Experimental warming, not grazing, decreases rangeland quality on the Tibetan Plateau

We investigated experimental warming and simulated grazing ( clipping) effects on rangeland quality, as indicated by vegetation production and nutritive quality, in winter-grazed meadows and summer- grazed shrublands on the Tibetan Plateau, a rangeland system experiencing climatic and pastoral land use changes. Warming decreased total aboveground net primary productivity ( ANPP) by 40 g . m(-2) . yr(-1) at the meadow habitats and decreased palatable ANPP ( total ANPP minus non- palatable forb ANPP) by 10 g . m(-2) . yr(-1) at both habitats. The decreased production of the medicinal forb Gentiana straminea and the increased production of the non- palatable forb Stellera chamaejasme with warming also reduced rangeland quality. At the shrubland habitats, warming resulted in less digestible shrubs, whose foliage contains 25% digestible dry matter ( DDM), replacing more digestible graminoids, whose foliage contains 60% DDM. This shift from graminoids to shrubs not only results in lower- quality forage, but could also have important consequences for future domestic herd composition. Although warming extended the growing season in non- clipped plots, the reduced rangeland quality due to decreased vegetative production and nutritive quality will likely overwhelm the improved rangeland quality associated with an extended growing season.Grazing maintained or improved rangeland quality by increasing total ANPP by 20 - 40 g . m(-2) . yr(-1) with no effect on palatable ANPP. Grazing effects on forage nutritive quality, as measured by foliar nitrogen and carbon content and by shifts in plant group ANPP, resulted in improved forage quality. Grazing extended the growing season at both habitats, and it advanced the growing season at the meadows. Synergistic interactions between warming and grazing were present, such that grazing mediated the warming- induced declines in vegetation production and nutritive quality. Moreover, combined treatment effects were nonadditive, suggesting that we cannot predict the combined effect of global changes and human activities from single- factor studies.Our findings suggest that the rangelands on the Tibetan Plateau, and the pastoralists who depend on them, may be vulnerable to future climate changes. Grazing can mitigate the negative warming effects on rangeland quality. For example, grazing management may be an important tool to keep warming- induced shrub expansion in check. Moreover, flexible and opportunistic grazing management will be required in a warmer future.

Suitability of extractants for predicting available sulfur in natural grassland in the Inner Mongolia steppe of China

It was the objective of this study to compare the suitability of different extractants for predicting the availability of sulfur (S) in natural grassland in a sulfur response trial on three different soil types in the Inner Mongolia steppe of China. For soil analysis, seven different extractants have been employed. The inorganic SO4-S concentration was determined by ion chromatography. Additionally, in the Ca(H-2-PO4)(2) extract the total soluble S was determined employing turbidimetry. Weak salt solutions (0.15% CaCl2, Ca(H2PO4)(2), and KH2PO4) extracted similar amounts Of SO4-S. Extraction with 0.025 M KCl provided the lowest SO4-S values. Deionized water dissolved significantly more SO4-S in the control plots than most weak salt extractants. The concentration of soluble organic S decreased in the control plots after 100 days of plant growth, indicating that the organic S pool contributed significantly to the S nutrition of the forage crops. Significant relationships among the SO4-S in the soil determined in different extracts and crop yield, sulfur content in the forage, and total sulfur uptake were only found for the Ca(H2PO4)(2) extract. In general, the correlation coefficients proved to be unsatisfactory for field experimentation.

