Cattle Tracks Research Articles

Subrecent Pollen Spectra of the Middle Volga Region and their Applicability for Climate and Land-Use History Reconstruction

The paper presents the results of spore-pollen analysis of 47 surface soil samples from the Middle Volga region, taken both in territories with vegetation close to zonal one and in heavily disturbed vegetation areas and agricultural lands. The analysis showed an ambiguous relationship between subrecent spectra and modern vegetation, both local and regional. This is explained by strong anthropogenic transformation of landscapes and the spread of conifer plantations, which form the basis of the modern “pollen rain”. Comparison of the soil subrecent spectra with the spectra of the buried soils uncovered during archaeological excavations in Bolgar showed that the soils of different archaeological eras differ in the composition of the pollen preserved in them, which reflects significant changes in the landscape over time. These changes are associated mainly with the change of the dominant types of land use. It is shown that the pollen spectra of the trampled open areas (roadsides, wastelands and cattle tracks) have characteristic distinctive features, which can be used in the interpretation of the results of archaeological-soil studies.

Обводнение отгонных пастбищ аридной зоны Республики Казахстан

The article deals with the issues of watering of pastures by desalination of mineralized drainage-discharge and groundwater for drinking water supply purposes. The methods of improving technological schemes for the utilization of brines after desalination in order to reduce its volume and obtain commercial salts are presented. The specific capital costs for the reverse osmosis installation option is Ks = 1202 rubles/m3 . Despite the higher specific indicators, the most acceptable option is the use of a mobile reverse osmosis plant for desalination of water and drinking water supply of summer pastures. In this case, the volume of drinking water for shepherd brigades is desalinated by alternately bypassing watering points and desalination on a mobile desalination plant. Tests of the reverse osmotic apparatus on natural groundwater of the sulfate-chloride-sodium and sulfate-carbonate-sodium type have shown a fairly reliable and stable desalination regime, with a change in pressure and the ratio of permeate and concentrate volumes at different concentrations of the source water. With an increase in the mineralization of the source water from 3.5 to 7 g/l and a corresponding increase in pressure, the mineralization of permeate is within acceptable limits (up to 1 g/l), and the volume of desalinated water decreases by 2-5% over time (the limit value is 15%). The application of the proposed technological scheme will make it possible to provide good-quality drinking water to shepherd brigades on summer pastures and dispose of the brines obtained during desalination without allowing environmental pollution. It can also be used in the organization of mass transportation of animals along cattle tracks to seasonal summer distant pastures, and in other arid zones of Kazakhstan.

La penetración de las redes de trashumancia castellana en la Sierra Norte de Sevilla

Bien que les travaux, déjà classiques, traitant de la «Mesta» (association des éleveurs de moutons transhumants espagnols au Moyen-Age) et de la transhu­mance oublie le sud de la péninsule Ibérique, les études récentes sur l'élevage andalous ont pu démontrer comment les résseaux de transhumance espagnols atteignirent la région du Guadalquivir, et plus concrètement le royaume de Séville. Nous pouvons ainsi découvrir une voie de pénétration de l'élevage de la «Mesta» dans les terres sévillanes, voie qui passait par ce que l'on appelle actue­llement la Sierra de Huelva et qui arrivait au moins à Andévalo. Le pâturage abondant que rencontrait l'élevage dants cette région, incita de nombreux bergers à s'y déplacer avec leurs troupeaux. Ils venaient de régions aus­si éloignées que Soria ou Logroño. Ils trouvèrent cependant sur leur chemin quel­ques bourgades (en particulier Fregenal de la Sierra) où la richesse agricole était plus importante, ce qui rendit nécessaire, pour protéger les cultures, de tracer des voies de passage pour les animaux. Malgré les précautions prises, il y eut de nom­breaux affrontements entre les éleveurs et les agriculceurs, affrontements qui amenèrent a la création de nouveaux passages pour le déplacement des troupeaux transhumants.

