Course detail

LZT5718 - Principles of Grazing Ecology


Credit hours

In-class work
per week
Practice
per week
Credits
Duration
Total
4
0
8
15 weeks
120 hours

Instructor
Sila Carneiro da Silva

Objective
The objective of the course is to present, discuss and develop themes related to plant ecophysiology and
the ecology ofthe grazing process. At the end of the course the student will have acquired a functional
vision of the plant-animalrelations, essential for evaluation, study and management of pastoral systems
of animal production.

Content
Plant-animal interactions in pastoral systems of animal production (overview, components, interactions,
opportunities formanipulation and difficulties); Aspects related to forage plants in pastures
(characterization and description, herbageaccumulation dynamics, grazing resistance, phenotipic
plasticity, population dynamics); Aspects related to grazinganimals in pastures (characterization and
description, foraging strategies, ingestive behavior and herbage intake,chemical composition and the
nutritive and feeding value of forage plants, biochemical aspects related to ingestivebehavior); Interrelations
between forage plant and grazing animals in pastoral systems; Relationship between
growth,utilization and conversion efficiencies and animal production and productivity in pastoral
systems; Grazing methods; Useof supplements and supplementation in pastoral systems of animal
production.

Bibliography
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31.
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Production 50: 7-27.
CARVALHO, P.C. de F.; Prache, S.; Damasceno, J.C. O processo de pastejo: desafios da procura e
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Porto Alegre, 1999. Anais. PortoAlegre: SBZ, 1999a. p. 253-268.
CARVALHO, P.C. de F.; Prache, S.; Roguet, C. et al. Defoliation process by ewes of reproductive
compared to vegetativeswards. In: International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores, San
Antonio, 1999. Proceedings. San Antonio,1999b.
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DA SILVA, S.C.; NASCIMENTO JR., D. 2007. Avanços na pesquisa com plantas forrageiras tropicais em
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DA SILVA, S.C.; PEDREIRA, C.G.S. Princípios de ecologia aplicados ao manejo de pastagem. In:
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research results.Proceedings of New Zealand Society of Animal Production 4: 99 -114.
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pastures. Plenarypaper to XV International Grassland Congress, Japan, 63-66.
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117- 122.
HODGSON, J. Grazing management–science into practice. Essex, England, Longman Scientific &
Technical, 1990. 203p.
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editor. Frean'sPrinciples of Food and Agriculture, 17th edition. Blackwell, London, 193-203.
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LEMAIRE, G., HODGSON, J., MORAES, A. DE, CARVALHO, P.C. DE F., NABINGER, C.. Sustainability of
grazingsystems: goals, concepts and methods.In:Grassland Ecophysiology and Grazing Ecology. Eds.
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Journals:
* Grass and Forage Science
* Annals of Botany
* Plant Ecology