Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The State Of Grasslands Across Inner Mongolia And Mongolia, Guodong Han, David R. Kemp, Bulgamaa Densambuu, Zhiguo Li, Cuiping Gao, Zhongwu Wang, Zhiqiang Qu, Mengli Zhao, G. Udval, Qian Wu, Naya, Linxi Hu

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Grasslands across Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, with their long history of nomadic livestock grazing, are very important natural resources for animal husbandry and environmental services. The main types of grasslands are meadow steppe (forest steppe), typical steppe (steppe) and desert steppe. Most of the grasslands are degraded due to over-grazing, which reduces animal production and the values of environmental services. Overgrazing decreases plant production, species biodiversity, ecosystem stability, soil fertility & structure, and lowers animal productivity leading to reduced household incomes. In pastoral areas across Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, degraded grasslands can be rehabilitated by better managing stocking rates. Our …

Knowledge About And Knowledge With: Contributions From Feminist Research To Knowledge Co-Production For Pastoral Systems, F. Ravera, María Fernández-Giménez, E. Oteros-Rozas

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Globally, the gender dynamics of rangeland social-ecological systems have received scant attention. Further, research paradigms, methods and methodologies that leave little room for equitable engagement with research participants and genuine action-oriented research-practice partnerships dominate in pastoralist/rangeland studies. Our research is informed by a feminist philosophy of science and based on decolonial and feminist political ecology studies that focus on gendered science and knowledge production. Feminist research calls for reflection on who produces knowledge and how such knowledge is used and shared. Feminist practices such as reciprocity, care, and positionality, cultivate awareness of the power dynamics embedded in the research process …

Women’S Empowerment For Demographic Issues And Conflicts In African Pastoralist Societies, M. R. Cevallos, P. Manzano

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Widespread conflict is a recurring issue in African pastoralist societies. While its roots are debated, there is a missing link with prevailing poverty among communities and particularly among women. We here apply a gender perspective to establish a hypothesis on the role of women in pastoralist conflicts.

The existing polygynic system establishes a violent frame for pastoralist women, who would be sold at increasingly early ages to provide in turn enough resources for furnishing the dowry needed by their brothers. The control on them would thereby be transferred from their own families to their husband and his family, where they …

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Legacy Scout Tickets from Pure Oil Company

No abstract provided.

The Phase Transition Of Discrepancy In Random Hypergraphs, Calum Macrury, Tomáš Masarík, Leilani Pai, Xavier Perez Gimenez

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Motivated by the Beck-Fiala conjecture, we study the discrepancy problem in two related models of random hypergraphs on n vertices and m edges. In the first (edge-independent) model, a random hypergraph H₁ is constructed by fixing a parameter p and allowing each of the n vertices to join each of the m edges independently with probability p. In the parameter range in which pn ⟶ ∞ and pm ⟶ ∞, we show that with high probability (w.h.p.) H₁ has discrepancy at least Ω(2^-n/m √pn) when m = O(n …

Prescribed Fire And Cattle Grazing To Manage Invasive Grasses For Cattle And Wildlife, C. H. Walther, J. Alfonso Ortega‐S., H. L. Perotto-Baldivieso, S. Rideout-Hanzak, D. B. Wester

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Invasive grasses are in most cases introduced species able to outcompete native species. Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), Guineagrass (Urochloa minima), and Old World bluestems (Dichanthium spp.) are typical examples of invasive species in southeastern United States. However, native grasses such as tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus) can become invasive and dominant in absence of cattle grazing just like any invasive species. Tanglehead and Kleberg bluestem (Dichanthium ischaemum) increased (p < 0.05) from 1.4 and 1.8% in 1999 to 2.7 and 3.6% in 2002 and then to 8.1 and 9.4% in 2009, respectively. Monocultures of invasive species have very little value for wildlife, and in the case of mature tanglehead its palatability for cattle is very low. Prescribed fire may be used to improve palatability of tanglehead for cattle, and cattle grazing may be used to improve plant species richness for wildlife. To evaluate the effects of prescribed fire and cattle grazing on cattle preference and the botanical composition of a plant community dominated by tanglehead, we burned 3 patches of approximately 0.5 ha in a pasture of 107 ha in October 2016. Two months before the prescribed burning was executed, 10 mother cows were placed in the pasture to graze continually. We fitted GPS collars on 8 cows and location readings were collected every 10 minutes. GPS recordings indicate that cattle used burned patches 4.5 times more after burning compared to before burning. Percent forage utilization of tanglehead was 52% in the burned patches compared to 6% in the control areas. Plant species richness increased from 2.53 to 8.33 plant species per 0.25 m², before and after burning, respectively, an increase of 330%. Prescribed fire and cattle grazing are valuable tools to increase tanglehead palatability and …