The effect of land management on carbon and nitrogen status in plants and soils of alpine meadows on the Tibetan plateau

Large-scale grassland rehabilitation has been carried out on the severely degraded lands of the Tibetan plateau. The grasslands created provide a useful model for evaluating the recovery of ecosystem properties. The purposes of this research were: (1) to examine the relative influence of various rehabilitation practices on carbon and nitrogen in plants and soils in early secondary succession; and (2) to evaluate the degree to which severely degraded grassland altered plant and soil properties relative to the non-disturbed native community. The results showed: (1) The aboveground tissue C and N content in the control were 105-97 g m(-2) and 3.356gm(-2), respectively. The aboveground tissue C content in the mixed seed treatment, the single seed treatment, the natural recovery treatment and the severely degraded treatment was 137 per cent, 98 per cent, 49 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively, of that in the control. The corresponding aboveground tissue N content was 109 per cent, 84 per cent, 60 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively, of that in the control. (2) Root C and N content in 0-20 cm depths of the control had an 2 2 average 1606 gm(-2) and 30-36 gm(-2) respectively. Root C and N content in the rehabilitation treatments were in the range of 26-36 per cent and 35-53 per cent, while those in the severely degraded treatment were only 17 per cent and 26 per cent of that in the control. (3) In the control the average soil C and N content at 0-20 cm was 11307 gm(-2) and 846 gm(-2), respectively. Soil C content in the uppermost 20 cm in the seeded treatments, the natural recovery treatment and the severely degraded treatment was 67 per cent, 73 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively, while soil N content in the uppermost 20cm was 72 per cent, 82 per cent and 79 per cent, respectively, of that in the control. The severely degraded land was a major C source. Restoring the severely degraded lands to perennial vegetation was an alternative approach to sequestering C in former degraded systems. N was a limiting factor in seeding grassland. It is necessary for sustainable utilization of seeding grassland to supply extra N fertilizer to the soil or to add legume species into the seed mix. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Program, abstracts and related documents.

The context: Soil biodiversity and sustainable agriculture; Abstracts - Theme 1: Monitoring and assessment: Bioindicators of soil health: assessment and monitoring for sustainable agriculture; Practical tools to measure soil health and their use by farmers; Biological soil quality from biomass to biodiversity - importance and resilience to management stress and disturbance; Integrated management of plant-parasitic nematodes in maize-bean cropping systems; Microbial quantitative and qualitative changes in soils under different crops and tillage management systems in Brazil; Diversity in the rhizobia associated with Phaseolus vulgaris L: in Ecuador and comparisons with Mexican bean rhizobia; Sistemas integrados ganadería-agricultura en Cuba; Soil macrofauna as bioindicator of soil quality; Biological functioning of cerrado soils; Hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate as a soil quality indicator in different pasture systems; Soil management and soil macrofauna communities at Embrapa Soybean, Londrina, Brazil; Soil macrofauna in a 24 - year old no-tillage system in Paraná, Brazil; Invertebrate macrofauna of soils inpastures under different forms of management in the cerrado (Brazil); Soil tillage modifies the invertebrate soil macrofauna community; Soil macrofauna in various tillage and land use systems on an oxisols near Londrina, Paraná, Brazil; Interference of agricultural systems on soil macrofauna; Scarab beetle-grub holes in various tillage and crop management systems at Embrapa Soybean, Londrina, Brazil; Biological management of agroecosystems; Soil biota and nutrient dynamics through litterfall in agroforestry system in Rondônia, Amazônia, Brazil; Soil-C stocks and earthworm diversity of native and introduced pastures in Veracruz, Mexico; Theme 2 : Adaptive management: Some thoughts on the effects and implications of the transition from weedy multi-crop to wead-free mono-crop systems in Africa; Towards sustainable agriculture with no-tillage and crop rotation systems in South Brazil; Effect of termites on crusted soil rehabilitation in the Sahel; Management of macrofauna in traditional and conventional agroforestry systems from India with special reference to termites and earthworms; Adaptive management for redeveloping traditional agroecosystems; Conservation and sustainable use of soil biodiversity: learning with master nature!; Convergence of sciences: inclusive technology innovation processes for better integrated crop/vegetation, soil and biodiversity management; Potential for increasing soil biodiversity in agroecosystems; Biological nitrogen fixation and sustainability in the tropics; Theme 3: Research and innovation: Plant flavonoids and cluster roots as modifiers of soil biodiversity; The significance of biological diversity in agricultural soil for disease suppressiveness and nutrient retention; Linking above - and belowground biodiversity: a comparison of agricultural systems; Insect-pests in biologically managed oil and crops: the experience at ICRISAT; Sistemas agricolas micorrizados en Cuba; The effect of velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens) on the tropical earthworm Balanteodrilus pearsei: a management option for maize crops in the Mexican humid tropics; The potential of earthworms and organic matter quality in the rehabilitation of tropical soils; Research and innovation in biological management of soil ecosystems; Application of biodynamic methods in the Egyptian cotton sector; Theme 4: Capacity building and mainstreaming: Soil ecology and biodiversity: a quick scan of its importance for government policy in The Netherlands; Agrotechnological transfer of legume inoculants in Eastern and Southern Africa; Agricultura urbana en Cuba; Soil carbon sequestration for sustaining agricultural production and improving the environment; Conservation and sustainable management of below-ground biodiversity: the TSBF-BGBD network project; The tropical soil biology and fertility institute of CIAT (TSBF); South-South initiative for training and capacity building for the management of soil biology/biodiversity; Strategies to facilititate development and adoption of integrated resource management for sustainable production and productivity improvement; The challenge program on biological nitrogen fixation (CPBNF); Living soil training for farmers: improving knowledge and skills in soil nutrition management; Do we need an inter-governmental panel on land and soil (IPLS)? Protection and sustainable use of biodiversity of soils; Cases Studies -- Plant parasitic nematodes associated with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and integrated management approaches; Agrotechnological transfer of legume inoculants in Eastern and Southern Africa; Restoring soil fertility and enhancing productivity in Indian tea plantations with earthworms and organic fertilizers; Managing termites and organic resources to improve soil productivity in the Sahel; Overview and case studies on biological nitrogen fixation: perspectives and limitations; Soil biodiversity and sustainable agriculture: an overview.

