rdf-syntax-grammar
mods:
  schema location: http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
  title info:
    title: Seasonal and diurnal patterns of spatial spread, grouping dynamics and influence of resources on a free-ranging cattle herd in a semi-arid rangeland in South Texas, USA
  name:
    name part: Cheleuitte-Nieves, Christopher.
    role:
      role term: creator
  name:
    name part: Perotto-Baldivieso, Humberto
    role:
      role term: thesis advisor.
  name:
    name part: Wu, X. Ben
    role:
      role term: thesis advisor.
  type of resource: text
  genre: bibliography
  origin info:
    place:
      place term: txu
    date issued: 2012
    issuance: monographic
  language:
    language term: eng
  physical description:
    form: remote
    extent: 1 online resource.
  abstract: Knowledge of scale-dependent factors that affect the distribution of ungulate herds, such as cattle, is essential for the development of more accurate predictive models of animal movement and the management of sustainable agriculture. Our objectives were to evaluate the seasonal and diurnal patterns of herd spread, explore grouping dynamics, and the influence of dominance ranks, seasonal changes in forage biomass, use of shade, water and supplemental feed areas on cattle distribution. Positional and activity information of eleven free-ranging Bonsmara, Bos taurus, cows were obtained at five minute intervals using Global Positioning System collars. We conducted a total of 12 trials each of three weeks from August 2007 to August 2009 in a 457ha shrub-dominated savanna in South Texas. Spread was obtained by calculating the average Euclidean distance of individuals to the center of the herd. The association software package, ASSOC1, was used to analyze spatio-temporal interactions. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, an indicator of available forage biomass, was calculated using satellite imagery. Number of GPS fixes was used as an indicator of animal use of shade patches and water and supplemental feeding areas. In this semi-arid environment, herd spread was greatest and subgroup division occurred during summer when forage biomass was high. Herd spread was the least and shade patches were used more during winter when forage biomass was low. Throughout the year spread was smallest and use of shade patches highest during the midday period compared to other periods of the day. Location of individuals in the center of the herd was not associated with their dominance ranking. There was no significant overall pattern of seasonal changes in cattle use of water and supplemental feeding areas. Seasonal forage availability and shade patches seem to have a greater influence on herd dispersion patterns and grouping dynamics than any effect of social dominance. Herd distributio…
  note: by Christopher Elias Cheleuitte-Nieves.
  note: "Major Subject: Rangeland Ecology and Management"
  note: Electronic resource.
  note: Doctor of Philosophy Texas A&M University 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-08-9863
  note: Includes bibliographical references.
  note: Text (Dissertation)
  subject:
    topic: Major Rangeland Ecology and Management
  subject:
    topic: social dominance
  subject:
    topic: large herbivore movement
  subject:
    topic: cattle behavior
  subject:
    topic: group dispersion
  subject:
    topic: GPS collars
  subject:
    topic: cross-scale interaction
  subject:
    topic: ungulate grazing patterns
  identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-08-9863
  record info:
    record content source: TXA
    record creation date: 121126
    record change date: 20150922145846.0
    record identifier: in00002783260