How Are Distances Between Grazing Cows Determined?

Although domestic cows are protected from their natural enemies, they form herds when grazing like their wild forbears did. The herding instinct is used to manage cattle because it is easier to control a herd than separate individuals. This study examined how distances between individual grazing cows are determined

Biodiversity and Spatial Heterogeneity in Semi-Natural Grasslands in a Mountain Area in Slovakia

The spatial pattern of vegetation in the following 3 semi-natural grasslands in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, was observed in August, 1998: (1) a grassland sown with improved herbage plants after plowing in 1991, (2) a grassland oversown with improved herbage plants in 1991, and (3) a natural grassland without any treatment at the time of establishment. A new method of measuring vegetation was adopted: in each grassland, 50 quadrats 50 cm × 50 cm, composed of 4 smaller cells 25 cm × 25 cm, were set up, and all the species in each cell were recorded. The sown grassland displayed the highest species richness and diversity though its spatial heterogeneity was very high while in the natural grassland these characteristics were least pronounced. The highest species richness and diversity could be maintained on the average in the sown grasslands although their plot-to-plot variations were very large