ABSTRACT
Tularemia is a rare but potentially serious bacterial zoonosis, which has been reported in the 47 contiguous states of the USA during 2001-2010. This report summarizes the passive surveillance data of tularemia cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2011 through 2019. There were 1984 cases reported in the USA during this period. The average national incidence was 0.07 cases per 100,000 person-years (PY), compared to 0.04 cases per 100,000 PY during 2001-2010. The highest statewide reported case 2011-2019 was in Arkansas (374 cases, 20.4% of total), followed by Missouri (13.1%), Oklahoma (11.9%), and Kansas (11.2%). Regarding race, ethnicity, and sex, tularemia cases were reported more frequently among white, non-Hispanic, and male patients. Cases were reported in all age groups; however, individuals 65 years-old and older exhibited the highest incidence. The seasonal distribution of cases generally paralleled the seasonality of tick activity and human outdoor activity, increasing during spring through mid-summer and decreasing through late summer and fall to winter lows. Improved surveillance and education of ticks and tick- and water-borne pathogens should play a key role in efforts to decrease the incidence of tularemia in the USA.
ABSTRACT
We used a spatially explicit model to simulate the potential effects of exclosures and acaricides targeted at medium-sized mammalian hosts on the local distribution and abundance of lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) within forestlands of the southeastern United States. Both exclosures and acaricides were successful in markedly reducing the densities of all off-host tick life stages inside the treatment areas. Densities dropped to almost zero immediately inside the edges of the exclosures, with noticeably depressed densities extending outward 30 to 60 m from the exclosures, and the simulated exclosures maintained their effectiveness as their sizes were decreased from 4.5 to 2.25 to 0.8 ha. Densities exhibited a smooth gradient across the edges of the acaricide-treated areas, with depressed densities extending ≈100 m outward from the edges, but with perceptible densities extending ≈60 m inward from the edges; thus, the simulated acaricide areas lost their effectiveness as size was decreased to slightly less than one-half the diameter of the activity range of the targeted host. Our simulation results indicated that off-host nymph densities responded to reductions of medium-sized host densities. These results suggest that targeting acaricides at medium-sized hosts may be an effective, and currently under-utilized, method for tick suppression.
ABSTRACT
The southern cattle fever tick (SCFT) Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, is considered the most important ectoparasite of livestock in the world because of high financial losses associated with direct feeding and transmission of the hemoparasites Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, and Anaplasma marginale. Unfortunately, SCFT in many parts of the world have evolved resistance to all market-available pesticides thus driving development of new control technologies. Vaccination against ticks using the tick gut protein Bm86 has been shown to be effective against acaricide-resistant ticks. This technique has been successfully implemented in Puerto Rico for the control of acaricide-resistant R. microplus on dairy and beef cattle. Observations from Puerto Rico indicate a potentially positive interaction between anti-tick vaccination when used in conjunction with systemic acaricide treatment. In this project, controlled animal studies were completed directly comparing efficacy of anti-tick vaccination with and without systemic acaricide. Results show that the Bm86 anti-tick vaccine in combination with the macrocyclic lactone, Moxidectin, expressed a synergistic interaction, providing greater and longer efficacy than either treatment alone.
Subject(s)
Acaricides , Anaplasmosis , Babesiosis , Cattle Diseases , Ixodidae , Rhipicephalus , Tick Infestations , Vaccines , Cattle , Animals , Acaricides/metabolism , Lactones/metabolism , Tick Infestations/prevention & control , Tick Infestations/veterinaryABSTRACT
Spotted fever group Rickettsia species are intracellular bacteria transmitted by tick or mite vectors and that cause human diseases referred to as spotted fever group rickettsioses, or spotted fevers. In the United States, the most recognized and commonly reported spotted fevers are Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) (Rickettsia rickettsii), Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, Pacific Coast tick fever (Rickettsia species 364D), and rickettsialpox (Rickettsia akari). In this study, we summarize and evaluate surveillance data on spotted fever cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System from 2010 to 2018. During this period, there were 36,632 reported cases of spotted fevers with 95.83% (N = 35,104) reported as meeting the case definition as probable and 4.17% (N = 1528) reported as meeting the case definition as confirmed. The average national incidence of total cases, both probable and confirmed, was 12.77 cases per million persons per year. The highest statewide incidence was in Arkansas, with 256.84 per million per year, whereas the lowest incidence occurred in California, with 0.32 per million per year (note that spotted fevers were not notifiable in Hawaii and Alaska). Cases of spotted fevers were reported more frequently among males by gender, White by race, and non-Hispanic by ethnicity. The incidence of spotted fevers increased significantly from 2010 to 2018, but it is uncertain how many of the reported cases were RMSF and how many developed from more moderate spotted fevers. Improvement of the ability to differentiate between spotted fever group Rickettsia species is needed.
