Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands

Authors: DUNI, DANIELLE - New Mexico State University; MCINTOSH, MATTHEW - New Mexico State University; NYAMURYEKUNG'E, SHELEMIA - New Mexico State University; Cibils, Andres; DUNIWAY, MICHAEL - Us Geological Survey (USGS); Estell, Richard - Rick; Spiegal, Sheri; GONZALEZ, ALFREDO - New Mexico State University; GEDEFAW, MELAKENEH - New Mexico State University; REDD, MATTHEW - The Nature Conservancy; PAULIN, ROB - Rancho Largo; STEELE, CAITRIANA - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); UTSUMI, SANTIAGO - New Mexico State University; PEREA, ANDRES - New Mexico State University

Submitted to: Journal of Arid Environments
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2023
Publication Date: 6/1/2023
Citation: Duni, D.M., McIntosh, M.M., Nyamuryekung'E, S., Cibils, A.F., Duniway, M.C., Estell, R.E., Spiegal, S.A., Gonzalez, A.L., Gedefaw, M.G., Redd, M., Paulin, R., Steele, C.M., Utsumi, S.A., Perea, A.R. 2023. Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands. Journal of Arid Environments. 213. Article 104975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2023.104975.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2023.104975

Interpretive Summary: Hotter and drier temperatures occurring as a result of climate change in the southwestern United States are placing new pressures on ranchers in the region. Novel adaptation strategies are needed to prevent rancher attrition and maintain working landscapes. Criollo cattle appear to be better adapted to arid landscapes and were suggested as a tool for climate adaptation by the Fourth National Climate Assessment of the United States (NCA4). Although research conducted to date supports this NCA4 recommendation, all studies comparing Criollo cattle and commercial beef breeds were conducted at a single geographic location. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether superior foraging traits documented in Criollo vs. commercial beef cows in the Chihuahuan Desert held true for the Colorado Plateau (Utah) and California Chaparral (California), two of the most climate-vulnerable ecosystems of the Southwest. The study was conducted during multiple seasons between 2018 and 2021 on two commercial ranches. We compared grazing behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Red or Black Angus beef cows (10 of each) fitted with GPS collars. During the season when forages were dormant (winter in Utah and summer in California) Raramuri Criollo cows traveled farther, followed more sinuous paths, and spent more time grazing and less time resting than their Red or Black Angus counterparts. Few breed foraging behavior differences were observed during the season when forages were green. Compared with Angus beef cattle, Raramuri Criollo cows tended to use some shrub-dominated vegetation types more often and tended to spend less time in riparian areas. Foraging behavior patterns observed in this study have been associated with positive animal production and environmental outcomes in the Chihuahuan Desert. Additional research is needed to determine whether such outcomes also occur in the ecosystems where this study was conducted.

Technical Abstract: Selecting livestock genetics adapted to arid environments, such as Criollo cattle, is one of several strategies recommended for decreasing the vulnerability to climate change of ranching in the southwestern USA. Our objective was to determine whether desirable foraging traits of Criollo cattle previously documented in the Chihuahuan Desert, held true in two of the most climate-vulnerable ecosystems of the Southwest. We conducted a study at Rancho Corta Madera (RCM) in southern California and Dugout Ranch (DR) in southeast Utah. Twenty mature cows, 10 Raramuri Criollo and 10 Red or Black Angus, were monitored with GPS collars during multiple seasons between 2018 and 2021. Geolocation data were used to compute daily distance traveled (km*d-1), movement velocity (m*min-1), path sinuosity (SI), time spent grazing, resting, or traveling (h*d-1), and area of the pasture explored (ha*d-1) as well as to calculate selection of vegetation cover types (E, Ivlev’s Electivity Index) by cows of each breed. The effects of breed, season, year, and pasture on each of these metrics were modeled with repeated measures analyses of variance. At both ranches, statistically detectable differences (P= 0.05) between breeds were observed for most behavior metrics during the dormant season. Conversely, few breed differences were observed during the growing season. Criollo cattle tended to show stronger preference (P= 0.05) for a number of shrub dominated vegetation types at both ranches, and similar or greater selection of grassland dominated sites compared to Angus counterparts. At both ranches, Criollo cattle exhibited less preference for riparian areas, while Angus cows tended to exhibit the opposite. Breed divergence vs. convergence of foraging behaviors during the dormant vs. growing seasons, previously observed in the Chihuahuan Desert, was documented at both sites. Positive system outcomes associated with desirable foraging traits of Criollo cattle could be expected to occur more broadly across the Southwest.