Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Impacts of low-tech restoration methods on soil, vegetation, and livestock grazing in Montana's sagebrush steppe(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2024) Lowing, Nicholas Allen; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bok SowellIn the semi-arid rangelands of western North America, water is a limiting factor for plant growth. In Montana's high elevation rangelands, snowmelt is the primary source of water for ephemeral streams and mesic meadows. Wildlife and livestock rely on these areas especially when surrounding uplands have dried. Less snowpack and early melt times associated with climate change pose a threat to forage resources in this region. In 2018 and 2019, small rock restoration structures were constructed in seven drainages in southwest Montana with the intention of increasing resiliency in these systems. In this study we compare stream reaches with restoration structures to reaches without structures to assess the impacts of this technique on soil moisture, plant cover, diversity, evenness, and production. We observed cattle grazing within and adjacent to treated drainages to determine how they use the landscape. We used soil moisture probes to measure soil water content once per month in June-September of 2021 and 2022. We used 0.5m2 frames to estimate plant cover, diversity, and evenness June-September in both years. At the end of each growing season, vegetation frames were clipped and weighed to estimate production. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred in 54 reaches across 7 drainages. We observed cattle near four treated drainages in mornings and evenings to assess whether cattle prefer mesic or upland areas. Cattle observations occurred in July and August of 2021 and 2022. Using linear fixed effects models, we detected no differences (p > or = 0.05) in soil moisture between treated and untreated reaches during any sampling period. We detected no differences in vegetation cover, richness, diversity, or evenness in 92% of sampling periods. No differences in plant production were detected in 2021 or 2022. Cattle used mesic areas in greater proportion to their abundance on the landscape in both years (p < or = 0.0001). Our results indicate that these structures have not yet had major impacts on soil moisture or vegetation metrics. However, our results indicate that mesic meadows are an important resource for grazing cattle in southwest Montana's high- elevation rangelands, supporting the idea that these areas warrant restoration efforts.Item Building an inclusive land management and conservation decision-making system with local stakeholders of Ulaan Taiga Special Protected Area in Mongolia(Montana State University - Bozeman, The Graduate School, 2022) Dovchin, Badamgarav; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christine Rogers Stanton; Christine Stanton, Suzanne Held, Kristin Ruppel, Paul Lachapelle, Tumursukh Jal, herders user groups and the Community Advisory Board were co-authors of the article, 'Twin ride: integrating WSEK and TEK in Mongolia (literature review)' submitted to the journal 'The other ways of knowing' which is contained within this dissertation.; Christine Stanton, Suzanne Held, Kristin Ruppel, Paul Lachapelle, Tumursukh Jal, herders user groups and the Community Advisory Board were co-authors of the article, 'Community-based participatory research in action: lessons from communities in the Ulaan Taiga Special Protected Area bufferzone communities' submitted to the journal 'Journal of land management and appraisal' which is contained within this dissertation.; Christine Stanton, Suzanne Held, Kristin Ruppel, Paul Lachapelle, Tumursukh Jal, herders user groups and the Community Advisory Board were co-authors of the article, 'Building an inclusive decision-making system for buffer zone land management and conservation of Ulaan Taiga Special Protected Area' submitted to the journal 'The other ways of knowing' which is contained within this dissertation.Environmental degradation and its management are pressing issues worldwide, especially in developing countries. Mongolia is a nomadic culture country with publicly owned land grazed by privately owned herds of domestic animals experiencing intense land degradation (Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia, 2018). The Eurocentric system (Koobak et al., 2021) Western Science-Based Ecological Knowledge (WSEK) (Studley, 1998) was introduced first by communism, then global North aid programs. Mongolian government fully adopted WSEK methods despite the reality that people of Mongolia still utilize Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) (Berkes, 2012; Jamsranjav et al., 2019). Gradually the disconnect between the stakeholders increased over the last 100 years. Climate change, socioeconomic pressures on publicly owned land, and multiple stakeholders who practice different decision-making systems call for collaborative facilitation and interventions. The purpose of this study is to examine the following two major points: 1. The possibility of addressing the land degradation issues by integrating TEK and WSEK through Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) facilitations in the Darhad Valley, Mongolia (2014-2020). 