Subject(s)
Rickettsia Infections , Rickettsia , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever , Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis , Animals , Humans , Incidence , Male , Rickettsia Infections/epidemiology , Rickettsia Infections/microbiology , Rickettsia Infections/veterinary , Rickettsia rickettsii , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/epidemiology , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/microbiology , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/veterinary , Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis/epidemiology , Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis/veterinary , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Airborne pests pose a major challenge in agriculture. Integrated pest management programs have been considered a viable response to this challenge, and pest forecasting can aid in strategic management decisions. Annually recurrent areawide sugarcane aphid [Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)] infestations of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (Poales: Poaceae)] in the Great Plains of North America is one of such challenges. As part of the response, a spatially-explicit individual-based model was developed that simulates sugarcane aphid infestations over the southern-to-central part of the region. In this work, we evaluated model forecasts using 2015-2018 field data. The ranges of forecasted days of first infestation significantly overlapped with those observed in the field. The average days of first infestation observed in the field were approximated by the model with differences of less than 28 days in Texas and southern Oklahoma (2015-2018), and in northern Oklahoma (2016-2017). In half of these cases the difference was less than 14 days. In general, the modeled average day of first infestation was earlier than the observed one. As conceptual modeling decisions may impact model forecasts and as various socio-environmental factors may impact spatio-temporal patterns of field data collection, agreement between the forecasts and the observed estimates may vary between locations and seasons. Predictive modeling has the potential to occupy a central position within areawide integrated pest management programs. More detailed consideration of local agricultural practices and local environmental conditions could improve forecasting accuracy, as could broader participation of producers in field monitoring efforts.
Subject(s)
Aphids , Saccharum , Sorghum , Animals , Edible Grain , Texas , WindABSTRACT
The sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.]) agroecosystem of North America provided an opportunity to evaluate agroecosystem response to an invading insect herbivore, Melanaphis sorghi (Theobald) (sorghum aphid) (previously published as Melanaphis sacchari Zehntner) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) onto a widely planted crop that experiences a range of agro-landscape and weather conditions. Initial sorghum risk assessments after M. sorghi's invasion in the mid-2010s provided forecasts of range expansion and annual migration, which were based on aphid life history, extent of sorghum cultivation and susceptibility to M. sorghi, and weather (aphid-plant-weather [APW] risk scenario). A more comprehensive risk assessment proposed here brings top-down forces of M. sorghi-natural enemy interactions to the forefront as mediated by agro-landscape and weather conditions (aphid-enemy/landscape-weather mediated [AE/LW] risk scenario). A hypothesis of regional differences in aphids and natural enemies and sensitivity to agro-landscape and weather was tested using empirical data of insect, landscape, and weather data across 5 years and four regions (two in the U.S. Great Plains [South GP and North GP], one farther south (South), and one in the southeast U.S. [South E]). Natural enemies were widespread with two parasitoids and four coccinellid species common across regions, but regional variation in M. sorghi and natural enemy abundance was detected. The AE/LW risk scenario accounted for natural enemy abundance and activity that was highest in the South region, functioned well across agro-landscape and weather conditions, and was accompanied by average low M. sorghi abundance (~23 M. sorghi per leaf). Positive correlations of natural enemy-M. sorghi abundance also occurred in the South GP region where M. sorghi abundance was low (~20 M. sorghi per leaf), and selected natural enemy activity appeared to be mediated by landscape composition. Melanaphis sorghi abundance was highest in the South E region (~136 aphids/leaf) where natural enemy activity was low and influenced by weather. The AE/LW risk scenario appeared suited, and essential in the South region, in assessing risk on a regional scale, and sets the stage for further modeling to generate estimates of the degree of influence of natural enemies under varying agro-landscape and weather conditions considered in the AE/LW risk scenario. Broadly, these findings are relevant in understanding agroecosystem resilience and recommending supportive management inputs in response to insect invasions in context of natural enemy activity and varied environmental conditions.
