AVIAN USE OF WORKING RANGELANDS IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA
In Florida, rangelands cover approximately one third of the state, primarily in the central region of the peninsula. These rangelands are climatically unique, being temperate to subtropical, humid grasslands. Cattle production has been ongoing in Florida since the 1500s, with many rangeland producers working the land for generations. However, these rangelands face various threats, including land conversion to other uses such as resource extraction and urbanization.
Livestock production is the primary land use of privately owned rangelands. While it’s not incompatible with maintaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, it does impact the heterogeneity of the underlying vegetation. This can lead to altered species composition and homogenous landscapes, which are beneficial only to a subset of grassland birds. Therefore, understanding the impact of different grazing management strategies on bird biodiversity is crucial.
Our goal is to determine how different grazing management practices and cattle stocking density influence avian diversity and occurrence in Florida’s rangelands. This research project set to address three distinct objectives:
1- Quantify the relationship between grazing management and vegetation diversity and structure at the pasture scale.
2- Quantify the relationship between vegetation diversity and avian community structure and diversity at the pasture scale.
3- Compare the relationship between grazing management, vegetation structure, and avian diversity at the landscape scale.
Livestock production is the primary land use of privately owned rangelands. While it’s not incompatible with maintaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, it does impact the heterogeneity of the underlying vegetation. This can lead to altered species composition and homogenous landscapes, which are beneficial only to a subset of grassland birds. Therefore, understanding the impact of different grazing management strategies on bird biodiversity is crucial.
Our goal is to determine how different grazing management practices and cattle stocking density influence avian diversity and occurrence in Florida’s rangelands. This research project set to address three distinct objectives:
1- Quantify the relationship between grazing management and vegetation diversity and structure at the pasture scale.
2- Quantify the relationship between vegetation diversity and avian community structure and diversity at the pasture scale.
3- Compare the relationship between grazing management, vegetation structure, and avian diversity at the landscape scale.