Dietary overlap between cattle and chital in the Queensland dry tropics

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Watter ◽  
Greg S. Baxter ◽  
Anthony Pople ◽  
Peter J. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Axis Axis

Chital deer (Axis axis) are an ungulate species introduced to northern Queensland, Australia, in an environment where land is managed for large scale cattle production. Rainfall and pasture growth are markedly seasonal and cattle experience a nutritional shortfall each year before monsoon rain. The presence of chital is perceived by land managers to reduce dry-season grass availability and this study sought to estimate the potential effect of free-living chital on regional cattle production. Diet overlap was greatest during the wet season when both ungulates principally consumed grass, and least during the dry season when chital diet comprised only ~50% grass. Using local estimates for energy values of wet and dry season grass, and the maintenance energy requirements of chital and cattle, we estimated the relative dry-matter seasonal grass intakes of both ungulates. The grass consumed annually by 100 chital could support an additional 25 cattle during the wet season and an additional 14 cattle during the dry season.

Seasonal diet preferences of chital deer in the northern Queensland dry tropics, Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 211
Author(s):  
Kurt Watter ◽  
Greg Baxter ◽  
Michael Brennan ◽  
Tony Pople ◽  
Peter Murray
Keyword(s):  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Variable Environment ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Axis Axis ◽  
Plant Group ◽  
Diet Preference ◽  
Dry Seasons

Chital deer (Axis axis) were introduced to the Burdekin dry tropics of north Queensland, Australia, in the late 1800s. Here rainfall and plant growth are highly seasonal and a nutritional bottleneck for grazing animals occurs annually before the wet season. This study describes the seasonal changes in diet and diet preference of chital in this seasonally-variable environment. Rumen samples were taken from 162 deer from two sites over the wet and dry seasons of two consecutive years and sorted macroscopically for identification. Relative seasonal availability of plant groups was estimated using step point sampling of areas grazed by chital. Chital alter their diet seasonally according to availability and plant phenology. Chital utilised 42 plant genera including grasses, forbs, subshrubs, shrubs, trees and litter. Grass consumption ranged from 53% of biomass intake during the dry season to 95% during the wet season. The predominance of grass in the wet season diet exceeded relative availability, indicating a strong preference. Although grass contributed more than half of the dry season diet it was the least preferred plant group, given availability, and the least actively growing. Shrubs were the preferred plant type in the dry season, and least subject to seasonal senescence. Composition and quantity of seasonal pastures vary markedly in north Queensland, and chital alter their diet by consuming those plants most actively growing. The increased dry season intake of non-grass forage appears to be a strategy to limit the detriment resulting from the progressive deterioration in the quality of grass.

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in water quality and macrophytes and the impact of cattle on tropical floodplain waterholes

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 788 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. E. Pettit ◽  
T. D. Jardine ◽  
S. K. Hamilton ◽  
V. Sinnamon ◽  
D. Valdez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Aquatic Macrophyte ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
The Impact

The present study indicates the critical role of hydrologic connectivity in floodplain waterholes in the wet–dry tropics of northern Australia. These waterbodies provide dry-season refugia for plants and animals, are a hotspot of productivity, and are a critical part in the subsistence economy of many remote Aboriginal communities. We examined seasonal changes in water quality and aquatic plant cover of floodplain waterholes, and related changes to variation of waterhole depth and visitation by livestock. The waterholes showed declining water quality through the dry season, which was exacerbated by more frequent cattle usage as conditions became progressively drier, which also increased turbidity and nutrient concentrations. Aquatic macrophyte biomass was highest in the early dry season, and declined as the dry season progressed. Remaining macrophytes were flushed out by the first wet-season flows, although they quickly re-establish later during the wet season. Waterholes of greater depth were more resistant to the effects of cattle disturbance, and seasonal flushing of the waterholes with wet-season flooding homogenised the water quality and increased plant cover of previously disparate waterholes. Therefore, maintaining high levels of connectivity between the river and its floodplain is vital for the persistence of these waterholes.

