Respuesta de vegetación y comportamiento animal a diferentes tiempos de ocupación bajo el modelo holístico

Abstract

The assay was carried out from August 1997 to March 1998. The objectives were to observe the response of the vegetation and the animal behavior to know the optimal occupation time in paddock under a holistic model. Prediction models were generated by means of the dimensional analysis, to evaluate the usage and the period of recovery of Bouteloua gracilis, B. curtipendula, Rynchelitrum repens, virgata Chloris, Elyonurus barbiculmis and Trachypogon secundus. The usage and increase in production were measured for 3 distances from the water. The behavior of the animals was observed during the daylight period, when the activities were performed, to evaluate the activities of pasturing, search, rumination, resting, walking and distances to water. The level of usage was greater during the time of growth, and it was not proportional to the time of occupation in the paddock; the usage for each species was different between paddocks and time of the year. The greater increases, in proportion, were observed in the paddock with 38 days of recovery at all seasons of the year; the increases between species were different between paddocks and seasons. The searching time, as related to the time of pasturing, was shorter in the paddock, with three days of occupation and the rumination time as related to the time of pasturing was greater in this same paddock; nevertheless, the time of pasturing and of rumination are reduced, whereas the resting time and the time that the animals remain in Distance 1 and in the drinking place is increased as the days of occupation is increased.