Free-ranging Cattle Research Articles

Weight gain of free-ranging beef cattle grazing in the boreal forest of south-eastern Norway

Young forest stands and clearcuts in the boreal forest created by modern forestry practices along with meadows of abandoned summer farms may contribute as feeding areas for beef cattle. The patchy distribution and varying quality and diversity of forage on such unimproved lands may affect cattle productivity. Weight gain of 336 beef cows and 270 calves free-ranging during three summer grazing seasons was monitored in boreal forests of south-eastern Norway, stocked at either high (0.16 cows ha-1) and low (0.04 cows ha-1) stocking densities. We used linear mixed effect models for assessing intrinsic correlates of weight gain in cows and calves in the two areas. Habitat use and home range size of a subsample of 53 cows were monitored by using GPS collars programmed to log locations at 5 min. intervals during the grazing season. Additional extrinsic correlates of weight gain for the subsampled cows using a linear mixed model were also tested.Average weight gain of beef cows grazing at the low stocking density was positive among cows of early maturing breeds (represented by Hereford) gaining 24 ± 2.8 kg (± SE), while cows of late maturing breeds (mainly represented by Charolais) had an average weight loss of 9 ± 8.4 kg. The average weight gain was negative for beef cows of both early (Herefords) and late maturing breeds (mainly represented by Charolais but also Limousin and Simmental) at the high stocking density. Within both breed groups, there was a negative relationship between breed-specific average weight of cows at turnout and weight gain during the grazing period, while a prolonged grazing period was slightly positively related to weight gain. There was no relationship between weight gain and home range size and proportion of grazing habitat for the 53 cows fitted with GPS collars.Higher weight gains in calves of the low compared to the high stocking density area was found. However, there was no breed effect of weight gain in calves. Across study areas, spring-born suckler calves gained more weight than autumn-born calves (92 ± 1.7 kg vs. 65 ± 4.4 kg). Also, there were higher weight gains for spring-born bull-calves than spring-born heifers (100 ± 2.4 kg vs. 94 ± 2.2 kg).Overall, the results indicate that it is possible to achieve acceptable weight gains for cattle grazing coniferous forest by finding breeds suitable for these extensive areas and stocking at moderate densities.

Carriage and Subtypes of Foodborne Pathogens Identified in Wild Birds Residing near Agricultural Lands in California: a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

Current California agricultural practices strive to comanage food safety and habitat conservation on farmland. However, the ecology of foodborne pathogens in wild bird populations, especially those avian species residing in proximity to fresh produce production fields, is not fully understood. In this repeated cross-sectional study, avifauna within agricultural lands in California were sampled over 1 year. Feces, oral swabs, and foot/feather swabs were cultured for zoonotic Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and characterized by serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Of 60 avian species sampled, 8 species (13.3%, bird groups of sparrows, icterids, geese, wrens, and kinglets) were positive for at least one of these foodborne pathogens. At the individual bird level, the detection of foodborne pathogens was infrequent in feces (n = 583; 0.5% Salmonella, 0.34% E. coli O157:H7, and 0.5% non-O157 STEC) and in feet/feathers (n = 401; 0.5% non-O157 STEC), and it was absent from oral swabs (n = 353). Several subtypes of public health importance were identified, including Salmonella enterica serotype Newport, E. coli O157:H7, and STEC serogroups O103 and O26. In late summer and autumn, the same STEC subtype was episodically found in several individuals of the same and different avian species, suggesting a common source of contamination in the environment. Sympatric free-range cattle shared subtypes of STEC O26 and O163 with wild geese. A limited rate of positive detection in wild birds provides insights into broad risk profile for contamination considerations but cannot preclude or predict risk on an individual farm.IMPORTANCE The shedding dynamics of foodborne pathogens by wild birds on farmland are not well characterized. This yearlong study sampled wild birds for foodborne pathogens within agricultural lands in northern California. There was a low prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (prevalence, 0.34% to 0.50%) identified in bird populations in this study. However, pathogens of public health importance (such as Salmonella Newport, E. coli O157:H7, and STEC O103 and O26) were identified in fecal samples, and two birds carried STEC on their feet or feathers. Identical pathogen strains were shared episodically among birds and between wild geese and free-range cattle. This result suggests a common source of contamination in the environment and potential transmission between species. These findings can be used to assess the risk posed by bird intrusions in produce fields and enhance policy decisions toward the comanagement of food safety and farmland habitat conservation.