Migratory Labour from North-Wester Nigeria

Africa ◽  
1957 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mansell Prothero
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
The North ◽  
The People ◽  
Limited Scale ◽  
Opening Paragraph

Opening ParagraphReaders of Africa will be well aware of population migration as a characteristic feature of a continent where movement between one part and another is largely unrestricted as compared with the more settled parts of the world. There is much evidence of large-scale tribal migrations in the past, of the age-old seasonal wanderings of herders, and of recent labour migration to centres of mineral and industrial production, the last particularly in Central and South Africa. Information is more limited concerning the features of labour migration in West Africa at the present day. In general it is thought that migrants leave their home areas, after the harvest at the commencement of the dry season, to seek work elsewhere for a period of from three to six months and then return to take up farming with the commencement of the next rains. The major source area for these migrants is to the north of the tenth parallel where the wet season is concentrated into a period of about four months, thus severely restricting agricultural activity. Cultivation during the dry season is possible only on a very limited scale. There is thus a considerable period of the year when the primary economic activity of the people is not possible. It is logical that they should seek work elsewhere.

Diet selection by cattle grazing Stylosanthes-grass pastures in the seasonally dry tropics: effect of year, season, stylo species and botanical composition

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 781 ◽  
Author(s):  
DB Coates
Keyword(s):  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Diet Selection ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Opportunity For Selection

The dietary preference of cattle grazing Stylosanthes-based pastures in the seasonally dry tropics of North Queensland was studied using faecal carbon ratios (S13C) to determine grass-legume proportions. Estimates were made at monthly intervals for several years in 1 experiment to determine the effect of year, season and botanical composition on dietary stylo proportions. In another experiment, the effect of stylo cultivars (Verano and Seca) on dietary preference was monitored for 17 months. Where pastures provided ample opportunity for selection, cattle showed a strong preference for grass in the early wet season and in the late dry season. The proportion of stylo in the diet increased during the wet season and reached peak proportions (as high as 80%) in the late wet season or early dry season. Dietary stylo proportions decreased as pastures dried off and as the stylo shed leaf or became more stemmy. The length of the wet season and the amount and distribution of rainfall had a major influence on the seasonal pattern of diet selection. Stylo rarely fell below 20% in the diet. On an annual basis, stylo accounted for about 45% of the diet which was appreciably higher than the proportion of stylo in the pasture. Dietary stylo proportions were higher on Seca-based pasture than on Verano-based pasture. The avoidance of stylo in the early wet season was less pronounced with Seca compared with Verano. Later in the season Seca was the dominant dietary component for a much longer period than Verano. The effect of botanical composition on dietary grass-legume proportions varied between and within years. Correlations between grass-legume proportions in the pasture and in the diet were highest in the late dry season and early wet season when preference for grass was strongest. At the end of the wet season when cattle preferred stylo, dietary stylo was not related to pasture stylo content except in a drought year. Averaged over the full year, dietary stylo content was significantly correlated with pasture stylo content in all years and the correlation was highest in a drought year when there was a high level of utilisation and less opportunity for selection. A simple model relating dietary stylo to pasture stylo was developed and is discussed.

scholarly journals Large-scale vertical velocity, diabatic heating and drying profiles associated with seasonal and diurnal variations of convective systems observed in the GoAmazon2014/5 experiment

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 14249-14264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaiqi Tang ◽  
Shaocheng Xie ◽  
Yunyan Zhang ◽  
Minghua Zhang ◽  
Courtney Schumacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Diurnal Variations ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Convective Systems ◽  
Heating Source ◽  
Seasonal And Diurnal Variations ◽  
Eddy Fluxes