2. The perceptions of buffer zone communities of Ulaan Taiga Special Protected Area (UTSPA) regarding their ability to manage their land and the ecosystem services it provides. Guidance and participation of locals and advisory board across all steps in the research process (Hallett et al., 2017; Stanton, 2014), and application of a CBPR framework help rebalance the power dynamics among the stakeholders (Coombe et al., 2020a) and bring shared ownership (D'Alonzo, 2010) and trust (P. R. Lachapelle & McCool, 2012) to decision-making. Our team concluded that integrated epistemologies offer added strength and innovation in addressing some of the complex challenges. We found that the 'twin ride' (integration) of WSEK and TEK complement each other (Maweu, 2011). CBPR provides a framework to facilitate collaboration, apply theory to practice in culturally and epistemologically appropriate ways specific to the host community (Stanton et al., 2020), and help overcome various barriers such as loss of trust, institutional differences, and give time to collectively develop shared goals (P. R. Lachapelle et al., 2003). CBPR is a complicated but rewarding, potentially healing process (Stanton, 2014a; Waddell et al., 2020).Item Supplement intake behavior of heifers grazing late summer dryland pasture(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) McClain, Tyrell Phillip; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Timothy DelCurto; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Two studies were conducted to evaluate supplement intake and intake behavior of Rumax BoviBox protein supplements. For both studies, individual supplement intake, time spent at the feeder, and frequency of visits was measured using a SmartFeed Pro self-feeder system. In study 1, we examined the effects of free choice loose mineral salt on protein block supplement intake behavior of first-calf heifers. Heifers were stratified by weight, and, within stratum, randomly allotted to one of two supplementation treatments: 1) free-choice access to protein block supplement (30% CP) with access to loose mineral and salt; and 2) free-choice access to protein block supplement (30% CP) with no access to loose mineral and salt for a 42-day performance study. Individual animal was considered the experimental unit. No differences were observed for total supplement intake or supplement intake expressed as grams per kg body weight (BW; P > 0.05). In summary, availability of loose mineral salt did not have an impact on protein block supplement intake. In study 2, we evaluated Rumax BoviBox versus Rumax BoviBox HM protein supplements on supplement intake, intake behavior, body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS) change of yearling heifers grazing dryland pastures during late summer. Heifers (428 kg) were stratified by BW and within stratum randomly assigned to one of two supplementation treatments: 1) free-choice access to Rumax BoviBox protein block supplement (30% CP, 23% salt; n = 29); and 2) free-choice access to Rumax BoviBox HM high magnesium protein block supplement (28.7% CP, 23% salt; n = 30). Supplement intake rate (g x min -1) displayed a treatment effect (P < 0.01) indicating that heifers in the Rumax BoviBox treatment had lower intake rate compared to Rumax BoviBox HM supplemented heifers. In conclusion, there were only minor differences in intake behavior and animal performance observed in both trials.Item The influence of heifer post-weaning residual feed intake on subsequent production, reproduction, grazing behavior, supplement intake behavior, dry matter intake and milk production of Black Angus beef cattle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Parsons, Cory Todd; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Timothy DelCurto; Julia Dafoe, Samuel Wyffels, Tim DelCurto, Darrin Boss and Megan Van Emon were co-authors of the article, 'Impacts of heifer post-weaning residual feed intake classification on reproductive and performance measurements of first, second and third parity Angus beef' in the journal 'Translational animal science' which is contained within this dissertation.; Julia Dafoe was a co-author of the article, 'The influence of residual feed intake and cow age on body weight and body condition change, supplement intake, resource use, and grazing behavior of beef cattle winter grazing mixed-grass rangelands' in the journal 'Animals' which is contained within this dissertation.; Julia Dafoe, Samuel Wyffels, Tim DelCurto and Darrin Boss were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of residual feed intake and cow age on dry matter intake post-weaning and peak lactation of Black Angus cows' in the journal 'Animals' which is contained within this dissertation.Residual feed intake (RFI) is a recognized measure of biological efficiency in beef cattle. However, RFI determination is expensive, time consuming and not well studied in beef cattle fed forage-based diets, nor how post-weaning RFI influences grazing behavior, supplement intake behavior or dry matter intake at different ages and physiological stages of production. Thus, the objectives of this research were to investigate how post-weaning RFI influences reproductive and productive performance, grazing behavior, supplement intake behavior as well as dry matter intake at different ages and physiological stages of production. A commercial herd of black Angus cows were utilized to conduct three experimental studies. Results indicate that classification of RFI for replacement heifers had little to no effect on subsequent beef cattle production and reproductive efficiency through the weaning of the 3rd calf. Subtle differences were denoted for cow Julian birth dates based on RFI classification and conception of 1st calf-heifers categorized as low RFI. However, heifer post-weaning RFI had little effect on subsequent cow performance (BW or BCS), grazing behavior, supplement intake behavior, and resource use. In addition, cow age significantly influenced cow performance, grazing behavior, supplement intake behavior, and resource use. We also observed high individual variability in grazing site selection, suggesting that individual-level factors may