Interdisciplinary approaches to a connected landscape

The key to understanding a landscape is through its connections, which tie together people and environment within and beyond that landscape and across many different periods. This is particularly true of the northern face of the Ochil Hills in central Scotland, which is characterised by dense networks of connections between lowlands and uplands, local and regional. To trace those connections we integrate the results of walkover survey, aerial archaeology, excavations, documentary analysis and place name analysis, revealing significant continuities and differences in the networks and relationships that have connected this landscape across time and space. Iron Age hillforts used their prominence and monumentality to guide people along very specific routes across the Ochils. Regular seasonal movements of cattle and herders in the medieval and post-medieval periods were closely related to the agriculture and settlement they encountered on the way: this interaction can be clearly seen in the elaborate intertwining of paths, braided cattle tracks, farmsteads and enclosures, most strikingly in the 18th century. Such intricate connections across the landscape are equally keyed in to the specifics of particular locations and to much broader networks and historical change.

Impacts of Fulani Herdsmen-farmers’ Conflicts on Food Production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria

The research which studied impacts of Fulani herdsmen- farmers’ conflicts on crop production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe state, Nigeria was conducted between the months of Januiary- February, 2019. Descriptive survey design involving mixed methods was used. Self-made Closed ended questionnaire and Structured Interview Guide were the data collection instruments used. Purposive and Systematic Random sampling techniques were used to select the 397 respondents who participated in the study. The sample size comprised of Fulani herdsmen, farmers, village and ward heads as well as some officials of the Department of Agriculture of the two L.G.A. Data collected was analysed in SPSS Version 20 using Descriptive Statistics and Chi square. Findings revealed that the majority of the respondents including both herdsmen and farmers were subsistence farmers though few also engage in commercial farming. Regarding the causes of the conflicts, lack of grazing fields, indiscriminate bush burning, crop destruction, Boko Haram insurgency etc. were responsible for the occurrence of the clashes. No significant difference was found in the perceptions of the herdsmen and farmers on causes of the conflicts. Impacts of Fulani herdsmen-farmers’ conflicts as revealed by the study included loss of crops, reduced productivity, loss of lives, increase in prices of agricultural products, increased poverty etc. Based on the findings made, it was concluded that, if the causes of herdsmen-farmers’ conflicts were not properly addressed; its impacts will continue to escalate with devastating consequences. Besides, the menace of food insecurity and Boko Haram insurgency which have bedeviled the areas for many years can also be worsened by the impacts of such conflicts especially that poverty, food insecurity and increased tension were also cited by many scholars as some of the factors fuelling Boko Haram insurgency in the areas studied. Thus, it was recommended that, in order to bring an end to the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers, governments at all levels should work out modalities on how to stop crop destruction by establishing cattle tracks and grazing zones where crop farming will be severely restricted and prevent indiscriminate bush burning. Sensitization programmes on how to maintain cordial relationships between farming communities and herdsmen should be organized by the government and other stakeholders while the issue of Boko Haram insurgency which led to decrease in farmers’ productivity should also be well addressed by the government and bring an end to it. Besides, the current land tenure system should be relaxed such that land acquisition becomes easier so that farm owners can expand their farms and produce more food crops and herdsmen can have access to more grazing fields.

The Ups and Downs of Nebraska: Recognizing Gilgai Microrelief in the State

This article details gilgai microrelief—a conspicuous pattern of repetitive small mounds or low ridges ("ups") and intervening depressions ("downs")—for the first time in Nebraska. Gilgai microrelief is a dynamic natural phenomenon that contributes to the diversity of local and regional landscapes while influencing soil processes, surface hydrology, plant communities, and land use. Scores of sites on soils atop the Pierre Shale in far northern Dawes and Sioux Counties exhibit mostly linear gilgai microrelief consisting of ridgelike microhighs and troughlike microlows that trend perpendicular to slope. Areas of linear gilgai microrelief are as large as 17.5 ha and individual ridgelike microhighs extend as long as 700 m. Linear gilgai microrelief exists chiefly on "washboard" ridges on shale, that is, parallel, elongated, strongly oriented ridges with west–northwest to north–northwest azimuths. Small areas (2.6 ha or less) of normal and lattice gilgai microrelief exist on some narrow ridge crests and summits in direct association with linear gilgai microrelief. Some wider, level summits exhibit small-scale reticulate patterning and subangular polygons (1.5 to 3.0 m in width) of uncertain origins. Our observations suggest that gilgai microrelief in the study area has been compromised by cattle tracks and soil erosion. Gilgai microrelief was likely more prominent prior to intense grazing.