Abstract. This study describes the characteristics of large-scale vertical velocity, apparent heating source (Q1) and apparent moisture sink (Q2) profiles associated with seasonal and diurnal variations of convective systems observed during the two intensive operational periods (IOPs) that were conducted from 15 February to 26 March 2014 (wet season) and from 1 September to 10 October 2014 (dry season) near Manaus, Brazil, during the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) experiment. The derived large-scale fields have large diurnal variations according to convective activity in the GoAmazon region and the morning profiles show distinct differences between the dry and wet seasons. In the wet season, propagating convective systems originating far from the GoAmazon region are often seen in the early morning, while in the dry season they are rarely observed. Afternoon convective systems due to solar heating are frequently seen in both seasons. Accordingly, in the morning, there is strong upward motion and associated heating and drying throughout the entire troposphere in the wet season, which is limited to lower levels in the dry season. In the afternoon, both seasons exhibit weak heating and strong moistening in the boundary layer related to the vertical convergence of eddy fluxes. A set of case studies of three typical types of convective systems occurring in Amazonia – i.e., locally occurring systems, coastal-occurring systems and basin-occurring systems – is also conducted to investigate the variability of the large-scale environment with different types of convective systems.

The influence of weather on the quality of tropical legume pasture during the dry season in northern Australia. III. Effects of digestibility and chemical composition

1989 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL McCown ◽  
BH Wall
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Pasture Legumes ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Dry Tropics

In the semi-arid tropics, accumulated shed leaf of certain pasture legumes can provide highly nutritious feed for cattle in the dry season. Previous papers in this series have dealt with the fungal spoilage of leaf of Caribbean stylo in response to dew and unseasonal rainfall and the threat to acceptability by cattle. This paper focuses on the effects of varying degrees of moulding and leaching on dry matter digestibility of leaf of this legume. Uniform leaf material of high digestibility was exposed at six locations during the dry season and samples retrieved at 4-weekly intervals. From initial values of 75%. in vitro digestibility dropped to as low as 50%. Degree of moulding, as indicated by a quantitative index of discoloration, accounted for about 80�/o of loss. Moulding was much more important than leaching. This latter finding in the winter-dry tropics contrasts with previous findings in the summer-dry Mediterranean climate.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Vertical Velocity, Diabatic Heating and Drying Profiles Associated with Seasonal and Diurnal Variations of Convective Systems Observed in the GoAmazon2014/5 Experiment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaiqi Tang ◽  
Shaocheng Xie ◽  
Yunyan Zhang ◽  
Minghua Zhang ◽  
Courtney Schumacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Diurnal Variations ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Convective Systems ◽  
Heating Source ◽  
Seasonal And Diurnal Variations ◽  
Eddy Fluxes

Abstract. This study describes the characteristics of large-scale vertical velocity, apparent heating source (Q1) and apparent moisture sink (Q2) profiles associated with seasonal and diurnal variations of convective systems observed during the two intensive operational periods (IOPs) of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) experiment, which was conducted near Manaus, Brazil in 2014 and 2015. The derived large-scale fields have large diurnal variations according to convective activity in the GoAmazon region and the morning profiles show distinct differences between the dry and wet seasons. In the wet season, propagating convective systems originating far from the GoAmazon region are often seen in the early morning, while in the dry season, they are rarely observed. Afternoon convective systems due to solar heating are frequently seen in both seasons. Accordingly, in the morning, there is strong upward motion and associated heating and drying throughout the entire troposphere in the wet season, which is limited to lower levels in the dry season. In the afternoon, both seasons exhibit weak heating and strong moistening in the boundary layer related to the vertical convergence of eddy fluxes. A set of case studies of three typical types of convective systems occurring in Amazonia – i.e., locally-occurring systems, coastal-occurring systems and basin-occurring systems – is also conducted to investigate the variability of the large-scale environment with different types of convective systems.

scholarly journals Dry matter yield and nutritional value of Marandu grass under nitrogen fertilization and irrigation in cerrado in São Paulo

