干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain)

Arid

DOI	10.1007/s00267-024-01939-9
	Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain)
	Arroyo, Antonio I.; Pueyo, Yolanda; Barrantes, Olivia; Alados, Concepcion L.
通讯作者	Arroyo, AI
来源期刊	ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
ISSN	0364-152X
EISSN	1432-1009
出版年	2024
卷号	73 期号:5 页码:1005-1015
英文摘要	Rangeland-based livestock production constitutes a primary source of livelihood for many inhabitants of dryland regions. Their subsistence relies heavily on maintaining the productivity, biodiversity and services of these ecosystems. Harsh environmental conditions (e.g., drought) combined with land use intensification (e.g., overgrazing) make dryland ecosystems vulnerable and prone to degradation. However, the interplay between livestock grazing intensity and aridity conditions in driving the conservation and nutritional value of forage in arid and semi-arid rangelands is still not fully understood. In this study, we performed structural equation models (SEM) to assess the simultaneous direct and indirect effects of livestock grazing intensity and aridity level on community structure, diversity, biomass, forage production, forage C:N ratio and forage fiber composition in two semi-arid Mediterranean rangelands, NE Spain. Not surprisingly, we found that higher livestock grazing intensity led to lower community plant cover, especially when combined with higher aridity. However, both increasing grazing intensity and aridity were associated with higher forage production after one year of grazing exclusion. We did not find any adverse effect of livestock grazing on plant diversity, although plant species composition differed among grazing intensity levels. On the other hand, we found an aridity-driven trade-off in regard of the nutritional value of forage. Specifically, higher aridity was associated with a decrease in the least digestible fiber fraction (i.e., lignin) and an increase in forage C:N ratio. More interestingly, we found that livestock grazing modulated this trade-off by improving the overall forage nutritional value. Altogether, our results provide further insights into the management of semi-arid Mediterranean rangelands, pointing out that maintaining traditional rangeland-based livestock production may be a sustainable option as long as rangeland conservation (e.g., community plant cover) is not severely compromised.
英文关键词	Annual plant production Grazing intensity Middle Ebro Valley Plant diversity Plant C:N ratio Plant fiber composition
类型	Article
语种	英语
开放获取类型	Green Published, hybrid
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:001154947300001
WOS关键词	ECOSYSTEM MULTIFUNCTIONALITY ; MANAGEMENT ; DESERTIFICATION ; SUSTAINABILITY ; HERBIVORES ; INTENSITY ; RESPONSES ; RICHNESS ; CLIMATE ; BIOMASS
WOS类目	Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/403576
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Arroyo, Antonio I.,Pueyo, Yolanda,Barrantes, Olivia,et al. Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain)[J],2024,73(5):1005-1015.
APA	Arroyo, Antonio I.,Pueyo, Yolanda,Barrantes, Olivia,&Alados, Concepcion L..(2024).Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain).ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT,73(5),1005-1015.
MLA	Arroyo, Antonio I.,et al."Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain)".ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 73.5(2024):1005-1015.