Nutrient Return From Plant Litter And Cattle Excretion Grazing On N-Fertilized Grass Or Grass-Legume Pastures In North Florida, Liza Garcia, D. M. Jaramillo, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., Lynn E. Sollenberger, João M. B. Vendramini, N. Dilorenzo, E. R. S. Santos, M. Ruiz-Moreno, L. M. D. Queiroz

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Nutrient recycling via plant litter and livestock excreta is an important ecosystem service provided by grasslands. This study determined nutrient return via these pathways in three grazing systems. The experiment was conducted from May to October (2016 and 2017) and treatments were: 1) Nitrogen fertilized bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) pastures (112 kg N ha^-1) during the warm-season, overseeded with a mixture (56 kg ha^-1 of each) of ‘FL 401’ cereal rye (Secale cereale, L.) and ‘RAM’ oat (Avena sativa, L.) during the cool-season (BGN); 2) Ecoturf Rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.)/bahiagrass …

Brazilian Pampa Rangelands: Challenges In The Face Of Soybean Expansion, J. G. Moriera, R. G. Maciel, Paulo D. Waquil, J. F. Tourrand

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Pampa biome extends throughout the Uruguayan territory, part of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. It is characterized by being a natural pastoral ecosystem, in which livestock represents the best option for sustainable use for food production purposes, and favors the conservation of its rangelands. In addition to contributing to the conservation of natural pastures, it was along with livestock activities that the gaucho's way of life was developed. However, the cultivation of soybeans and eucalyptus plantations in the Pampa in all its extension is the localized version of the global dynamics of valuing the production of agricultural commodities affecting various …

Modelling Grazing And Burning In Communal Rangelands To Help Understand Trade-Offs Between Production, Carbon, And Water, H. J. Hawkins, M. Moradzadeh, M. L. Vermeire, Farai Chikomba, L. Wu

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Rangelands cover more than 80% of South Africa’s land area, providing critical ecosystem services, livelihoods and cultural values related to livestock. Communally owned rangelands are often overgrazed and subject to runaway fires but lack of data limits our understanding of how these threats impact production. In this transdisciplinary project, we use models to test hypotheses and predict future scenarios as a planning tool for resource-poor communal farmers. We think that moderate grazing and fire regimes will increase overall production and carbon sequestration with uncertain trade-offs for water and nutrient cycling. To test this, we trained two process-based biogeochemical models (DAYCENT …

The New Tendencies Of Environmental Impact Assessment Of Livestock Production: A Road Testing Of Leap/Fao Biodiversity Assessment Guidelines In Pastoral Systems In Uruguay, F. De Santiago, G. Pompozzi, M. Simó, Oscar Blumetto

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

After the publication of the “long shadow of cattle” report, ruminant production systems have received great pressure for their contributions in greenhouse gases (GHG). However, the environmental effects of human activities are much broader than GHG production and in some cases, there are positive contributions. In order to broaden the environmental perspective and with the encouragement of governments, the private sector and NGOs, LEAP-FAO has developed environmental assessment guidelines for the world's livestock production systems. This paper presents a road-testing of the Biodiversity Assessment Guideline at farm scale for six case studies in pastoral livestock systems in Uruguay. The producers …

Assessment Of Thermographic Imaging Systems On Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (Suas) To Identify Artificial Grassland Bird Nests, L. M. Hearon, J. M. Morrison

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Grassland bird populations can be good indicator species of ecosystem health. However, their populations are declining at greater rates than any other group of birds. A well-established method of monitoring rapidly disappearing bird populations is by locating and identifying active nests. Studies quantifying grassland birds tend to have low statistical power due to low sample sizes, high labor costs, and high levels of disturbance - associated with difficulty finding nests. However, advances in small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and thermographic imaging technologies have the potential to improve efficiency and accuracy of locating nests, while causing minimal disruption. Early research has …

Bird Community Responses To Rest-Rotation Grazing In Western Canada's Grasslands, T. F. Döbert, J. A. Randall, M. Iravani, E. W. Bork, M. S. Boyce

