Performance of LoRa-WAN Sensors for Precision Livestock Tracking and Biosensing Applications

This study investigated the integration of Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRa WAN) communication technology and sensors for use as Internet of Things (IoT) platform for Precision Livestock-Farming (PLF) applications. The research was conducted at New Mexico State University’s Clayton Livestock Research Centre. The functionality of LoRA WAN communication technology and performance of LoRa WAN motion and GPS sensors were tested using static sensors that were placed either, a) outdoors and at incremental distances from the LoRa WAN gateway antenna (Field, n=6), or b) housed indoors and close to the same LoRa WAN gateway antenna (Indoor, n=5). Accelerometer data, reported as motion intensity index, and GPS location were acquired, transmitted and logged at 1 and 15 minute intervals, respectively. We evaluated the tracker\u27s GPS accuracy (GPSBias as the euclidean distance between the actual and projected tracker location) and variables associated with the tracker’s data transmission capabilities. The results indicate that field trackers had a greater accuracy for remote sensing of GPS locations compared to indoor trackers facing increasing communication interference to acquire satellite signals (GPSBias; 5.20 vs. 17.76 m; P\u3c 0.01). Overall, the trackers and deployments appeared to have a comparable GPS accuracy to other tracking devices and systems available in the market. The total data packets that were successfully transmitted were similar between the indoor and field trackers, but the number of data packets that were processed varied between the two deployments (P=0.02). Due to the static deployment of indoor and field trackers, activity data was almost non-existent for most devices. However, same trackers embedded on collars that were mounted on mature cattle showed clear diurnal patterns consistent with time budgets exerted by grazing cattle. The pilot testing of GPS and accelerometer sensors using LoRa WAN technology revealed reasonable sensor sensitivity and reliability for integration in PLF platforms

Foreword: Humans in Changing Shrubland Ecosystems

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

View Point: Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation, and US Rangelands

On the Ground • Depletion of conventional oil and natural gas reserves, rising world demand for fossil fuels, and changing geo-political conditions necessitate that the United States aggressively develop both renewable and nonrenewable energy along with increasing energy conservation and efficiency. This will affect how rangelands are used, create income opportunities for ranchers, and expand employment opportunities for professional range managers. • Air and ground water contamination and increased earthquakes could be serious environmental challenges from expanded development of unconventional fossil fuels. Renewable energy development involving wind, solar, and biomass also have environmental hazards. Rangeland managers in the future must be prepared to minimize and ameliorate environmental damage from different types of energy developments while optimizing energy production with traditional rangeland uses. • In our view, government policies encouraging energy conservation could significantly reduce rangeland losses to urban and ex-urbanization, dependence on foreign oil imports and carbon emissions. They would also extend the longevity of fossil fuel reserves providing a hedge against possible failure of renewable energy sources to meet future needs.The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Influence of Plant Material Handling Protocols on Terpenoid Profiles of One-Seed Juniper Saplings

Accurate estimation of one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma [Engelm.] Sarg.) intake by herbivores often requires harvesting, transporting, and storing plant material that is later used in pen experiments. Such manipulation could alter terpenoid profiles and modify herbivory levels significantly. We used gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to analyze the terpenoid profile of leaves from 10 short (0.5 m +/- 0.05, mean +/- SE) and 10 tall (1.14 m +/- 0.06) one-seed juniper saplings subjected to 3 handling protocols: a) placed on dry ice after clipping and stored after 5 hours at –80 degreesC for 3 weeks (Control); b) kept at ambient temperature for the first 24 hours and then frozen at –80 degreesC for 3 weeks; or c) kept at ambient temperature for the first 24 hours, and then stored at 8 degreesC for 3 weeks. Juniper saplings contained 51 terpenoids, 3 of which were unknown compounds. Fourteen terpenoids accounted for 95% of the total amount of volatiles. The most abundant compound was a-pinene, which accounted for 65% of total terpenoids present. Handling protocols were not associated with detectable differences in total terpenoid content (Means +/- SE, Control: 21.68 +/- 1.42 mg g-1 dry matter [DM]; Frozen after 24 hours: 19.55 +/- 1.08 mg g-1 DM; Refrigerated after 24 hours: 18.80 +/- 1.13 mg g-1 DM). However, total terpenoid amount and concentration of a few major compounds tended to decrease with increasing storage temperature. Handling protocols induced detectable variations in a small number of minor terpenoids. We observed large among-plant variation in terpenoid profiles that was not fully explained on the basis of sapling size. This study suggests that the length of storage period of one-seed juniper branches should not exceed 3 weeks and that storage refrigeration temperatures should be kept below 8 degreesC to prevent significant alterations in terpenoid profiles. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 2020Legacy DOIs that must be preserved: 10.2458/azu_jrm_v59i6_utsum

Influence of Plant Material Handling Protocols on Terpenoid Profiles of One-Seed Juniper Saplings