be driving grazing resource use and grazing behavior. Heifer post-weaning RFI did not influence mature cow dry matter intake, and this was consistent for both lactating and non-lactating beef cows. In contrast, cow age did correspond to quadratic increases of DMI and intake rates of mature cows. However, when DMI was expressed as g x kg body weight-1 no differences were observed with respect to cow age in lactating and non-lactating cows. Milk production was influenced by heifer post-weaning RFI for 2/3 and 5/6-yr old cows. Therefore, our studies suggests that selection for low RFI females would not impact overall herd productivity of cattle on foraged-based production systems, and that cow age has more of an impact on resource use, supplement intake, and grazing behavior, as well as DMI than heifer post-weaning RFI while grazing dormant-season mixed-grass prairie rangelands.Item Integrating crop diversity, forage crops, and targeted grazing to manage Avena fatua L.(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Wong, Mei-Ling; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Fabian D. Menalled and Tim F. Seipel (co-chair)Wild oat (Avena fatua L.) is one of the most difficult weeds to manage in spring cereal crops and causes large economic losses throughout the Northern Great Plains. The continual use of herbicides for wild oat management has selected for herbicide resistant and multiple herbicide resistant biotypes and has left no selective herbicide options for farmers in small-grain fields. To sustain crop production, this thesis aimed to develop ecologically based practices to manage wild oat populations. We evaluated the impact of spring wheat height, seeding rate, crop type, forage termination method, and tillage on wild oat tiller density, biomass, and seed production. Two studies were conducted: (1) from 2017 through 2019 in Bozeman, Montana and (2) from 2018 through 2019 in Moccasin, Montana. The first study examined the combined effect of spring wheat height and seeding rate on its competitiveness against wild oat. We found that the tall near-isogenic wheat line did not have greater wild oat suppression than the short line. Spring wheat seeded at a higher than recommended rate reduced wild oat biomass and seed production only when nitrogen fertilizer was applied. The second study assessed management practices including integrating lentil, fall and spring forage mixture, sheep grazing and tilled fallow, in addition to spring wheat height and seeding rate. Forage mixtures, sheep grazing, and tillage were the most successful tactics in suppressing wild oat growth and seed production. However, wild oat suppression was not different between spring wheat and lentil, regardless of spring wheat height and seeding rate. Our results indicate that spring wheat height was not correlated with increased suppression of wild oat. A higher seeding rate of spring wheat also did not increase wild oat suppression; we suggest that fertilization may be needed to enhance crop competitiveness. Integrating forage crops with sheep grazing has the best potential to reduce the wild oat seed bank. This information can help redesign cropping systems. However, there is a continual need to develop other integrated weed management techniques to limit wild oat growth and seed production and to reduce reliance on herbicides.Item Effects of grazing after wildfire on soil health in eastern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Hanson, Joshua Todd; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clayton B. Marlow; Clayton B. Marlow, Kurt O. Reinhart, Lance T. Vermeire and Sam A. Wyffels were co-authors of the article, 'Effects of grazing after wildfire on indicators of soil health in eastern Montana' submitted to the journal 'Fire ecology' which is contained within this thesis.Rangelands are resilient to grazing and fire. However, the resilience of rangelands may be degraded by livestock grazing too soon after wildfire. Due to the growing interest in soil health and its link to sustainable grazing, following a large wildfire (109,346 ha, Lodgepole complex in 2017) we tested the effect of grazing (grazed verses no grazing) on three indicators of soil health in ponderosa pine savvanas of the northern Great Plains. We measured indicators of soil hydrologic function (i.e., soil hydraulic conductivity), properties related to nutrient cycling (i.e., soil organic matter, plant available nutrients, pH), and soil structure (i.e., aggregate stability) in 2019 and 2020. Grazing occurred two out of three years following the fire. Most indicators of soil health were not appreciably affected by grazing post-fire. However, we detected a marginally significant negative effect of grazing on soil organic matter. Specifically, soil organic matter was 7% greater in ungrazed than grazed areas. No other grazing treatment effects were detected. Several soil health metrics varied between sampling years. Our results suggest that grazing(two out of the three years) following fire is unlikely to negatively affect many indicators of soil health of ponderosa pine savannas in the northern Great Plains. The increased organic matter observed by resting did not have an appreciable impact on the other soil health metrics. These findings suggest that soil health indicators are relatively resilient to grazing after wildfire and have implications for grazing policy post-fire.Item Breeding ecology of greater sage-grouse in southwestern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Cutting, Kyle Anthony; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jay J. Rotella and Bok Sowell (co-chair); Jay J. Rotella, Sean R. Schroff, Michael R. Frisina, James A. Waxe, Erika Nunlist and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'Maladaptive