Diet selection by goats on a semi-arid shrubland in central Argentina
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine diet selection by goats on a semi-arid shrubland in the central part of Argentina. Ten goats grazed on a pasture for 10-days periods in winter, spring, and summer. The botanical composition of the pasture was estimated by a combined measure of cover and biomass, whereas the botanical composition of the diet was determined by the microhistological technique complemented with direct observation. Two shrub species (Condalia microphylla and Prosopis caldenia) and five soft grasses (Piptochaetium napostaense, Poa spp., Stipa tennis, S. clarazii, and Pappophorum spp.) were highly selected by goats. Shrubs represented 32%, 40% and 74% of goat diets in winter, spring and summer, respectively. For each season, the rest of goat diets was composed by the soft grasses. Although coarse grasses represented most (> 80%) of the available biomass in all seasons, they were always highly avoided by goats. The results showed that goats behave as mixed-feeders (eat grasses and shrubs) on semi-arid shrublands in central Argentina.
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Richman, L.M. and D.E.Johnson. 1995. Dietselection by goatsin the sagebrush steppe of eastern Oregon. Small Rumin. Res. 18:7-17.
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Sparks, D.R. and J.C. Malecheck. 1968. Estimating percentage dry weight in diets using a microscopic technique. J. Range Manage. 21:264-265.
Wood, G.M. 1987. Animals for biological brush control. Agron. J. 79:319-321.
Zucker, W.V. 1983. Tannins: does structure determine function? An ecological perspective. Am. Nat. 121:335-365.
Abiusso, N.G. 1974. Niveles proteicos y valores de digestibilidad (DIVMS) de tres gramíneas invernales nativas de La Pampa. Rev. Inv. Agrop. 12:1-10.
Barroso, F.G., C.L. Alados and J. Boza. 1995. Food selection by domestic goats in Mediterranean arid shrublands. J. Arid Environm. 31:205-217.
Belovski, G.E., O.J.Schmitz, J.B.Slade and T.J. Dawson. 1991. Effects ofspines and thorns on Australian arid zone herbivores of different body masses. Oecologia 88:521-528.
Bonham, C.D. 1989. Measurements for Terrestrial Vegetation. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 338 pp.
Bontti, E.E., R.M. Bóo, L.I. Lindstróm and O.R. Elía. 1999. Botanical composition of cattle and vizcacha diets in central Argentina. J. Range Manage. 52:370-377.
Bóo, R.M., L.I. Lindström, O.R. Elia and M.D. Mayor. 1993. Botanical composition and seasonal trends of cattle diets in central Argentina. J. Range Manage. 46:479-482.
Bryant, F.C., M.M. Kothmann and L.B. Merrill. 1979. Diet of sheep, Angora goats and white-tailed deer under excellent range conditions. J. Range Manage. 32:412-417.
Bryant, J.P., F.D. Provenza, J. Pastor, P.B. Reichardt, T.P. Clausen and J.T. Du Toit. 1991. Interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals mediated by secondary metabolites. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 22:431-446.
Cairnie, A.G. and J.C. Monesigho. 1967. Composición química de especiesforrajeras nativas e introducidas en la región semiárida pampeana. Rev. Inv. Agrop. 4:207-221.
Cheeke, P.R. 1994. A review of the functional and evolutionary roles of the liver in the detoxification of poisonous plants, with special reference toPyrrolizidine Alkaloids. Vet. Human Toxicol. 36:240-247.
Cheeke,P.R. and R.T.Palo. 1995.Planttoxins and mammalian herbivores: co-evolutionary relationships and antinutritional effects. Pp. 437-456. In: Journet, M., E. Grenet, M.H. Farce, M. Thériez and C. Demarquilly (eds.). Recent Developmentsin the Nutrition of Herbivores. INRA Editions,Paris,France.
Cooper, M. and N. Owen-Smith. 1986. Effects of plant spinescense on large mammalian herbivores. Oecologia 68:446-455.
Distel, R.A. and D.V. Peláez. 1985. Fenologia de algunas especies del Distrito del Caldén (Prosopis caldenia Burk.). IDIA Sept. -Dic.:35-40.
Distel, R.A. and F.D. Provenza. 1991. Experience early in life affects voluntary intake of blackbrush by goats. J. Chem. Ecol. 17:431-450.
Distel, R.A. and R.M. Boo. 1996. Vegetation states and transitions in temperate semi-arid rangelands of Argentina.Pp. 117-118. In: West, N. (ed.). Rangelands in a Sustainable Biosphere.Society for Range Management, Denver, USA.
