Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity
Modern breeding has formed a multitude of cattle breeds ranging from undemanding, low-productive breeds to high-productive, specialized dairy, or beef cattle. The choice of breed has important implications for farm management, but its impact on pasture vegetation is underestimated. We hypothesized (...
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doaj-40c5b519624f4f409bbb501405e821ed2020-11-25T03:52:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692020-08-01710.3389/fvets.2020.00494547387Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different ProductivityCaren M. Pauler0Caren M. Pauler1Caren M. Pauler2Johannes Isselstein3Joel Berard4Joel Berard5Thomas Braunbeck6Manuel K. Schneider7Forage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, GermanyCentre for Organismal Studies, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, GermanyAgroVet-Strickhof, Lindau, SwitzerlandAnimal Production Systems and Animal Health, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandCentre for Organismal Studies, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, GermanyForage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandModern breeding has formed a multitude of cattle breeds ranging from undemanding, low-productive breeds to high-productive, specialized dairy, or beef cattle. The choice of breed has important implications for farm management, but its impact on pasture vegetation is underestimated. We hypothesized (i) that anatomy, movement, and foraging behavior of cattle are allometrically related on the individual level, (ii) that differences among cattle are not explained by individual variation alone but also by breed, and (iii) that anatomy, movement, and foraging behavior of a cattle breed is related to its productivity. In order to test these hypotheses, we conducted a controlled grazing experiment in which three cattle breeds simultaneously grazed three types of heterogenous, alpine pastures: low-productive Highland cattle (average weight: 358 kg); local, dual-purpose Original Braunvieh (582 kg); and high-productive Angus × Holstein crossbreed (679 kg). We measured body weight and claw base of nine cows per breed after 10 weeks of grazing alpine pastures. Over a period of 9 days, we recorded the step frequency and lying time by pedometer and space use by GPS. Moreover, we visually observed foraging behavior on three occasions per cow. Forage selectivity and quality were calculated for every cow's diet. Allometric relationships were analyzed on the individual level by fitting standardized major axes. For most parameters measured, we detected strong allometric relationships and clear differences among breeds that depended on the level of productivity. The claws of Highland cattle were relatively large compared to their body weight and thus they exerted less static pressure than other breeds. Moreover, the more productive a breed was, the higher its selectivity and step frequency were. For example, Highland cattle foraged shrubs and thistles more frequently than high-productive Angus × Holstein. The latter walked longer distances to select higher-quality forage, while Highland cattle used the space more evenly, visited steeper slopes, and moved further away from water points. Irrespective of breed, vegetation composition influenced cattle behavior: On pastures of low forage quality, animals walked more, foraged more selectively, and used space less evenly. In conclusion, the observed breed-specific differences can be used to improve pasture management and grassland conservation.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00494/fullalpine pasturescattle breedsclawsforage selectionGPSmovement behavior |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Johannes Isselstein Joel Berard Joel Berard Thomas Braunbeck Manuel K. Schneider |
spellingShingle |
Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Johannes Isselstein Joel Berard Joel Berard Thomas Braunbeck Manuel K. Schneider Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity Frontiers in Veterinary Science alpine pastures cattle breeds claws forage selection GPS movement behavior |
author_facet |
Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Caren M. Pauler Johannes Isselstein Joel Berard Joel Berard Thomas Braunbeck Manuel K. Schneider |
author_sort |
Caren M. Pauler |
title |
Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity |
title_short |
Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity |
title_full |
Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity |
title_fullStr |
Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Grazing Allometry: Anatomy, Movement, and Foraging Behavior of Three Cattle Breeds of Different Productivity |
title_sort |
grazing allometry: anatomy, movement, and foraging behavior of three cattle breeds of different productivity |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
issn |
2297-1769 |
publishDate |
2020-08-01 |
description |
Modern breeding has formed a multitude of cattle breeds ranging from undemanding, low-productive breeds to high-productive, specialized dairy, or beef cattle. The choice of breed has important implications for farm management, but its impact on pasture vegetation is underestimated. We hypothesized (i) that anatomy, movement, and foraging behavior of cattle are allometrically related on the individual level, (ii) that differences among cattle are not explained by individual variation alone but also by breed, and (iii) that anatomy, movement, and foraging behavior of a cattle breed is related to its productivity. In order to test these hypotheses, we conducted a controlled grazing experiment in which three cattle breeds simultaneously grazed three types of heterogenous, alpine pastures: low-productive Highland cattle (average weight: 358 kg); local, dual-purpose Original Braunvieh (582 kg); and high-productive Angus × Holstein crossbreed (679 kg). We measured body weight and claw base of nine cows per breed after 10 weeks of grazing alpine pastures. Over a period of 9 days, we recorded the step frequency and lying time by pedometer and space use by GPS. Moreover, we visually observed foraging behavior on three occasions per cow. Forage selectivity and quality were calculated for every cow's diet. Allometric relationships were analyzed on the individual level by fitting standardized major axes. For most parameters measured, we detected strong allometric relationships and clear differences among breeds that depended on the level of productivity. The claws of Highland cattle were relatively large compared to their body weight and thus they exerted less static pressure than other breeds. Moreover, the more productive a breed was, the higher its selectivity and step frequency were. For example, Highland cattle foraged shrubs and thistles more frequently than high-productive Angus × Holstein. The latter walked longer distances to select higher-quality forage, while Highland cattle used the space more evenly, visited steeper slopes, and moved further away from water points. Irrespective of breed, vegetation composition influenced cattle behavior: On pastures of low forage quality, animals walked more, foraged more selectively, and used space less evenly. In conclusion, the observed breed-specific differences can be used to improve pasture management and grassland conservation. |
topic |
alpine pastures cattle breeds claws forage selection GPS movement behavior |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00494/full |
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