nest-site selection by a sagebrush dependent species in a grazing-modified landscape' in the journal 'Journal of environmental management' which is contained within this dissertation.; Jay J. Rotella, Emma Grusing, James A. Waxe, Erika Nunlist and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'Nutrient sources for offspring formation: diet-mother and mother-offspring isotopic discrimination in domesticated gallinaceous birds' submitted to the journal 'Isotopes in environmental and health studies' which is contained within this dissertation.; Jay J. Rotella, James A. Waxe, Aaron O' Harra, Sean R. Schroff, Lorelle Berkeley, Mark Szczypinski, Andrea R. Litt, Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'Resource allocation effects on the timing of reproduction in an avian habitat specialist' in the journal 'Ecosphere' which is contained within this dissertation.The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter: sage-grouse) is an umbrella species that needs large intact tracts of sagebrush habitat with habitat requirements that represent the needs of many other species found in the sagebrush biome of the American West. Much of the information collected to date on sage-grouse is from low-elevation, homogenous, landscapes, leaving information gaps for topographically complex, high elevation locations within the sage-grouse range. In this dissertation, I assess the following aspects of the breeding ecology of sage-grouse: 1) how females select nest and brood sites based on sagebrush type, along with livestock grazing features and other biotic and abiotic characteristics; 2) the influence of female nest-site selection on nest-survival outcomes; 3) experimentally derived isotopic discrimination values in domesticated gallinaceous birds as an estimation method for nutrient allocation strategies in wild sage-grouse; and 4) the degree to which females allocated nutrients from winter habitats for formation of offspring by comparing females nesting in southwest vs. central Montana. Based on the research, I found evidence that: 1) sage-grouse avoid a high-elevation sagebrush type that is the most common type in my study region and instead select for intermediate- or low-elevation sagebrush types for both nesting and brood rearing, 2) sage-grouse broods selected sites away from low-lying mesic areas and near ridgelines on upper slopes with south-facing aspects and sites further from cattle paths, 3) nest survival was (a) higher for nests placed away from fence lines, (b) lower in areas with more cow pies and taller dead grass, and (c) higher in areas with increased living grass cover, and 4) females from southwest Montana and in the high-elevation sagebrush type primarily allocated nutrients from winter habitats, whereas females from central Montana and in the low-elevation sagebrush type primarily allocated nutrient sources from spring habitats for offspring formation. My findings highlight a unique breeding strategy for sage-grouse residing in high-elevation sagebrush landscapes. Results described herein will allow managers in southwest Montana, and other regions in the northern Rocky Mountains, to better manage sage-grouse and sage-grouse habitats.Item Evaluating grazing and defoliation effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Williams, Amanda Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clayton B. Marlow; Lance T. Vermeire, Richard C. Waterman and Clayton B. Marlow were co-authors of the article, 'Evaluating grazing effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology and management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance T. Vermeire, Richard C. Waterman, Clayton B. Marlow were co-authors of the article, 'Season of defoliation effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology and management' which is contained within this thesis.Previous research indicated rangelands need rest from grazing after fire, while others show grazing the first year following fire has no negative effects on the plant community. This caused uncertainty around post-fire grazing management. In July 2017, the Lodgepole Complex fire burned ponderosa pine grasslands of the northern Great Plains, including areas burned in 2003 for fuels mitigation. We examined effects of post-fire grazing and season of defoliation. For the grazing study we wanted to determine 1) plant community response to grazing or rest the first growing season after fire in ponderosa pine grassland communities, and 2) whether prescribed fire alters plant community response to subsequent wildfire. For the season of defoliation study we wanted to determine 1) timing of defoliation effects on the plant community one growing season after fire and 2) whether defoliation effects are altered by prescribed fire preceding the fire. Eight exclosures (25 x 15 m) were built, 4 reburned sites and 4 wildfire sites. A non-grazed (15 x 10 m) section inside each exclosure was paired with a grazed section outside the exclosure. Plots (5 x 10 m) were mowed in the exclosure to 10 cm in June, July, or August, or not mowed during 2018. In 2019, biomass samples were clipped at peak production, with species composition and diversity measured by point-intercept transects. We observed a trend for reduced cool-season grasses (P =0.0675) and annual grasses (P =0.0071) if defoliated earlier; a trend for reduced forbs (P =0.0699) if defoliated later; and reduced total current-year biomass (P =0.0362) if defoliated. Functional group composition was not changed, but some individual species were shifted due to fire history. The grazing study only showed a trend for greater old dead biomass on non-grazed sites (P = 0.0600), higher composition of forbs on reburn sites (P = 