Temporal and spatial variation in the risk of grazing damage to sown grasslands by sika deer (Cervus nippon) in a mountainous area, central Japan
Temporal and spatial variation in the risk of grazing damage to sown grasslands by sika deer (Cervus nippon) in a mountainous area, central Japan
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.cropro.2019.02.002
复制
发表时间：
2019-05-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Takeuchi, Masahiko
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hata, Ayaka;Tsukada, Hideharu;Takeuchi, Masahiko
鹿科动物对牧草的放牧破坏导致经济损失，并大大增加了奶牛场的生产成本。了解鹿对播种草地造成放牧损害风险的时间和空间变化将有助于决定适当的扑杀时机，并优先考虑牧场和草地，以引入损害预防管理，例如围栏和扑杀。在这里，我们评估了季节和播种草地的特点，吸引更多的西卡鹿（Cervus nippon）在位于日本中部群马县山区的奶牛场。我们在2012-2015年期间对农场进行了聚光灯计数，以记录32个用作牧场或草地的管理单元中的鹿的数量。鹿全年都在草原上活动，但它们的数量会随着季节而波动。鹿的利用率在11月最高，2月最低。在无雪季节（4月至11月），有更多的鹿在施肥管理单位，但较少的牛放养管理单位。在雪季（12月至3月），更多的鹿被发现在管理单位与陡峭的地形。影响鹿利用率的因素因季节而异：牧草的质量和可用性是无雪季节鹿利用率的主要驱动因素，但只有牧草的可用性才能在雪季驱动利用率。牧场管理者应根据放牧损害的风险考虑鹿的损害控制计划，放牧损害的风险根据季节和管理单位的特点而波动。
Grazing damage to pasture plants by cervids results in economic losses and substantially increases production costs for dairy farms. Understanding both temporal and spatial variations in the risk of grazing damage to sown grasslands by deer will help in deciding suitable timing for culling and in prioritizing pastures and meadows for the introduction of damage prevention management, such as fencing and culling. Here, we assessed both the season and the sown grassland characteristics that attracted more sika deer (Cervus nippon) on a dairy farm located in a mountainous area of Gunma Prefecture in central Japan. We conducted spotlight counts on the farm during 2012-2015 to record the number of deer in 32 management units utilized as pastures or meadows. Deer utilized the grasslands year-round, but their numbers fluctuated seasonally. Deer utilization was the highest in November and the lowest in February. During the snow-free season (April-November), there were more deer in fertilized management units but fewer in cattle-stocked management units. During the snow season (December-March), more deer were found in management units with steeper terrain. Factors affecting deer utilization differed by season: the quality and availability of pasture plants were the primary drivers of deer utilization in the snow-free season, but only the availability of pasture plants drove utilization in the snow season. Farm managers should consider damage control plans for deer based on the risk of grazing damage, which fluctuates depending on both the season and the characteristics of management units.