Differential response and interactions of livestock species to patch burning in Mesquite-Oak Savanna

Fire is an essential ecological process of Great Plains grasslands and savannas and has been increasingly used as a management tool, primarily for reducing woody plant encroachment and improving forage quality. More recently, the focus has shifted to emphasize the spatiotemporal interactions between fire and grazing (i.e., pyric herbivory-herbivore grazing influenced or driven by fire) to enhance landscape heterogeneity and biodiversity. This study aimed to examine spatial–temporal distributions of cattle, sheep, and goats in a Mesquite-Oak-Savanna landscape under a pyric herbivory management regime. We examined how different livestock species respond to prescribed fires and each other, and whether multi-species grazing behavior aligns with a pyric herbivory framework. Under a pyric herbivory scheme with mixed grazing, about 15% of a 1560-ha research ranch was burned annually over 2019 and 2020, and internal fences were opened to allow free-ranging livestock movement. GPS collars were fitted on randomly selected individuals of cattle, sheep, and goats to record locations every 10 min during the study. Cattle and goats showed stronger preferences for recently burned areas, while sheep favored unburned areas. Cattle and sheep herds tended to graze closer together, whereas goats maintained greater distances from both species. With mixed species (cattle, sheep, and goat) grazing, not all livestock species had preferential use of the recently burned areas which is a critical element of pyric herbivory process for promoting biodiversity. The findings suggest the need to refine the conceptual framework and management practices of pyric herbivory with mixed species grazing for promoting biodiversity in Great Plains savanna landscapes.