0.0324), and a trend for a higher composition of Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Pursh) Rydb. on reburn sites (P = 0.0559). Results indicate mowing the first year following fire shifts the plant community, but the community is resistant to post-fire grazing. Prescribed fire 14 years before wildfire had small impacts on community composition.Item Native pollinators: the effects of livestock grazing on Montana rangelands(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Blanchette, Gabrielle Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Craig Carr; Michael A. Ivie (co-chair)Although native pollinators on rangelands serve, in part, as food at higher trophic levels, their primary ecosystem function is pollination. With 70% of western U.S. rangelands grazed by livestock, understanding how grazing affects native pollinators is a key component to managing rangelands, yet it is not well understood. In this study, I investigated how cattle grazing influences both diversity and abundance of native pollinators, including bees and wasps, syrphid flies, butterflies, and moths at two research locations for six to 10 weeks during the spring of 2016, 2017, and 2018. The first site, near Sidney, MT, served to understand if pollinators were more closely associated with active cattle grazing or rested pastures. The second site, near Roundup, MT, served to understand if pollinators were more associated with pastures either enrolled or not enrolled in the Sage Grouse Initiative, or pastures that had not experienced livestock grazing in previous seven years. Colored pan traps were deployed weekly in each treatment at each site. In addition to pollinator collections, weekly measurements of vegetation via Daubenmire frame were also collected. I collected 17,078 specimens at Sidney and 13,683 specimens at Roundup. My results suggest that in drier sagebrush landscapes, native pollinators are positively to neutrally associated with pastures moderately grazed by livestock. However, in mixed grass prairie landscapes that receive high precipitation, rest-rotational grazing does not appear to have a significant effect on primary native pollinators.Item Dormant season grazing of northern mixed grass prairies: effect of supplementation and winter environmental conditions on beef cattle grazing behavior, residual vegetation conditions and variation in supplement intake(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Wyffels, Samuel Aaron; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lance McNew; Janice G. P. Bowman (co-chair); Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'Dormant season grazing of northern mixed grass prairies: the effect of supplementation strategies on heifer resource utilization and vegetation use' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowel were co-authors of the article, 'Dormant season grazing on northern mixed grass prairie agroecosystems: does protein supplementation and individual animal variation impact beef cattle resource use, vegetation and residual cover for wildlife' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of age and environmental conditions on supplement intake by beef cattle winter grazing a northern mixed-grass rangeland in Montana' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.Dormant season grazing reduces reliance on harvested feeds, but typically requires protein supplementation to maintain animal performance and vegetation utilization across the landscape. However, information relating supplementation strategies and supplement intake behavior to individual grazing behavior and resource utilization on dormant forage is lacking. Thus, the intent of this research is to examine cattle resource utilization, supplement intake behavior, residual cover of vegetation and utilization on rangelands grazed during the dormant season. One hundred weaned heifer calves were randomly selected and placed into one of two supplementation treatments in each of 2 years (50 heifers/treatment/year); one receiving a free access 62% crude protein self-fed mineral/protein concentrate, and the other receiving a daily hand-fed 20% crude protein cake while grazing December through March. Additionally, a commercial herd of 300 bred cows ranging in age from 1- to 12-yr-old were provided a 30% crude protein self-fed supplement with 25% salt to limit intake in a SmartFeed Pro self-feeder system to measure individual animal supplement intake from November to January in each of 2 years. In both grazing trials, transects were randomly located within each pasture for measuring vegetation composition, production and quality, canopy cover and visual obstruction readings pre and post grazing. Grazing locations were monitored for individuals with Global Positioning System collars containing head position sensors that record daily space use and location of grazing activities. Data sets were used to quantify space use with generalized linear models to assess cattle resource utilization and supplementation behavior. Cattle provided the hand-fed cake selected grazing location near supplement delivery sites and spent less time grazing per day than self-fed supplemented cattle. Substantial amounts of herd-level variability in both studies suggests individual attributes are major drivers in cattle resource use. Supplement treatment and grazing intensity had little impact on residual vegetation conditions, however, the timing of grazing and year did affect the response of residual vegetation to grazing. Younger cattle consumed more supplement with less variability than older aged cattle. This research provides multidimensional insight to stakeholders concerning grazing behavior and the ecological impacts of late season use on Montana rangelands.