Monitoring behaviour of dairy cows summered on subalpine pasture in relation to shrubs encroachment: preliminary results from the combined use of bitemetes and GPS - Shrubs encroachment in the Alps has caused a large reduction of grasslands leading to landscape changes and decreased biodiversity. In order to maintain the remaining species-rich areas it is of great importance to understand the relationship between the vegetation patterns and the spatial and grazing behaviour of cattle. Thus a trial was carried out in August 2003 to study the spatial distribution of grazing and other activities in relation to the presence of shrubs in a subalpine pasture of Central Alps (Alpe Boron, Valdidentro, Province of Sondrio, Italy, 46°26’N, 10°16’E, 1980-2150 m elevation). The study area extended over 100 ha. Most of the surfaces are encroached with Rhododendron ferrugineum and Juniperus nana. 5 dairy Brown lactating cows were fitted with bitemeters and collared GPS. They were monitored for 9 days. Combined GPS and behaviour data were imported in a GIS and the grazing, ruminating and total time spent in each type of vegetation was calculated. Cows spent 25% of grazing time within the shrubs encroached area. Since the woody coverage of the shrubby surfaces is about 40% the herbaceous covered surface was utilised at the same rate than grassland.

Utilizzo del GPS e della registrazione dell'attività mandibolare per lo studio del comportamento di vacche da latte in un pascolo subalpino cespugliato: primi risultati / M. Corti, F. Gusmeroli, L. Maggioni, G.P. Della Marianna, N. Modellini - In: L'alimentazione della vacca al pascolo : riflessi zootecnici, agro-ambientali e sulla tipicita delle produzioni / [a cura di] W. Ventura. - Trento : Nuove Arti Grafiche, 2005 Sep. - ISBN 88-89222-01-8. - pp. 104-112

Utilizzo del GPS e della registrazione dell'attività mandibolare per lo studio del comportamento di vacche da latte in un pascolo subalpino cespugliato: primi risultati

M. Corti
Primo
;
L. Maggioni;
2005

Abstract

Monitoring behaviour of dairy cows summered on subalpine pasture in relation to shrubs encroachment: preliminary results from the combined use of bitemetes and GPS - Shrubs encroachment in the Alps has caused a large reduction of grasslands leading to landscape changes and decreased biodiversity. In order to maintain the remaining species-rich areas it is of great importance to understand the relationship between the vegetation patterns and the spatial and grazing behaviour of cattle. Thus a trial was carried out in August 2003 to study the spatial distribution of grazing and other activities in relation to the presence of shrubs in a subalpine pasture of Central Alps (Alpe Boron, Valdidentro, Province of Sondrio, Italy, 46°26’N, 10°16’E, 1980-2150 m elevation). The study area extended over 100 ha. Most of the surfaces are encroached with Rhododendron ferrugineum and Juniperus nana. 5 dairy Brown lactating cows were fitted with bitemeters and collared GPS. They were monitored for 9 days. Combined GPS and behaviour data were imported in a GIS and the grazing, ruminating and total time spent in each type of vegetation was calculated. Cows spent 25% of grazing time within the shrubs encroached area. Since the woody coverage of the shrubby surfaces is about 40% the herbaceous covered surface was utilised at the same rate than grassland.
shrubs encroachment ; sub-alpine pasture ; cattle grazing ; GPS
Settore AGR/19 - Zootecnica Speciale
Settore AGR/02 - Agronomia e Coltivazioni Erbacee
set-2005
http://www.sozooalp.it/docs/Quad_2/Quaderno%20SZA%20n.2%20Corti-1.pdf
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/143666
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