Our objectives were to measure aipaca (Lumupucos) diet quality and botanical composition seasonally on 2 high elevation rangesites (bofedai and Aitipiano) in tbe Andes Mountains of Peru. The bofedai site was a perennially green sedge and forb community louted at 5,000 m eiev8tion. Tbe Altipieno site, located 8t 3,190 m, was predominately bun&grass. We collected diets from f'reeranging, esopbageaiiy fintuiakd alpacas at each site. Alpaca dieta at both sites were bigbest in grasses during the wet and early dry season. As the dry season progressed, bofedai aipaca dicta were comprised iargeiy of sedges and reeds (78%) while Aitipiano diets remained predominantly grasses (68%). Forb consumption varied annuaiiy between 8 end 29% of the diet on botb sites. Crude protein (CP) in bofedai diets (12.3%) averaged higher than on tbe Aitipiano (10.2%). Values were lowest during August (6.1%) on tbe Altiplano and in July (8.0%) on the bofedal. In vitro organic matter digestibiiity (IVOMD) of alpaca diets on tbe bofedal(63%) was similar to the Altiplano site (64%) when averaged for ail seasons. IVOMD was lowest during August (49%) at the Altipiano site and in October (50%) on tbe bofedai. Low dietary CP and IVOMD during tbe iate dry season (Aug.-&t.) denote tbis period as nutri-tion8iiy criticai for botb sites.
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