ABSTRACT
One of the major drivers of amphibian population declines is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). We sought to identify the major environmental drivers of Bd prevalence in Texas, USA, by drawing results from museum specimens. We sampled one of the largest museum collections in Texas, the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections at Texas A&M University. Our sampling focused on the 9 amphibian species with the widest geographical distribution within the state, where we sub-sampled 30% of each species per decade from 1930 to present via skin swabs, totaling 1501 independent sampling events, and used quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to detect pathogen presence. We analyzed several geo-referenced variables describing climatic conditions to identify potential factors influencing the likelihood of presence of Bd using boosted regression trees. Our final model suggests the most influential variables are mean temperature of driest quarter, annual mean temperature, temperature annual range, and mean diurnal range. The most likely suitable range for Bd is currently found in the Blackland Prairie and Cross Timbers ecoregions. Results of our future (to the year 2040) projections suggest that Bd could expand its current distribution. Our model could play an important role when developing an integrated conservation plan through (1) focusing future field work on locations with a high likelihood of presence, (2) assisting in the choice of locations for restoration, and (3) developing future research plans including those necessary for projecting reactions to climate change. Our model also could integrate new presence data of Bd when they become available to enhance prediction precision.
Subject(s)
Chytridiomycota , Amphibians , Animals , Batrachochytrium , Climate Change , Texas/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Development of the Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method is a priority to control the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus australis, in New Caledonia. The PCM method provides the foundation for sustainable integrated tick control because approximately 95% of cattle ticks in infested pastures are off the host in the non-parasitic life stages, and the practice of treating cattle intensely with chemical acaricides is a risk for the emergence of resistance to these active ingredients in commercial acaricidal products available for veterinary use. Here, we report the findings of an assessment survey to document the utility of the PCM method. Analyses of questionnaire data provided by 21 beef cattle producers describing their management of 37 herds informed how to (1) assess the ability of PCM to reduce acaricide use and (2) prioritize best practices and define recommendations to breeders promoting efficient tick control with minimum acaricide use. Boosted regression tree analysis showed a significant (p = 0.002) reduction of ≈33% in the number of acaricide treatments from 7.9 to 5.3 per year by using PCM. Of the 24 factors identified as potentially affecting acaricide use, six factors accounted for ≈86% of the variability in number of acaricide treatments applied annually. The six most influential factors involved farm characteristics as well as pasture and herd management recommendations. These results demonstrated the usefulness of PCM for integrated control of R. australis infestations while reducing acaricide use to improve cattle production in New Caledonia.
