Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations

Rosario Fanlo; Marc Taull

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations

Rosario Fanlo, Marc Taull

Published in International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 3, Issue 6)

Received: 27 November 2018 Accepted: 22 December 2018 Published: 17 January 2019

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Abstract

The certainty of global warming is leading to the programming of activities and management practices for a future in which conditions will be very different from today. In the case of subalpine mountain pastures (or upland summer grasslands), it is necessary to know the changes that have taken place in the three most important variables: biomass production, forage quality and diversity. This work was carried out in the high-mountain pastures of the Aigüestortes National Park (located above 2000 m a.s.l.) in the Spanish Pyrenees during a period of twenty years, with sampling every five years. The three most abundant types of pasture of the National park, which occupy 60% of its area (Festuca eskia, Nardus and Nardus+Festuca nigrescens) were taken and used to measure aboveground biomass production by means of cuts, forage quality through bromatological analyses of biomass and Pastoral value, and the diversity through transects. Simultaneously, climatic data from three nearby official climatic stations were collected to relate rainfall and temperature variations to vegetation data. The results show that changes in total production are more linked to annual climatology (more temperature in the growth period, less production), whereas general climate warming leads to a decrease in forage quality (more temperature and more rain in the growth period, higher fiber content) and an increase in specific richness (more temperature more diversity). In the future in order to maintain these highly diverse pastures for optimal feeding of the livestock, a downward adjustment of stocking rates will have to be programmed, in accordance with production and quality trends: the pastures will feed fewer animals.

Published in	International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 3, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
Page(s)	97-105
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Global Warming, Forage Production and Quality, Diversity, Spanish Pyrenees

References

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Rosario Fanlo, Marc Taull. (2019). Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 3(6), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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Rosario Fanlo; Marc Taull. Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2019, 3(6), 97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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Rosario Fanlo, Marc Taull. Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2019;3(6):97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11,
  author = {Rosario Fanlo and Marc Taull},
  title = {Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations},
  journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6},
  pages = {97-105},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  abstract = {The certainty of global warming is leading to the programming of activities and management practices for a future in which conditions will be very different from today. In the case of subalpine mountain pastures (or upland summer grasslands), it is necessary to know the changes that have taken place in the three most important variables: biomass production, forage quality and diversity. This work was carried out in the high-mountain pastures of the Aigüestortes National Park (located above 2000 m a.s.l.) in the Spanish Pyrenees during a period of twenty years, with sampling every five years. The three most abundant types of pasture of the National park, which occupy 60% of its area (Festuca eskia, Nardus and Nardus+Festuca nigrescens) were taken and used to measure aboveground biomass production by means of cuts, forage quality through bromatological analyses of biomass and Pastoral value, and the diversity through transects. Simultaneously, climatic data from three nearby official climatic stations were collected to relate rainfall and temperature variations to vegetation data. The results show that changes in total production are more linked to annual climatology (more temperature in the growth period, less production), whereas general climate warming leads to a decrease in forage quality (more temperature and more rain in the growth period, higher fiber content) and an increase in specific richness (more temperature more diversity). In the future in order to maintain these highly diverse pastures for optimal feeding of the livestock, a downward adjustment of stocking rates will have to be programmed, in accordance with production and quality trends: the pastures will feed fewer animals.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations
AU  - Rosario Fanlo
AU  - Marc Taull
Y1  - 2019/01/17
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
T2  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JF  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JO  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
SP  - 97
EP  - 105
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3061
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
AB  - The certainty of global warming is leading to the programming of activities and management practices for a future in which conditions will be very different from today. In the case of subalpine mountain pastures (or upland summer grasslands), it is necessary to know the changes that have taken place in the three most important variables: biomass production, forage quality and diversity. This work was carried out in the high-mountain pastures of the Aigüestortes National Park (located above 2000 m a.s.l.) in the Spanish Pyrenees during a period of twenty years, with sampling every five years. The three most abundant types of pasture of the National park, which occupy 60% of its area (Festuca eskia, Nardus and Nardus+Festuca nigrescens) were taken and used to measure aboveground biomass production by means of cuts, forage quality through bromatological analyses of biomass and Pastoral value, and the diversity through transects. Simultaneously, climatic data from three nearby official climatic stations were collected to relate rainfall and temperature variations to vegetation data. The results show that changes in total production are more linked to annual climatology (more temperature in the growth period, less production), whereas general climate warming leads to a decrease in forage quality (more temperature and more rain in the growth period, higher fiber content) and an increase in specific richness (more temperature more diversity). In the future in order to maintain these highly diverse pastures for optimal feeding of the livestock, a downward adjustment of stocking rates will have to be programmed, in accordance with production and quality trends: the pastures will feed fewer animals.
VL  - 3
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Rosario Fanlo