Growing Degree Day: Noninvasive Remotely Sensed Method to Monitor Diet Crude Protein in Free-Ranging Cattle

The daily nutritional balance of free-ranging cattle is the net result of intake from available forage biomass and nutritive value weighed against the nutritional requirements of the animal. Plant phenology influences nutritive value. Plant phenology is dictated by time of year and an accumulation of photosynthetically active days. Growing degree day (GDD) is a concept that quantifies this relationship and has been used to predict nutritive value in perennial range grasses. GDD could be substituted for chemical analysis to inform grazing animal nutritional monitoring efforts. We hypothesized that in C4 grass-dominated rangelands, a cumulative GDD calculation would correlate with diet crude protein (CP) predictions obtained by fecal near infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS) from free-ranging cattle. Therefore, the objectives of our research were to evaluate the effectiveness of GDD to predict FNIRS-derived determinations of grazing cattle diet CP in 1) two groups of three individual animals grazing a small native pasture and 2) large commercial-scale herds grazing expansive rangelands. For the first objective, cumulative GDD and FNIRS-predicted diet CP were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.76; P < 0.01). Relationships between cumulative GDD and FNIRS-predicted diet CP for the second objective varied considerably among ranches, ranging from a low r2 of 0.05 (P = 0.871) to a high r2 of 0.78 (P < 0.049). Similar values for individual ranch/year combinations were stronger; ranging from a minimum r2 of 0.44 (P = 0.556) to a maximum of 0.95 (P = 0.051). The aggregate relationship between GDD and FNIRS-predicted CP for all ranch/year combinations was highly significant (r2 = 0.37; P < 0.001), but the standard error was 1.86% CP. The noninvasive remotely sensed grazing animal nutritional monitoring method described here was accurate enough to inform tactical rangeland diet quality assessments but was not accurate enough to inform operational-scale grazing management decisions.

Metal (Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn) Transfer along Food Chain and Health Risk Assessment through Raw Milk Consumption from Free-Range Cows.

Background: Metal transfer along the food chain has raised concerns about impacts on human health due to dietary exposure to low but chronic concentrations. Soil–forage–milk–consumer is a short food chain through which metals are able to reach an organism. Methods: Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn were determined in water, soil, forage, and milk samples collected from free-range cattle farms situated near Baia Mare, Romania. The soil-to-forage (TFsf) and forage-to-milk (TFfm) transfer factors for metals and the health risk for three population groups (females, males, and children) through the consumption of milk containing low levels of metals were assessed. Results: TFsf indicated that the uptake capabilities of the metals from soil to forage were in the following order: Zn > Cd > Cu > Pb. TFfm indicated a lack of metal accumulation through forage ingestion. Estimated daily (EDI) and provisional tolerable weekly (PTWI) intake values revealed a minimal exposure of the population to those metals through milk consumption. A noncarcinogenic hazard index indicated that milk consumption from local markets does not pose any risk for human health; however, the average cancer risk showed a high potential carcinogenic risk. Conclusions: The consumption of milk produced by small local farmers does not pose noncarcinogenic risks. More extended studies should be carried out in order to identify the potential carcinogenic risk caused by the low levels of metals in the milk consumed.

Habitat quality assessment of Atlantic wet heathlands in Serra do Xistral, NW Spain

The assessment of habitat quality, especially in semi-natural managed systems, provides a powerful tool for monitoring short and long-term conservation actions. The Erica mackayana Atlantic wet heathlands of the Serra do Xistral protected area in Galicia, NW Spain, represent a dynamic system with high conservation value associated to traditional management through grazing of free-ranging cattle and wild ponies. Here, we aimed to develop a spatially-explicit, quantitative method for Habitat Quality Assessment, defining an optimum state and the alternative states that may arise from habitat degradation. Vegetation structure, grass-shrub cover ratio, gorse cover, presence of bracken, exotic species such as pine trees and saplings, erosive events and altered hydrological dynamics were identified as the main indicators of habitat degradation. A heterogeneous vegetation structure with a dominant shrub cover of c.0.5 m height and constant gaps among shrubs, with a limited cover of gorse and absence of pine trees, bramble and bracken, and absence of erosive events was recognized as the optimum state. We applied the Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA) method to a pilot area within the Xistral protected site. Wet heathland was the dominant habitat, covering 37.1% of the area. 7.0% of the assessed heathlands were recognized as in the optimum state for habitat quality. Recommendations are made for habitat management to revert low scores, mainly by the adjustment of livestock numbers and the removal of exotic pine trees.