<b>Indicators of land use by cattle: associations among methods and role of environmental factors

The objectives of this study were to investigate the associations among direct and indirect indicators of land use by cattle and to understand the role of some environmental factors on the definition of these indicators. The study was carried out in two areas, Nature Reserve (63.6 ha) and Private Area (30.4 ha), with 53 Hereford animals in each area. Daytime observations of animals’ location were used as direct indicator of land use; while cattle track and dung pat distributions throughout the areas were used as indirect indicators. Environmental characteristics recorded were: terrain slope, prevalence of woody vegetation cover (forests, isolated tress and open grasslands), as well as the position of fences, water sources and salt blocks. Spatial correlations among the three indicators of land use were low ( r < 0.30). The environmental factors had lower predictive power of animals’ sightings distribution, followed by cattle tracks, and the highest predictive power occurred for dung pat distribution. We concluded that each one of the methods evaluated in this study addresses a different aspect of land use by cattle. The environmental factors assessed were useful to predict the dung pat distribution, but less valuable to predict the cattle tracks and animals’ sightings distributions.

Pastoralism versus Agriculturalism-How Do Altered Land-Use Forms Affect the Spread of Invasive Plants in the Degraded Mutara Rangelands of North-Eastern Rwanda?

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) originates from tropical Central and South America and has become invasive in about 50 countries. It causes problems when invading rangelands due to its toxicity to livestock and its tendency to form dense, monotonous thickets. Its invasiveness can partly be explained by the high tannin content largely protecting the species from being browsed, its tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions, as well as its general preference for anthropogenically disturbed habitats. The dispersal of L. camara is facilitated by birds and other animals consuming its drupes (endozoochory), and so both wild and domestic ungulates could contribute to its spread. In our study, we investigated the distribution of L. camara in the Mutara rangelands of north-eastern Rwanda, an area that faced dramatic landscape changes in recent decades. We assessed 23 ecological factors and factors related to land-use and conservation-political history. Major effects on the local abundance of L. camara were found in that the relative canopy cover of L. camara was negatively correlated with the occurrence of other shrubs (suggesting competition for space and nutrients), while encounter rates of houses, ‘living fences’ (Euphorbia tirucalli L.) and cattle tracks were positively correlated with L. camara cover. Hence, the spread of non-native L. camara in the Mutara rangelands appears to be linked to landscape alterations arising from the transformation of rangelands supporting traditional pastoralist communities to other agricultural land-use forms.

Degradation of the Mitchell River fluvial megafan by alluvial gully erosion increased by post-European land use change, Queensland, Australia

Along low gradient rivers in northern Australia, there is widespread gully erosion into unconfined alluvial deposits of active and inactive floodplains. On the Mitchell River fluvial megafan in northern Queensland, river incision and fan-head trenching into Pleistocene and Holocene megafan units with sodic soils created the potential energy for a secondary cycle of erosion. In this study, rates of alluvial gully erosion into incipiently-unstable channel banks and/or pre-existing floodplain features were quantified to assess the influence of land use change following European settlement. Alluvial gully scarp retreat rates were quantified at 18 sites across the megafan using recent GPS surveys and historic air photos, demonstrating rapid increases in gully area of 1.2 to 10 times their 1949 values. Extrapolation of gully area growth trends backward in time suggested that the current widespread phase of gullying initiated between 1880 and 1950, which is post-European settlement. This is supported by young optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates of gully inset-floodplain deposits, LiDAR terrain analysis, historic explorer accounts of earlier gully types, and archival records of cattle numbers and land management. It is deduced that intense cattle grazing and associated disturbance concentrated in the riparian zones during the dry season promoted gully erosion in the wet season along steep banks, adjacent floodplain hollows and precursor gullies. This is a result of reduced native grass cover, increased physical disturbance of soils, and the concentration of water runoff along cattle tracks, in addition to fire regime modifications, episodic drought, and the establishment of exotic weed and grass species. Geomorphic processes operating over geologic time across the fluvial megafan predisposed the landscape to being pushed by land used change across an intrinsically close geomorphic threshold towards instability. The evolution of these alluvial gullies is discussed in terms of their initiation, development, future growth, and stabilisation, and the numerous natural and anthropogenic factors influencing their erosion.

