Manipulation of the Spatial Grazing Behaviour of Livestock in Extensive Grassland Systems

Spatial behaviour of livestock is a critical factor in grassland management. Recent and ongoing research suggests that new approaches can be used to manipulate where cattle graze. The combination of strategic supplement placement and low-stress herding can be used to target cattle grazing and potentially may be useful for managing fine fuels. A phenotype to genotype association study of cattle spatial behavior suggests that use of rugged terrain and areas far from water is inherited. Although more research is needed, selection for animals specifically adapted for mountainous terrain or extensive paddocks may be an alternative for managing grasslands in the near future

Open Data for Global Science

The global science system stands at a critical juncture. On the one hand, it is overwhelmed by a hidden avalanche of ephemeral bits that are central components of modern research and of the emerging ‘cyberinfrastructure’4 for e-Science.5 The rational management and exploitation of this cascade of digital assets offers boundless opportunities for research and applications. On the other hand, the ability to access and use this rising flood of data seems to lag behind, despite the rapidly growing capabilities of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to make much more effective use of those data. As long as the attention for data policies and data management by researchers, their organisations and their funders does not catch up with the rapidly changing research environment, the research policy and funding entities in many cases will perpetuate the systemic inefficiencies, and the resulting loss or underutilisation of valuable data resources derived from public investments. There is thus an urgent need for rationalised national strategies and more coherent international arrangements for sustainable access to public research data, both to data produced directly by government entities and to data generated in academic and not-for-profit institutions with public funding. In this chapter, we examine some of the implications of the ‘data driven’ research and possible ways to overcome existing barriers to accessibility of public research data. Our perspective is framed in the context of the predominantly publicly funded global science system. We begin by reviewing the growing role of digital data in research and outlining the roles of stakeholders in the research community in developing data access regimes. We then discuss the hidden costs of closed data systems, the benefits and limitations of openness as the default principle for data access, and the emerging open access models that are beginning to form digitally networked commons. We conclude by examining the rationale and requirements for developing overarching international principles from the top down, as well as flexible, common-use contractual templates from the bottom up, to establish data access regimes founded on a presumption of openness, with the goal of better capturing the benefits from the existing and future scientific data assets. The ‘Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data from Public Funding’ from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), reported on in another article by Pilat and Fukasaku,6 are the most important recent example of the high-level (inter)governmental approach. The common-use licenses promoted by the Science Commons are a leading example of flexible arrangements originating within the community. Finally, we should emphasise that we focus almost exclusively on the policy—the institutional, socioeconomic, and legal aspects of data access—rather than on the technical and management practicalities that are also important, but beyond the scope of this article

Resilience Is Not Enough: Toward a More Meaningful Rangeland Adaptation Science

Rangeland ecosystems, and their managers, face the growing urgency of climate change impacts. Researchers are therefore seeking integrative social-ecological frameworks that can enhance adaptation by managers to these climate change dynamics through tighter linkages among multiple scientific disciplines and manager contexts. Social-ecological framings, including resilience and vulnerability, are popular in such efforts, but their potential to inform meaningful rangeland adaptation science is limited by traditional disciplinary silos. Here, we provide reflective lessons learned from a multidisciplinary Rangelands, Ranching, and Resilience (R3) project on U.S. western rangelands that addressed 1) biophysical science projections of forage production under future climate scenarios, 2) ranchers’ views of resilience using social science methods, and 3) outreach efforts coordinated through extension professionals. Despite the project's initial intentions, human dimensions and ecological researchers largely worked in parallel sub-teams during the project, rather than weaving their expertise together with managers. The R3 project was multidisciplinary, but it provides a case study on lessons learned to suggest how social and ecological researchers can move towards approaches that transcend individual disciplines. Transdisciplinary science and management in rangelands requires more than just conceptual social-ecological frameworks. Additional methodological concepts need to include: 1) relationship building; 2) shared meaning making; and 3) a commitment to continual conversations and learning, or staying with the trouble, following Haraway (2016). If the goal is to address meaningful rangeland adaptation science rather than just produce academic products, researchers, outreach professionals, and rangeland-based communities should address a series of critical troubling questions. In the process of addressing these, deeper engagement among and beyond disciplines will occur as relationship building, shared meaning, and continual conversations and learning facilitate staying with the trouble.USDA-ARS24 month embargo; first published 20 May 2024This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Genetic Influences on Cattle Grazing Distribution: Association of Genetic Markers with Terrain Use in Cattle

Eighty-seven cows were GPS (Global Positioning System) tracked for 1 to 3 months in mountainous and/or extensive pastures at five ranches located in New Mexico, Arizona, and Montana. The Illumina Bovine HD SNP array, which evaluates approximately 770,000 genetic markers (i.e., single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) across the 30 bovine chromosomes, was used to genotype DNA from these cows and to examine genetic associations with grazing distribution. Terrain use indexes were calculated from tracking data based on normalized averages of slope use, elevation use, and distance travelled from water. Genetic analyses identified a chromosomal region, known as a quantitative trait locus (QTL), associated with these traits. One genetic marker on chromosome 29 identified a gene that has been reported to be involved in locomotion, motivation, and spatial memory. This locus accounted for 24% of the phenotypic variation in use of steep slopes and high elevations, while another QTL on chromosome 17 accounted for 23% of the phenotypic variation. Three other QTLs accounted for 10% to 20% of the variation in terrain use indexes. Using results from the initial high-density genetic marker analyses, a smaller 50-SNP panel was developed targeting previously identified QTL regions and was used to evaluate the 85 cows tracked previously with an additional 73 cows from four ranches. With the 50-SNP panel analyses, multiple genetic markers near or within the gene identified on chromosome 29 confirmed the association with indexes of terrain use. In addition, genetic markers on chromosomes 4, 8, 12, and 17 accounted for a significant portion of the phenotypic variation in terrain use indexes. The associations between terrain use indexes and genetic markers near candidate genes demonstrate that grazing distribution can be inherited and provide a new approach to associate genetic variation with cattle grazing behavior of range beef cattle. © 2015 Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.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