Morphological Placenta adaptations to maternal undernutrition in a bovine model

Humans and wildfires have historically driven landscape structure in the Mediterranean basin. The Iberian Peninsula is not an exception to that rule, and therefore, farmers, researchers, and governments seek alternative tools to minimize the loss of biodiversity and wildfire risks. Extensive livestock including beef cattle is currently promoted as a suitable management tool by European agro-environmental policies yet pieces of evidence exist regarding the reciprocal effects between cows and Mediterranean woody vegetation. In this work, we performed a field manipulation to evaluate whether free-ranging beef cattle without supplementary feeding, at high density (2 livestock units (LU)/ha) for a short period of time i.e. “boom and bust grazing” management, are able to adapt their grazing preferences to the Mediterranean woody vegetation without health impairment, and prevent from bush encroachment and wildfires. For our purposes, a native herd of 14 adult cows was kept captive without supplementary feeding in a 14 ha enclosure covered by Mediterranean vegetation for two months (April–June 2016). Plant and cattle fecal and blood samples were collected to assess diet composition (plant cuticle microhistological analysis), fecal nitrogen and protein contents of consumed plants, and the nutritional status (non-esterified fatty acids) of cattle. Our results showed that cattle adapted their feeding habits toward a more woody diet including potentially flammable taxa but with some detrimental effects on health status. Hence, cattle cannot control woody vegetation for long periods of time without supplementary feeding. Further research should be oriented to explore other alternative approaches to minimize the health impairment of cattle used for control flammable vegetation in Mediterranean regions.

Dragonflies community assembly in artificial habitats: Glimpses from field and manipulative experiments.

Several factors act on community structure, so determining species composition and abundance patterns. Core processes operating at local scales, such as species-environment matching and species interactions, shape observed assemblages. Artificial habitats (simplified structure) are useful systems for assessing the main factors affecting community composition and disentangling their assembly rules. Drinking troughs (brickwork tanks for free-ranging cattle watering) are widespread in Italy and represent a suitable aquatic habitat for colonization by various aquatic organisms. Dragonflies larvae are usually found in drinking troughs and often exhibit strong species interactions and striking community assembly patterns. Our primary aim was to search for Odonata communities exhibiting non-random co-occurrence/segregation patterns in drinking troughs. We performed null-model analyses by measuring a co-occurrence index (C-score) on larval Odonata assemblages (13 species from 28 distinct troughs). Overall, we found a non-random structure for the studied dragonfly assemblages, which, given their fast generation time, must have been generated by short-term ecological processes (i.e. interspecific interactions). We thus analyzed potential competition/predation among and within ecological guilds. From the field data, we speculated that interactions within the sprawlers’ guild is likely among the main drivers structuring the studied assemblages, especially the effect of intraguild predation between C. erythraea and Sympetrum spp larval stages. We then experimentally tested these interactions in laboratory and demonstrated that intraguild predation among larvae at different development stages may result in an effective exclusion/negative impact on density pattern, representing one of the processes to take into consideration when studying dragonfly assemblages.

