@article {JRN55387,
	title = {Diet selection of raramuri criollo and angus x hereford crossbred cattle in the Chihuahuan Desert},
	journal = {Journal of Arid Environments},
	volume = {205},
	year = {2022},
	month = {7/4/2022},
	pages = {104823},
	abstract = {Strategies to help producers cope with unpredictable forage production associated with low and variable precipitation patterns on arid rangelands are needed, particularly if global warming trends continue as projected. One option is to identify cattle biotypes compatible with less productive shrubby landscapes. One such biotype is the Raramuri Criollo (RC) from the Copper Canyon of northern Mexico. This small-framed animal exhibits travelling behaviors that allow it to exploit vegetation at a greater distance from water, although it is unknown whether RC have dietary preferences that differ from European breeds typically raised in the southwestern U.S.A. We examined diet selection of RC vs. desert adapted Angus x Hereford (AH) crossbreds typical of the region using DNA metabarcoding to determine the proportion of plant species in fecal samples. Fecal samples were collected from 10 cows of each breed in two adjacent pastures during two seasons (growing and dormancy; four weeks per season) for three consecutive years. Dominant plant species in fecal samples of both cattle breeds were Atriplex canescens (four-wing saltbush), Hoffmannseggia glauca (hog potato), Hopia obtusa (vine mesquite), Setaria leucopila (plains bristlegrass), Sporobolus spp. (S. contractus, S. flexuosus, and S. giganteus), Pleuraphis mutica (tobosa), and Bouteloua eriopoda (black grama), which is consistent with previous studies in the region using different techniques for assessing dietary plant composition of other breeds of cattle. Only a few differences were detected between breeds. Compared to AH, fecal samples from RC tended to contain a higher proportion of mesquite and Yucca spp. (P < 0.07) and less Ephedra spp. (P < 0.06). The only grass species that differed between breeds was black grama (P < 0.05), with AH fecal samples containing about twice as much as RC cows (\~{}8\% vs. 4\%). This finding could have important implications for conservation of black grama in the Chihuahuan Desert.},
	keywords = {beef cattle, diet selection, DNA metabarcoding, Raramuri Criollo},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2022.104823},
	url = {files/bibliography/22-016.pdf},
	author = {Richard E. Estell and S. Nyamuryekung{\textquoteright}e and D. K. James and S. Spiegal and Andr{\'e}s F. Cibils and Amy L. Gonzalez and Matthew M. McIntosh and Kirsten B. Romig}
}
@article {JRN55345,
	title = {Movement, activity, and landscape use patterns of heritage and commercial beef cows grazing Chihuahuan Desert rangeland},
	journal = {Journal of Arid Environments},
	volume = {199},
	year = {2022},
	month = {01/03/2022},
	pages = {104704},
	abstract = {Highlights
{\textbullet}Raramuri Criollo cows (heritage breed) exhibited more desirable spatial distribution patterns (traveled farther, spent more time grazing and traveling, and explored larger areas of the pasture) than commercial beef breed counterparts.

{\textbullet}Breed differences in resource selection and utilization were largest during the dormant season.

{\textbullet}Raramuri Criollo (heritage breed) could have a lighter footprint on desert rangeland compared to Angus Hereford crossbred (commercial breed) cattle.


