Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T09:08:25.230Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of grazing management on biodiversity of grasslands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

J. R. B. Tallowin ,
A. J. Rook  and
S. M. Rutter
J. R. B. Tallowin
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1SU, UK
A. J. Rook*
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1SU, UK
S. M. Rutter
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1SU, UK
*
†Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This paper reviews recent work carried out by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and collaborating organizations that addresses some of the impacts of grazing management on both species-rich and species-poor lowland neutral grassland. Results indicate that for species-rich grassland, lenient grazing pressure maintained botanical diversity and the abundance of positive indicator species of nature conservation value over a 5-year period and also enhanced faunal diversity and abundance reflecting improvements in spatial, architectural and temporal structure. However, there was no enhancement in positive indicator species and there was also an increase in pernicious weeds suggesting that grazing alone may not suffice to deliver all the biodiversity goals for these grasslands and that additional management interventions may be required. For species-poor grassland, results indicate that distinctive differences in structure can lead to differences in faunal diversity. There is also some tentative evidence that livestock breed may affect invertebrate species assemblages.

Keywords

biodiversitygrasslandsgrazing
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , October 2005 , pp. 193 - 198
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, P. W., Fuller, R. J., Vickery, Y. J. A., Conway, G., Tallowin, J. R. B., Smith, R. E. N., Haysom, K., Ings, T., Asteraki, E. J. and Brown, V. K. 2005. Influence of agricultural management, sward structure and food resources on grassland field use by birds in lowland England. Journal of Applied Ecology In press.Google Scholar
Crofts, A. and Jefferson, R. G. 1999. The lowland grassland management handbook, second edition. English Nature/Wildlife Trusts, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Ellenberg, H., Weber, H. E., Dull, R., Wirth, V., Werner, W. and Paulissen, D. 1991. Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. Scripta Geobotanica, vol. 18.Google Scholar
Hill, M. O., Mountford, J. O., Roy, D. B. and Bunce, R. G. H. 1999. Ellenberg's indicator values for British plants. In ECOFACT, vol. 2. Technical annex. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Natural Environmental Research Council, UK.Google Scholar
Hofmann, M. and Tallowin, J. R. B. 2004. Sward height distribution and temporal stability on a continuously stocked, botanically diverse pasture. Land use systems on grassland dominated regions. EGF 20th general meeting,Luzern, Switzerland,June 2004, pp. 192–194.Google Scholar
Jefferson, R. G. and Robertson, H. J. 1996. Lowland grassland. Wildlife value and conservation status. English Nature research report 169. English Nature, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Mortimer, S. R., Turner, A. J., Brown, V. K., Fuller, R. J., Good, J. E. G., Bell, S. A., Stevens, P. A., Norris, D., Bayfield, N. and Ward, L. K. 2000. The nature conservation value of scrub in Britain. JNCC 308, JNCC, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Newborn, D., Wakeham, A. and Booth, F. 1993. Grazing and the control of purple moor grass. Game Conservancy Council.Google Scholar
Oglethorpe, D. R. 2005. Livestock production post CAP reform: implications for the environment. Animal Science 81: 189–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osoro, K., Oliván, M., Celaya, R. and Martínez, A. 1999. Effects of genotype on the performance and intake characteristics of sheep grazing contrasting hill vegetation communities. Animal Science 69: 419–426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitcairn, C. E., Fowler, D., Leith, I. D., Sheppard, L. J., Sutton, M. A., Kennedy, V. and Okello, E. 2003. Bioindicators of enhanced nitrogen deposition. Environmental Pollution 126: 353–361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Price, E. A. C. 2003. Lowland grassland and heathland habitats. Routledge, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, H. J. and Jefferson, R. G. 2000. Monitoring the condition of lowland grassland SSSIs. 1. English Nature's rapid assessment method. English Nature research report 315. English Nature, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Rodwell, J. S. 1992. British plant communities, volume 3, grassland and montane communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Rook, A. J., Dumont, B., Isselstein, J., Osoro, K., WallisdeVries, M. F., Parente, G. and Mills, J. 2004. Matching type of grazing animal to desired biodiversity outcomes – a review. Biological Conservation 119: 137–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, S. M., Orr, R. J., Yarrow, N. H., Champion, R. A., Atkinson, L. D. and Cook, J. E. 1999. Long-term dietary preference for grass and clover in dairy cows. Proceedings of the Vth international symposium on the nutrition of herbivores, San Antonio, Texas,11–16 April 1999.Google Scholar
Siegel, S. and Castellan, N. J. 1988. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioural sciences, second edition. McGraw-Hill, Singapore.Google Scholar
Stevens, C. J., Dise, N. B., Mountford, J. O. and Gowing, D. J. 2004. Impact of nitrogen deposition on the species richness of grasslands. Science 303: 1876–1879.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tallowin, J. R. B., Smith, R. E. N., Goodyear, J. and Vickery, J. A. 2005. Spatial and structural uniformity of lowland agricultural grassland in England: a context for biodiversity loss. Grass and Forage Science In press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, K. J., Stevens, P. A., Stevens, D. P., Mountford, J. O., Manchester, S. J. and Pywell, R. F. 2004. The restoration and re-creation of species-rich lowland grassland on land formerly managed for intensive agriculture in the UK. Biological Conservation 119: 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WallisDeVries, M. F. 1994. Foraging in a landscape mosaic: diet selection and performance of free-ranging cattle in heathland and riverine grassland. Doctoral thesis, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar