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Global change biology2019; 25(5); 1808-1819; doi: 10.1111/gcb.14587

Different effects of alpine woody plant expansion on domestic and wild ungulates.

Abstract: Changes in land-use and climate affect the distribution and diversity of plant and animal species at different spatiotemporal scales. The extent to which species-specific phenotypic plasticity and biotic interactions mediate organismal adaptation to changing environments, however, remains poorly understood. Woody plant expansion is threatening the extent of alpine grasslands worldwide, and evaluating and predicting its effects on herbivores is of crucial importance. Here, we explore the impact of shrubification on the feeding efficiency of Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra p. pyrenaica), as well as on the three most abundant coexisting domestic ungulate species: cattle, sheep and horses. We use observational diet composition from May to October and model different scenarios of vegetation availability where shrubland and woodland proliferate at the expense of grassland. We then predicted if the four ungulate species could efficiently utilize their food landscapes with their current dietary specificities measuring their niche breath in each scenario. We observed that the wild counterpart, due to a higher trophic plasticity, is less disturbed by shrubification compared to livestock, which rely primarily on herbaceous plants and will be affected 3.6 times more. Our results suggest that mixed feeders, such as chamois, could benefit from fallow landscapes, and that mountain farmers are at a growing economic risk worldwide due to changing land-use practices and climate conditions.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2019-02-28 PubMed ID: 30737872PubMed Central: PMC6522367DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14587Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study investigates the effects of woody plant growth, a result of changing land use and climates, on wild and domesticated grassland animals, focusing on how these changes impact animals’ feeding efficiency. The research reveals that wild animals are less affected due to their greater diet flexibility, while livestock that primarily feed on grassland plants face significant consequences, posing economic risks to farmers.

Research Objective and Methodology

  • The aim of this research was to understand how the expansion of woody plants, also known as ‘shrubification’, impacts herbivore feeding efficiency. The species studied include wild Pyrenean chamois and three domestic ungulate species: cattle, sheep, and horses.
  • The researchers used observational diet data collected from May to October and modelled various scenarios of vegetation availability that saw an increase in woodland and shrubland at the expense of grassland. This method was used to predict if the herbivore species could efficiently utilize their food landscapes based on their current dietary habits, measuring their niche breadth in each scenario.

Findings of the Research

  • It was observed that the expansion of woody plants has distinguished effects on wild and domestic herbivores. The wild animals, exemplified by the Pyrenean chamois, displayed higher dietary flexibility or ‘trophic plasticity’, and therefore were less affected by the conversion of grasslands to woody vegetation.
  • On the contrary, domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, and horses, which primarily rely on grassland for nutrition, are predicted to be more disturbed by the process of ‘shrubification’. They are estimated to be affected around 3.6 times more than their wild counterparts.

Significance and Implications of the Study

  • The study suggests that mixed feeders such as chamois could potentially benefit from landscapes overtaken by woody plant growth (‘fallow landscapes’).
  • However, the implications for livestock farming are quite negative, as this change in land-use practices and climate conditions can lead to reduced feeding efficiency for livestock, incurring considerable economic risk for mountain farmers.

By highlighting the different impacts on species based on their dietary adaptability, this research underlines the need for managing plant diversity and considering animal feeding habits in strategies geared at mitigating the impacts of changing environments.

Cite This Article

APA
Espunyes J, Lurgi M, Büntgen U, Bartolomé J, Calleja JA, Gálvez-Cerón A, Peñuelas J, Claramunt-López B, Serrano E. (2019). Different effects of alpine woody plant expansion on domestic and wild ungulates. Glob Chang Biol, 25(5), 1808-1819. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14587

Publication

Global change biology
ISSN: 1365-2486
NlmUniqueID: 9888746
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 25
Issue: 5
Pages: 1808-1819

Researcher Affiliations

Espunyes, Johan
  • Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Lurgi, Miguel
  • Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling. Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS-Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, France.
Büntgen, Ulf
  • Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
  • Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
  • Global Change Research Centre (CzechGlobe), Brno, Czech Republic.
  • Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Bartolomé, Jordi
  • Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelon, Barcelona, Spain.
Calleja, Juan Antonio
  • Unitat de botánica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
  • Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
Gálvez-Cerón, Arturo
  • Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Facultad de ciencias pecuarias, Universidad de Nariño, Pasto, Colombia.
Peñuelas, Josep
  • Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
  • CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
Claramunt-López, Bernat
  • CREAF, Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals, Edifici Ciències, Bellaterra Catalunya, Spain.
  • Unitat d'Ecologia, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici Ciències, Bellaterra Catalunya, Spain.
Serrano, Emmanuel
  • Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild
  • Climate Change
  • Ecosystem
  • Food Preferences
  • Herbivory / physiology
  • Livestock / physiology
  • Plants / classification
  • Rupicapra / physiology
  • Species Specificity

Grant Funding

  • 726176 / European Research Council

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