کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4394814 1305560 2006 10 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Structural and nutritional heterogeneity of riparian vegetation in Patagonia (Argentina) in relation to seasonal grazing by sheep
موضوعات مرتبط
مهندسی و علوم پایه علوم زمین و سیارات فرآیندهای سطح زمین
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Structural and nutritional heterogeneity of riparian vegetation in Patagonia (Argentina) in relation to seasonal grazing by sheep
چکیده انگلیسی

Riparian meadows of southern Patagonia are temporally and spatially heterogeneous habitats. They are thought to play a key role in regulating the dynamics of arid grazed steppes of the region. We conducted a 2-year study with sheep to determine the influence of two grazing conditions (deferment and spring grazing) on structural and nutritional parameters of three vegetation types apparently associated with a soil moisture gradient in a riparian meadow in southern Santa Cruz (Argentina). Spring deferment allowed forage accumulation in very moist and intermediate vegetation types by the beginning of the summer and had no detrimental impact on forage quality. Deferment had no effect on biomass accumulation of the drier vegetation type at our study site. Structural attributes of the vegetation appeared to affect spatial grazing patterns of sheep. Soil-related patchiness, rather than sheep grazing, appeared to control vegetation structure and nutritional value. The proportion of more mesic plant communities in riparian habitats of Patagonia could determine the outcome of plant–animal interactions in these systems. Practical recommendations of grazing capacity in paddocks, or more theoretical considerations of ecosystem dynamics of the Patagonian steppes need to explicitly consider the internal patchiness of riparian habitats.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Journal of Arid Environments - Volume 67, Issue 4, December 2006, Pages 661–670
نویسندگان
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