Accurate estimation of one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma [Engelm.] Sarg.) intake by herbivores often requires harvesting, transporting, and storing plant material that is later used in pen experiments. Such manipulation could alter terpenoid profiles and modify herbivory levels significantly. We used gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to analyze the terpenoid profile of leaves from 10 short (0.5 m +/- 0.05, mean +/- SE) and 10 tall (1.14 m +/- 0.06) one-seed juniper saplings subjected to 3 handling protocols: a) placed on dry ice after clipping and stored after 5 hours at –80 degreesC for 3 weeks (Control); b) kept at ambient temperature for the first 24 hours and then frozen at –80 degreesC for 3 weeks; or c) kept at ambient temperature for the first 24 hours, and then stored at 8 degreesC for 3 weeks. Juniper saplings contained 51 terpenoids, 3 of which were unknown compounds. Fourteen terpenoids accounted for 95% of the total amount of volatiles. The most abundant compound was a-pinene, which accounted for 65% of total terpenoids present. Handling protocols were not associated with detectable differences in total terpenoid content (Means +/- SE, Control: 21.68 +/- 1.42 mg g-1 dry matter [DM]; Frozen after 24 hours: 19.55 +/- 1.08 mg g-1 DM; Refrigerated after 24 hours: 18.80 +/- 1.13 mg g-1 DM). However, total terpenoid amount and concentration of a few major compounds tended to decrease with increasing storage temperature. Handling protocols induced detectable variations in a small number of minor terpenoids. We observed large among-plant variation in terpenoid profiles that was not fully explained on the basis of sapling size. This study suggests that the length of storage period of one-seed juniper branches should not exceed 3 weeks and that storage refrigeration temperatures should be kept below 8 degreesC to prevent significant alterations in terpenoid profiles. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 2020Legacy DOIs that must be preserved: 10.2458/azu_jrm_v59i6_utsum

Monitoring Heifer Grazing Distribution at the Valles Caldera National Preserve

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Piñon-Juniper Woodland Use by Cattle in Relation to Weather and Animal Reproductive State

We conducted a study to determine the role of piñon-juniper (PJ) woodland in providing shelter for cattle at a site in central New Mexico. Positions of 16 cows, 8 pregnant or nursing (PN) and 8 nonpregnant-nonlactating (NPNL), grazing a PJ woodland-grass steppe mosaic were recorded every 5 min by Global Positioning System during late winter and early spring in 2004 and 2005 (eight different cows in each year). Hourly weather variables were also recorded at a weather station located at our research site. Weekly fecal samples were collected from all collared cattle (n = 16) to determine botanical composition of diets. Decreasing air temperatures, increasing relative humidity, winds out of the northwest (all of which are associated with heat loss), and increasing short-term thermal stress were associated with a detectable (P<0.05) increase in PJ-woodland preference of PN and NPNL cows. Days to/from calving date was a significant predictor of PJ-woodland preference of PN cows (P < 0.05), which showed highest PJ-woodland preference on the day before or immediately after calving date. Preference for PJ woodland by all cows, averaged across the study period, increased with the increasing proportion of days with cold short-term thermal stress (P<0.01) and decreasing availability of open shortgrass forage (P<0.01). PN and NPNL cows exhibited detectably different grazing patterns (P=0.01). PN cows explored smaller areas (P<0.01) and traveled shorter distances (P = 0.053) than NPNL counterparts in any given day. Winterfat (Krascheninnikova lanata [Pursh] A. Meeuse Smit) was the only plant species analyzed that was detectably more abundant (P = 0.05) in NPNL vs. PN diets, particularly during the week surrounding calving in 2005. Our data suggest that PJ woodland with abundant understory can play an important role in providing shelter for nursing or dry cattle during winter, particularly in years when forage availability is scarce. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Dispersal Patterns of One-Seed Juniper Seeds Contained in Mammal Scats and Bird Pellets

We conducted a two-year study in New Mexico, USA, to determine the role of birds, lagomorphs, mesocarnivores, and porcupines in one-seed juniper (J. monosperma (Englem.) Sarg.) seed dispersal. We established random plots: (1) around cone-bearing juniper trees in the woodland; (2) around non-cone-bearing juniper trees in the woodland; (3) in woodland/grassland transition zones; and in (4) grassland habitats near juniper woodlands. We estimated seed density and tallied the number of plots with seeds deposited by each disperser group. Birds deposited the highest number of seeds/ha under the canopy of cone-bearing trees. Mesocarnivores were responsible for the highest average seed deposition in all other habitats. In juniper cone-bearing tree habitats, birds deposited seeds in 100% of plots under-canopy and 93% of plots outside-canopy. Seeds deposited by lagomorphs were observed in plots across all sampled habitats. Overall, seed deposition was greatest around cone-bearing juniper trees, followed by non-cone-bearing juniper trees, woodland-grassland transition zones, and grassland habitats. Birds deposited seeds primarily under cone-bearing tree perch sites. Lagomorphs deposited seeds widely in relatively high numbers across all habitats and are likely responsible for the greatest number of one-seed juniper seeds deposited on the soil surface at our research site