Meta-analysis of livestock effects on tree regeneration in oak agroforestry systems.

Autor: Wadud AI; Centre for Applied Ecology 'Prof. Baeta Neves' (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal., Bugalho MN; Centre for Applied Ecology 'Prof. Baeta Neves' (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal., Vaz PG; CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande C2 Piso 5 Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: pjvaz@fc.ul.pt.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of environmental management [J Environ Manage] 2024 Jul; Vol. 364, pp. 121498. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 18.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121498
Abstrakt: Livestock grazing occupies over a quarter of terrestrial land and is prevalent to agroforestry ecosystems, potentially affecting the survival, growth, and density of trees' early developmental stages, such as seeds, seedlings, and saplings. To address the effects of livestock on tree recruitment in the face of ongoing debates about their impacts, we conducted a 33-year meta-analysis in Quercus-dominated agroforestry systems. Our analysis revealed a consistently negative effect of livestock on oak acorns, seedlings, and saplings. Significantly, livestock body size influenced oak regeneration, with small-sized livestock, notably sheep and goats, having a more pronounced negative impact compared to mixed-size systems, mainly involving cattle and sheep. The effects of small-sized livestock were markedly detrimental on acorn survival and seedling/sapling density, although no studies eligible for meta-analysis examined large livestock impacts on acorns. Overall, mixed-size livestock systems, often involving cattle and sheep, lessen the negative effects. Our findings indicate that the body size and foraging behaviors of livestock should be considered for the ecological sustainability of the tree component in agroforestry systems. While protective measures have long been integral to well-managed agroforestry systems, our results underscore the importance of integrating diverse livestock sizes and applying specific protective strategies, particularly for acorns and saplings, to further refine these practices. Future research should expand to underrepresented regions and livestock types to refine global agroforestry management practices.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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