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1' How do wildlife use grasses What is agrostology

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1' How do wildlife use grasses What is agrostology – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: 1' How do wildlife use grasses What is agrostology


1
1.  How do wildlife use grasses?  What is
agrostology?
  • Agrostology study of grasses Gramineae or
    Poacae 6000 species
  • Location growth of meristem different from
    other plants
  • Grazing stimulates new growth
  • Higher vegetation to reproduction ratio than
    other plants

2
1) Cool vs warm season grasses
  • Cool-season grasses Warm-season grasses
  • 65-75oF 80 to 95oF
  • Grow best in spring and fall Grow best in summer
  • Limited winter dormancy Extended winter dormancy
  • Good winter tolerance Poor winter tolerance
  • Adequate shade tolerance Poor shade tolerance
  • Examples Kentucky bluegrass, Bermuda, zoysia,
    indian grass
  • tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, crabgrass,
    corn
  • creeping bentgrass big, little bluestem,

3
2.  Describe the practice of managing  range
areas for wildlife
  • Problem w/ brush climate or human activities
    have increased brush, multiflora rose black
    locust (IL), mesquite (west)
  • Domestic grazers cattle wont eat
  • Sheep, goats horses will eat brush
  • Wildlife depend on brush for Cover, food Deer,
    Bobwhite quail, pheasants, turkey

4
2) Removal
  • mechanical method
  • Mowing
  • Bush hog brush cutter
  • Kills wildlife
  • Herbicides
  • Spray chemicals to kill
  • Hand or machine

5
2) Removal, cont
  • Negative impact of herbicides
  • Can affect beneficial forbs and grasses.
  • Herbicide drift
  • Impact species other than target

6
2) Removal cont sage grouse case study
7
2) Removal by fire
  • fire as a management tool
  • Grasses survive
  • Brush and small trees die
  • Most grasses protected growing points near or
    below ground
  • Grasses regrow rapidly
  • Burning causes loss of 1 year of growth, decades
    for shrubs/ trees.

8
3.  How does overgrazing impact habitat and other
organisms?
  • Wildlife usually more minimal impact than
    domestic stock (pop size)
  • Wildlife increased variety of grasses, forbs
    and shrubs
  • Cattle primarily grasses
  • Goats, sheep, horses, can overgraze more than
    grasses.

9
3) overgrazing
  • Condition of field w/ good vs poor cover.
  • What is the impact on various species?

10
3) overgrazing
  • Overgrazing impacts wildlife
  • Smaller antlers or none on overgrazed lands

11
Overgrazing impact on wildlife
12
3) Overgrazing may impact income eventually
13
4.  What is the impact of grazers on other
species?
  • Overgrazing increase in prairie dogs and ground
    squirrels
  • Goats, sheep, cattle alter land for other grazers
  • Leave some land un grazed if wildlife is wanted
  • Grazed land increased erosion impacts on stream
    organisms as well as land life.

14
5.  How do rangefires affect wildlife?
  • Fires frequent in prehistory Giant sequoia rings
    indicate every 10 20 yr fires
  • Most wildlife unaffected unless fire walls
    started
  • Move out of the way ahead of the fire
  • Shelter in creeks, lakes rivers
  • Burrow underground

15
Range fires cont
  • Can improve habitat for some species

16
6.  How does fencing  influence wildlife
populations?
  • Barb wire minimal except to young
  • Woven wire for sheep, cattle horses barrier to
    much wildlife
  • Big problems in africa, wildebeest, zebra
    elephants destroy fencing when moving from
    watering holes, fences interrupt natural cycles

17
  7.  What is the fate of burros horses?
  • Bad BLM Bureau of Land management
  • Kill horses and burros competition w/ antelope
    and other game species
  • Studies show not true. Horses browser, eat
    undesireable plants allow better grazing for
    antelope.

18
8.  What is game ranching?  Why important?
  • Trophy hunting
  • Deer, elk, bison,
  • Animal husbandry (raising like domestics)
  • Elk, Bison, Deer
  • Ostriches, rheas, emus

19
9.  How does disease impact rangelands?
  • Tetse flies
  • Giraffe, wildebeest, zebra immune, cattle NOT
  • Brucellosis
  • Less impact on bison, cattle NOT

20
13.   Vocabulary
  • BLM bureau of Land Management, program to kill
    off burros and horses, allow free or minimal cost
    of grazing to ranchers w/ cattle, oversee Indian
    reservation lands.
  • Animal unit Animal units (AU) are used in the
    permitting, registration, and the environmental
    review process because they allow equal standards
    for all animals based on size and manure
    production. An AU is calculated by multiplying
    the number of animals by an animal unit factor
    for the specific type of animal.
  • Animal unit calculator

21
Vocabulary cont
  • continuous grazing - one open field / herd, not
    subdivided. Forage is grazed while it is growing
    Stocking rate stocking density Selective
    grazing - unpalatable weeds increase Patchy
    grazing - overgrazing and undergrazing
    -Overgrazing reduces forage availability
    -Undergrazing reduces forage quality High
    production per animal, low production per acre
  • deferred rotation system - one field is
    subdivided into 2 paddocks, animals sequentially
    graze paddocks, rest periods. Up to 60 paddocks,
    but 6-12 more common. Forage rests before next
    grazing, increase vigor. Stocking density
    stocking rate / no. of paddocks High stocking
    density reduces selectivity and patchiness Lower
    production per animal, higher per acre.

22
Vocabulary cont
  • high low system high intensity grazing to
    reduce grass cover, then low improves quail
    habitat.
  • grazing pressure number of animals per acre
    varies with type of habitat and climate
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