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No abstract

The dietary botanical composition of indigenous sheep and goats was determined in the semiarid tropics of northeastern Brazil, using esophageally fistulated animals. Sheep and goats selected similar diets during the dry season (May-Dec.). Main dietary components for both species were dried forbs and browse. Leaf litter from the deciduous trees provided the majority of dry season forage (NO-1,500 kg/ha) and was a crucial element of dry season diets (20-70%). During the wet season (Jan.-Apr.), sheep selected mainly grasses and forbs, while goats rapidly shifted among grasses, forbs, and browse. By displaying attributes of both browsers and grazers, neither sheep nor goats conformed to traditionally rigid characterization. We found no indication that goats are better adapted for survival in this tropical environment than are sheep because of the botanical composition of their diets. Management implications of this study for the cutrtinga vegetation zone are discussed.

No abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. SUMMARY(1) Goats browsing current season's blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) twigs consumed diets higher in crude protein, in vitro digestible organic matter, and tannins than did goats browsing older twigs. They also lost less weight than their counterparts browsing older twigs.(2) When given a choice, however, goats preferred not to eat current season's twigs, presumably because of their high tannin concentrations and their location within the plant canopy.