Temperature-driven river utilisation and preferential defecation by cattle in an English chalk stream Trevor Alan Bond ⁎, David Sear, Mary Edwards University of Southampton, Building 44, University Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom article info abstract Article history: Received 30 November 2011 Received in revised form 17 February 2012 Accepted 20 February 2012 Cattle have the potential to be important geomorphic and ecological agents in the low-energy, high biodiversity chalk rivers of southern England. To improve our understanding of cattle– river interactions, a unique high temporal resolution study of cattle behaviour and distribution was conducted across 500 h on a chalk river in Hampshire, England (UK) between April and October 2010. It was observed that cattle spent approximately 2% of their time in the aquatic en- vironment and approximately 7% of their time in the riparian zone. Cattle activity and distribution varied according to the time of day and the time of year. A statistically significant correlation was recorded between the amount of time spent in-stream by cattle and air temperature. Cattle also defecated five times more frequently in-stream than the average defecation frequency, contributing greater than expected direct organic matter and nutrient inputs. The study suggests that the impacts of cattle in chalk river environments may have been underestimated, particularly at a time of global warming. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Behaviour Fluvial Geomorphology Groundwater Water meadows Cattle 1. Introduction Groundwater-fed chalk rivers and their associated floodplain wetlands are at the forefront of the conflict between biodiversity conservation and optimal land management (Environment Agency, 2004; Raven et al., 1998). Characterised by stable planforms, low stream densities and clear, alkaline waters, chalk rivers are internationally recognised for their ecological value, with nearly four thousand kilometres of chalk river reach in England; the largest number of chalk rivers of any European country (Jackson and McLeod, 2000; Lawton et al., 2010; Mainstone, 1999; Sear et al., 2003; Smith et al., 2003). The conservation of chalk rivers is a key concern for land managers, with ten chalk river Sites of Special Scientific Interest and four candidate Special Areas of Conservation across the UK (Environment Agency, 2004; Mainstone, 1999; Raven et al., 1998). However, pressures on these ecosystems, including water abstraction, urbanisation, agriculture, water pollution, fine sediment inputs and invasive species establishment, can act against sustainability objectives (Clothier, 2009; Environment Agency, 2004; Mainstone, 1999; UKBAP, 1995). One pressure whose effects within the chalk river environment are poorly understood is cattle grazing. Although much has been written about the ecological and geomorphological consequences of cattle grazing in certain ecosystems (Kauffman and Krueger, 1984; Trimble, 1994; Trimble and Mendel, 1995), there are few studies analogous to chalk rivers. Nonetheless, the supposedly generic effects of cattle grazing, such as river bank destabilisation and plant mortality, have been cited in land management plans as a basis for cattle exclusion in English chalk rivers (Lawton et al., 2010; Raven et al., 1998), despite several studies from other environments that suggest cattle can enhance habitat heterogeneity and species richness (Curry et al. 2008; Hiernaux et al., 1999; Pykälä, 2005). To date there have been few studies into the way in which cattle behave in chalk river environments, with the limited existing body of literature focusing solely on the consequences of allowing cattle access to chalk rivers (Harrison and Harris, Livestock Science 146 (2012) 59–66 ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 23 8059 4612, +44 7905 731 317(mobile). E-mail address: Trev.Bond@soton.ac.uk (T.A. Bond). 1871-1413/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2012.02.022 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Livestock Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/livsci