep survived ingestion and defecation. All of the species fed to the yaks survived. The recovery rate of undamaged seed ranged from 0.4 to 58.4% for yaks and 0.0 to 28.1% for Tibetan sheep. In general, total recovery of ingested seeds from yaks (28.1%) was significantly higher than that from the sheep (9.4%). Passage time of seeds through the digestive tract ranged from 12 to 96 h for yaks and from 12 to 84 h for Tibetan sheep. Seed recovery was negatively related to seed length (yak, r = –0.59; Tibetan sheep, r = –0.52) but was not related to seed width, seed thickness and seed mass. Seeds defecated by yaks and Tibetan sheep were found to have a range of germination rates which were both higher and lower compared with undigested seed depending on the plant species. It is argued that ingestion of seed by grazing yak or Tibetan sheep may have important effects on the population dynamics of alpine plant species of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minghua Song ◽  
Yuqiang Tian ◽  
Xingliang Xu ◽  
Qiwu Hu ◽  
Hua Ouyang

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Xiao ◽  
Tao Zhang ◽  
Jay Peter Angerer ◽  
Fujiang Hou

Under the combined effect of stocking rate and grazing season, it is very significant to ascertain whether there is a quantitative relationship between plant community characteristics, chemical composition of forage, and grazing behaviors of Tibetan sheep to better utilize native pasture in the northeast region of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The two consecutive year observation experiments on Tibetan sheep’s grazing behavior were conducted to evaluate the above-stated relationships between stocking rates of 8 sheep/ha and 16 sheep/ha stocking rates in the both the warm and cold seasons. The results demonstrated that at 8 sheep/ha or in the warm season, due to better forage quality, Tibetan sheep had higher herbage mass, forage crude protein (CP) concentration, CP intake, dry matter intake (DMI), and interval between feed boluses and total number of steps, as well as lower fiber concentration than that at 16 sheep/ha or in the cold season. Diurnal intake rate and walking velocity while intaking increased as both average daylight ambient temperature and relative humidity rose. Using the CP concentration, acid detergent fiber (ADF) concentration, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration, and forage metabolic energy (ME) to predict grazing behavior yielded the best fit equation for Tibetan sheep. For local herdsmen to sustainably use the alpine meadow, 8 sheep/ha in the warm season should be considered as the better grazing condition for preventing grassland degradation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Yu ◽  
Chunhua Duan ◽  
Changlin Xu ◽  
Degang Zhang ◽  
Juan Jin

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shulin Wang ◽  
Weihua Lu ◽  
Narkes Waly ◽  
Chunhui Ma ◽  
Qianbing Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractEndozoochorous dispersal of seeds by livestock has long attracted the attention of grassland scientists. However, little is known about seed dispersal after ingestion by Kazakh sheep on dry grasslands in the Tianshan Mountains. The objective of this experiment was to learn more about the recovery and germinability of seeds from 17 plant species after either actual or simulated ingestion (i.e. insertion through a rumen fistula) by Kazakh sheep. The passage time of seeds through the sheep gut ranged from 12 to 96 h. More than 80% of all recovered seeds were defecated 24–48 h after ingestion. The mean retention time of seeds in the gut ranged from 27.3 to 42.2 h. Seed recovery percentage ranged between 12.6 and 17.6% for leguminous species and between 0.8 and 3.2% for gramineous species. Seed recovery percentage was positively correlated with seed mass, but negatively correlated with seed shape. The germination percentages of the gramineous species were greater in the non-ingested treatment (66–98%) than in the simulated ingestion treatment (3–10%). In contrast, for leguminous species, seed germination percentages were greater in the simulated ingestion treatment (23–70%) than in the non-ingested one (5–12%). Seed germination percentage after simulated ingestion was positively correlated with seed mass, but negatively correlated with seed shape. In conclusion, leguminous seeds were more likely than gramineous ones to pass through the gut of Kazakh sheep and then germinate. Free-ranging Kazakh sheep can contribute to the spread of plant species, especially leguminous species, in the Tianshan Mountains.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shulin Wang ◽  
Fu-Jiang Hou

Abstract AimsViable seeds in herbivore dung constitute the dung seed bank, and the contribution of livestock dung to this seed bank in grazing pastures is often overlooked. Grazing season (warm and cold), seed characteristics (mass and shape), and forage preference are the main factors that affect the size and composition of the dung seed bank and ultimately affect grassland ecology. However, how these three factors interact is unclear. Methodswe collected yak dung as well as seeds of the common plant species from warm- and cold-season alpine meadows in northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and explored how grazing season (warm and cold), seed characteristics (size and shape) and foraging preferences (temporary cages method) affects yak dung seedling density, richness and diversity in an alpine pasture on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. ResultsForty-three plant species (mainly perennials) could germinate from yak dung. Dung seedling density, richness, and diversity did not differ significantly between the two grazing seasons. Small-to-medium-sized spherical seeds (seed mass < 10 mg, shape index < 0.5) had the greatest germination potential. ConclusionsYaks vary their forage preference depending on the season (phenological period), and endozoochory occurs throughout both grazing seasons. Seed shape and mass directly regulate the dung seedling density, richness, and diversity. Dung seedlings increase the heterogeneity of the aboveground vegetation near the microsites of the dung pieces and therefore promote grassland patching. Our study demonstrates that grazing season, seed characteristics, and yak forage preferences affect the dung seed bank in grazing ecosystems.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengxiang MOU ◽  
Geng SUN ◽  
Peng LUO ◽  
Zhiyuan WANG ◽  
Guangrong LUO

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