Cattle Grazing Fails to Control Shrub Encroachment in Mediterranean Landscapes

The Common Agricultural Policy supports the use of free-ranging cattle herds to control woody encroachment and fire hazards in Europe. There is, however, little empirical evidence about the effectiveness of extensive grazing to preserve open landscapes in the Mediterranean Basin. In this work, we evaluated the effects of extensive beef cattle grazing on the vegetation structure in a Mediterranean ecosystem using a twofold framework: 1) analyzing temporal changes in the forest, shrub, and grassland cover in areas under different grazing pressures for 16 yr (1993−2009) and 2) studying diet selection to assess the impact of cattle on the local Mediterranean vegetation. Our landscape structure analyses revealed a remarkable change in land cover over the study period. However, woody community dynamics seemed to be more related to natural vegetation succession than to cattle effects. Extensive grazing seemed to preserve grasslands but only at high stocking rates. On the other hand, the diet analyses supported the lack of a role for cattle in encroachment control. Beef cattle diets were based on herbaceous plants (59%) with lower contribution of woody ones (41%). Cattle only showed a significant preference (P < 0.05) for few woody species (Erica multiflora, Olea europaea, Quercus ilex, and Rosmarinus officinalis), mostly at high-density stocking rates. Hence, our results support the idea that extensive cattle grazing alone exerts a negligible effect on shrub encroachment and thus on the risk of fire in the studied Mediterranean area. We urge a redesign of current research to truly integrate extensive cattle grazing as High Nature Value farming in European policies to successfully meet its putative goals, such as shrub encroachment control and wildfire risk prevention.

Microhabitat selection of free-ranging beef cattle in south-boreal forest

Cattle released for summer grazing in south-boreal forest are free to select among a broad range of habitats. The goal of this study was to identify the factors influencing the microhabitat selection of such free-ranging beef cattle, for grazing and resting. We equipped sixteen female adult cows with GPS collars and activity sensors in southeastern Norway during the summer grazing season in 2017. We identified grazing and resting positions based on positioning and activity data. At these positions, we recorded habitat variables following a matched case-control sampling design. We analysed the data using generalized linear mixed models. We found differences in the cattle’s microhabitat selection for grazing and resting. Within a given habitat patch, cattle selected for the most grass-rich site for grazing, whereas they selected for the most grass-rich, the flattest and the most covered site for resting.These findings complement our knowledge on habitat selection of cattle and can be used to design cattle pastures according to the animals needs and to mitigate interest conflicts between livestock husbandry and forestry in communal forested lands in Norway.

Effects of boom and bust grazing management on vegetation and health of beef cattle used for wildfire prevention in a Mediterranean forest

Humans and wildfires have historically driven landscape structure in the Mediterranean basin. The Iberian Peninsula is not an exception to that rule, and therefore, farmers, researchers, and governments seek alternative tools to minimize the loss of biodiversity and wildfire risks. Extensive livestock including beef cattle is currently promoted as a suitable management tool by European agro-environmental policies yet pieces of evidence exist regarding the reciprocal effects between cows and Mediterranean woody vegetation. In this work, we performed a field manipulation to evaluate whether free-ranging beef cattle without supplementary feeding, at high density (2 livestock units (LU)/ha) for a short period of time i.e. “boom and bust grazing” management, are able to adapt their grazing preferences to the Mediterranean woody vegetation without health impairment, and prevent from bush encroachment and wildfires. For our purposes, a native herd of 14 adult cows was kept captive without supplementary feeding in a 14 ha enclosure covered by Mediterranean vegetation for two months (April–June 2016). Plant and cattle fecal and blood samples were collected to assess diet composition (plant cuticle microhistological analysis), fecal nitrogen and protein contents of consumed plants, and the nutritional status (non-esterified fatty acids) of cattle. Our results showed that cattle adapted their feeding habits toward a more woody diet including potentially flammable taxa but with some detrimental effects on health status. Hence, cattle cannot control woody vegetation for long periods of time without supplementary feeding. Further research should be oriented to explore other alternative approaches to minimize the health impairment of cattle used for control flammable vegetation in Mediterranean regions.

Habitat selection of free-ranging cattle in productive coniferous forests of south-eastern Norway

