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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Author(s)
Emre Kara and Mustafa Sürmen
Full-Text PDF XML 644 Views
DOI:10.17265/1548-6648/2019.02.003
Affiliation(s)
Departmant of Field Crops,Faculty of Agriculture, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın09100, Turkey
ABSTRACT
Grazed areas including
rangelands and pastures cover approximately 51% of the Earth’s continental
surface. The plant species which are in these areas which form a wide
biodiversity with living and non-living organisims, stand out with both as a
forage source and medical use. In this natural habitat, plants are surrounded
by a large number of potential enemies. Since plants are not able to escape from
these enemies (herbivores and pathogenes), plants produce substances which are
not functional for growing and develop but protect plants against external
factors as defence mechanisms. These substances are called secondary
metabolites. These substances which are seen differently from the primer
metabolites, possess charachteristics specific to each plant species. Secondary
metabolites of plant origin can be divided into three main groups as terpens,
phenolic compounds and nitrogenous compounds. Terpenes have negative effects on
many mammals and insects, because they are toxic. The lignin, a phenolic
compound, is located in the plant cell wall and has a particularly
digestibility-lowering effect. In addition, flavanoids, which are
again phenolic compounds, are thought to be produced against harmful effects of
UV rays and pathogen invasion. Tannins, another phenolic compounds, are
generally toxic. When plants which have tannins are grazed by herbivorous, they
significantly reduce chances of growth and survival of animals. Finally, the
alkaloids which are in the nitrogenous secondary products, are seen in a very
wide area. These metabolites, especially in invasive plants that are heavily
exposed to heavy grazing rangelands and pastures, affect the nervous system in
livestock and can cause paralysis and even sudden deaths. These three secondary metabolite groups are also
commonly found in plants that are not properly managed in the meadow and
pasture areas of the Mediterranean climate zone and can cause economic damage
by affecting animal health and quality of animal products, especially in areas
where animal production is seen. However, these economic losses are not only due
to the plant species but can change with the influence of environmental
factors. Moreover, not every livestock is affected by the same damage, the
damage threshold varies according to the livestock species. This situation
affects the livestock sector and natural vegetation, which already have
problems. If the rangelands and pastures we call quality and natural forage
sources, are not properly managed, the grazing and other factors may lead to
the increase of the plant species which affect to reduce the animal production and may cause the deterioration
of the natural vegetation cover. In this study, many rangeland and pasture
plants which are located in the Mediterranean climate zone and have different
secondary metabolites have been examined and the positive and toxic effects on
livestock health have been discussed. In addition, the proper management
systems in the rangeland and pasture areas where these species are seen have
been described and accordingly, possible changes in both animal production and
natural vegetation have been mentioned if there is not properly managed. With
rangeland and pasture improvement studies to be carried out in accordance with
the information described here, both increase in animal production can be
achieved and plants in these areas can contribute to the economy in terms of
both medical and chemical substance possibilities.
KEYWORDS
Rangeland, secondary metabolites, toxic plants, animal health.
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