Subject(s)
Acaricides , Cattle Diseases , Rhipicephalus , Tick Control , Tick Infestations , Animals , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/drug therapy , Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , New Caledonia , Tick Control/methods , Tick Infestations/drug therapy , Tick Infestations/prevention & control , Tick Infestations/veterinaryABSTRACT
The tick Rhipicephalus australis, formerly known as Rhipicephalus microplus, is the most economically important ectoparasite of livestock in New Caledonia, affecting cattle health and production. Decades of control attempts based on the application of chemical acaricides have exerted a strong selective pressure on R. australis populations, some of which have evolved resistance to these treatments. Research to develop integrated tick control programs is now focused on decreasing applications of chemicals. This study reports the implementation of a method of pasture and herd management involving minimal strategic use of long-acting acaricides, here defined as those having substantial efficacy against larvae for several weeks. Diverse parameters concerning the utilization of long-acting acaricides in association with pasture and herd management on 21 New Caledonian farms over a 5-year period were analyzed to optimize their strategic use. Longer larval acaricidal effect was achieved with a commercial pour-on formulation of fluazuron than with a commercial injectable (subcutaneous) formulation containing 3.15% ivermectin. Pasture and herd management allowed an increase in the delay between a long-lasting acaricide application and the subsequent acaricide treatment from 11.0 weeks to 17.7 weeks. However, if ticks were detected and reported by producers on the day of a long-acting acaricide application, the delay to the following treatment was reduced from 18.5 weeks to 11.2 weeks. The impact of a long-acting acaricide treatment on larval populations in pastures was greatest with a stocking rate of 5 animals per hectare grazing during 1 week. These results provide science-based evidence to cattle producers for adaptive integrated tick management in order to delay the development of acaricide resistance.
Subject(s)
Acaricides , Cattle Diseases , Rhipicephalus , Tick Infestations , Animals , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/drug therapy , Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , New Caledonia , Tick Infestations/drug therapy , Tick Infestations/prevention & control , Tick Infestations/veterinaryABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cattle fever ticks (CFT), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and R. (B.) microplus, are vectors of microbes causing bovine babesiosis and pose a threat to the economic viability of the US livestock industry. Efforts by the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP) along the US-Mexico border in south Texas are complicated by the involvement of alternate hosts, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus). METHODS: In the present study, we use a spatially explicit, individual-based model to explore the potential effects of host species composition and host habitat use patterns on southern cattle fever ticks (SCFT, R. (B.) microplus) infestation dynamics and efficacy of eradication schemes. RESULTS: In simulations without eradication efforts, mean off-host larval densities were much higher when cattle were present than when only white-tailed deer and nilgai were present. Densities in mesquite and meadows were slightly higher, and densities in mixed brush were much lower, than landscape-level densities in each of these scenarios. In eradication simulations, reductions in mean off-host larval densities at the landscape level were much smaller when acaricide was applied to cattle only, or to cattle and white-tailed deer, than when applied to cattle and nilgai. Relative density reductions in mesquite, mixed brush, and meadows depended on host habitat use preferences. Shifting nilgai habitat use preferences increasingly toward mixed brush and away from mesquite did not change mean off-host larval tick densities noticeably at the landscape level. However, mean densities were increased markedly in mesquite and decreased markedly in mixed brush, while no noticeable change in density was observed in meadows. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that continued integration of field data into spatially explicit, individual-based models will facilitate the development of novel eradication strategies and will allow near-real-time infestation forecasts as an aid in anticipating and preventing wildlife-mediated impacts on SCFT eradication efforts.
Subject(s)
Population Dynamics/statistics & numerical data , Rhipicephalus , Tick Infestations/veterinary , Anaplasmosis/prevention & control , Animals , Animals, Wild/parasitology , Antelopes/parasitology , Arthropod Vectors , Babesiosis/prevention & control , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , Computer Simulation/statistics & numerical data , Deer/parasitology , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Host-Parasite Interactions , Livestock/parasitology , Mexico , Texas , Tick Control/methodsABSTRACT
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease that is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. Common symptoms of babesiosis are generally characterized as nonspecific flu-like symptoms, such as fever or chills. Human infections are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). This study summarizes data of Babesia infections reported to the CDC by the NNDSS from 2011 to 2018. In total, there were 14,159 reported cases of babesiosis, and the incidence rate was 5.55 cases per million persons per year, displaying an increasing trend during the study period. The demographic group most affected was middle-aged and elderly white males. Infections were most abundant in the New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Our study provides useful results for a basic understanding of incidence, spatial and temporal distribution, and severity of babesiosis.
