The study was conducted to determine the plants preference by goats grazing at Central Darfur State, Sudan in 2016. The objective was to identify desirable plants that would assist in range rehabilitation. Five mature female goats were used to determine diet selection using the bite count technique. The total number of bites from each plant species was recorded and the selected diet and prefere...

This study aims to assess the effect of grazing intensity on vegetation structure, soil nutrient concentrations and soil physical properties. The study was carried out in steppe rangelands of Saveh, Markazi province, Iran. Four sites with four grazing intensities including very high, high, moderate and non-grazed with the same ecological conditions were selected. To study various vegetation and...

A rapid and reproducible method to determine botanical composition of forage is an ecological and economic goal for range animal ecologists. Multidimensional fluorometry previously demonstrated the possibility of a unique optical approach for accurately determining species composition of clipped and digested plant materials. Fluorometry may be used to detect toxic plants in standing crop as wel...

Maize stover is beginning to be used as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock in the Midwestern United States; however, there are concerns that stover removal could result in increased soil erosion and loss of soil organic matter. Use of a winter cover crop following maize harvest has the potential to mitigate these impacts and may have additional benefits by providing continuous living cover in annua...

Parallel declines in insect-pollinated plants and their pollinators have been reported as a result of agricultural intensification. Intensive arable plant communities have previously been shown to contain higher proportions of self-pollinated plants compared to natural or semi-natural plant communities. Though intensive grasslands are widespread, it is not known whether they show similar patter...

Methane is a major constituent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ruminants, and mitigation strategies are needed to alleviate this negative environmental impact while maintaining the other benefits grazing systems. Forages containing plant-specialized metabolites (PSM), particularly condensed tannins, may help reduce enteric methane (CH4) emissions. However, information on in vivo CH4 cows...

Abstract An understanding of the diversity spatial organization in plant communities provides essential information for management and conservation planning. In this study we investigated, using a multi-species approach, how plant–plant interactions determine local structure composition set Mediterranean communities, ranging from semi-arid to subalpine habitats. Specifically, evaluated pattern ...

The role of ungulate grazing in shaping rangeland ecosystems is well known relative to other important plant-animal interactions such as pollination, seed dispersal, granivory, and belowground herbivory. Successful rangeland revegetation may be enhanced by strategies that favor certain groups of animals and discourage others. Many perennial forbs and shrubs require animals for successful pollin...

A common first step during ecological restoration is reestablishing the local species pool through active reintroduction of individual plant species. Unfortunately, the regional species pool is often far too large to be of practical use during restoration. Methods are needed to produce manageable lists of key species for directed reintroduction. We used life history traits to target species fro...