Calagem e adubacao para o plantio do Capim-Pojuca.

2001

Cultivo do capim Pojuca.

2001

Recomendacoes para o cultivo de aveia no Distrito Federal, visando a producao de forragem.

2001

Carbono da biomassa microbiana em solos de cerrado: comparacao dos metodos fumigacao-incubacao e fumigacao-extracao.

Dentre os metodos mais utilizados para determinacao do carbono da biomassa microbiana destacam-se: os de cloroformio-fumigacao-incubacao (CFI) e cloroformio-fumigacao-extracao (CFE). Trabalhos relatados na literatura tem comparado a eficiencia desses metodos em diversos locais. No entanto, para a regiao do cerrado nao existem informacoes a esse respeito. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiencia dos metodos CFE e CFI na determinacao do carbono da biomassa microbiana do solo (CBMS) em areas de cerrado sob cultura anual (rotacao soja-milho) e pastagem consorciada (Andropogon gayanus e Stylosanthes guianensis) e sob tres fitofisionomias - Mata de Galeria, Campo Sujo e Cerradao. Amostras de solo coletadas em duas profundidades, 0 a 5 cm e 5 a 20 cm, foram analisadas em quatro epocas: agosto de 1998, janeiro a agosto de 1999 e janeiro de 2000. Nas areas cultivadas, os resultados obtidos com os metodos CFE e CFI foram semelhantes independentemente dos tratamentos e das epocas amostradas; as pastagens consorciadas apresentaram maiores teores de CBMS do que as areas sob culturas anuais. A integracao profundidades x metodos foi significatica. Nao houve diferencas entre a profundidade 0 a 5 cm quando se utilizou o metodo CFI, mas as diferencas obtidas com o metodo CFE foram significativas. Os metodos CFI e CFE apresentaram as mesmas tendencias nas areas ativas, independentemente dos tratamentos, profundidades ou epocas analisados; a Mata de Galeria apresentou niveis de CBMS superiores aos do Cerradao e do Campo Sujo. As interacoes profundidades x metodos e epocas x metodos foram significativas devido ao fato de que as diferencas nos teores do carbono da bimassa microbiana, nas profundidades e epocas amostradas, foram mais acentuadas com o metodo CFE. Os resultados indicaram que os metodos CFI e CFE foram apropriados para determinacao da CBMS em solos de Cerrado sob cultivo e sob vegetacao nativa.

