Guest Lecture on Bison and Forage Flashcards
(24 cards)
Bison are a ________ species
keystone
what kind of land are bison good to graze
marginal land
2 different types of bison
wood and plains bison
differences between wood and plains bison
wood: short and stockier
plain: bigger hump
who all is managing bison
public parks
first nation
cow calf/feeding
how are first nations associated with bison
culture, teaching, reconciliation, food security (they have evolved with them)
what are real-time GPS ear tags used for in bison
- uses solar panel to power tag
- shows where bison are in pasture and can alert if they get out or where they are going
how have bison evolved to survive in North America (seasonal cycle)
spring, summer, fall = grazing, calving, production
winter = slumber (metabolism slows and they stop gaining weight)
when is breeding season for bison
july-august
when do bison calve
may-june (spring grass flush)
bison and cattle species difference
bison have lower resting metabolic rate, critical temp (-30 vs. -15), heart rate, and respiration than cattle
t/f: bison have 4x more/ dense hair than cattle
t
benefits to bison hide/hair
- resistant to biting flies/ticks
- wallowing/dustbaths
- cattlebird interactions
bison are ruminants and have _______ chambered stomach
4
feed stays in bison digestive system ______ than cattle at around ____ hours
longer, 10
t/f: bison do worse than cattle on a low quality diet
f, they do better as they have efficient ability to absorb N and protein
bison require _______ liters water/day
37-58
bison graze ______ hours per day while cows graze ______ hours
4-9, 8-12
what does it mean that the bison and prairies are evolutionary interdependent
restoration of one has a positive reinforcing effect of the other
what is the green wave hypothesis
bison move with the young vegetation
t/f: bison bloat on alfalfa
f
why dont bison bloat on alfalfa
not really sure. Might be due to bigger trachea and rumen muscles and digest slower
benefits to corn grazing bison
the wont reach up and just eat cobs (they will knock it down and eat it all)
winter feeding strategies for bison
hay based
grain feeding