Assessing land use by cattle in heterogeneous environments

The aim of this note is to describe preliminary results on assessment of land use by cattle, obtained in a pilot study using Geographic Information System (GIS). The research was carried out on a semi-natural pasture in Sweden, where the geographic positions of one cow were recorded during 25 consecutive days during summer. The cow, wearing a GPS collar, was integrated in a herd of 53 Hereford cattle. Each location point registered for the animal was considered as a sampling unit (N=3,097). The spatial distribution of ground declivity, water sources, cattle tracks, and classes of woody vegetation cover (forest, grassland with trees and open grassland) were recorded. The storage, processing and data analysis were carried out using the Idrisi and GS+ softwares. Three occupation zones were identified in function of the variation in the space used by the animal, which were occupied in a cyclical pattern; with the animal moving from one zone to another in cycles of five days. It was also clear that the cattle distribution in the area was neither random nor uniform, and it was affected by environmental characteristics that act as conditioners on its distribution. These preliminary results suggest that definition of zones of occupation and the environmental conditioners are promising tools to understand the land use by cattle

The geomorphic signature of bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) and cattle (Bos taurus) in an agricultural riparian ecosystem

Riparian agricultural environments in eastern Australia are widely used for cattle grazing, but are also preferred habitat for native, soil-disturbing mammals such as the bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus). We examined the effects of mound construction by wombats, and track development by cattle and wombats, on soil displacement in a riparian landscape at high and low levels of cattle usage. Splash erosion was measured on mounds and inter-mounds with splashboards, and changes in the profiles of cattle-wombat tracks were assessed using a profilemeter. Twice as much soil was detached by splash erosion from mounds than inter-mounds, irrespective of cattle usage, and about three-times more coarse sand and 40% more fine sand was detached from mounds and inter-mounds at the high cattle sites. Increasing amount of rainfall corresponded with increasing splash erosion, but only on the mounds. The volume of soil displaced from wombat and cattle tracks ranged from 7.9 to 88.8m3ha−1 (4.7 to 118.7tha−1), but there were no differences in relation to cattle usage. Our results indicate that track development by cattle and wombats and mound construction by wombats may be substantial geomorphic processes given the large mass of soil displaced. Our results suggest that mounding by wombats may be an important process in riparian environments by providing a range of microsites that favour different plant cover densities.

Grazing in Secondary Forest Developed on Abandoned Field in Southwestern Japan 1. Characteristics of cattle tracks formed in secondary forest

Grazing in Secondary Forest Developed on Abandoned Field in Southwestern Japan 1. Characteristics of cattle tracks formed in secondary forest

Makrophyten-Verbreitung und Standortqualität im eutrophen Björka-Kävlinge-Fluss (Skåne, Südschweden)

