In Vitro and Nylon-Bag Digestibilities of Reindeer and Caribou Forages

Pegau, Robert E.; White, Robert G.; Luick, J. R.

doi:10.2307/3808008

Cited by 50 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…However, no evidence of higher activity was found considering that for each of the 6 winter forages the cell soluble fraction was higher than its IVDMD. This makes a sound biological interpretation difficult, but may suggest some component of the soluble fraction is prevented from being digested, perhaps by plant compounds (White^ and Trudell 1980;Person et al 1980).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vitro dry matter disappearance using roe deer inocula from summer and winter

Holand¹

1993

Ran

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In vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) of 12 forages were determined using ruminai inocula from 10 European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) collected in summer and winter. There was significant difference in the ability of winter and summer inocula to digest winter and summer forages respectively. Each of the 6 summer forages had a significantly higher IVDMD in ruminai inocula of animals collected in summer versus winter. However, no significant difference in IVDMD of winter versus summer inocula was observed for each of the 6 winter forages. These results suggest adaption, although limited, by ruminai microorganisms in roe deer to winter forages or a potential problem in standard in vitro laboratory procedures when using animals on a high-fiber diet as inocula donors.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vitro dry matter disappearance using roe deer inocula from summer and winter

Holand¹

1993

Ran

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“…Lichens contribute significantly to caribou diets in some ecosystems and seasons, but alone they are inadequate to satisfy summer nutritional requirements of caribou (Boertje 1984(Boertje , 1990reviewed by Miller 1996). Protein levels in lichens are generally too low (2%-6% crude protein; Bergerud 1972;Person et al 1980;Storeheier et al 2002) to restore body reserves of protein and caribou spend most of the year in a negative protein balance (Gerhart et al 1996). Caribou can exploit protein-rich vascular plants during summer to store body reserves, allowing them to withstand periods of negative protein balance (Gerhart et al 1996), including during winter when diets are dominated by lichens (e.g., Terry et al 2000) and for fetal growth in late spring (Parker et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

Denryter

Cook

et al. 2017

Can. J. Zool.

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High-quality habitats for caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) are associated primarily with lichens, but lichens alone fail to satisfy summer nutritional requirements. To evaluate the summer forage value of plant communities across northeastern British Columbia (BC), where populations of northern and boreal ecotypes of caribou are declining, we observed foraging by tame, female caribou. We compared diet composition with forage abundance to determine forage selection and to quantify forage availability. Deciduous shrubs, not lichens, largely dominated summer diets. Caribou were highly selective foragers, with 28 species comprising 78% of diets. Caribou avoided ≥50% of understory vegetation in all communities, especially conifers, evergreen shrubs, mosses, and two genera of terrestrial lichens. Availability of accepted forage (species not avoided) was strongly heterogeneous across landscapes. Alpine shrub areas and mid-elevation spruce-fir stands in the mountains, as well as treed rich fens and white spruce communities in the boreal forests, provided the greatest quantities of accepted forage for caribou. Dry alpine sites and unproductive black spruce communities provided the least accepted forage. Our work has direct implications to caribou conservation by contributing to a greater understanding of the forage value of summer habitats, with implications to habitat selection, seasonal movements, and distribution ecology.Key words: Rangifer tarandus caribou, woodland caribou, diet composition, alpine, boreal forest, food selection, foraging.Résumé : Si les habitats de grande qualité pour le caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) sont principalement associés aux lichens, ces derniers seuls ne peuvent satisfaire aux besoins alimentaires estivaux des caribous. Afin d'évaluer la valeur comme fourrage des communautés de plantes dans le nord-est de la Colombie-Britannique (C.-B.), où les populations des écotypes nordique et boréal de caribous sont en baisse, nous avons observé l'approvisionnement de caribous femelles apprivoisés. Nous avons comparé la composition du régime alimentaire à l'abondance de fourrage afin de déterminer quels types de fourrage sont sélectionnés et de quantifier la disponibilité de fourrage. Les arbustes feuillus, et non les lichens, constituaient une portion prépondérante des régimes alimentaires estivaux. Les caribous s'approvisionnaient de manière très sélective, 28 espèces constituant 78 % de leurs régimes alimentaires. Les caribous évitaient ≥50 % de la végétation du sous-bois dans toutes les communautés, particulièrement les arbres et arbustes conifères, les mousses et deux genres de lichens terrestres. La disponibilité de fourrages acceptés (espèces non évitées) était très hétérogène dans les différents paysages. Les zones arbustives alpines et les peuplements d'épinettes et de sapins d'élévation moyenne dans les montagnes, ainsi que les tourbières boisées riches et les communautés d'épinettes blanches dans les forêts boréales offraient les plus grandes quantités de fourrage ac...

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“…On the upland tundra, which comprises 11.03% of the total land area, lichens intermingled with a vascular plant canopy dominated by the graminoids Carex bigelowii, C. aquatilis, and Eriophorum vaginaturn. The lichen Cetraria cucullata, which is a highly digestible caribou forage (White et al 1975 ;Person et al 1980), occurred in both communities but was most abundant and robust in the upland tundra.From June 28 through July 17, 1977 hourly records of incident photon flux density, thallus temperature, and relative water content were kept for C. cucullata populations growing in the adjacent communities. Instantaneous photon flux density was recorded once hourly using a LICOR quantum sensor.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of climatic pattern on lichen productivity: Cetraria cucullata (Bell.) Ach. in the arctic tundra of northern Alaska

Lechowicz

1981

Oecologia

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The climatic control of productivity for two populations of the lichen Cetraria cucullata (Bell.) Ach. growing in the arctic tundra of northern Alaska (70°28'N, 157°23'W) was examined. Respiratory losses of carbon vary with tissue temperature, tissue water content, and time since wetting. Potential net photosynthetic gains of carbon are affected by photon flux density, tissue temperature, and water content. The net CO exchange responses of populations growing on ridge tundra and on upland tundra differ and these differences reflect possible adaptation to the normal environmental regimes in the two habitats. Simulation of the lichen's net carbon balance using continuous hourly records of photon flux density, temperature, and water content for the unusually dry period June 28 through July 17, 1977 show that lichen biomass is actually lost during climatic regimes leading to frequent but short periods of lichen metabolic activity. This result is confirmed by the negative relative growth rates measured for C. cucullata over the same monitoring period. This observed loss of biomass may be attributable to depletion of carbon reserves to reactivate dormant metabolism without sufficiently long periods favorable for net photosynthetic activity to replenish the lost reserves. These results illustrate that environmental limits exist on the success of the dormancy strategy characteristic of lichen and moss carbon metabolism.

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In Vitro and Nylon-Bag Digestibilities of Reindeer and Caribou Forages

Cited by 50 publications

References 17 publications

In vitro dry matter disappearance using roe deer inocula from summer and winter

In vitro dry matter disappearance using roe deer inocula from summer and winter

Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

The effects of climatic pattern on lichen productivity: Cetraria cucullata (Bell.) Ach. in the arctic tundra of northern Alaska

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