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Western Canada’s native grasslands support high levels of avian diversity including both resident and migrant species. Many grassland specialist bird populations, however, are in serious decline due to widespread habitat loss resulting from agricultural conversion and adverse land management. As the primary use on remaining grasslands, cattle grazing largely determines the availability and quality of bird species’ habitat, depending on the timing, intensity, and frequency of livestock use. While adaptive multi-paddock grazing (AMP, a short duration, high-intensity grazing system that prioritises plant recovery between grazing events) is growing in popularity, comprehensive assessments of bird diversity in relation to AMP grazing …

Comparing Empirical With Perceived Trends In Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population And Settlement Numbers In Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya, Juliet B. Kariuki, Joseph O. Ogutu, Shem C. Kifugo, Jully S. Senteu, Gordon Ojwang, Han Olff

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Human activities are driving wildlife population declines worldwide. However, empirical understandings of their operation and consequences for wildlife populations and habitats are limited. We explored relationships between empirical and perceived wildlife and livestock population trends in Kenya using data on i) aerial monitoring of wildlife and livestock populations during 1977-2018, ii) human population censuses; and iii) semi-structured interviews with 338 male and female respondents from 250 households from four zones of the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem in 2019 and 2020. Wildlife numbers declined by 72.3% but sheep and goats increased by 306.4%. Yet nearly 50% of the interviewees perceived increases …

Effectiveness Of Agricultural Extension Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategies Among Small-Scale Maize (Zea Mays) Farmers In Laikipia West Sub County, Kenya, R. O. Nyamwamu, J. M. Ombati

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Agriculture is critical in the achievement of food security, creation of employment opportunities, steering economic growth, and also a source of raw materials for agricultural industries in many Sub-Saharan countries. However, the small-scale farmers face various challenges which negatively affect farm productivity and production. Human-wildlife conflict is one of the most pressing challenges that small-scale maize farmers experience in some parts of Kenya. It arises from either people’s encroachment on wildlife habitats or the movement of wildlife from their natural habitat into the neighbouring farmland. The smallscale farmers use various agricultural extension strategies to mitigate the conflict. However, the effectiveness …

Ecotourism As A Means Of Sustaining Livelihood, Wildlife Management And Biodiversity Conservation-A Case In Nameri National Park Of Assam: India, Niranjan Das

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Community-based Ecotourism (CBET) is an emerging concept. It is being discussed as an important tool for economically benefiting communities that have a feature that fulfils a tourist’s desire for uniqueness. Ecotourism is potentially important for communities reside nearby protected areas. Here, an attempt has been made to evaluate ecotourism initiatives in Nameri National Park, steps that have been introduced by the Assam (Bhorelli) Angling and Conservation Association (ABACA). This association began naturebased tourism ventures in 1956, bringing benefits to the local populace in terms of income, improved infrastructure, employment opportunities and exposure. The community’s capacity to facilitate resourcerelated conflicts has …

Wildlife Conservation Innovations In A Rangeland Under Rapid Change In Maasailand Of Kenya, N. Parmisa, R. S. Reid

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Conservation efforts have often been designed without the benefit of the long-term, local knowledge held by pastoral people about rangelands and wildlife. Here, we present a case study of a rapidly changing pastoral landscape in Maasailand of Kenya, just south of Nairobi National Park. We will focus on pastoral innovations that both support pastoral livestock production and conserve wildlife at the same time, through biodiversity payment schemes (through land leasing), education, policy and appropriate technology.

The community described here established a land leasing program in 2000, to pay pastoral land owners to keep fences down and remove poaching snares to …

Social-Ecological Innovations And Outcomes Of Community-Based Conservation In Africa: Implications For The Future, K. A. Galvin

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Community-based conservancies (CBCs) are growing in numbers throughout Africa, particularly in the arid and semi-arid (ASAL) regions where pastoralists raise livestock and live among much of Africa’s remaining wildlife. CBCs emerge around national parks and other protected areas of wildlife spaces apart from people. Community conservancies, in contrast to national parks, are land tenure and land use governance arrangements to conserve wildlife while providing for the livelihoods of African pastoralists. Some conservancies develop by communities in partnership with public agencies, while others are associated with non-government organizations and/or the private sector. Others are more top-down in origin, supported by large …

