Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina
High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the imp...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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2018
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3153 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3757 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093153 |
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| author | Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo Giese, Marcus Asch, Folkard Windisch, Saskia Helen Goldfarb, Maria Cristina |
| author_browse | Asch, Folkard Giese, Marcus Goldfarb, Maria Cristina Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo Windisch, Saskia Helen |
| author_facet | Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo Giese, Marcus Asch, Folkard Windisch, Saskia Helen Goldfarb, Maria Cristina |
| author_sort | Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the impact. During a two-year grazing experiment, HIG was applied every month to analyze the seasonal effects on plant species composition and plant functional groups. The results indicate that irrespective of the season in which HIG was applied, the diversity parameters were not negatively affected. Species richness, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Shannon’s equitability index did not differ from the control site within a 12-month period after HIG. While plant functional groups of dicotyledonous and annual species could not benefit from the HIG disturbance, C3-, C4-monocotyledonous and perennials increased their absolute and relative green cover. Our results suggest that HIG, if not applied in shorter frequencies than a year, neither alters diversity nor shifts the plant species composition of the grassland plant community, but instead it promotes previously established rather competitive species. HIG could therefore contribute as an alternative management practice to the sustainable land use intensification of the “Gran Chaco” grassland ecosystem and even counteract the encroachment of “low value” species. |
| format | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| id | INTA3757 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA37572018-11-01T13:19:46Z Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo Giese, Marcus Asch, Folkard Windisch, Saskia Helen Goldfarb, Maria Cristina Pastoreo Sistemas de Pastoreo Praderas Biomasa Biodiversidad Tierras de Pastos Grazing Grazing Systems Grasslands Biomass Biodiversity Rangelands Pastoreo de Alto Impacto Región Noreste, Argentina High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the impact. During a two-year grazing experiment, HIG was applied every month to analyze the seasonal effects on plant species composition and plant functional groups. The results indicate that irrespective of the season in which HIG was applied, the diversity parameters were not negatively affected. Species richness, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Shannon’s equitability index did not differ from the control site within a 12-month period after HIG. While plant functional groups of dicotyledonous and annual species could not benefit from the HIG disturbance, C3-, C4-monocotyledonous and perennials increased their absolute and relative green cover. Our results suggest that HIG, if not applied in shorter frequencies than a year, neither alters diversity nor shifts the plant species composition of the grassland plant community, but instead it promotes previously established rather competitive species. HIG could therefore contribute as an alternative management practice to the sustainable land use intensification of the “Gran Chaco” grassland ecosystem and even counteract the encroachment of “low value” species. EEA Corrientes Fil: Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Corrientes; Argentina. University of Hohenheim. Institute for Crop Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics; Alemania. Fil: Giese, Marcus. University of Hohenheim. Institute for Crop Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics; Alemania Fil: Asch, Folkard. University of Hohenheim. Institute for Crop Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics; Alemania Fil: Windisch, Saskia Helen. University of Hohenheim. Institute for Crop Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics; Alemania Fil: Goldfarb, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Corrientes; Argentina 2018-11-01T13:18:07Z 2018-11-01T13:18:07Z 2018 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3153 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3757 2071-1050 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093153 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Sustainability 10 (9) : 3153 (2018) |
| spellingShingle | Pastoreo Sistemas de Pastoreo Praderas Biomasa Biodiversidad Tierras de Pastos Grazing Grazing Systems Grasslands Biomass Biodiversity Rangelands Pastoreo de Alto Impacto Región Noreste, Argentina Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo Giese, Marcus Asch, Folkard Windisch, Saskia Helen Goldfarb, Maria Cristina Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title | Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title_full | Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title_short | Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina |
| title_sort | effects of high impact grazing on species diversity and plant functional groups in grasslands of northern argentina |
| topic | Pastoreo Sistemas de Pastoreo Praderas Biomasa Biodiversidad Tierras de Pastos Grazing Grazing Systems Grasslands Biomass Biodiversity Rangelands Pastoreo de Alto Impacto Región Noreste, Argentina |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3153 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3757 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093153 |
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