Multiple use of communal forests requires informed management to balance divergent interests such as livestock grazing and timber production. In this study, we examined the habitat selection of free-ranging beef cattle in two vegetation-mapped communal forests of Norway’s boreal zone. The two areas were 35 km apart, and they mainly differed regarding cattle stocking density, with one being below and the other above the livestock grazing capacity of the area. In total, 78 cows were fitted with global positioning system (GPS) collars during the summers 2015 to 2017. The collars were scheduled to take positions and measure activity at 5 and 10 min intervals. We applied generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to describe the cows’ selection of vegetation types, forest cutting classes, topographical features and distance to roads with resource selection functions (RSF), by comparing use with availability. The most selected vegetation types were wide-spread summer farm meadows, followed by the dominant bilberry spruce forest. In productive forest, the cows selected for clearcuts younger than 15 years and used thinning and post-thinning stands less than expected. In accordance with the Ideal free distribution hypothesis, the cows were more likely to use low productive habitats in the area with high compared to the one with low stocking density. The preference for young forest stands was strongest when grazing as compared to resting and walking. During grazing, the cows also preferred pre-thinning stands older than 15 years and inclined patches, but avoided north-facing slopes. Preference for south-facing slopes was strongest when resting and for forest roads when traveling.To reduce the pressure of cattle in forest regeneration stands, we suggest limiting stocking densities to the grazing capacity of forest pastures, using vegetation and forest maps as information to guide the distribution of cattle, and maintaining or even expanding the existing meadows of the summer farms.

ANTHRAX GLOBAL EPIZOOTOLOGY. 1. SUSCEPTIBLE ANIMALS

Anthrax is a widespread disease. Epizootic outbreaks are constantly registered worldwide. Obligatory lethality of the disease, the causative agent of which leads a parasitic mode of life, makes it possible to consider mortality as the main sign of anthrax epizootic process in animals. The paper describes susceptibility of animals to anthrax under natural conditions. The paper presents literature data on the participation of animals of different species and groups in the epizootic process, and the author’s own results of analysis of the recent situation. The susceptibility of animal species to anthrax depends not only on the dose, but also on the form (vegetative or spore) of the anthrax bacterium, the mode of infection, and the site of introduction of the pathogen into the organism. Anthrax affects mammals of 19 species: mostly cattle, which are intermediate hosts and hosts in the global parasitoid system; sheep and goats, horses, pigs, many species of wild ruminants and herbivorous, mostly deer, gazelles, bisons, hippopotamuses and even elephants, as well as Carnivora. Herbivorous endemic animals play the main role in maintenance of natural (soil) foci of anthrax and provide infectious cycles and regular recontamination of the soil – the only reservoir of infection. Such multipathogenicity demonstrates the predominant host range of local parasitoid systems – cattle and small ruminants in the areas of pasture, distant-pasture, free-range cattle rearing (Africa, Asia, Australia), wild herbivores in Africa and the south of the USA, bisons in Canada, deer in the north of the Russian Federation. Infection of Equidae and particularly predators has a sporadic, dead-end character. It occurs relatively seldom and does not play any signifcant role in anthrax epizootology and epidemiology.

Spatio-temporal trends in the frequency of interspecific interactions between domestic and wild ungulates from Mediterranean Spain.

Controlling infections shared by wildlife and livestock requires the understanding and quantification of interspecific interactions between the species involved. This is particularly important in extensive multi-host systems, in which controlled domestic animals interact with uncontrolled, abundant and expanding wild species, such as wild ungulates. We have, therefore, quantified the interspecific interactions between wild boar (Sus scrofa) and free-ranging cattle in Mediterranean Spain, along with their spatio-temporal variability. GPS-GSM-collars were used to monitor 12 cows and 14 wild boar in the Doñana National Park between 2011 and 2013. Interactions were defined as encounters between cattle and wild boar within a spatio-temporal window of 52 m and 1 hour. On average, each wild boar interacted with one cow 1.5 ± (SE) 0.5 times per day, while each cow interacted with one wild boar 1.3 ± 0.4 times per day. The frequency of interaction was significantly higher during crepuscular hours owing to the overlap of both species’ activity, and also during spring and autumn, probably owing to a higher individual aggregation around shared resources. Finally, the frequency of interaction was higher near the most significant shared resources (e.g. water points) but was lower in areas with dense vegetation. The results presented here show the usefulness of GPS monitoring as regards quantifying interactions and helping to clarify the process of pathogen transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface in Mediterranean Spain, along with the main spatio-temporal risk factors. In a changing scenario in which European populations of wild ungulates are increasing, more efficient measures with which to control interactions are required to meet the demands of farmers and managers. Our results, therefore, provide directional hypotheses that could be used to design disease control programmes.