Tree Legumes As Sustainable Ecosystem Services In Livestock Systems, James P. Muir, C. E. Cooper, V. Corriher-Olson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Arboreal legumes provide multiple uses in pastures and rangelands. Trees directly and indirectly feed, house, doctor, and warm humans at minimal environmental cost through forage (fodder), timber, biofuel, medicines, as well as edible leaves, pods, and seeds. Leguminous trees, because they foster biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and acquire deep-soil nutrients and moisture, compete less with herbaceous plants for shallow-horizon soil moisture and nutrients. Their ecosystem services (ES) are generally less obvious and quantifiable. These include converting CO₂ to sequestered C and released O₂ in N-poor soils where trees without BNF do not thrive. Other ES include shade for …

Conservation Innovation In Pastoral Lands Around The Globe: Challenges, Lessons And Opportunities, R. S. Reid

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Pastoralists and ranchers have a long history of sustained management of rangelands around the world. Several decades ago, some pastoralists and ranchers started new alliances with environmental organizations, businesses and government agencies to diversify their approaches to land management to include what can be called ‘conservation’. These efforts highlight conserving aspects of rangeland ecosystems, but often have an equal or greater emphasis on supporting pastoral livelihoods and culture. This paper asks: What types of innovations are pastoralists now pursuing in ‘conservation’? How are these innovations performing?

This paper provides a synthesis of some of the types of conservation innovations being …

The Importance Of Forage Legume Inclusion In Agricultural Swards To Enhance Earthworm Activity And Water Infiltration Rates, A. Shnel, S. Tracy, O. Schmidt, P. Murphy, M. B. Lynch, C. Grace, T. M. Boland, H. Sheridan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Increased grassland productivity in temperate regions has largely been achieved through perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne (PRG), coupled with large quantities of nitrogen fertiliser. However, concern is growing regarding the negative implications of excessive dependence on nitrogen fertilisers. Research has demonstrated the benefits of legume inclusion on primary productivity, however, their potential to influence other processes is less well established.

Sampling was undertaken in autumn 2017 on twenty randomised plots representing five sward types, replicated four times. These had been established and managed by cutting since 2013. Sward types included: 1) PRG (250kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 ); 2) PRG; …

National Chemistry Week: From Irl To The Web, Ilayda Kelley, Daniela Mesa Sanchez

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

National Chemistry Week, an outreach program initiated by the American Chemical Society (ACS), encourages scientists to bring their love of chemistry to their community. Celebrated nationwide, ACS invites businesses, schools, and individuals to organize and participate in community events to promote the value of chemistry in everyday life. The Purdue graduate student chapter of Iota Sigma Pi, a national honor society for women in chemistry, annually organizes one such celebration. On a normal year, this event is a large logistical undertaking in which 100+ volunteers go directly to over 70 local elementary school classrooms and perform a series of activities …

Socially Differentiation In (Agro)Pastoral Climate Change Adaptation: Intersectional Perspectives On Socio-Technical Change In Kenya And Burkina Faso, Todd Crane, Lisa Nebié, Teresiah Ng’Ang’A

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing Pastoral Calendars: Snowcover, Seasonal Migration, And Pastoral Decisions From Alai Valley Of Kyrgyzstan, Daler Kaziev

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Herding practices among semi-settled agropastoral communities in the Pamir-Alai Mountains of Central Asia are subject to seasonal variations, making climate change adaptation urgent. Livestock keeping is an essential part of the local economy in the Alai Valley of Kyrgyzstan. Focusing on collaborative efforts to develop traditional ecological calendars in the village of Sary-Mogol, Alai valley, Kyrgyzstan, this study seeks to demonstrate the relationship between snow and herding practices.There are four distinct seasonal migration patterns such as baarloo spring, summering jailoo, autumn kyzdoo and wintering kyshtoo. The relationship between these migration patterns and biophysical events such as snow accumulation …

The Response Of Selected Temperate Forages To Increasing Summer Drought Conditions And High Summer Temperatures In Northern Victoria, Australia, M. E. Rogers, A. R. Lawson, K. B. Kelly, W. J. Wales, J. L. Jacobs

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the dairy region of northern Victoria, Australia, the performance of temperate perennial dairy pastures is often poor over summer due to a combination of high temperatures and limited water availability that can restrict dry matter production and plant survival. A series of field experiments examined the effects of heat and restricted irrigation (as a consequence of drought) on the growth and nutritive characteristics of selected forage species, and whether survival under experimental conditions was influenced by plant genotype, irrigation and grazing management strategies, as well as endophyte presence. The major focus was on perennial ryegrass.

