Date of Award:

5-1995

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Wildland Resources

Department name when degree awarded

Rangeland Resources

Committee Chair(s)

Roger E. Banner

Committee

Roger E. Banner

Committee

Frederick D. Provenza

Committee

John Malechek

Committee

Layne Coppock

Committee

Carl Cheney

Abstract

I evaluated some of the factors affecting livestock distribution by conducting experimental (Chapters II and III) and observational (Chapter IV) studies. In Chapter II, I described the effect of locations of familiar foods and social interactions on choice of feeding location by lambs. Lambs were exposed to a pasture as subgroups of strangers and companions with different dietary habits (i.e., three lambs that preferred milo with three lambs that preferred wheat). Milo was placed on one end and wheat on the other, about 100 m apart. Strangers typically fed in different locations, reflecting dietary preferences. Conversely, companions fed in both single subgroups and in separate subgroups because both social interactions and dietary preferences affected choice of feeding location.

The objective of Chapter III was to evaluate the effect of experience with a pasture on choice of feeding location. Lambs with different levels of familiarity with the pasture were exposed as subgroups with different dietary habits. Lambs familiar with the pasture typically fed in separate locations, reflecting dietary preferences. Lambs naive to the pasture always fed in one subgroup and consumed both foods because social interactions overrode dietary preferences.

Results in Chapter IV describe cattle observations on a 1,030-ha grazing allotment. Cattle home ranges were similar in location (i.e., site fidelity) between 1990 and 1991, even though home ranges increased in size and (or) shifted in location in response to water availability. Moreover, forage availability did not account for changes in home range size or location. Site fidelity probably developed because of experiences early in life while foraging with mother and (or) peers.

Managers may be able to improve distribution by manipulating foraging experiences. Placing familiar foods/supplements in underutilized areas, controlling the amount of experience livestock have with different habitat types, and culling animals that spend a disproportionate amount of time in riparian zones may improve · distribution. Herding could also improve distribution. Herding integrates social interactions and experience with foods by controlling the exposure of social groups to particular foods and habitats. Nevertheless, livestock may still spend considerable time in riparian zones unless other watering points are available.

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