Abstract
There is a long lasting debate on the effects of domestic cattle grazing on natural ecosystems worldwide. Cattle are generally assumed to have negative effects on forest conservation; however, several studies also report positive and neutral effects. We aimed to investigate the available evidence for positive, negative and neutral effects of cattle grazing on forest and woody ecosystems of southern South America. We conducted a peer-review literature search using the ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases to identify studies dealing with cattle impacts for nature conservation. We compiled a database of 211 cases from 126 original publications. A reduced number of forest ecosystems (Patagonian forest, Chaco and Monte) concentrated ~ 85% of the reported study cases. The hierarchical cluster analysis to group cases based on cattle effects, ecological variables and ecosystems reported that negative effects (~ 66% of cases) were mostly informed for vegetation variables and mainly occur in Patagonian forest and Chaco; positive effects (~ 16%) were mostly informed for Monte (no particular variable associated), while neutral effects (~ 18%) were mostly informed for fauna-related variables and Uruguayan savanna. Our study suggests that grazing effects by cattle on southern South America forests are not homogeneous and depend on the particular forest ecosystem considered as well as on the forest attribute measured. Different cattle effects found can be partially explained by differences in grazing history and different ecosystems productivity. It is vital to improve our understanding of cattle–forest interactions to guide synergies between sustainable management and forest conservation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams SN (1975) Sheep and cattle grazing in forest: a review. J Appl Ecol 12:143–152
Aschero V, Garcia D (2012) The fencing paradigm in woodland conservation: consequences for recruitment of a semi-arid tree. Appl Veg Sci 15:307–317. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2011.01180.x
Asner GP, Elmore AJ, Olander LP, Martin RE, Harris AT (2004) Grazing systems, ecosystem responses, and global change. Annu Rev Environ Resour 29:261–299. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.29.062403.102142
Augustine DJ, Frelich LE, Jordan PA, Applications SE, Nov N (1998) Evidence for two alternate stable states in an ungulate grazing system. Ecol Appl 8:1260–1269
Ballari SA, Kuebbing SE, Nuñez MA (2016) Potential problems of removing one invasive species at a time: a meta-analysis of the interactions between invasive vertebrates and unexpected effects of removal programs. PeerJ 4:e2029
Belsky AJ, Blumenthal DM (1997) Effects of livestock grazing on stand dynamics and soils in upland forests of the interior west. Conserv Biol 11:315–327. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.95405.x
Binkley D, Senock R, Bird S, Cole TG (2003) Twenty years of stand development in pure and mixed stands of Eucalyptus saligna and nitrogen-fixing Falcataria moluccana. For Ecol Manag 182:93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(03)00028-8
Blackhall M, Raffaele E, Veblen TT (2008) Cattle affect early post-fire regeneration in a Nothofagus dombeyi-Austrocedrus chilensis mixed forest in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Biol Conserv 141:2251–2261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.06.016
Blackhall M, Raffaele E, Veblen TT (2012) Is foliar flammability of woody species related to time since fire and herbivory in northwest Patagonia, Argentina? J Veg Sci 23:931–941. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01405.x
Blackhall M, Raffaele E, Veblen TT (2015a) Efectos combinados del fuego y el ganado en matorrales y bosques del noroeste patagónico. Ecol Austral 25:1–10
Blackhall M, Veblen TT, Raffaele E (2015b) Recent fire and cattle herbivory enhance plant-level fuel flammability in shrublands. J Veg Sci 26:123–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12216
Bruun HH, Fritzbøger B (2002) The past impact of livestock husbandry on dispersal of plant seeds in the landscape of Denmark. AMBIO 31:425–431. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-31.5.425
Capó EA, Aguilar R, Renison D (2016) Livestock reduces juvenile tree growth of alien invasive species with a minimal effect on natives: a field experiment using exclosures. Biol Invasions 18:2943–2950. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1185-3
Cingolani AM, Posse G, Collantes MB (2005) Plant functional traits, herbivore selectivity and response to sheep grazing in Patagonian steppe grasslands. J Appl Ecol 42:50–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2004.00978.x
Cingolani AM, Noy-Meir I, Renison DD, Cabido M (2008) La ganadería extensiva:¿ es compatible con la conservación de la biodiversidad y de los suelos? Ecol Austral 18:253–271