Detailed sampling of perennial …

The Effect Of Water Deficits During Flowering And Seed Production On Cultivars Of Subterranean Clover And Annual Medic, E. C. Wolfe, W. J. Collins, R. C. Rossiter, W. R. Stern

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In improved pastures in inland southern Australia, the persistence and growth of annual pasture legumes depends in part on their ability to produce and conserve abundant seed for regeneration and production. For near-maximum seed production in spring, adequate soil water is needed for at least 70 days in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and medic (Medicago) species. Water deficits during spring are a common occurrence, and they appear to be increasing in frequency. The effect of relatively short periods of water deficit during reproductive development has received some attention but the findings conflict. The present experiment was …

Effect Of Drought Stress On Fibre Digestibility Of Corn For Silage, G. Ferreira, C. L. Teets, A. M. Kingori, J. O. Ondiek

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Limited information exists about the impact of drought stress on corn silage digestibility. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of irrigation on in situ NDF digestibility of corn tissues grown under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Five commercial corn hybrids were planted in pots and grown in a greenhouse. Pots were subjected to an abundant or restricted irrigation regime. Leaf blades and stem internodes were collected from the upper and bottom portion of each hybrid. Tissue samples were incubated in the rumen of 3 rumen-cannulated cows for 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 240 …

Trade-Offs And Optimisation Of Land-Use For Pastoralism And Carbon In Southeastern Australia, Cathy M. Waters, D. M. Summers, B. Wang, J. Connor, D. L. Liu, M. Simpson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Globally, pressure to ensure future food security is being challenged by competing needs for multiple land-uses in agricultural systems. Rangelands are both a source of greenhouse gas emissions as well as providing opportunities for emissions reduction. Carbon farming is a new land-use option that sequesters carbon in vegetation and soils. National incentive programs in Australia for this option have resulted in significant recent land-use change across Australian rangelands.

Beyond the mitigation benefits, the potential for carbon farming income to enhance socio-ecological resilience in rangelands has been identified. However, there are major uncertainties about the impacts of climate change on sequestration …

Soil Organic Carbon And Total Nitrogen In A Leucaena Leucocephala Silvopastoral System In The Chaco Region, Argentina, N. R. Banegas, N. Viruel, A. Radrizzani

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The introduction of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) into hedgerow silvopastoral systems increases animal production and improves soil fertility, through biological nitrogen fixation and deep-rooted leguminous trees. There is limited information on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in hedgerow silvopastoral systems, particularly in long term periods and subsoil profiles. The concentrations and vertical distribution of organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN), and their fractions (particulate and associate forms) in the soil profile (0‒100 cm), with and without leucaena were compared 10 years after leucaena establishment into a 24-year-old tropical pasture (Urochloa brizantha-Chloris gayana). Leucaena increased the OC concentration …

Perceptions Of Gauteng Beef Farmers On Significance Of Practising Climate Smart Agriculture, S. T. Jiyana, K-J. Leeuw, Abubeker Hassen, Ignatius V. Nsahlai

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Farmers are crucial role-players in agriculture, especially in beef farming. Daily farm activities affect climate change, either negatively or positively. Therefore, farmers’ ability to relate climate change with farm activities is highly imperative. A study was conducted to investigate perceptions of Gauteng beef farmers on significance of practising climate smart agriculture (CSA). Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with 57 beef cattle farmers from three areas (Bronkhorstspruit, Rust de Winter and Cullinan) of Tshwane region (Gauteng province). A fully detailed ethical statement was used to explain the study and request farmers’ participation. Data analysis was done using a Statistical Package …

Diving Deep Into Dissertations: Analyzing Graduate Students’ Methodological And Data Practices To Inform Research Data Services And Subject Liaison Librarian Support, Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh M.L.S., Ph.D., Raeda Anderson, Denise George, Joel Glogowski

University Library Faculty Publications

We present findings from an exploratory quantitative content analysis case study of 156 doctoral dissertations from Georgia State University that investigates doctoral student researchers’ methodology practices (used quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) and data practices (used primary data, secondary data, or both). We discuss the implications of our findings for provision of data support services provided by the Georgia State University Library’s Research Data Services (RDS) Team and subject liaison librarians in the areas of instructional services, data software support and licensing advocacy, collection development, marketing/outreach, and professional development/expansion.