Direct effects of cattle on grassland birds in Canada

Bleho, Barbara I.; Machtans, Craig; Koper, Nicola

Direct effects of cattle on grassland birds in Canada

dc.contributor.author	Bleho, Barbara I.
dc.contributor.author	Machtans, Craig
dc.contributor.author	Koper, Nicola
dc.date.accessioned	2019-07-17T19:33:05Z
dc.date.available	2019-07-17T19:33:05Z
dc.date.issued	2014
dc.date.submitted	2019-07-16T21:45:52Z	en
dc.description.abstract	Effects of grazing on grassland birds are generally thought to be indirect, through alteration of vegetation structure; however, livestock can also affect nest survival directly through trampling and other disturbances (e.g., livestock-induced abandonment). We extracted data on nest fates from 18 grazing studies conducted in Canada. We used these data to assess rates of nest destruction by cattle among 9 ecoregions and between seasonal and rotational grazing systems. Overall, few nests were destroyed by cattle (average 1.5% of 9132 nests). Nest destruction was positively correlated with grazing pressure (i.e., stocking rate or grazing intensity), but nest survival was higher in more heavily grazed areas for some species. Because rates of destruction of grassland bird nests by cattle are low in Canada, management efforts to reduce such destruction may not be of ecological or economic value in Canada.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Bleho., B., Koper, N., and Machtans, C. 2014. Direct effects of cattle on grassland birds in Canada. Conservation Biology. 28: 724-734.	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	10.1111/cobi.12259
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1993/34036
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.rights	open access	en_US
dc.subject	Livestock, cattle grazing, prairie, nesting success	en_US
dc.title	Direct effects of cattle on grassland birds in Canada	en_US
dc.type	Article	en_US