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1. Livestock grazing regulates ecosystem multifunctionality in semi‐arid grassland

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13215  

   Ren, Haiyan; Eviner, Valerie T; Gui, Weiyang; Wilson, Gail_W T; Cobb, Adam B; Yang, Gaowen; Zhang, Yingjun; Hu, Shuijin; Bai, Yongfei (December 2018, Functional Ecology)

   Gallery, Rachel (Ed.)

   Abstract Livestock grazing has been shown to alter the structure and functions of grassland ecosystems. It is well acknowledged that grazing pressure is one of the strongest drivers of ecosystem‐level effects of grazing, but few studies have assessed how grazing pressure impacts grassland biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF).Here, we assessed how different metrics of biodiversity (i.e., plants and soil microbes) andEMFresponded to seven different grazing treatments based on an 11‐year field experiment in semi‐arid Inner Mongolian steppe.We found that soil organic carbon, plant‐available nitrogen and plant functional diversity all decreased even at low grazing pressure, while above‐ground primary production and bacterial abundance decreased only at high levels of grazing pressure.Structural equation models revealed thatEMFwas driven by direct effects of grazing, rather than the effects of grazing on plant or microbial community composition. Grazing effects on plant functional diversity and soil microbial abundance did have moderate effects onEMF, while plant richness did not.Synthesis. Our results showed ecosystem functions differ in their sensitivity to grazing pressure, requiring a low grazing threshold to achieve multiple goals in the Eurasian steppe. Aplain language summaryis available for this article. 

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2. Predicting temperature-dependent transmission suitability of bluetongue virus in livestock

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04826-y  

   El Moustaid, Fadoua; Thornton, Zorian; Slamani, Hani; Ryan, Sadie J.; Johnson, Leah R. (December 2021, Parasites & Vectors)

   Abstract The transmission of vector-borne diseases is governed by complex factors including pathogen characteristics, vector–host interactions, and environmental conditions. Temperature is a major driver for many vector-borne diseases including Bluetongue viral (BTV) disease, a midge-borne febrile disease of ruminants, notably livestock, whose etiology ranges from mild or asymptomatic to rapidly fatal, thus threatening animal agriculture and the economy of affected countries. Using modeling tools, we seek to predict where the transmission can occur based on suitable temperatures for BTV. We fit thermal performance curves to temperature-sensitive midge life-history traits, using a Bayesian approach. We incorporate these curves into S ( T ), a transmission suitability metric derived from the disease’s basic reproductive number, $$R_0.$$ R 0 . This suitability metric encompasses all components that are known to be temperature-dependent. We use trait responses for two species of key midge vectors, Culicoides sonorensis and Culicoides variipennis present in North America. Our results show that outbreaks of BTV are more likely between 15 $$^{\circ }$$ ∘ C and $$34^{\circ }\hbox { C}$$ 34 ∘ C , with predicted peak transmission risk at 26 $$^\circ$$ ∘  C. The greatest uncertainty in S ( T ) is associated with the following: the uncertainty in mortality and fecundity of midges near optimal temperature for transmission; midges’ probability of becoming infectious post-infection at the lower edge of the thermal range; and the biting rate together with vector competence at the higher edge of the thermal range. We compare three model formulations and show that incorporating thermal curves into all three leads to similar BTV risk predictions. To demonstrate the utility of this modeling approach, we created global suitability maps indicating the areas at high and long-term risk of BTV transmission, to assess risk and to anticipate potential locations of disease establishment. 

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3. Methane emissions from livestock in East Asia during 1961−2019

   https://doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2021.1918024  

   Zhang, Lei; Tian, Hanqin; Shi, Hao; Pan, Shufen; Qin, Xiaoyu; Pan, Naiqing; Dangal, Shree R.S. (January 2021, Ecosystem Health and Sustainability)

   null (Ed.)
4. Climate Change and Livestock Production: A Literature Review

   https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010140  

   Cheng, Muxi; McCarl, Bruce; Fei, Chengcheng (January 2022, Atmosphere)

   Globally, the climate is changing, and this has implications for livestock. Climate affects livestock growth rates, milk and egg production, reproductive performance, morbidity, and mortality, along with feed supply. Simultaneously, livestock is a climate change driver, generating 14.5% of total anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Herein, we review the literature addressing climate change and livestock, covering impacts, emissions, adaptation possibilities, and mitigation strategies. While the existing literature principally focuses on ruminants, we extended the scope to include non-ruminants. We found that livestock are affected by climate change and do enhance climate change through emissions but that there are adaptation and mitigation actions that can limit the effects of climate change. We also suggest some research directions and especially find the need for work in developing country settings. In the context of climate change, adaptation measures are pivotal to sustaining the growing demand for livestock products, but often their relevance depends on local conditions. Furthermore, mitigation is key to limiting the future extent of climate change and there are a number of possible strategies. 

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5. Rangeland Livestock Production in Relation to Climate and Vegetation Trends in New Mexico

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2019.03.001  

   Sawalhah, Mohammed N.; Holechek, Jerry L.; Cibils, Andres F.; Geli, Hatim M.E.; Zaied, Ashraf (September 2019, Rangeland Ecology & Management)