Effects of livestock grazing on benthic invertebrates from a native grassland ecosystem
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Authors: G. J. Scrimgeour, and S. Kendall
Date: 2003
Journal: Freshwater Biology
Volume: 48
Number: 2
Pages: 347-362
Summary of Methods: In Cypress Hills Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, water quality, riparian vegetation and bank stability responses to livestock grazing were studied. Enclosures were established on three streams, while a fourth stream with long-term cattle exclusion (10-15 yr) was used as control. The short term exclusion results were pooled and compared to the one long-term exclusion results. Streams were then grazed for two summers. Six yearling steers grazed each stream in one of four treatments (no grazing, June-August, August-September and June-September) for two summers. Streambank stability, in-stream vegetation cover and riparian vegetation biomass were measured prior to enclosure establishment and after grazing. Benthic and epilithon invertebrate and course particulate matter (CPOM) samples were taken at points in each enclosure and the non-grazed reach of the fourth creek.
Article Summary / Main Points: Bank stability improved and vegetation biomass increased with removal of livestock. Course particulate matter biomass was higher in livestock exclosures, while epilithon samples were similar across all treatments. By the end of the two year study total invertebrate biomass was greater in the late season grazing than in the no grazing and early season grazing. On the fourth stream CPOM and the shredding invertebrate functional group were greater in the long-term livestock exclusion versus the short-term exclusion, while invertebrate diversity was higher in the short-term exclusion.
Vegetation Types: Northern Mixed Prairie Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Invertebrates
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: algae, benthos, cattle grazing, streambank stability, functional feeding groups, riparian
Annotation: The effects of livestock grazing on bank stability and vegetation were clearer than on the invertebrate communities. Additional research is needed to be more certain of the effects of livestock on these communities. Additional long-term exclusion streams used to compare short-term exclusion streams with might have increased the power of the results. See Scimgeour and Kendall 2002 in the RSIS database for more information on this study.
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