Côté SD, Rooney TP, Tremblay J-P, Dussault C, Waller DM (2004) Ecological impacts of deer overabundance. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35:113–147. https://doi.org/10.2307/30034112
Darabant A, Rai PB, Tenzin K, Roder W, Gratzer G (2007) Cattle grazing facilitates tree regeneration in a conifer forest with palatable bamboo understory. For Ecol Manag 252:73–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.018
de Paz M, Raffaele E (2013) Cattle change plant reproductive phenology, promoting community changes in a post-fire Nothofagus forest in northern Patagonia, Argentina. J Plant Ecol 6:459–467. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtt004
De Santo TL, Willson MF, Sieving KE, Armesto JJ (2002) Nesting biology of Tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae) in fragmented south-temperate rainforests of chile. Condor 104:482–495
Díaz S, Lavorel S, McIntyre S, Falczuk V, Casanoves F, Milchunas DG, Skarpe C, Rusch G, Sternberg M, Noy-Meir I, Landsberg J, Zhang W, Clark H, Campbell BD (2006) Plant trait responses to grazing—a global synthesis. Glob Chang Biol 12:1–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01288.x
Echávarri V, López I, Amunátegui R (2014) Boletín de carne bovina: tendencias de producción, precios y comercio exterior
Eldridge DJ, Poore AGB, Ruiz-Colmenero M, Letnic M, Soliveres S (2016) Ecosystem structure, function, and composition in rangelands are negatively affected by livestock grazing. Ecol Appl 26:1273–1283. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1234
Fensham RJ, Silcock JL, Firn J (2014) Managed livestock grazing is compatible with the maintenance of plant diversity in semidesert grasslands. Ecol Appl 24:503–517. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0492.1
Foster CN, Barton PS, Lindenmayer DB (2014) Effects of large native herbivores on other animals. J Appl Ecol 51:929–938. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12268
Frid A (2001) Habitat use by endangered huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus): cattle, snow, and the problem of multiple causes. Biol Conserv 100:261–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00064-7
Fuentes ER, Avilés R, Segura A (1989) Landscape change under indirect effects of human use: the Savanna of Central Chile. Landsc Ecol 2:73–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00137151
Gill RMA, Beardall V (2001) The impact of deer on woodlands: the effects of browsing and seed dispersal on vegetation structure and composition. Forestry 74:209–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/74.3.209
Gill RMA, Fuller RJ (2007) The effects of deer browsing on woodland structure and songbirds in lowland Britain. Ibis (Lond 1859) 149:119–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2007.00731.x
Goheen JR, Palmer TM, Keesing F, Riginos C, Young TP (2010) Large herbivores facilitate savanna tree establishment via diverse and indirect pathways. J Anim Ecol 79:372–382. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01644.x
Griscom HP, Griscom BW, Ashton MS (2009) Forest regeneration from pasture in the dry tropics of Panama: effects of cattle, exotic grass, and forested riparia. Restor Ecol 17:117–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2007.00342.x
Guevara JC, Grünwaldt EG, Estevez OR, Bisigato AJ, Blanco LJ, Biurrun FN, Ferrando CA, Chirino CC, Morici E, Fernández B, Allegretti LI, Passera CB (2009) Range and livestock production in the Monte Desert, Argentina. J Arid Environ 73:228–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.02.001
Gurevitch J, Padilla DK (2004) Are invasive species a major cause of extinctions? Trends Ecol Evol 19:470–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.07.005
Hester AJ, Mitchell FJG, Kirby KJ (1996) Effects of season and intensity of sheep grazing on tree regeneration in a British upland woodland. For Ecol Manag 88:99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(96)03815-7
Hester AJ, Edenius L, Buttenschon RM, Kuiters AT (2000) Interactions between forests and herbivores: the role of controlled grazing experiments. Forestry 73:381–391. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/73.4.381
Hester AJ, Bergman M, Iason GR, Moen J (2006) Impacts of large herbivores on plant community structure and dynamics. In: Danell K, Bergström R, Duncan P, Pastor J (eds) Large herbivore ecology, ecosystem dynamic and conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 97–141
Hobbs NT (1996) Modification of ecosystems by ungulates. J Wildl Manage 695–713
Hobbs NT (2006) Large herbivores as sources of disturbance in ecosystems. In: Danell K, Bergström R, Duncan P, Pastor J (eds) Large herbivore ecology, ecosystem dynamics and conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 261–288
Hobbs R, Huenneke L (1992) Disturbance, diversity, and invasion: implications for conservation. Conserv Biol 6:324–337
Huntly N (1991) Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 22:477–503
