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...

Forest edges can strongly affect avian nest success by altering nest predation rates, but this relationship is inconsistent and context dependent. There is a need for researchers to improve the predictability of edge effects on nest predation rates by examining the mechanisms driving their occurrence and variability. In this study, we examined how the capture rates of ship rats, an invasive nes...

Small mammals play important roles in many ecosystems, and understanding their response to disturbances such as cattle grazing is fundamental for developing sustainable land use strategies. However, how small mammals respond to cattle grazing remains controversial. A potential cause is that most of previous studies adopt rather simple experimental designs based solely on the presence/absence of...

The prevalence of Hypoderma spp. in yaks grazed in the east of Qinghai province was investigated in 2008. In this area, the prevalence in young yaks (1- to 3-year-old) was very high at 82.2-98.7%, whilst in adult yaks (4-year-old and older), the prevalence was 42.4-50.6%. The seasonal development and migration pattern of Hypoderma larvae in yak bodies was found to be similar for different locat...

Total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and fecal streptococcal (FS) numbers were monitored for 3 years to determine the effect of grazing on the presence of these organisms in runoff from a cattlegrazed and a nongrazed watershed in the Pacific Northwest. The watersheds were characterized by winter precipitation and summer grazing. Weighted-average numbers of TC and FS in runoff did not appea...

The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a widespread brood parasite which often engages in a commensalistic feeding relationship with domestic livestock. We studied the behavior of female cowbirds breeding in pinyon–juniper woodlands in New Mexico, USA, on two adjacent sites, one an active cattle ranch, and the other a site that was not grazed by domestic livestock throughout the songbird ...

Land use practices greatly influence soil carbon stocks, which in turn influences the potential for soils to store carbon. With a growing interest in the use of a carbon credit system to decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide, there is increasing interest in development of cost effective methods for identifying land cover types and land use practices that maximize carbon storage potential. This st...

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Buren), is a major pest in the United States because of its painful sting. Toxic bait has been an important management tool against fire ants, but site registrations prohibit applications of most baits on grazed pastures. Extinguish, containing the insect growth regulator methoprene, was selected for this study because it has a broad site registrat...

The effects of finishing system on growth performance and carcass composition were determined in an experiment using 40 crossbred, early-weaned lambs (28 kg BW). Finishing systems were 1) grazed alfalfa, 2) 100% concentrate diet fed in drylot, and 3) grazed ryegrass for 42 d followed by a 100% concentrate diet fed in drylot. All lambs were fed to similar final weights (48 kg). Average daily gai...