Subject(s)
Babesia , Babesiosis , Tick-Borne Diseases , Animals , Babesiosis/epidemiology , Incidence , Male , Population Surveillance , Tick-Borne Diseases/veterinary , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (southern cattle fever tick; SCFT), collectively known as cattle-fever ticks (CFTs), are vectors of protozoal parasites (Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis) that cause bovine babesiosis (also known as cattle fever). One traditional strategy for CFT eradication involves the implementation of a "pasture vacation," which involves removing cattle (Bos taurus) from an infested pasture for an extended period of time. However, vacated pastures are often inhabited by wildlife hosts, such as white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus), which can serve as alternate hosts for questing CFTs. We hypothesized that the distribution of host-seeking larvae among habitat types post-pasture vacation would reflect habitat use patterns of WTD, and in turn, affect the subsequent rate of pasture infestation by CFT. METHODS: We adapted a spatially explicit, individual-based model to simulate interactions among SCFT, cattle, and WTD as a tool to investigate the potential effects of WTD habitat use preferences on the efficacy of a pasture vacation. We parameterized the model to represent conditions typical of rangelands in south Texas, USA, simulated a 1-year pasture vacation under different assumptions regarding WTD habitat use preferences, and summarized effects on efficacy through (1) time post-vacation to reach 100% of pre-vacation densities of host-seeking larvae, and (2) the ecological conditions that resulted in the lowest host-seeking larval densities following pasture vacation. RESULTS: Larval densities at the landscape scale varied seasonally in a similar manner over the entire simulation period, regardless of WTD habitat use preferences. Following the removal of cattle, larval densities declined sharply to < 100 larvae/ha. Following the return of cattle, larval densities increased to > 60% of pre-vacation densities ≈ 21 weeks post-vacation, and reached pre-vacation levels in less than a year. Trends in larval densities in different habitat types paralleled those at the landscape scale over the entire simulation period, but differed quantitatively from one another during the pasture vacation. Relative larval densities (highest to lowest) shifted from (1) wood/shrub, (2) grass, (3) mixed-brush during the pre-vacation period to (1) mixed-brush, (2) wood/shrub, (3) grass or (1) wood/shrub, (2) mixed-brush, (3) grass during the post-vacation period, depending on WTD habitat use preferences. CONCLUSIONS: By monitoring WTD-driven shifts in distributions of SCFT host-seeking larvae among habitat types during simulated pasture vacation experiments, we were able to identify potential SCFT refugia from which recrudescence of infestations could originate. Such information could inform timely applications of acaricides to specific refugia habitats immediately prior to the termination of pasture vacations.
Subject(s)
Deer/parasitology , Ecosystem , Grassland , Rhipicephalus/parasitology , Tick Infestations/prevention & control , Tick Infestations/veterinary , Animals , Animals, Wild/parasitology , Babesiosis/transmission , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/parasitology , Cattle Diseases/transmission , Feeding Behavior , Female , TexasSubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Infection Control/organization & administration , Otolaryngology/organization & administration , Tertiary Care Centers/organization & administration , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/transmission , Humans , Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures , Patient Selection , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Referral and Consultation/organization & administration , Remote Consultation/organization & administration , United KingdomABSTRACT
System-of-systems approaches for integrated assessments have become prevalent in recent years. Such approaches integrate a variety of models from different disciplines and modeling paradigms to represent a socio-environmental (or social-ecological) system aiming to holistically inform policy and decision-making processes. Central to the system-of-systems approaches is the representation of systems in a multi-tier framework with nested scales. Current modeling paradigms, however, have disciplinary-specific lineage, leading to inconsistencies in the conceptualization and integration of socio-environmental systems. In this paper, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, from engineering, natural and social sciences, have come together to detail socio-technical practices and challenges that arise in the consideration of scale throughout the socio-environmental modeling process. We identify key paths forward, focused on explicit consideration of scale and uncertainty, strengthening interdisciplinary communication, and improvement of the documentation process. We call for a grand vision (and commensurate funding) for holistic system-of-systems research that engages researchers, stakeholders, and policy makers in a multi-tiered process for the co-creation of knowledge and solutions to major socio-environmental problems.