Suplementacao alimentar de bovinos com misturas multiplas em pastagens de brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu na seca.

Este trabalho foi realizado pela Embrapa Cerrados em uma fazenda particular, objetivando desenvolver estrategias de suplementacao alimentar de bovinos com Misturas Multiplas. Utilizou-se a ureia como substituto da proteina natural e o milho, como fonte de energia, em B. brizantha cv. Marandu, estabelecida em um Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro, textura argilosa. O experimento foi conduzido durante a seca de 1997 e durou 84 dias. Empregou-se 160 novilho Nelore, com peso medio de 175 kg arranjados em sistemas de pastejo continuo em quatro pastos, em delineamento experimental completamente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos: 1- Sal mineralizado com 38% de superfosfato triplo (Testemunha); 2- Milho triturado 30%, farelo de soja 15%, ureia 10%, sal mineralizado 35%, sal comum 10%; 3- Milho triturado 36,4%, farelo de soja 7,5%, ureia 11,1%, sal mineralizado 35%, sal comum 10%; 4- Milho triturado 42,7%, ureia 12,3%, sal mineralizado 35%, sal comum 10%. A disponibilidade de forragem, nos pastos durante o experimento, permaneceu acima 4500 kg de MS/ha. A pressao de pastejo variou de 7% a 8%, e a taxa de lotacao media foi de 1.0 UA/ha. O conteudo de proteina bruta baixou para menos de 6% em agosto, mas elevou-se acima desse valor nos demais meses. A menor digestibilidade (DIVMS) ocorreu em agosto, e a fibra em detergente neutro variou de 60% em junho e 72% em agosto. Os animais, suplementados com a mistura multipla da Embrapa Cerrados, ganharam peso semelhante aos que consumiram as outras misturas e superior aquelas que receberam apenas sal mineralizado. A suplementacao com Mistura Multipla da Embrapa Cerrados aumentou o lucro liquido por animal em 46%, com retorno de US$ 3.59 por dolar aplicado.

Crescimento e composicao quimica do capim Paspalum atratum cv pojuca.

O trabalho foi realizado em uma area de baixada, com solo Gleissolo haplico no Colegio Agricola de Brasília-DF, no periodo de outubro de 1998 a fevereiro de 1999. Foram avaliados o crescimento, o vigor da rebrotacao e a composicao quimica do capim Paspalum atratum cv. Pojuca aos 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 e 56 dias de idade, em tres periodos de crescimento (C1, C2, C3), defasados de sete dias. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com parcelas subdivididas com tres repeticoes. Aplicou-se a analise de variancia com regressao para analisar os efeitos de idade e, o teste de Tukey para estudar os efeitos de crescimento. A graminea apresentou padrao de desenvolvimento linear ao longo da estacao de crescimento. O vigor de rebrotacao nos crescimentos C1 e C2, mostrou resposta quadratica, enquanto no C3 mostrou resposta linear. O aumento da idade das plantas resultou no decrescimo do teor de proteina bruta, digestibilidade e concentracao de elementos minerais, porem, estiveram sempre acima do valor recomendado para forrageiras tropicais. A idade do corte e da utilizacao mais adequada, visando a conciliar producao e qualidade da forragem nessa graminea, esta em torno de 35 dias. Os teores de silica encontrados nas diferentes idades de crescimento, em geral estao acima de 5%, considerandos elevados para forrageiras tropicais.

Pastagens no Pantanal.

