Use of habitat by free-ranging cattle and ponies in the New Forest, southern England.
Abstract
Numbers and activities of animals observed on areas of each vegetation type on fixed transects were recorded at 2-h intervals for 24 h twice monthly from Jan. to Dec. 1979. Cattle showed little seasonal variation in habitat use with 60-70% (range 40-82%) of observation on grasslands, 10-20% on dwarf shrub communities and 10-20% in woodland. Ponies showed seasonal differences with up to 67% of observations on grasslands in spring and summer and increased use of gorsebrake and woodland in winter. In the New Forest, 5500 domestic stock range over some 20 000 ha but about 50% of time is spent on grassland areas which comprise <5% of the total area.<new para>ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT:<new para>Patterns of use of different vegetation types in the New Forest by populations of free-ranging cattle and ponies (both preferential grazers) were studied. The animals spent approx. 50% of all their time on grassland areas (<5% of the total area) the most abundant species of which were Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, Poa compressa, Hieracium pilosella, Agrostis canina, Carex panicea, Juncus articulatus, Hypochaeris radicata and Trifolium repens. Activity patterns of cattle and ponies and diurnal and seasonal variations in their use of different habitats are discussed.