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<p>Natural grasslands are among the most threatened biomes due to land-use change and limited protection. The Flooding Pampa, Argentina, harbors well-preserved grasslands used for grazing. Cattle grazing creates habitats dominated by tall or short grasses, affecting grassland birds. We evaluated the influence of two grazing management systems and grassland height on species richness, composition and functional traits of grassland bird communities in winter and spring. Birds and vegetation variables were surveyed along eight transects in six rotational and six continuous grazing ranches. We selected seven functional traits to study their association with grassland height. Cluster Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis identified the grassland variables that best described site groupings based on bird composition. Generalized Linear Models compared species richness between groups obtained by Cluster Analysis, and nonmetric multidimensional scaling and fourth corner analysis explored relationships between groups and species composition and functional traits, respectively. In spring, species richness and the richness of tall grassland species were higher in tall grasslands (mean = 27.5 and 3.5, respectively) than in short grasslands (mean = 21.5 and 0.5, respectively), regardless of grazing management. In winter, species richness was similar between tall and short grasslands (mean = 18 and 18.1, respectively). Ranches with tall grass were associated with species associated with tall grassland traits and species of limited abundance. We recommend revising rotational grazing to ensure habitat availability for threatened birds. Conservation policies should aim to reduce stocking rates in continuously grazed short-grass fields and extend rest periods in rotationally grazed short-grass areas.</p>

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Disentangling the relationship of grass height with two classic grazing managements: implications for grassland bird conservation in the Flooding Pampa

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月9日

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  • Anahí S. Vaccaro,
  • Aldana M. Ariza,
  • Juan P. Isacch,
  • Julieta Filloy

摘要

Natural grasslands are among the most threatened biomes due to land-use change and limited protection. The Flooding Pampa, Argentina, harbors well-preserved grasslands used for grazing. Cattle grazing creates habitats dominated by tall or short grasses, affecting grassland birds. We evaluated the influence of two grazing management systems and grassland height on species richness, composition and functional traits of grassland bird communities in winter and spring. Birds and vegetation variables were surveyed along eight transects in six rotational and six continuous grazing ranches. We selected seven functional traits to study their association with grassland height. Cluster Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis identified the grassland variables that best described site groupings based on bird composition. Generalized Linear Models compared species richness between groups obtained by Cluster Analysis, and nonmetric multidimensional scaling and fourth corner analysis explored relationships between groups and species composition and functional traits, respectively. In spring, species richness and the richness of tall grassland species were higher in tall grasslands (mean = 27.5 and 3.5, respectively) than in short grasslands (mean = 21.5 and 0.5, respectively), regardless of grazing management. In winter, species richness was similar between tall and short grasslands (mean = 18 and 18.1, respectively). Ranches with tall grass were associated with species associated with tall grassland traits and species of limited abundance. We recommend revising rotational grazing to ensure habitat availability for threatened birds. Conservation policies should aim to reduce stocking rates in continuously grazed short-grass fields and extend rest periods in rotationally grazed short-grass areas.