Quatro milhoes de bovinos sao sustentados pelas pastagens naturais do Pantanal, para as quais sao listadas 145 gramineas, 70 leguminosas e 60 forrageiras nao convencionais (de 31 familias), alem de 21 invasoras, com graus de frequencia, textura de solo, alagamento e qualificacao forrageira. Sao apresentados teores de PB para 15 gramineas, e de PB e minerais para 20 forrageiras de outras familias. As principais forrageiras do Pantanal arenoso sao Axonopus purpusii (mimoso) e Mesosetum chaseae (grama-de-cerrado); do argiloso, sao Hemartyria altissima (mimoso-de-talo) e Leersia hexandra (felpudo), enquanto no siltoso sao Paratheria prostrata (mimoso-peludo), Paspalidum paludivagum, Paspalum plicatulum (felpudo) Reimarochloa spp.(mimosinho), que tambem estao entreas principais dos dois tipos texturais anteriores. As leguminosas herbaceas tem pequena expressao nas areas arenosas, Desmodium barbatum sendo a principal; nas argilosas, ha tres especies de Aeschynomene, duas de Discolobium e Arachis, e uma de Dolichopsis, Galactia, Rhynchosia, Teramnus e Vigna, como mais frequentes. As pastagens cultivadas sao recentes, a principal sendo Brachiaria decumbens, em "cordilheiras" arenosas.

Association of candidate genes with flowering time and water-soluble carbohydrate content in Lolium perenne (L.)

Sk?t, L., Humphreys, J., Humphreys, M. O., Thorogood, D., Gallagher, J. A., Sanderson, R., Armstead, I. P., Thomas, I. D. (2007). Association of candidate genes with flowering time and water-soluble carbohydrate content in Lolium perenne (L.). Genetics, 177 (1), 535-547. Sponsorship: BBSRC RAE2008

Brachypodium distachyon. A new model system for functional genomics in grasses

John Draper, Luis A.J. Mur, Glyn Jenkins, Gadab C. Ghosh-Biswas, Pauline Bablak, Robert Hasterok,and Andrew P.M. Routledge (2001). Brachypodium distachyon. A new model system for functional genomics in grasses. Plant Physiology, 127 (4), 1539-1555. Sponsorship: BBSRC / Gatsby Foundation RAE2008

The ecology of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) in rural Ireland

This study on the ecology of Irish hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) has provided information on detection techniques, home range, habitat selection, hedgehog prey, nesting, courtship, genetics, road mortality, parasites, ageing and morphology of this species. Data were obtained from a focal study area in rural Cork, in which 24 radio tagged hedgehogs were monitored from June 2008 to June 2010. Further data were obtained through road kill surveys and the collection of hedgehog carcasses from around Ireland. Hedgehogs of both sexes were found to display philopatry. Habitat was not used in proportion to its availability, but certain habitats were selected and a similar pattern of habitat selection was evident in successive years. Hedgehogs preferred arable land in September and October and, unlike studies elsewhere, were observed to forage in the centre of fields. Badgers were regularly seen at the study site and did not appear to negatively affect hedgehogs’ use of the area. Instead the intra- and inter-habitat distribution of hedgehogs was closely correlated with that of their potential prey. Male hedgehogs had a mean annual home range of 56 ha and females 16.5 ha, although monthly home ranges were much more conservative. Male home range peaked during the breeding season (April-July) and a peak in road deaths was observed during these months. The majority of road kill (54%) were individuals of one year old or less, however, individuals were found up to eight and nine years of age. Genetic analysis showed a distinct lack of genetic variation amongst Irish hedgehogs and suggests colonisation by a small number of individuals. The ectoparasites, Archaeopsylla erinacei, Ixodes hexagonus and Ixodes canisuga were recorded in addition to the endoparasites Crenosoma striatum and Capillaria erinacei. In light of the reported decline in many areas of the hedgehogs’ range, it is a species of conservation concern, and this is the first study examining the ecology of the hedgehog in Ireland.

