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Foraging behavior of Highland cattle in silvopastoral systems in the Alps.
Nota, Ginevra; Svensk, Mia; Barberis, Davide; Frund, David; Pagani, Rebecca; Pittarello, Marco; Probo, Massimiliano; Ravetto Enri, Simone; Lonati, Michele; Lombardi, Giampiero.
Afiliación
  • Nota G; Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
  • Svensk M; Agroscope, Grazing Systems, Route de la Tioleyre 4, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland.
  • Barberis D; Ente di Gestione delle Aree Protette delle Alpi Marittime, Piazza Regina Elena 30, 12010 Valdieri, CN Italy.
  • Frund D; Agroscope, Grazing Systems, Route de la Tioleyre 4, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland.
  • Pagani R; Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
  • Pittarello M; Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
  • Probo M; Agroscope, Grazing Systems, Route de la Tioleyre 4, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland.
  • Ravetto Enri S; Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
  • Lonati M; Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
  • Lombardi G; Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy.
Agrofor Syst ; 98(2): 491-505, 2024.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38314106
ABSTRACT
Trees and shrubs expanded in the last decades in European mountains due to land abandonment and the decrease in grazing pressure, and are expected to further spread also due to climate change. As a consequence of low forage quality and topographic constraints, the management of mountain environments dominated by woody vegetation with livestock is often challenging. Silvopastoral systems based on cattle hardy breeds able to forage on woody plants, such as Highland cattle, could be a suitable option for the management and restoration of such environments. In this study, we used direct observations to explore the foraging behavior of Highland cattle in four study areas across the western Alps. In particular, we assessed (1) cattle diet composition, (2) the selection for more than 30 tree and shrub species, and (3) the relationships between species consumption and their abundance in the environment. Highland cattle fed on a mixture of both woody and herbaceous species, including between 15 and 46% of woody plants in the diet. Some trees (e.g., Celtis australis, Fraxinus spp., and Populus tremula) and shrubs (e.g., Frangula alnus, Rhamnus spp., and Rubus idaeus) were positively selected by cattle, thus they could be an important forage supplement to their diet. Moreover, the results highlighted that relative species consumption generally increased with increasing species abundance in the environment, suggesting that this cattle breed could be suitable to control shrub expansion in highly encroached areas. The outcomes of this study can support the development of targeted silvopastoral systems in the Alps. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10457-023-00926-z.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Agrofor Syst Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Países Bajos
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Agrofor Syst Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Países Bajos