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Some tick species are invasive and of high consequence to public and veterinary health. Socioeconomic development of rural parts of the USA was enabled partly through the eradication by 1943 of cattle fever ticks (CFT, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and R. (B.) microplus). The southern cattle fever ticks (SCFT, R. (B.) microplus) remain a real and present threat to the USA animal agriculture because they are established in Mexico. Livestock-wildlife interactions in the Permanent Quarantine Zone (PQZ) established by the century-old Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Programme (CFTEP) in south Texas endanger its operations. METHODS: We describe a spatially-explicit, individual-based model that simulates interactions between cattle, white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus), and nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) to assess the risk for SCFT infestations across the pathogenic landscape in the PQZ and beyond. We also investigate the potential role of nilgai in sustaining SCFT populations by simulating various hypothetical infestation and eradication scenarios. RESULTS: All infestation scenarios resulted in a phase transition from a relatively small proportion of the ranch infested to almost the entire ranch infested coinciding with the typical period of autumn increases in off-host tick larvae. Results of eradication scenarios suggest that elimination of all on-host ticks on cattle, WTD, or nilgai would have virtually no effect on the proportion of the ranch infested or on the proportions of different tick habitat types infested; the entire ranch would remain infested. If all on-host ticks were eliminated on cattle and WTD, WTD and nilgai, or cattle and nilgai, the proportions of the ranch infested occasionally would drop to 0.6, 0.6 and 0.2, respectively. Differences in proportions of the ranch infested from year to year were due to primarily to differences in winter weather conditions, whereas infestation differences among tick habitat types were due primarily to habitat use preferences of hosts. CONCLUSIONS: Infestations in nilgai augment SCFT refugia enabled by WTD and promote pest persistence across the landscape and cattle parasitism. Our study documented the utility of enhanced biosurveillance using simulation tools to mitigate risk and enhance operations of area-wide tick management programmes like the CFTEP through integrated tactics for SCFT suppression.
Subject(s)
Animals, Wild/parasitology , Cattle Diseases/parasitology , Rhipicephalus/physiology , Tick Infestations/veterinary , Animals , Biosurveillance , Cattle , Deer/parasitology , Introduced Species/statistics & numerical data , Livestock/parasitology , Mexico , Rhipicephalus/classification , Rhipicephalus/genetics , Seasons , Spatio-Temporal Analysis , Texas , Tick Infestations/parasitologyABSTRACT
Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that is primarily caused by the rickettsial bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Anaplasmosis is a febrile disease with common symptoms, including headaches, fever, and lethargy, but it can cause serious organ failure and even death if left untreated. Human infections are reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). This report analyzed the cases of anaplasmosis reported by the NNDSS from 2012 to 2016. In total, there were 15,778 reported A. phagocytophilum infections, and the incidence rate was 7.27 cases per million persons per year, with the number of reported cases increasing each year. The demographic group most affected was middle-aged and elderly white males. Infections were most abundant in the coastal northeast and northern midwest regions. Our study provides useful results for a basic understanding of incidence, distribution, and severity of A. phagocytophilum infections.
Subject(s)
Anaplasmosis/epidemiology , Population Surveillance , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Time Factors , United States/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Rangelands cover one third of the earth's land area, provide livelihoods for one billion persons, and most have been degraded by overgrazing of domestic livestock. Recent debate about best management practices often has centered on comparison of continuous grazing and rotational grazing. Resolution to this debate may lie in viewing rangelands as complex adaptive systems. We describe a spatially-structured, individual-based model of rangelands that embodies this perspective, and simulate forage dynamics and cattle production under semi-arid rangeland conditions typical of the southern Great Plains of the USA employing both continuous and rotational grazing. Relative "success" of simulated grazing schemes depended primarily on the evaluation metric used (e.g., rangeland ecological condition, sale weight of cattle, secondary production efficiency) and the particular manage scheme employed, and neither continuous nor rotational grazing schemes were uniformly more successful. Our results demonstrate that solution of the grazing systems debate is unlikely to be found in a single group of grazing schemes, but, rather, in adaptive management of feedbacks among system components. The present work provides an example of how modeling rangelands as complex adaptive systems can aid in the evaluation of management schemes.