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Cattle Behavior on Subalpine Range in Southcentral Alaska^{1, 2,}

University of Alaska, College 99645

Abstract

CORY (1927) is credited with initiating the methodical observation and recording of grazing behavior of cattle, although a few studies of less detail and magnitude predated his. Most studies of grazing behavior have been conducted in the United States and the British Commonwealth. Tribe (1950) and Hancock (1953) reviewed these investigations through the early 1950's and stressed their importance to an understanding of pasture utilization and range management. Tribe (1950) emphasized the importance of making observations on animal behavior within different environments to avoid the development of generalizations under one set of conditions and their erroneous application to an environment possessing different conditions.

Alaska's geographic location provides unique environmental conditions in comparison to the other United States. Effects of short, cool growing seasons and extended photoperiods during summer on the grazing behavior of ungulates are essentially unknown. The present study provides quantitative data on the behavior of cattle grazing under conditions encountered on subalpine summer range in boreal Alaska.

¹ Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Paper No. J 108.

² Data presented are from a thesis submitted by Thomas L. Compton to the faculty of the University of Alaska in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science Degree.

³ College of Biological Sciences and Renewable Resources, Present address: University of Wyoming, Laramie.

⁴ Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station, Palmer.

⁵ The authors wish to express their appreciation to the Alaska Agricultural Expermient Station and the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Alaska for financial and logistic support during the study; to Dr. W. W. Mitchell, Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station, for aid in plant identification in the field; and to Dr. D. R. Klein, Alaska cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and Dr. Brina Kessel and Dr. Bonita Neiland, Department of Biological Sciences, for many helpful suggestions and assistance during the study.