A model for the population dynamics of plants under extensive livestock grazing

Authors

  • Octavio Augusto Bruzzone IFAB, CONICET/INTA
  • Luca Rossini Université Libre de Bruxelles http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-7111
  • Daiana Vanessa Perri IFAB, CONICET/INTA
  • Marcos Horacio Easdale IFAB, CONICET/INTA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21014/actaimeko.v14i3.2039

Keywords:

grazing, biomass, resource capture efficiency, herbivory, cattle, pastoralism, semi-arid environments

Abstract

Extensive livestock production on rangelands involves continuous biomass extraction, as various plant species serve as food for different animal populations. Unlike agricultural systems, rangeland biomass extraction reduces plant size without their complete removal, leading to more complicated management strategies. Mathematical models could predict where plant biomass is available, to relocate animals accordingly, but the current state of the art offers plant population models with a single variable, confusing growth rate, fitness, and carrying capacity. This study addresses this limitation through a model that divides plant populations into two state variables: i) total biomass ( ) and ii) the number of individuals/vegetation cover ( ). Biomass follows a standard logistic population dynamic constrained by the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, while  represents population spread and resource acquisition. The model integrates Schaeffer and Noy-Meir logistic population models with biomass extraction and includes a seeding term ( ) to account for human interventions. Results showed that system stability and equilibrium depend on the efficiency parameter ( ), which links  and . Higher  values reduced the system's maximum yield under biomass extraction, highlighting the trade-off between vegetation cover and biomass productivity. This model provides a promising alternative for describing rangeland dynamics under extensive livestock production.

Author Biography

Luca Rossini, Université Libre de Bruxelles

Ph.D in Plant and Animal Science, major in Pest Population Modelling, minor in Entomology, currently working as Research Associate (Italian RTDa, SSD AGR/11) in Ecological Modelling and Applied Entomology at Università degli Studi della Tuscia (Viterbo, Italy), Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences.
I'm focusing on the development and validation of mathematical models to describe pests and diseases. This includes the integration of sparse field measurements to improve the accuracy of the predictions. To pursue this aim, I base my research on ODE and PDE equations, numerical analysis and software development using C/C++ and Python programming languages. My main interests are: Mathematical and Computational Biology/Ecology, Pest Monitoring, planning of measurement campaigns, field measurements protocols, High Performance Computing.

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Published

2025-09-22

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Octavio Augusto Bruzzone, Luca Rossini, Daiana Vanessa Perri, Marcos Horacio Easdale

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