Jones A (2000) Effects of cattle grazing on North American arid ecosystems: a quantitative review. West North Am Nat 60:155–164
Kaufmann J, Bork EW, Alexander MJ, Blenis PV (2014) Effects of open-range cattle grazing on deciduous tree regeneration, damage, and mortality following patch logging. Can J For Res 44:777–783. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0131
Kimuyu DM, Sensenig RL, Corinna R, Veblen KE, Young TP (2014) Native and domestic browsers and grazers reduce fuels, fire temperatures, and acacia ant mortality in an African savanna. Ecol Appl 24:741–749. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1135.1
Lê S, Josse J, Husson F (2008) FactoMineR: an r package for multivariate analysis. J Stat Software 25(1):1–8
Lehmann CER, Anderson TM, Sankaran M, Higgins SI, Archibald S, Hoffmann WA, Hanan NP, Williams RJ, Fensham RJ, Felfili J, Hutley LB, Ratnam J, San Jose J, Montes R, Franklin D, Russell-Smith J, Ryan CM, Durigan G, Hiernaux P, Haidar R, Bowman DMJS, Bond WJ (2014) Savanna vegetation-fire-climate relationships differ among continents. Science 343(80):548–552
Leopold CR, Hess SC (2017) Conversion of native terrestrial ecosystems in Hawai‘i to novel grazing systems: a review. Biol Invasions 19:161–177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1270-7
Lortie CJ (2014) Formalized synthesis opportunities for ecology: systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Oikos 123:897–902. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00970.x
Maechler M, Rousseeuw P, Struyf A, Hornik M, Kurt H (2018) Cluster: cluster analysis basics and extensions
Malizia A, Easdale TA, Grau HR (2013) Rapid structural and compositional change in an old-growth subtropical forest: using plant traits to identify probable drivers. PLoS ONE 8:e73546. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073546
Marquardt S, Marquez A, Bouillot H, Beck SG, Mayer AC, Kreuzer M, Alzérreca AH (2009) Intensity of browsing on trees and shrubs under experimental variation of cattle stocking densities in southern Bolivia. For Ecol Manag 258:1422–1428
Meglioli PA, Aranibar JN, Villagra PE, Alvarez JA, Jobbagy EG (2013) Livestock stations as foci of groundwater recharge and nitrate leaching in a sandy desert of the Central Monte, Argentina. Ecohydrology 7:600–611. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1381
Meier D, Merino ML (2007) Distribution and habitat features of southern pudu (Pudu puda Molina, 1782) in Argentina. Mamm Biol 72:204–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.08.007
Merino ML, Carpinetti BN, Abba AM (2009) Invasive mammals in the national parks system of Argentina. Nat AREAS J 29:42–49
Mezquida ET, Quse L, Marone L (2004) Artificial nest predation in natural and perturbed habitats of the central Monte Desert, Argentina. J Field Ornithol 75:364–371
Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK (1993) Quantitative effects of grazing on vegetation and soils over a global range of environments. Ecol Monogr 63:327. https://doi.org/10.2307/2937150
Novillo A, Ojeda RA (2008) The exotic mammals of Argentina. Biol Invasions 10:1333–1344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-007-9208-8
Pastor J, Cohen Y, Hobbs NT (2006) The roles of large herbivores in ecosystem nutrient cycles. In: Pastor J, Danell K, Duncan P, Bergström R (eds) Large herbivore ecology, ecosystem dynamics and conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 289–325
Pekin BK, Endress BA, Wisdom MJ, Naylor BJ, Parks CG (2015) Impact of ungulate exclusion on understorey succession in relation to forest management in the Intermountain Western United States. Appl Veg Sci 18:252–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12145
Peri PL, Bahamonde HA, Lencinas MV, Soler R, Martínez G (2016) A review of silvopastoral systems in native forests of Nothofagus antarctica in southern Patagonia, Argentina. Agrofor Syst 90:933–960. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-9890-6
Piana RP, Marsden SJ (2014) Impacts of cattle grazing on forest structure and raptor distribution within a neotropical protected area. Biodivers Conserv 23:559–572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0616-z
PNUMA, CLAES (2008) Geo mercosur. Montevideo, Uruguay
Price LW (1986) Mountains and man: a study of process and environment. University of California Press, Berkeley
Proulx M, Mazumder A (1998) Reversal of grazing impact on plant species richness in nutrient-poor vs. nutrient-rich ecosystems. Ecology 79:2581–2592
Pullin AS, Gavin SB (2006) Guidelines for systematic review in conservation and environmental management. Conserv Biol 20:1647–1656. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00485.x
R Core Team (2018) R: a language and environment for statistical computing
Relva MA, Veblen TT (1998) Impacts of introduced large herbivores on Austrocedrus chilensis forests in northern Patagonia, Argentina. For Ecol Manag 108:27–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00313-7
