Digestion and Fragmentation: Influence on Herbivore Diet Analysis

Johnson, Mark; Wofford, Helen; Pearson, Henry A.

doi:10.2307/3808631

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, other studies suggested that different game species such as pygmy rabbits Brachylagus idahoensis (Green and Flinders 1980), pronghorn antelope Antilocapra americana (Cluff et al 1982) consume big sagebrush in a high amount without any apparent adverse effects. As the proportion of epidermal fragments in the pellet have been considered a reliable estimate of the diet (Johnson and Wofford 1983), the discrepancy between the adverse effects of consuming 10% thyme reported by Altbacker et al (1995) for domestic rabbits and the 30% of fragments of this plant in the summer fecal pellet composition of BJF wild rabbits is probably not caused by methodological constraints. Thyme might be less harmful for wild rabbits either because the wild type is better adapted to tolerate aromatic monoterpenoids, or because other plant species in the diet might reduce their toxicity in the wild.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal diet of rabbits and their browsing effect on juniper in Bugac Juniper Forest (Hungary)

Mátrai¹,

Altbäcker²,

Hahn³

1998

Acta Theriol.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal diet of rabbits and their browsing effect on juniper in Bugac Juniper Forest (Hungary)

Mátrai¹,

Altbäcker²,

Hahn³

1998

Acta Theriol.

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“…Fecal analysis generally overestimates grass and browse species and underestimates forbs due to differential digestibility of these foods (Smith andShandruk 1979, Holechek et al 1982). Other studies suggest that digestion causes only a slight difference in detecting plant composition of herbivore diets , Todd and Hansen 1973, Johnson and Wofford 1983.…”

Section: Diet Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource Use by Red Deer in Lowland Nonnative Forests, Hungary

Mátrai

Szemethy

Tóth

et al. 2004

Journal of Wildlife Management

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Many red deer (Cervus elaphus) inhabit nonnative Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) forested areas with impoverished shrub understory in the Hungarian Plains. Nonnative plants can displace native plant species and alter wildlife habitat use, but few studies have investigated the relationship between the characteristics of these forests and red deer resource use. We investigated whether forest type (main tree species), rate of the main tree species, and age class of nonnative stands determine the typical distribution of certain browse species at the shrub layer. We also examined whether we could predict red deer use of the various forests. We quantified the canopy cover of understory browse and estimated deer diet using microhistological analysis of composite fecal samples collected at 2–4 week intervals between May and November 2000. We also evaluated the habitat use of 3 radiomarked deer in the study area from 1995 to 2001. No significant correlation could be drawn between the characteristics of forest stands and browse at shrub level according to forest types, rate of main tree species, age classes, and canopy cover of the dominant browse species. Red deer consumed mainly browse species (63%) complemented by forbs (31%). The dominant browse species in the diet were black locust (75–71%) and elder (Sambucus nigra; 75–27%). The predominant browse species in the forests were black locust, tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), western hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), elder, and rare browse species categorized as OTHERS. Each browse species formed separate patches—where its cover was significantly higher (range = 45–85%) within the patch than outside (range = 5–9%)—that made up 70% of the lowland forest. Deer occupied habitats containing 1–3 browse clusters. Browse species coverage differed according to individual core areas for deer, but the total browse cover (40%) within the core areas was significantly higher than outside (29%). We concluded that the characteristics of forest stands (type and age) do not predict the behavior of deer in nonnative lowland stands because forest types do not have a characteristic shrub flora. Therefore, neither foraging nor hiding patches were related to overstory characteristics. Thus, a detailed shrub description according to cover and distribution of species is necessary for forest and wildlife management.

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“…Many studies have been performed to compare the first two methods with the faecal analysis. The results led some authors to consider the faecal analysis reliable ( Todd and Hansen , 1973; Anthony and Smith , 1974), whereas many authors considered this method lacking accuracy ( Gill et al, 1983; Johnson and Wofford , 1983). Nevertheless, the main advantages of the faecal analysis method are the possibility to obtain easily a large amount of samples at several time points, and the possibility of studying wild animal diets without interfering with their behaviour and habits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary study on the feeding habits of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the western Alps

Mussa

Aceto

Abba³

et al. 2003

Animal Physiology Nutrition

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Roe deer feeding habits were studied in the western Alps during the summer season using the faecal analysis method. The diet of cattle grazing in the same area was also investigated and the trophical niche overlap between the two species was determined. The roe deer diet was found very variable and mostly composed of dicotyledons, with Leguminosae and Cistaceae as prevalent species. Monocotyledons, mainly represented by Graminaceae, were consumed to a lesser extent. A significant preference was observed for Cistaceae and other dicotyledons whereas a significant refuse was observed for Graminaceae and Asteraceae. These data confirmed the roe deer's behaviour to select food with a better nutritive value. Despite the differences between the cattle and roe deer's diets, the trophical niche overlap was quite high. This can be explained by the homogeneity of the plants covering the whole area which probably limited food selection by the roe deer.

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Digestion and Fragmentation: Influence on Herbivore Diet Analysis

Cited by 41 publications

References 8 publications

Seasonal diet of rabbits and their browsing effect on juniper in Bugac Juniper Forest (Hungary)

Seasonal diet of rabbits and their browsing effect on juniper in Bugac Juniper Forest (Hungary)

Resource Use by Red Deer in Lowland Nonnative Forests, Hungary

Preliminary study on the feeding habits of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the western Alps

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