First photographic record of marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata Martin, 1837 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) in Nepal

The marbled catPardofelismarmoratais a Near Threatened small felid. The cat’s presence in Nepal is based on an anecdote. A camera trap-based study to access diversity and abundance of terrestrial mammals in eastern Nepal accumulated 3,014 camera trap days and resulted in 5,176 photographs of 17 medium-large sized mammal species. Amongst them, a marbled cat was captured at a single camera trap station in January 2018. The camera trap-capturing the marbled cat was located in the secondary forest at an altitude of 2,750 m a.s.l., dominated by free-ranging cattle close to a permanent human settlement (1.4 km) and a temporary cattle herding camp (0.4 km). This is the first photographic evidence of a marbled cat in Nepal. In this survey, we also recorded three other felid species: common leopardPantherapardus, Asiatic golden-catCatopumatemminckiiand leopard catPrionailurusbengalensis. We recommend detailed year-round camera trap surveys in the mid-hills of eastern Nepal along with research on adaptation of the small felids to human-dominated areas and assessment of immediate threats for preparing sound conservation management plans of the marbled cat and its sympatric species. Initiation of conservation programmes engaging localdokpa(herders) is necessary.

Impact of forage introduction on cattle grazing practices and crop–livestock systems: a case study in an upland village in northern Laos

Lao smallholders are experiencing livestock grazing land constraints due to resettlement, increasing cattle numbers and commercial cash crop plantations. In this paper we describe changes in cattle grazing systems in an upland village in northern Laos, including the role of forage crops and their effects on cattle productivity. We interviewed 92 Hmong and Khmu households about their migration history, cattle grazing practices, cattle productivity and other livelihood activities. In addition, we measured the heart girths of 231 cattle. We found that the traditional free-range cattle grazing has diverged into three distinct systems incorporating fields fenced to different degrees. Although none of the three systems increased cattle body size, the forage pasture and swidden-farming system successfully increased the grazing capacity compared with other systems. Thus, this method appeared to be the most suitable for Hmong smallholders to manage crop and cattle production in the context of land constraints. Efforts should be made to examine how the newly implemented systems could attenuate villager livelihood and pre-emptively address the problems associated with degrading fallow land.

Low-dose BCG vaccination protects free-ranging cattle against naturally-acquired bovine tuberculosis

Vaccination of cattle with Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been shown to protect against infection with virulent strains of M. bovis, and against resultant bovine tuberculosis (TB). Here we report on a large-scale trial in New Zealand where free-ranging cattle were vaccinated with 3 x 105 BCG via injection, a lower dose than any previously trialed in cattle against exposure to a natural force of M. bovis infection. In a multi-year enrolment study involving >800 animals, three cohorts of 1–2 year old cattle were randomised to receive vaccine or to serve as non-vaccinated controls. Cattle were slaughtered and subject to standard abattoir post mortem examination for M. bovis culture-positive TB lesions after up to 3.7 years of in-field exposure; additionally, lymph node samples from approximately half of the cattle were examined further to identify infection in the absence of lesions. Overall TB prevalence, as identified by gross lesions detected at slaughter, was low among farmed cattle at the study site (<4% annually). There were two lesioned cases among 520 vaccinated trial cattle (0.38%) compared to eight among 297 non-vaccinated trial cattle (2.69%). Trial vaccine efficacy was 85.7% against abattoir-detectable TB (statistically significant protection), and 86.7% when adjusted for duration of exposure. BCG vaccination did not significantly affect the response rates of cattle to ante mortem skin- or blood-tests in diagnostic tests conducted >7 months post-vaccination. Use of a reduced, yet effective, dose of BCG would increase the cost effectiveness of using this vaccine in a bovine TB control programme.

