Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.
C R Biol. 2010 Mar;333(3):226-34. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2009.12.008. Epub 2010 Jan 27.
The effects of two grazer species (cattle or sheep) and two flock types (single or mixed with goats) on vegetation and arthropod fauna were studied in a factorial design on eight plots which comprised two thirds of mechanically cleared heathland and one third of improved ryegrass-clover grassland. After six grazing seasons, the shrubland areas were dominated by gorse (Ulex gallii) in all treatments. Herbaceous cover was higher under mixed than under single grazing, and under sheep than under cattle grazing. Higher captures of Opiliones, Julida, Lithobiomorpha, Microcoryphia and Carabidae were recorded in shrublands than in grasslands, while the reverse was observed for Linyphiidae, Lycosidae and Hemiptera. Within shrublands, fauna responded to the flock type but not to the grazer species. More arthropod groups favoured the patchier areas with higher herbaceous biomass generated by mixed herds with goats. Within grasslands, species-specific responses to the grazer species were observed. Mixed grazing schemes which include goats within partially improved heathlands could contribute to maintain higher biodiversity levels in these marginal areas.
在一个包含 8 个实验区的析因设计中，研究了两种食草动物（牛或羊）和两种畜群类型（单一群落或与山羊混合）对植被和节肢动物区系的影响，这些实验区由三分之二的机械清除石楠荒地和三分之一的改良黑麦草-三叶草草地组成。经过六个放牧季节，所有处理中的灌丛区都以金雀花（Ulex gallii）为主。与单一群落放牧相比，混合放牧下的草本覆盖率更高，而绵羊放牧下的草本覆盖率高于牛放牧。在灌丛中记录到更多的盲蛛目、叶甲目、石蜈蚣目、微形目和步甲科，而在草地中则相反，狼蛛目、蟹蛛目和半翅目则相反。在灌丛中，动物群对畜群类型有反应，但对食草动物种类没有反应。更多的节肢动物群更喜欢由带有山羊的混合畜群产生的具有更高草本生物量的斑块状区域。在草地中，观察到了对食草动物种类的特定物种反应。包括山羊在内的混合放牧方案可以有助于维持这些边缘地区更高的生物多样性水平。