The aquatic macrophyte vegetation of the Björka-Kävlinge River (Skåne, South Sweden, Fig. 1) was investigated in 1997 and 1998. By nature, this river has a meso- to eutrophic character. Furthermore, the river has a high structural running water quality and a high species diversity over long distances. Its catchment area is dominated by agriculture and characterized by fertile calcareous soils. 219 river sections of 100–500 m length (overall length 69,950 m = 85.7% of the whole river length) between Vollsjöby and the mouth of the river into the Baltic Sea were cartographically recorded and investigated (Fig. 2). In these sections all vascular hydrophytes, amphiphytes, helophytes and some haptophytes were recorded. For the vegetation survey and evaluation of the results the methods described in Kohler & Janauer (1995) were used. The “index species” of the “limes scanicus” (H. & G. Weimarck 1985) Butomus umbellatus, Sium latifolium and others with their wide area of distribution are characteristic plants for this river type. Some plant species groups, resp. some species, show characteristic distribution patterns in the course of the river: Hildenbrandia rivularis group, Potamogeton lucens group, Zostera marina group etc. Due to the species features a classification of four floristic-ecological river zones was made (zones A to D). The distribution of the macrophyte species was also characterized by a set of quantitative parameters which are “Relative Range Length”, “Average Plant Quantity” and “Average Quantitiy Index”, respectively (Figs. 3–5). Both, the plant distribution as well as the sequences of the floristic zones are less to be seen as a consequence of a trophic gradient, but as a consequence of different river dynamics of velocity of flow, sediment quality as well as of salt water influence. The diagnostic features also served to determine the relation between plant distribution and environmental factors (shading, cattle grazing). Hildenbrandia rivularis mainly occurs in shaded areas, Elodea canadensis in unshaded ones. In sections influenced by cattle tracks there is an increased occurrence of Alopecurus geniculatus, Agrostis stolonifera and Glyceria fluitans. The reasons for the high species diversity of this eutrophic river are a relatively high water quality, a high amount of habitat structures, a variety of vegetational structures and various land use patterns in the surrounding area. Recommendations for the preservation and the improvement of the ecological conditions are made. For the conservation of the biological diversity of the river, hydraulic engineering measures should be avoided. Along considerable river sections suffering from cattle grazing, vegetation could be achieved by partial exclusion of the cattle, and in some sections buffer zones along the river should be established.

HERMES AND APOLLO AT ONCHESTOS IN THE HOMERIC HYMN TO HERMES: THE POETICS AND PERFORMANCE OF PROVERBIAL COMMUNICATION

The baby-god Hermes, after the invention of the lyre and his elaborate mecharte to cover his and the cattle's tracks, drives Apollo's cattle from their pasture in Pieria to a hiding place in the P?loponn?se, in a cave by the bank of Alpheios. Approximately halfway there, at Onchestos, Hermes' theft is witnessed by an anonymous old man, the only human character present in the Hymn. Hermes addresses him first (lines 90-3) and without any reaction whatsoever from the old man he moves on to his destination. These four lines constitute

Vegetation structure of a heavily grazed range in Northern Kenya: ground vegetation

Classification of the herbacous vegetation of a heavily grazed rangeland in northern Kenya revealed four communities and a complex of extremely disturbed vegetation units. According to the ordination of relevés, two of these communities, theChrysopogon–Hibiscusand theSporobolus–Indigoferaassociation, represent a continuum that graded from stone covered and moderately grazed sites to smooth and heavily grazed pastures. From these, aSetaria acromelaena–Digera muricataassociation and anAchyranthes–Commelinaassociation were distinctly separated. Whereas the former reflects moderately grazed pastures on clay soils, the latter occurs in shaded livestock resting places and in gallery woods. Finally, the relevés of the extremely disturbed vegetation originate from cattle tracks, watering places and livestock enclosures.On light-textured soils, herbivore pressure caused a change in dominance among perennials and an increase of annual grasses. The bunch grassChrysopogon plumulosuswas replaced by the hemicryptophytic grassSporobolus nervosusand the dwarf shrubIndigofera spinosa. Annual grasses, such asTetrapogon cenriformis, increased in cover and frequency, or invaded i.e.Tragus berteronianus. On clay soils the perennial grasses were completely replaced bySetaria acromelaenaand annual forbs. The latter achieved dominance on extremely disturbed and heavily defecated sites. Here, many of the therophytes are widespread weeds or species found on roadsides and waste grounds. The herb layer was far more sensitive to herbivore pressure than the shrub and the tree layer investigated in a previous paper.

