Taste agents as modulators of the feeding behaviour of grazing yaks in alpine meadows

Fan, Qingshan; Ren, Jingfei; Ma, Zhouwen; Hou, Fujiang

doi:10.1016/j.animal.2022.100703

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This directly affects the nutritional status of grazing herbivores from the environment and determines their dietary composition (Mancilla-Leytoń et al, 2021). Diet selection has been described as the search for and selection of high-quality plant resources by examining the grassland topography, composition and structure of vegetation, as well as the feeding possibility and quality of herbage (Zhang et al, 2022;Fan et al, 2023), altering the plant competition by favoring one species over another, and affecting the structure and function of grassland plant communities (Wan et al, 2015;Oñatibia et al, 2023). Therefore, studying herbivore diet selection in grassland ecosystems to examine the mechanisms of grazing herbivore diet selection strategy to analyze the relationship between grazing herbivores and plants and the development of grassland grazing management techniques is essential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forage plants in grasslands with different topographies affect yak foraging preferences on the eastern Tibetan plateau

Wang,

Cao,

Shi

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

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Diet selection, a core problem of foraging behavior, is a nutritional adaptation strategy formed in the long-term natural selection process by grazing herbivores and is significant for the sustainable management of grassland. Studies have mainly focused on the impacts of the individual and whole community spatial characteristics and herbivore body status on herbivore foraging behavior; thus, the response and mechanism of forage plants in different terrains to the diet selection of grazing herbivores remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, forage plants (gramineae, cyperaceae, legume, forbs, edible shrubs, and community) in different topographies (terrace, riparian zones, shady slope, half shady slope, half sunny slope, sunny slope) on the eastern Tibetan plateau were selected to study changes in nutrient and mineral content characteristics of forage plants, as well as the difference in feeding bias of yaks for forage plants in different terrains by using an indoor cafeteria trial. A structural equation model was used to illustrate the impact of the forage plants in different terrains on the feeding bias of yak. The multi-criterion decision model TOPSIS showed that the nutritional value of gramineae was highest for the shaded slope, and that of cyperaceae and leguminosae was the highest for the terraces. The nutrient value of forbs and the whole community was highest for the sunny slope. Dry matter intake by yaks of leguminosae, forbs, and the whole plant community was significantly higher for terraces than for grasslands with other topographies, and all were significantly lower in riparian zones. Yak forage preference of leguminosae, forbs, and the whole community was the highest for the terrace and the lowest for the riparian zones. Structural equation modeling showed that for functional groups, the interactions between topography and functional groups were the drivers influencing yak forage preferences. Our study highlights the propensity of yaks to forage for plants in areas with different topographies. These results have provided a scientific basis for understanding the relationship between herbivores and plants in grasslands and for formulating scientific grazing management strategies, which are of considerable importance for sustainable grassland livestock husbandry.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%