Vegetation Height and Diurnal Period Influenced the Landscape-Use Pattern of Small Ruminants in Woodlands around Summer

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dc.contributor.authorBhattrai, Shailesen
dc.contributor.authorKarki, Umaen
dc.contributor.authorPoudel, Sanjoken
dc.contributor.departmentSchool of Plant and Environmental Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2021-05-25T13:07:30Zen
dc.date.available2021-05-25T13:07:30Zen
dc.date.issued2021-02en
dc.description.abstractDespite the huge potential of using woodlands for small ruminant grazing in the southeast US, unmanaged understory shrubs grown beyond animals' access minimize the utilization of such vegetation. This study aimed to determine the effect of vegetation height and diurnal period on the behavior and distribution patterns of goats and sheep in woodlands around summer. The study was conducted in six woodland plots (0.4 ha each) comprising southern pines and non-pine (non-target) plant species. Non-pine plants in each study plot were assigned to four treatments: cut to 0 m, 0.9 m, or 1.5 m from the ground level or left uncut (control). Cut plant stubs were allowed to regrow to full canopy before stocking animals. Eight Kiko wethers and five Katahdin rams were rotationally stocked in separate plots, and their diurnal (dawn-dusk) behaviors and distribution patterns were monitored when they were in each plot (three plots per animal species) around the summer of 2018. Animal behavior data were analyzed using the general linear model (GLM) procedure with multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SAS, while animal distribution pattern and weather data were analyzed in SAS using a GLM procedure and the distribution evenness index (DEI) using the Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test in R. Level of significance was set at 5%. Both animal species visited the control area the least. Wethers browsed predominantly in areas where non-pine plants were cut to 0.9 m from the ground level, and rams grazed mostly in areas where non-pine plants were cut to the ground level, mostly during the post-midday period. Browsing was the dominant feeding behavior of wethers (39% browsing vs. 4% grazing), while rams' feeding behavior was dominated with grazing (24% grazing vs. 12% browsing). Lying was a predominant diurnal behavior in both wethers (46%) and rams (35%), mostly during the midday period. Wethers had a higher value for DEI than rams during the morning and post-midday periods. This study established that (1) the utilization of woodland understory foliage by small ruminants can be increased by lowering plant height, and (2) both vegetation characteristics and diurnal period are important factors for influencing small ruminants' behavior while stocked in woodlands around summer.en
dc.description.notesThis work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Competitive Grant #2016-68006-24764, and the McIntire Stennis Forestry Research Program.en
dc.description.sponsorshipUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA)National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Competitive Grant [2016-68006-24764]; McIntire Stennis Forestry Research Programen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3390/f12020205en
dc.identifier.eissn1999-4907en
dc.identifier.issue2en
dc.identifier.other205en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/103485en
dc.identifier.volume12en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectbrowsingen
dc.subjectdistributionen
dc.subjectgrazingen
dc.subjectKatahdin ramsen
dc.subjectKiko wethersen
dc.titleVegetation Height and Diurnal Period Influenced the Landscape-Use Pattern of Small Ruminants in Woodlands around Summeren
dc.title.serialForestsen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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