Micro-Topography and Soil Physico-Chemical Properties of Pastures on Which Parallel Cattle Tracks Were Formed

Micro-Topography and Soil Physico-Chemical Properties of Pastures on Which Parallel Cattle Tracks Were Formed

The distribution of ringworm infections amongst Nigerian nomadic Fulani herdsmen

There are very few medical reports on the nomadic peoples of the world. In Nigeria such reports are non-existent. The present work has looked at the distribution of ringworm infections among the Nigerian nomadic Fulani herdsmen. An examination of their infected herds of cattle revealed similarities in the species of dermatophytes isolated from the herdsmen and those isolated from their cattle. Some of the leaves of the plants that lined the cattle tracks normally used by both the herdsmen and their cattle yielded some of the species of dermatophytes isolated from the herdsmen and their cattle. The possible origins of the dermatophytes that caused the ringworm infections amongst the nomads are discussed.

Ecophysiological Studies of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Sporobolus pyramidalis P. Beauv. at Ibadan, Nigeria

Eleusine indica and Sporoboluspyramidalis are common grasses in the tropics, including Ibadan, Nigeria. The former is considered a good fodder when young, but the latter has low grazing quality. The objective of this study was to describe some of the morphological characteristics of these 2 prominent species. S. pyramidalis is a taller grass having more roots per culm and a longer inflorescence. Seeds of the 2 grasses germinated between 200 C and 350 C and emergence declined with increasing depth until it was zero at and 4 cm for E. indica and S. pyramidalis, respectively. S. pyramidalis had a higher rate of germination. The 2 species have stomata on both leaf surfaces, but the number is greater on the adaxial surface. Experiments indicate that E. indica is more tolerant and adaptable to biotic disturbances. The biomass contribution by E. indica and S. pyramidalis is estimated at 1,100 kg/ha 300 kg/ha, respectively. A knowledge of the developmental physiology of grasses is of considerable importance in the management of grasslands. The present investigation of the tropical grasses Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Sporoboluspyramidalis P. Beauv. is a contribution to our understanding of their ecology and will likely aid the agriculturist in managing these species. E. indica, commonly known as fowl-foot grass, has been described by Purseglove (1975) as a successful species of Africa and Asia and is now widely spread throughout the tropics of both hemispheres. It has been introduced into the United States where it is a weed common to many of the warmer states. In the tropics, it grows from sea level to about 1,800 m. The species is particularly common in waste places and along road sides and paths. It was considered a good fodder when Young and Bogdan (1977) further reported it as palatable to cattle in Fiji, Hawaii, South America, and other areas of the world. S. pyramidalis is another common grass in Nigeria (Stanfield 1970). It is a tufted perennial plant having low grazing quality and is considered unpalatable to livestock. It has been observed that the population of E. indica is affected by grazing in preflowering condition. The spread of the plant depends mainly on seeds. Both species are adversely affected by repeated cutting. McIllroy (1964) reported that E. indica thrives well in trampled areas and becomes dominant along cattle tracks and paths. Our observation is that both species are conspicuously absent under shade.

Phosphate analysis in archaeology ‐ problems and recent progress

Ecological knowledge is important if phosphate analysis is to become a useful tool for the archaeologist. The author mentions variation in natural phosphate content, solifluction, drifting sand, iron pan, different land use, and the vegetation and climate as examples of factors which must be taken into consideration before sampling and discussion of the results. On this basis a critical evaluation is made of some papers dealing with phosphate analysis applied to archaeology. The author claims that a rapid field test can in many cases make the much more laborious laboratory procedure unnecessary, and gives examples of the use of the spot test from areas with summer farming, settlements from the Iron Age and Mesolithic Age, modern farming, and cattle tracks. A trained person can sample and analyse some hundred samples a day, and this compensates for the low accuracy of the spot test.

The Importance of Cattle Hoofprints and Tire Tracks as Oviposition Sites for Psorophora columbiae in Texas Ricelands 13

Hoofprints of cattle and tire tracks made by harvesting equipment in recently harvested rice fields appear to be important sources of oviposition sites for populations of Psorophora columbiae (Dyar and Knab) breeding in Texas ricelands. On the basis of results described here, increases and decreases in the relative egg densities in hoofprints correspond quite closely with the freshness of the prints and tracks and with the presence or absence of cattle.