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2598-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisângela Dupas ◽  
Salatiér Buzetti ◽  
André Luis Sarto ◽  
Fernando Braz Tangerino Hernandez ◽  
Antonio Fernando Bergamaschine
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Sprinkler Irrigation ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Acid Detergent Fiber

The aim of this study was to evaluate dry matter yield and nutritional value of palisade grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) using nitrogen doses and sprinkler irrigation in two periods of the year, aiming at reducing seasonality of forage production. It was used a randomized block design in a split-plot scheme, with five doses of nitrogen (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg/ha/cut), and the sub-plots were defined by the seasons of the year (wet and dry season), with and without irrigation. During the wet season, in the plots with and without irrigation, doses of 175 and 161 kg/ha/cut promoted the highest dry matter yields. During the dry season, 171 kg ha-1N with irrigation resulted in the highest dry matter yield. During the same season, there was no response to N fertilization in the lack of irrigation. Average contents of CP were 10% with and without irrigation. Contents of neutral detergent fiber decreased with nitrogen doses, while acid detergent fiber was not affected by fertilization. Plots under irrigation reached the maximal acid detergent fiber content at N dose of 60 kg ha-1. Irrigation promotes increase of 15% increase in dry matter yield and it increases contents of neutral detergent fiber.

Activity budgets of the agile wallaby, Macropus agilis

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon C. Stirrat
Keyword(s):  
Dry Season ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Nocturnal Foraging ◽  
Coordination Behaviour ◽  
Night And Day ◽  
Monsoon Rainforest ◽  
Clear Weather

The activity budgets of agile wallabies were investigated in the wet season and dry season in the wet–dry tropics. In the dry season and in clear weather in the wet season the wallabies were essentially nocturnal, foraging throughout the night in open areas and resting during the day in monsoon rainforest patches. The day was clearly partitioned into active and inactive periods, with activity coordination (behaviour synchrony) being high during the night and day and low in the transition between these foraging and resting periods. In overcast weather activity coordination was lower throughout the day. The day was not partitioned into active and inactive periods and the wallabies were observed foraging in the open at all times of day. However, they foraged for no longer over 24 hours than in clear weather when foraging was mainly a nocturnal activity. The wallabies spent more time foraging, moved greater distances while foraging, were less vigilant, and rested and groomed less in the dry season when forage quality was poor.

Influence of pasture type and supplement on fertility and liveweight of cows, and progeny growth rate in the dry tropics of northern Queensland

1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (120) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Holroyd ◽  
PK O'Rourke ◽  
MR Clarke ◽  
ID Loxton
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Calf Growth ◽  
Dry Tropics ◽  
Stylosanthes Humilis ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
One Year

The reproductive performance of cows and growth rate of their calves to weaning was examined over a four-year period (1973-1977). Cows grazed either native pasture stocked at 1cowl4 ha, or native pasture oversown with Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis) and fertilized with superphosphate stocked at 1 cow/2 ha. Animals were supplemented on each pasture type with urea-molasses in the dry season, phosphorus all year round plus urea-molasses in the dry season, or were unsupplemented. Mating was for three months from mid-January. Calving began towards the end of the dry season and cows lactated through the following wet season. Cows grazing fertilized legume pasture had significantly higher conception rates and earlier calving dates in one year only. In all years, foetal and calf losses between pregnancy diagnosis and weaning were lower on native pasture than on fertilized legume pasture. Cows grazing fertilized legume pasture were generally in better body condition and heavier throughout and their calves grew faster to weaning than on native pasture. Fertilized legume pasture produced a 2.4 fold increase over that of native pasture in cow and calf liveweight per unit area (382.7 kg/ha vs 159.8 kg/ha) over the four years. Supplementation did not influence liveweight or reproductive performance of cows or calf growth rate except during the final dry season when non-supplemented cows lost significantly more weight than those supplemented with phosphorus and urea.

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