Food Preferences of Seladang (Bos gaurus hubbackki) in Ulu Lepar, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-justify: inter-ideograph; margin: 0cm 0cm 4pt; line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify; mso-pagination: none; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ??; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;" lang="EN-US">Seladang food preferences primarily depended on the habitat types within their home range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Shrubs and grasses were their main food sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The types of food species preferred by seladang in each habitat types were unknown. In this study, the food species were identified and classified according to the intensity of browsing and grazing capacity of seladang within each habitat type such as in the primary forests, secondary forests and agricultural areas. Study plots and sub-plots were selected based on feeding habit and footprint signs. The results of this study found that 17 species of shrubs and 6 species of grasses were preferred by seladang. </span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ??; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;" lang="EN-US">S. acuminata</span></em><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ??; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;" lang="EN-US"> (7.95%) was the most preferable species of shrubs in the primary forest, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Melastoma malabathricum</em> (10.42%) in the secondary forest and <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Erythrina variegata</em> (18.56%) in the agriculture area. The amount of grass species eaten by seladang is not significantly different</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ??; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;" lang="EN-US"> but <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Imperata cylindrica</em> was grazed in the primary forest compared to <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paspalum conjugatum</em> in the secondary forest and <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paspalum vaginatum</em> in agricultural area. </span></span></p

Seedling forage nutrition and spatial patterns of large prey mammals of tigers in Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand

“…Therefore, they are important animal species in the transmission of energy in the ecosystem; with such an important role, it is suitable as an index species for habitat management (Bhumpakphan, 2000). Gaur in Thailand prefer grassland and open areas of moist evergreen, dry evergreen, semi-evergreen, and mixed deciduous forests and use both closed and open forest; however, due to the lack of grasses in dry evergreen forest, the gaur consumes more than 50% of the available tree and shrub seedlings (Bhumpakphan, 1997;Chetri, 2006;Yusof, 2009). The habitat preferences of sambar deer is higher in areas close to a main river at lower elevations, where the predominant habitat is mixed deciduous forest (Simcharoen et al, 2014).…”