The objective of this study was to compare foraging behavior of mature Raramuri Criollo (RC, heritage breed) and Angus Hereford crossbred (AH, commercial breed) cows grazing Chihuahuan Desert rangeland during summer and winter in three consecutive years. Movement, activity, and spatial distribution variables were calculated from 10-min interval GPS positions of 5{\textendash}11 randomly selected cows of each breed. Thirteen pasture pixel attributes were used to analyze grazing utilization and selection patterns of both breeds. Statistical mixed models were used to determine the effects of breed and season on all foraging response variables. Spatial regression analysis was used to examine resource utilization. Compared to AH, RC cows traveled farther at higher velocity rates, spent less time resting, more time grazing and traveling, explored larger areas as individuals, and exhibited lower herd cohesion. The RC herd explored more grazing patches (30-m pixel) overall and exhibited lower patch residence times in winter, a foraging strategy linked with lighter environmental footprint. During summer, similar pixel variables explained re-visitation rates of cows of both breeds. Both breeds avoided areas far from water, but RC cows showed higher avoidance of pixels farther out from a drinker during the dormant season. RC cows appeared to exhibit a keener ability to select patches with differing surface temperature, and greenness compared to AH counterparts. RC cows showed higher preference for pixels with high shrub density than AH counterparts in summer. During the dormant season, AH cows exhibited a strong preference for black grama patches, a species with high ecological value, and higher avoidance of patches with high density of other grasses. Differences in foraging behavior documented in this study support the hypothesis that RC cattle could impose a lighter footprint on desert rangeland relative to commonly raised commercial beef cattle.},
	keywords = {beef cattle, foraging behavior, GPS tracking, habitat selection, Raramuri Criollo},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104704},
	url = {files/bibliography/22-003.pdf},
	author = {S. Nyamuryekung{\textquoteright}e and Andr{\'e}s F. Cibils and Richard E. Estell and D. VanLeeuwen and S. Spiegal and Caitriana Steele and Amy L. Gonzalez and Matthew M. McIntosh and Qixu Gong and Huiping Cao}
}
@article {JRN55328,
	title = {Foraging behavior and body temperature of heritage vs. commercial beef cows in relation to desert ambient heat},
	journal = {Journal of Arid Environments},
	volume = {193},
	year = {2021},
	month = {6/20/2021},
	pages = {104565},
	abstract = {We studied foraging patterns of Raramuri Criollo (heritage breed, {\textquotedblleft}RC{\textquotedblright}) and Angus x Hereford (commercial beef breed, {\textquotedblleft}AH{\textquotedblright}) cows in relation to ambient heat and body temperature during summer (2016 and 2017) and winter (2017 and 2018) in the Chihuahuan Desert. Cows of each breed grazed separately in two adjacent pastures (~1100 ha) in a crossover design for four weeks in each season/year. Animals were fitted with temperature loggers attached to blank CIDRs (Controlled Internal Drug Release device) devoid of hormones that recorded body temperature (BodyT), and GPS collars that recorded position and ambient temperature (CollarT). All sensor data were logged at 10 min intervals. A landscape thermal map (LandT) was developed from Landsat satellite imagery for habitat analysis using GPS locations chosen by individual collared cows, and air temperature (AirT) was recorded by a nearby weather station. Data were analyzed within four daytime segments: dawn (sunrise {\textendash} 9AM); pre-noon (9AM {\textendash} noon); post-noon (noon {\textendash} 3PM); and dusk (3PM {\textendash} sunset). ANOVA was used to determine whether BodyT, CollarT, LandT selection, or animal movement variables within each of the four daily segments differed (P < 0.05) for RC vs. AH cows. BodyT and CollarT increased as day progressed in both seasons. During summer, RC had lower BodyT and higher CollarT than AH (P < 0.05) during the hottest hours of the day. Increasing AirT throughout the day was associated with selection of cooler LandT in RC but not AH during summer. In winter, both breeds selected warmer landscape locations as the day progressed. Compared to AH, RC cows traveled farther, at higher velocities, and spent more time grazing and traveling and less time resting, with largest breed differences observed during the hottest hours of summer days. These results suggest that Raramuri Criollo cows exhibited higher thermotolerance than did AH. Elevated ambient summer temperatures in the Chihuahuan Desert appear to impose fewer constraints on heritage RC movement patterns compared to mainstream commercial AH cows.},
	keywords = {Chihuahuan Desert, climate change, Raramuri Criollo, thermotolerance},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104565},
	url = {files/bibliography/21-038.pdf},
	author = {S. Nyamuryekung{\textquoteright}e and Andr{\'e}s F. Cibils and Richard E. Estell and Matthew M. McIntosh and D. VanLeeuwen and Caitriana Steele and Amy L. Gonzalez and S. Spiegal and Leonel Avenda{\~n}o Reyes and Felipe A. Rodr{\'\i}g Almeida and Martha Anderson}
