Using Aquatic Arthropods to Compare Cattle Grazing Regimes and Buffer Strips Along Southwestern Wisconsin Streams;Master's thesis

摘要

Continuous cattle grazing in riparian areas often degrades streams. Vegetative riparian buffer strips are typically used to curb this degradation, but intensive rotational grazing (IRG) has promise as an alternative best management practice. I compared aquatic arthropod assemblage characteristics among stream segments within continuously grazed cattle pastures, intensive rotationally grazed cattle pastures, undisturbed grassy vegetative buffer strips, or undisturbed woody vegetative buffer strips. I collected data from 4 streams per land-use treatment category for 2 consecutive years. Watershed condition tended to have more influence on arthropod measures than local riparian land-use. Local riparian land-use influences were apparent when watershed condition was factored out statistically with analysis of covariance.