Crop and Forestry Sciences Department, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio, Lleida, Spain
Marc Taull

Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia Consortium (CTFC), Solsona, Spain

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Rosario Fanlo, Marc Taull. (2019). Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 3(6), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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ACS Style

Rosario Fanlo; Marc Taull. Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2019, 3(6), 97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

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AMA Style

Rosario Fanlo, Marc Taull. Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2019;3(6):97-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11,
  author = {Rosario Fanlo and Marc Taull},
  title = {Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations},
  journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6},
  pages = {97-105},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20180306.11},
  abstract = {The certainty of global warming is leading to the programming of activities and management practices for a future in which conditions will be very different from today. In the case of subalpine mountain pastures (or upland summer grasslands), it is necessary to know the changes that have taken place in the three most important variables: biomass production, forage quality and diversity. This work was carried out in the high-mountain pastures of the Aigüestortes National Park (located above 2000 m a.s.l.) in the Spanish Pyrenees during a period of twenty years, with sampling every five years. The three most abundant types of pasture of the National park, which occupy 60% of its area (Festuca eskia, Nardus and Nardus+Festuca nigrescens) were taken and used to measure aboveground biomass production by means of cuts, forage quality through bromatological analyses of biomass and Pastoral value, and the diversity through transects. Simultaneously, climatic data from three nearby official climatic stations were collected to relate rainfall and temperature variations to vegetation data. The results show that changes in total production are more linked to annual climatology (more temperature in the growth period, less production), whereas general climate warming leads to a decrease in forage quality (more temperature and more rain in the growth period, higher fiber content) and an increase in specific richness (more temperature more diversity). In the future in order to maintain these highly diverse pastures for optimal feeding of the livestock, a downward adjustment of stocking rates will have to be programmed, in accordance with production and quality trends: the pastures will feed fewer animals.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Response of Pyrenean Subalpine Pastures to Continuous Climate Warming and Annual Sporadic Variations
AU  - Rosario Fanlo
AU  - Marc Taull
Y1  - 2019/01/17
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
T2  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JF  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JO  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
SP  - 97
EP  - 105
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-3061
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20180306.11
AB  - The certainty of global warming is leading to the programming of activities and management practices for a future in which conditions will be very different from today. In the case of subalpine mountain pastures (or upland summer grasslands), it is necessary to know the changes that have taken place in the three most important variables: biomass production, forage quality and diversity. This work was carried out in the high-mountain pastures of the Aigüestortes National Park (located above 2000 m a.s.l.) in the Spanish Pyrenees during a period of twenty years, with sampling every five years. The three most abundant types of pasture of the National park, which occupy 60% of its area (Festuca eskia, Nardus and Nardus+Festuca nigrescens) were taken and used to measure aboveground biomass production by means of cuts, forage quality through bromatological analyses of biomass and Pastoral value, and the diversity through transects. Simultaneously, climatic data from three nearby official climatic stations were collected to relate rainfall and temperature variations to vegetation data. The results show that changes in total production are more linked to annual climatology (more temperature in the growth period, less production), whereas general climate warming leads to a decrease in forage quality (more temperature and more rain in the growth period, higher fiber content) and an increase in specific richness (more temperature more diversity). In the future in order to maintain these highly diverse pastures for optimal feeding of the livestock, a downward adjustment of stocking rates will have to be programmed, in accordance with production and quality trends: the pastures will feed fewer animals.
VL  - 3
IS  - 6
ER  -

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