Abstract
Groves are of ecological importance, but can reduce the productivity of pastures. They may be used by cattle for nutrition as well as for comfort and shelter. To describe the importance and to estimate the influence of cattle on groves, the behavior of cattle around trees and shrubs was observed on six semi-open pastures in the mountain range of Thuringia and the Southern Black Forest (Germany). The groves were divided into formations, species and structures. The cattle used the groves more for browsing than rubbing. Significantly preferred species calculated by Chesson-Index were dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), black elder (Sambucus nigra), fly honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum), plum (Prunus domestica), osier (Salix viminalis), white beam (Sorbus chamaemespilus), and guelder rose (Viburnum opulus). The browsing preference is discussed in relation to nutritional importance and as self-medication. Cattle suppressed some species according to the utilization frequency, but for other species, there was no correlation. The animals preferred the tree hedges in comparison to the other formations. Hedges were utilized as shelter in extreme weather. In addition, under high browsing pressure, hedges were sustained and regenerated. Hedges on pastures turned out to be important for cattle under several aspects and accordingly should be preserved.
Highlights
Pasture landscapes consist of homogenous open grassland, and are structured by shrubs and trees, partially as solitary units or as more or less closed groves and borderlines
Bushes and trees on pastures can be regarded as important ecological structures, which can be affected by browsing pressure
The second question follows for animal purposes: Which types of groves are cattle in pasture utilizing to supplement their diet and for comfort behavior? We investigated the cattle contacts by browsing and rubbing considering the different grove formations
Summary
Pasture landscapes consist of homogenous open grassland, and are structured by shrubs and trees, partially as solitary units or as more or less closed groves and borderlines. These may play essential roles in soil conservation and water retention, prevent erosion, break wind, retain wind-distributed seeds, and contain a high number of ecological niches for plants and animal species like birds, small mammals, and deer [1,2,3,4]. Groves and hedges are often appreciated by humans as elements of natural pasture landscapes with an aesthetic value per se They can be important structures for grazing animals like cattle as they may offer them additional food and shelter against sun, wind, rain, or snow, and can be used for comfort behavior such as rubbing or scratching. We had the following questions for central European conditions, first for pasture purposes: Which importance do the groves really have for grazing animals and in which manner do the cattle influence the structure of the groves?
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