Association patterns reveal dispersal-aggregation dynamics among cattle in a South Texas Rangeland, USA

IntroductionThe spatial association dynamics of free-ranging cattle herds are not fully understood; however, they can have a direct influence on the spatial patterns of resource utilization. The aim of our study was to examine new analytical methods of identifying the spatio-temporal patterns of behavioral dynamics that determine cattle herd dispersal in the semi-arid rangelands of South Texas. We fitted 10 free-ranging cows with global positioning system collars and obtained positions every 5 min for each animal for 21-day trials, twice during the summer and winter period. We used an association pattern recognition software (ASSOC1) and the herd center of gravity to identify the spatial and temporal thresholds that defined dispersion-aggregation patterns and individual position to determine their relation to social dominance.ResultsThe association pattern defining herd membership was that animals spent 70% of their time within 200 m of each other. Dominance ranking did not appear to influence association membership or position within the herd. The cattle showed a more dispersed distribution during summer, but in winter, herd members behaved in a more aggregated pattern. This distribution is contrary to patterns described in more northerly and mountainous regions.ConclusionsThe spatial thresholds of the cattle herd and the overall distance of all members to the center of the herd were smaller during winter and larger during summer, indicating that this study herd congregated during the winter and dispersed during the summer. Although this study uses a herd of 10 individuals in a 100 ha pasture to evaluate spatio-temporal dynamics, our results provide evidence of the ability of current tracking and spatial association tools to detect and quantify seasonal changes in cattle herd dispersion-aggregation patterns. The use of these data collection and analysis methods could prove useful in larger cattle herds, increase our understanding of herd spatio-temporal behavior, and subsequently help in the development of improved management practices.

Faecal N excretion as an approach for estimating organic matter intake by free-ranging sheep and cattle - CORRIGENDUM

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Cattle-driven forest disturbances impact ensemble composition and activity levels of insectivorous bats in Mediterranean wood pastures

Forests can be modified by fine-scale disturbances such as those prompted by cattle grazing, but their impacts on biodiversity are far from being understood. Here, we investigate the response of insectivorous bats to cattle-driven forest disturbances, using a savanna-like Mediterranean agroforestry system, the Portuguese montado, as study system. In doing so, we compared bat ensemble composition and activity levels of bats across sites that differed in how frequently they were used by free-ranging cattle. Specifically, we selected sites regularly used by cattle (central places) and sites seldom used (grazing sites). We found strong between-site differences in both bat species composition and activity levels, with lower diversity and activity in central places compared to grazing sites. These response patterns, corresponded to marked between-site differences in tree cover, seemingly driven by cattle use given the lower levels of tree regeneration and vegetation productivity in central places compared to grazing sites. Our work therefore demonstrates that it is not only severe forest loss and fragmentation that has an impact on insectivorous bats, but also when these processes operate at fine spatial scales. We thus suggest that fine-scale forest disturbances, particularly those driven by recurrent cattle use, cannot be neglected in the conservation management of agroforestry systems. In this context, we propose some management strategies aimed at counteracting the impact of cattle-driven disturbances on biodiversity in general, and on insectivorous bats in particular.

A regularity-based algorithm for identifying grazing and rumination bouts from acoustic signals in grazing cattle

Continuous monitoring of cattle foraging behavior is a major requirement for precision livestock farming applications. Several strategies have been proposed for this task but monitoring of free-ranging cattle for a long period of time has not been fully achieved yet. In this study, an algorithm is proposed for long-term analysis of foraging behavior that uses the regularity of this behavior to recognize grazing and rumination bouts. Acoustic signals are analyzed offline in two main stages: segmentation and classification. In segmentation, a complete recording is analyzed to detect regular masticatory events and to define the time boundaries of foraging activity blocks. This stage also defines blocks that correspond to no foraging activity (resting bouts). The detection of event regularity is based on the autocorrelation of the sound envelope. For classification, the energy of sound signals within a block is analyzed to detect pauses and to characterize their regularity. Rumination blocks present regular pauses, whereas grazing blocks do not. The evaluation of the proposed algorithm showed very good results for the segmentation task and activity classification. Both tasks were extensively analyzed with a new set of multidimensional metrics. Frame-based F1-score was up to 0.962, 0.891 and 0.935 for segmentation, rumination classification, and grazing classification, respectively. The average time estimation error was below 0.5 min for classification of rumination and grazing on recordings of several hours in length. In addition, a comparison for rumination time estimation was done between the proposed system and a commercial one (Hi-Tag; SCR Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel). The proposed algorithm showed a narrower error distribution, with a median of −2.56 min compared to −13.55 min in the commercial system. These results suggest that the proposed system can be used in practical applications.Web demo available at: http://sinc.unl.edu.ar/web-demo/rafar/.