Roder W, Gratzer G, Wangdi K (2002) Cattle grazing in the conifer forests of Bhutan. Mt Res Dev 22:368–374
Sasal Y, Farji-Brener A, Raffaele E (2017) Fire modulates the effects of introduced ungulates on plant-insect interactions in a Patagonian temperate forest. Biol Invasions 19:2459–2475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1455-8
Schieltz JM, Rubenstein DI (2016) Evidence based review: positive versus negative effects of livestock grazing on wildlife. What do we really know? Environ Res Lett 11:1–18. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/11/113003
Sharp BR, Whittaker RJ (2003) The irreversible cattle-driven transformation of a seasonally flooded Australian savanna. J Biogeogr 30:783–802. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00840.x
Simard M, Pinto N, Fisher JB, Baccini A (2011) Mapping forest canopy height globally with spaceborne lidar. J Geophys Res Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001708
Soler Esteban R, Martinez Pastur G, Vanessa Lencinas M, Borrelli L (2012) Differential forage use between large native and domestic herbivores in Southern Patagonian Nothofagus forests. Agrofor Syst 85:397–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-011-9430-3
Steinfeld H, Gerber P, Wassenaar T, Castel V, Rosales M, de Hann C (2006) Livestock’s long shadow—environmental issues and options. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
Tasker EM, Bradstock RA (2006) Influence of cattle grazing practices on forest understorey structure in north-eastern New South Wales. Austral Ecol 31:490–502. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01597.x
Teich I, Cingolani AM, Renison D, Hensen I, Giorgis MA (2005) Do domestic herbivores retard Polylepis australis Bitt. woodland recovery in the mountains of Cordoba, Argentina? For Ecol Manag 219:229–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.08.048
Vavra M, Parks CG, Wisdom MJ (2007) Biodiversity, exotic plant species, and herbivory: the good, the bad, and the ungulate. For Ecol Manag 246:66–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2007.03.051
Venier P, Carrizo Garcia C, Cabido M, Funes G (2012) Survival and germination of three hard-seeded Acacia species after simulated cattle ingestion: the importance of the seed coat structure. South Afr J Bot 79:19–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2011.11.005
Vidal OJ, Bannister JR, Sandoval V, Perez Y, Ramirez C (2011) Woodland communities in the Chilean cold-temperate zone (Baker and Pascua basins): floristic composition and morpho-ecological transition. Gayana Bot 68:141–154
Vieira DLM, Scariot A, Holl KD (2006) Effects of habitat, cattle grazing and selective logging on seedling survival and growth forest of central Brazil. Biotropica 39:269–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00246.x
Vila AR, Beade MS, Lamuniere DB (2008) Home range and habitat selection of pampas deer. J Zool 276:95–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00468.x
Wardle DA, Bardgett RD (2004) Human-induced changes in large herbivorous mammal density: the consequences for decomposers. Front Ecol Environ 2:145–153
Wisdom MJ, Vavra M, Boyd JM, Hemstrom MA, Ager AA, Johnson BK (2006) Understanding ungulate herbivory-episodic disturbance effects on vegetation dynamics: knowledge gaps and management needs. Wildl Soc Bull 34:283–292
Young HS, Mccauley DJ, Helgen KM, Goheen JR, Otárola-Castillo E, Palmer TM, Pringle RM, Young TP, Dirzo R (2013) Effects of mammalian herbivore declines on plant communities: observations and experiments in an African savanna. J Ecol 101:1030–1041. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12096
Zamorano-Elgueta C, Cayuela L, Rey-Benayas JM, Donoso PJ, Geneletti D, Hobbs RJ (2014) The differential influences of human-induced disturbances on tree regeneration community: a landscape approach. Ecosphere 5:art90. https://doi.org/10.1890/es14-00003.1
Acknowledgments
We thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments that significantly improved the manuscript. Dr. C. Tellaeche helped with the map and Dr. S. R. Moyano assisted with the cluster analysis figure. This study was supported by a doctoral fellowship from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET) to F.M.; a research grant from the Unit for Rural Change, Ministry of Agroindustry (UCAR-PIA 14037-2015) to L.R.M. and F.M.; and a Rufford Small Grant from the Rufford Foundation to F.M.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Martin Nunez.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mazzini, F., Relva, M.A. & Malizia, L.R. Impacts of domestic cattle on forest and woody ecosystems in southern South America. Plant Ecol 219, 913–925 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0846-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0846-y