Trophic role of small cetaceans and seals in Irish waters

Understanding the role of marine mammals in specific ecosystems and their interactions with fisheries involves, inter alia, an understanding of their diet and dietary requirements. In this thesis, the foraging ecology of seven marine mammal species that regularly occur in Irish waters was investigated by reconstructing diet using hard parts from digestive tracts and scats. Of the species examined, two (striped and Atlantic white-sided dolphin) can be considered offshore species or species inhabiting neritic waters, while five others usually inhabit more coastal areas (white-beaked dolphin, harbour porpoise, harbour seal and grey seal); the last species studied was the bottlenose dolphin whose population structure is more complex, with coastal and offshore populations. A total of 13,028 prey items from at least 81 different species (62 fish species, 14 cephalopods, four crustaceans, and a tunicate) were identified. 28% of the fish species were identified using bones other than otoliths, highlighting the importance of using all identifiable structures to reconstruct diet. Individually, each species of marine mammal presented a high diversity of prey taxa, but the locally abundant Trisopterus spp. were found to be the most important prey item for all species, indicating that Trisopterus spp. is probably a key species in understanding the role of these predators in Irish waters. In the coastal marine mammals, other Gadiformes species (haddock, pollack, saithe, whiting) also contributed substantially to the diet; in contrast, in pelagic or less coastal marine mammals, prey was largely comprised of planktivorous fish, such as Atlantic mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting, and mesopelagic prey. Striped dolphins and Atlantic white-sided dolphins are offshore small cetaceans foraging in neritic waters. Differences between the diet of striped dolphins collected in drift nets targeting tuna and stranded on Irish coasts showed a complex foraging behaviour; the diet information shows that although this dolphin forages mainly in oceanic waters it may occasionally forage on the continental shelf, feeding on available prey. The Atlantic white-sided dolphin diet showed that this species prefers to feed over the continental edge, where planktivorous fish are abundant. Some resource partitioning was found in bottlenose dolphins in Irish waters consistent with previous genetic and stable isotope analysis studies. Bottlenose dolphins in Irish waters appears to be generalist feeders consuming more than 30 prey species, however most of the diet comprised a few locally abundant species, especially gadoid fish including haddock/pollack/saithe group and Trisopterus spp., but the contribution of Atlantic hake, conger eels and the pelagic planktivorous horse mackerel were also important. Stomach content information suggests that three different feeding behaviours might occur in bottlenose dolphin populations in Irish waters; firstly a coastal behaviour, with animals feeding on prey that mainly inhabit areas close to the coast; secondly an offshore behaviour where dolphins feed on offshore species such as squid or mesopelagic fish; and a third more complex behaviour that involves movements over the continental shelf and close to the shelf edge. The other three coastal marine mammal species (harbour porpoise, harbour seal and grey seal) were found to be feeding on similar prey and competition for food resources among these sympatric species might occur. Both species of seals were found to have a high overlap (more than 80%) in their diet composition, but while grey seals feed on large fish (>110mm), harbour seals feed mostly on smaller fish (<110mm), suggesting some spatial segregation in foraging. Harbour porpoises and grey seals are potentially competing for the same food resource but some differences in prey species were found and some habitat partitioning might occur. Direct interaction (by catch) between dolphins and fisheries was detected in all species. Most of the prey found in the stomach contents from both stranded and by catch dolphins were smaller sizes than those targeted by commercial fisheries. In fact, the total annual food consumption of the species studied was found to be very small (225,160 tonnes) in comparison to fishery landings for the same area (~2 million tonnes). However, marine mammal species might be indirectly interacting with fisheries, removing forage fish. Incorporating the dietary information obtained from the four coastal species, an ECOPATH food web model was established for the Irish Sea, based on data from 2004. Five trophic levels were found, with bottlenose dolphins and grey and harbour seals occurring at the highest trophic level. A comparison with a previous model based on 1973 data suggests that while the overall Irish Sea ecosystem appears to be “maturing”, some indices indicate that the 2004 fishery was less efficient and was targeting fish at higher trophic levels than in 1973, which is reflected in the mean trophic level of the catch. Depletion or substantial decrease of some of the Irish Sea fish stocks has resulted in a significant decline in landings in this area. The integration of diet information in mass-balance models to construct ecosystem food-webs will help to understand the trophic role of these apex predators within the ecosystem.