}
@article {JRN55271,
	title = {Foraging Behavior of Heritage versus Desert-Adapted Commercial Rangeland Beef Cows in Relation to Dam-Offspring Contact Patterns},
	journal = {Rangeland Ecology \& Management},
	volume = {74},
	year = {2021},
	month = {11-02-2021},
	pages = {43-49},
	abstract = {We compared cow-calf contacts, as well as movement, activity, and pasture use patterns of heritage Raramuri Criollo (RC) and desert-adapted commercial Angus Hereford crossbred (AH) beef cattle grazing Chihuahuan Desert pastures during 4 wk in the summers of 2016 and 2017. Within each herd of 11 cow-calf pairs, a group of 7 -9 randomly elected cows were fitted with Global Positioning System collars that recorded animal position at 10-min intervals. Proximity loggers configured to record contact events ( < 1-m radius) were fitted on a subset of five cow-calf pairs of each breed. The effect of breed on cow-calf contacts, as well as the dams{\textquoteright} movement, activity, and pasture use patterns were analyzed via mixed analysis of variance models. A higher number of RC cow-calf contacts occurred while the dam was grazing and traveling compared with AH counterparts ( P <=0.05). No breed-related differences were observed in the overall number and duration of cow-calf contact events. Compared with AH dams, RC cows traveled farther each day (RC: 7.51 vs. AH: 4.85 km, P < 0.01) at higher movement velocities (5.46 vs. 3.53 m. min -1 , P < 0.01) and spent more time traveling (1.05 vs. 0.48 h, P < 0.01), more time grazing (9.37 vs. 7.45 h, P < 0.01), and less time resting (13.07 vs. 15.68 h, P < 0.01). RC cows explored almost three times more daily area than AH (152.30 vs. 57.69 ha, P = 0.01) but spent similar amounts of time within 200 m and 100 m of a drinker. RC calves explored larger daily areas than their AH counterparts (83.0 vs. 20.8 ha, P = 0.05), but no breed differences were detected in the number of contact events near drinkers. RC calves possibly impose fewer constraints on their dams{\textquoteright} movement and activity patterns compared with commonly used British crossbreds when grazing the Chihuahuan Desert during summer.},
	keywords = {Angus, grazing behavior, Heritage genetics, range cattle, Raramuri Criollo},
	doi = {10.1016/j.rama.2020.11.001},
	url = {files/bibliography/21-002.pdf},
	author = {S. Nyamuryekung{\textquoteright}e and Andr{\'e}s F. Cibils and Richard E. Estell and Matthew M. McIntosh and D. VanLeeuwen and Caitriana Steele and Amy L. Gonzalez and S. Spiegal and F. G. Continanza}
}
@article {JRN55140,
	title = {Seasonal divergence of landscape use by heritage and conventional cattle on desert rangeland},
	journal = {Rangeland Ecology \& Management},
	volume = {72},
	year = {2019},
	month = {07/2019},
	pages = {590-601},
	chapter = {590},
	abstract = {<p>Adopting livestock with heritage genetics may improve chances for achieving both agriculture and conservation goals on rangelands with harsh, challenging conditions. In the Chihuahuan Desert, preliminary evidence suggests that heritage Raramuri Criollo exploit a greater variety of range resources than conventional cattle. Accordingly, adopting Raramuri Criollo may help sustain vegetation and soils as well as agricultural production. We used GPS collars to track Angus x Hereford and Raramuri Criollo cows in a 1535-ha pasture in southern New Mexico in June - December 2008. As predicted based on past research, home range sizes of Raramuri Criollo exceeded those of Angus x Hereford during seasons with low forage availability - by 31.4 {\textpm} 6.5 ha during Pregreenup and 17.2 {\textpm} 6.5 ha during Drydown - but sizes converged during more productive seasons (Greenup 1, Greenup 2). Angus x Hereford allotted more daily time to resting, with the difference most pronounced during Drydown (71.1 {\textpm} 21.1 min day-1). Angus x Hereford had twice as many hotspots of use (locations with multiple visits of long duration), with seasonal timing and location corresponding with distribution patterns known to impact desirable natural resources. Raramuri Criollo more strongly preferred the Bare/Forbs ecological state and avoided the Shrubland ecological state - with timing that possibly signals an ability to utilize nutritious forbs on open ground despite summer heat. Results are consistent with predictions that compared with conventional cattle, Raramuri Criollo have greater daily mobility and wider spatial distribution during dry seasons. Although not directly measured, results also suggest that the heritage breed has superior heat tolerance and lower impact on desirable natural resources. These findings provide evidence that Raramuri Criollo can support sustainable livestock production in the Chihuahuan Desert, but direct measurements of profitability and environmental effects are needed before adoption can be recommended widely.</p>
},
	keywords = {GPS monitoring, grazing distribution, Heritage genetics, phenology, Raramuri Criollo, state-and-transition models},
	doi = {10.1016/j.rama.2019.02.008},
	url = {files/bibliography/19-015.pdf},
	author = {S. Spiegal and Richard E. Estell and Andr{\'e}s F. Cibils and D. K. James and H. Raul Peinetti and Dawn M. Browning and Kirsten B. Romig and Amy L. Gonzalez and Andrew Lyons and Brandon T Bestelmeyer}
}
