Seasonal composition and quality of red deer Cervus elaphus diets in northeastern China

Abstract

. 1998. Seasonal composition and quality of red deer Cervus elaphus diets in northeastern China. Acta Theriologica 43: 77-94.Seasonal composition and quality of diets of red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 were investigated, basing on microhistological analysis of composite fecal samples in the Less Xingan Mountains, northeastern China. Red deer consumed more graminoids (46%) in spring, shifted to forbs (45%) in summer, and returned to graminoids (35%) in autumn. Availability and high quality [high level of crude protein (CP), and low level of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in forbs in summer] appeared to be two key factors causing these changes in diets. Winter diets were dominated by browses (74%) and the horsetails Equisetum hiemale (21%). Three forbs (Oxalix corniculata, Caltha palustris, Agrimonia pilosa) were prevalent in diets during snow-free seasons, and aspen (Populus spp.) was an important browse species in all seasons, especially in winter (32%). Forage and diet quality changed seasonally. Dietary CP and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) declined significantly from spring to winter (from 19.6 to 6.4% and from 61.1 to 32.9%, respectively). In contrast, dietary NDF and ADF increased from 55.6 to 69.9% and from 27.9 to 54.3%, respectively. Red deer diets showed different patterns of seasonal variation in mineral contents. In most cases, dietary Ca, P and K were adequate, but Na appeared deficient all the year round. It is concluded that red deer in this region are typical mixed feeders and their diet shows seasonal changes in quality, similar to those of North American wapiti. Although red deer may have enough protein in most seasons, energy might be a key limiting factor in severe winters.College of Wildlife Resources,

Seasonal variations of Red Deer selectivity on a mixed forest edge

“…The diet consumed by the red deer and its seasonal variations have been described for various geographic areas, and the differences in the foods eaten usually reflect the relative abundance of the plant species in these habitats [5,16,51]. However, the majority of field studies have used either rumen content analyses [21,35,48,56] or microhistological identification of plant epidermal fragments in faecal material [5,20,24,30,44], underestimating highly digestible forages and overestimating fibrous forages.…”

“…However, the majority of field studies have used either rumen content analyses [21,35,48,56] or microhistological identification of plant epidermal fragments in faecal material [5,20,24,30,44], underestimating highly digestible forages and overestimating fibrous forages. Moreover, knowledge of diet composition does not allow quantification of food selection, which requires information on both the use and the availability of the different food items at the feeding site scale.…”

Winter bed-site selection by red deer Cervus elaphus xanthopygus and roe deer Capreolus capreolus bedfordi in forests of northeastern China

“…Availability and quality of forages used by red deer and roe deer dropped dramatically to the lowest point in forests of northeastern China during winter (Ma et al 1996, Chen et al 1998a. Energy was demonstrated to be a key limiting factor [195] to survival of wintering red deer and roe deer (Chen and Xiao 1989, 1991, Chen et al 1998a.…”

“…Energy was demonstrated to be a key limiting factor [195] to survival of wintering red deer and roe deer (Chen and Xiao 1989, 1991, Chen et al 1998a. Low temperatures, high wind speeds and deep snow cover may further increase energy demands for survival and the risk of hypothermia (Moen 1976, Parker andRobbins 1984).…”

Tomato pomace silage as a potential new supplementary food for game species

“…Therefore, in this last period when the protein content in plants falls below the requirements of ungulates, providing supplementary fodder of relatively high crude protein and energy content and moderate crude fibre content could be beneficial for wild ruminants. Several authors stated that the basic determinants of herbivore food choice are crude protein and crude fibre content (Chen et al 1998, Gonzáles-Hernandez and Silva-Pando 1999, Szemethy et al 2003.…”