Field metabolic rate, movement distance, and grazing pressures by western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus melanops) and Merino sheep (Ovis aries) in semi-arid Australia

Munn, Adam J.; Kalkman, Lauren; Skeers, Peta; Roberts, Jessica; Bailey, Joseph A.; Dawson, Terence J.

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2016.04.001

Cited by 14 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Arrows indicate Matschie’s tree kangaroo ( Dendrolagus matschiei ) mean TEE value from this study. Published TEE values for 31 marsupial taxa taken from Hume [ 11 ], Munn et al [ 26 – 28 ], and Sale et al [ 29 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

et al. 2022

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Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is an endangered arboreal marsupial native to Papua New Guinea. Detailed field studies of its behavior and ecology are scarce due largely to its occupation of remote cloud forests and cryptic nature. Although this species has been in human care since the 1950s, much of its biology is still unknown. The current ex situ population is not sustainable due to health and reproductive problems, believed to stem largely from issues with diet and obesity. To better assess potential discrepancies between energy requirements and energy intake, we sought to 1) quantify total energy expenditure (TEE) of two zoo-housed Matschie’s tree kangaroos (body mass = 9.0–9.7 kg) on a diet composed largely of leafy browse; 2) quantify food and macronutrient intake, apparent dry matter macronutrient digestibility, and metabolizable energy (ME) intake over a 14-month period; and 3) test for seasonal changes in ME intake due to seasonal differences in the varieties of leafy browse offered. Using the doubly labeled water method, we determined TEE for the female (288 kcal day -1) and male (411 kcal day -1). Resulting mean TEE was well below the expected value for marsupials and macropods (i.e., ~60% of the expected value based on body mass). The mean calculated ME intakes for the female and male were 307 kcal day-1 and 454 kcal day-1, respectively. There were significant seasonal differences in ME intakes, driven by reduced intake in the autumn. These results demonstrate that Matschie’s tree kangaroos can be maintained at healthy body weights and conditions on fiber-rich and browse-heavy diets. Our findings contribute important insights into tree kangaroo energetics and physiology and can be applied to help reformulate the diet of Matschie’s tree kangaroos at captive facilities to improve population health and sustainability.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

et al. 2022

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“…However, there is also evidence that the FMRs of the sheep and goats in the present study were close to their maximal levels. In studies in arid Australian areas (Munn et al ., 2008, 2016), ewes in summer had a higher FMR than in autumn; pasture availability was lower and air temperature was higher in summer than in autumn. In the study by Herselman et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, in two studies in arid areas of Australia in which doubly-labelled water was employed, FMRs of South Australian Merino ewes co-grazing natural pasture with kangaroos were substantially higher than in the Awassi in the present study. The Merino ewes grazing an autumn pasture of 44 g DM/m 2 had an FMR of 884 kJ/kg 0.75 BW/d (Munn et al ., 2008) and different Merino ewes grazing a summer pasture of 33 g DM/m 2 had an FMR of 1125 kJ/kg 0.75 BW/d (Munn et al ., 2016). Therefore, these Merinos, which were expected to have relatively low energy expenditures because of the hot, dry area they inhabit, had higher FMRs than the grazing Awassi sheep by 41% and 79%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resting and field metabolic rates of Awassi sheep and Baladi goats raised by Negev bedouin

et al. 2020

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Sheep are grazers and goats are intermediate feeders. By employing O2 consumption and heart rate measurements, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and field metabolic rate (FMR) were determined in four male fat-tailed Awassi sheep (44.0 ± 3.94) and four male Baladi goats (35.5 ± 5.42 kg) that were co-grazing natural pasture in the Negev Desert. There were 67.7 ± 3.75 g DM/m2 of herbaceous vegetation biomass, which was rapidly becoming senescent and more fibrous. We hypothesized that FMR of these desert-adapted ruminants would be relatively low when compared to other sheep and goat breeds, as animals in arid areas tend to have low metabolic rates. Both sheep (n = 6) and goats (n = 6) foraged 71% of the allotted 11 h free-pasture period; however, sheep grazed more than goats (P < 0.001); whereas goats browsed more than sheep (P < 0.001). RMR was higher (P = 0.007) in sheep than in goats (529 ± 23.5 v. 474 ± 25.4 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d), but FMR did not differ between species (618 ± 55.7 v. 613 ± 115.2 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d). In addition, the cost of activities, as a proportion of FMR, did not differ between sheep and goats; FMR increased by 89 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d or 17% in sheep and by 138 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d or 29% in goats. In comparing FMRs of sheep and goats in this study with these species in other studies, differences were inconsistent and, therefore, our hypothesis was not supported.

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“…Although many researchers have examined the feeding intake and preferences of wild herbivores [2,[30][31][32], research on forage-livestock balance has often focused on four aspects: grassland forage yield, livestock feed intake, pasture availability, and stock capacity calculations [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Thus, these studies have not examined the effects of large wild herbivores on the forage-livestock balance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of UAV Remote Sensing for a Population Census of Large Wild Herbivores—Taking the Headwater Region of the Yellow River as an Example

Guo

Shao

et al. 2018

Remote Sensing

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We used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry out a relatively complete population census of large wild herbivores in Maduo County on the Tibetan Plateau in the spring of 2017. The effective area covered by aerial surveys was 326.6 km 2 , and 23,784 images were acquired. Interpretation tag libraries for UAV images were created for wild animals, including Kiang (Equus kiang), Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), as well as livestock, including yaks and Tibetan sheep. Large wild herbivores in the survey transect were identified through manual imagery interpretation. Densities ranged from 1.15/km 2 for Kiang, 0.61/km 2 for Tibetan gazelle, 0.62/km 2 for blue sheep, 4.12/km 2 for domestic yak, and 7.34/km 2 for domestic sheep. A method based on meadows in the cold and warm seasons was used for estimating the densities and numbers of large wild herbivores and livestock, and was verified against records of livestock numbers. Population estimates for Kiang, Tibetan gazelle, blue sheep, domestic yak, and domestic sheep were 17,109, 15,961, 9324, 70,846, and 102,194, respectively. Based on published consumption estimates, the results suggest that domestic stock consume 4.5 times the amount of vegetation of large wild herbivores. Compared with traditional ground survey methods, performance of UAV remote sensing surveys of large wild herbivore populations was fast, economical and reliable, providing an effective future method for surveying wild animals.

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Field metabolic rate, movement distance, and grazing pressures by western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus melanops) and Merino sheep (Ovis aries) in semi-arid Australia

Cited by 14 publications

References 32 publications

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)

Resting and field metabolic rates of Awassi sheep and Baladi goats raised by Negev bedouin

Application of UAV Remote Sensing for a Population Census of Large Wild Herbivores—Taking the Headwater Region of the Yellow River as an Example

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