Bengaluru: A 15-Year Study in India's Spiti Valley Has Revealed that Replacing Wild Herbivores Like Yak and Ibex With Livestock LIKE CATLE AND CATLE AND CATLE AND CATLE AND CATLE AND CATLE AND CATLE AND SAIP Like Spiders, as well as that of ticks and mites that can spores Vector-Borne Diseases,
The Study Found That Areas Grazed by Livestock Had Greatly Reduced Spider Populations, and Larger Numbers of Grassshoppers and Disease Carriers like Ticks and Mites, IISC SAID.
“Spiders are predators; Their ecological roles are similar to wolves, lions, and tigers. A low abundance of spires can release grasshoppers from predator control, and lead to many downstream changes in an ecosystem. Togeether, these effects alter material and energy flow, “Says Sumanta Bagchi, Associate Professor at IISC's Center for Ecological Sciences (CES) (CES), and Corresponding Author of the Study Public Ecological applications.
Stating that wild herbivores were on ubiquitous across the economy, bagchi pointed out that now, they are restricted to a few parks and reserves.
“Everywahere Else, Domesticated Animals are now Dominant,” Bagchi, Who along with his team tracked tracked the presence of more than 25,000 arthropods spanning 88 different taxa, inclooked Ticks, Mites, Bees, WASPS and Grasshoppers, in FENCED plots grazed separately by domestic and wild herbivores, said.
The team also analysed Vegetation Biomass and Soil Conditions Like Moisture and Ph. “Vegetation and Soil Biotic and Abiotic Variables are Intertwined in Complex Ways That We Are Still Unraveling. Arthropods Heavily Depend on Them for Food and Home, An Association Developed Over Centuries with Native Grazers in the Ecosystem, ”Says Shamik Roy, Former Phd Student at Ces and Co-FIRSST AUTHOR.
Replacing Native Grazers with Livestock Can disrupt this association. The team found that some arthropod numbers – Specifically that of Spiders, Ticks and Mites – Was Strongly Linked To Which Animal was grazing on the land. While Spider Numbers Dropped Under Livestock Grazing, Tick and Mite Population Drastically Increased.
Although what exactly is causing the spider numbers to drop is not full clear, the results sugges that it would be beccuuse of reduced food sources for spores and changes in the ARAPES in the AREA
“One of the most surprising observations was the massive difference in tick and mite abundance between native grazers and livestock,” Says pronoy baidya, former Phd Student At Ces and Co-FRIDENT AUTHOR AUTHOR AUTHOR.
According to the reserchers, more than 80% of cattle Around the world are estimated to harbor ticks that pose a threat to bot animal and human health. “This is a Major Concern for Zoonotic Diseases and One Health,” Baidya Adds.
To counters the consortes of these changes in arthropod numbers, resarchers sugges steps towards “Rewilding” Native Herbivores, and Improved Survelance of Vector-BORNE DISEASE RISES RISKS Animals and humans coexist. The Findings also underscore the need for effective conservation policies in areas where large-scale grazing by livestock is carried out.
Currently, Baidya Said, Most of the Commons are Rather Mismanaged, Allowing People from Villages to Un Unstainibly Utilize these Commons for their livelihoods, and in the prosely Their grazing areas.
“Our study will hopefully be an example which may nudge governments to take serial steps for freeing up the Commons First and then Starting Proper Ecological Restoration of these Lands,” Baidya Added.
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