Animals selecting habitats often have to consider many factors, e.g., food and cover for safety. However, each habitat type often lacks an adequate mixture of these factors. Analyses of habitat selection using resource selection functions (RSFs) for animal radiotelemetry data typically ignore trade-offs, and the fact that these may change during an animal's daily foraging and resting rhythm on ...

Detection of rain/no-rain condition on the ground is an important for application of radar rainfall algorithms. A radial basis function (RBF) neural network-based scheme for rain/no-rain determination on the ground using vertical profiles of radar data is described in this paper. Evaluation based on WSR-88D radar over central Florida indicates that rain/no-rain condition can be inferred fairly ...

Laboratory and digestion studies evaluated the nutritional value of the commercially available stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis), 'Ona', two experimental stargrasses, 'Florona' and 'Florico', and the experimental bermudagrass 'Callie 35-3' (Cynodon dactylon). Ona and Florico stargrasses were also evaluated under grazing. Florico stargrass had the lowest concentration of...

To understand the dynamics of spatially structured populations, we need to know the level of movements at different spatial scales. This paper reports on Aphodius dung beetle movements at two scales: movements between dung pats within pastures, and movements between pastures. First, I test an assumption common to many recent models of spatially structured populations – that the probability of a...

English wood pastures have become a target for ecological restoration, including the restoration of pollarded trees and grazing animals, although pigs have not been frequently incorporated into wood pasture restoration schemes. Because wood pastures are cultural landscapes, created through the interaction of natural processes and human practices, a historical perspective on wood pasture managem...

Prognostic equations for the rain mass mixing ratio and the rain drop number concentration are introduced into the large-scale cloud microphysics parameterization of the ECHAM5 general circulation model (ECHAM5-RAIN). For this a rain flux from one level to the next with the appropriate fall speed is introduced. This maintains rain water in 5 the atmosphere to be available for the next time step...

This study evaluated the effects of calf management following early weaning (EW) on growth and reproductive performance of beef heifers. On d 0, Brahman x British heifers (n = 40; body weight [BW] = 187 ± 37 lb; age = 69 ± 12 d) were stratified by age and BW, and randomly assigned to be normally-weaned on d 177 (NW), or 1 of 3 EW treatments: (1) EW and grazed on ryegrass pastures for 67 d then ...

In a 3-yr study, 135 crossbred steers (330 ± 10 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design to evaluate corn dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) fed to yearling steers as a substitute for forage and N fertilizer and its effect on N use efficiency in yearling steers grazing smooth bromegrass pastures. Steers were initially stocked at 6.8 animal unit months (AUM)/ha on nonfertili...

Grazing systems may alter botanical composition and productivity of grasslands through differential use in time, space, or intensity. Seven simulated grazing treatments were applied six years in eastern Montana, USA to determine effects on plant community composition and standing crop. Treatments were moderate stocking (28.8 AUD ha 1 year ) of cattle using 3-pasture summer rotation, season-long...

Grazing management plays an important role in the continuous and economicutilization of pastures. Proper grazing management is a main factor for the accumulation ofplant litter which reduces soil erosion and increase the soil permeability to keep moremoisture in the soil. In current study, the effect of three different grazing intensities (low,moderate and high) along with the grazing gradient ...