Fraser, M.D. and I.J. Gordon. 1997. The diet of goats, red deer and South American camelids feeding on three contrasting Scottish upland vegetation communities. J. Appl. Ecol. 34:668-686.
Freeland, W.J. and D.H. Janzen. 1974. Strategies in herbivory by mammals: The role of plant secondary compounds. Am. Nat. 108:269-289.
Fresnillo Fedorenko, D.E. 1991. Estrategias ecológicas de Medicago minima (L) Grufb. var. mínima y Erodium cicutarium (L) L’ Herit., dos anuales de valor forrajero en el Caldenal. Tesis de Magíster en Producción Vegetal. Universidad Nacional delSur, Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
Granwaldt, E.G., A.R. Pedrani and A.I. Vich. 1994. Goat grazing in the arid piedmont of Argentina. Small Rumin. Res. 13:211-216.
Hofmann, R.R. 1988. Anatomy of the gastro-intestinal tract. Pp. 14-43. In: Church, D.C. (ed.). The Ruminant Animal.Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.
Hofmann, R.R. 1989. Evolutionary steps of ecophysiological adaptation and diversification of ruminants: a comparative view of their digestive system. Oecologia 78:443-457.
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Provincia de La Pampa y Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. 1980. Inventario Integrado de los Recursos Naturales de la Provincia de La Pampa. INTA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 493 pp.
Ivlev, V.S. 1961. Experimental Ecology of the Feeding of Fishes. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, USA.
Lutz, E.E. and A.B. Graff. 1980. Efecto de la quema controlada sobre la pastura natural, en un monte de la region semiárida pampeana. Rev. Inv. Agrop. 15:1-15.
Magoja, J.L. 1974. La composición mineral y su variación estacional en tres forrajeras nativas de La Pampa: Stipa tenuisPhil., Poa ligularis Nees exSteudel y Piptochaetium napostaense (Speg.) Hacker Ap. Stuckert. Rev. Inv. Agrop. 12:27-47.
McArthur, C., A.E. Hagerman and C.T. Robbins. 1991.Physiologicalstrategies of mammalian herbivores against plant defenses. Pp. 103-114. In: Palo, R.T. and C.T. Robbins (eds.). Plant Defenses Against Mammalian Herbivory. CRC Press. Boca Raton, USA.
Moreno, A.S. and R.A. Distel. 1997. Competitive interactions between palatable and unpalatable grasses native to a temperate semi-arid grassland of Argentina. Plant Ecol. 130:155-161.
Myers,J.H. and D. Bazely. 1991. Thorns,spines, prickles, and hairs: Are they stimulated by herbivory and do they deter herbivores? Pp. 325-344. In: Tallamy, D.W. and M.J. Raupp (eds.). Phytochemical Induction by Herbivores. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.
Pisani,J.M. and R.A. Distel. 1998. Inter- and intraspecific variation in production ofspines and phenolsin Prosopis caldenia and Prosopis flexuosa. J. Chem. Ecol. 24:23-36.
Ricardi, C. and A. Shimada. 1992. A note on diet selection by goats on a semi-arid temperate rangeland throughout the year. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 33:239-247.
Richman, L.M. and D.E.Johnson. 1995. Dietselection by goatsin the sagebrush steppe of eastern Oregon. Small Rumin. Res. 18:7-17.
Riggs, R.A.,P.J. Urness and T.A. Hall. 1988. Diets and weight responses of Spanish goats used to control Gambel Oak. Small Rumin. Res. 1:259-271.
Rhoades, D.F. 1977. The antiherbivore chemistry of Larrea. Pp. 135-175. In: Mabry, T.J., J.H. Hunziker and D.R. Difeo (eds.). Creosote bush. Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg, USA.
Silanikove, N., N. Gilboa, A. Perevolotski and Z. Nitsan. 1996. Goat fed tannin-containing leaves do not exhibittoxic syndromes.Small Rumin. Res. 21:195-201.
SoilSurveyStaff. 1996. KeystoSoil Taxonomy, 7 th edition. USDA Natural Resource ConservationService, Washington, D.C., USA.
Sparks, D.R. and J.C. Malecheck. 1968. Estimating percentage dry weight in diets using a microscopic technique. J. Range Manage. 21:264-265.
Wood, G.M. 1987. Animals for biological brush control. Agron. J. 79:319-321.
Zucker, W.V. 1983. Tannins: does structure determine function? An ecological perspective. Am. Nat. 121:335-365.
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2000-06-01
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Pisani, J. M., Distel, R. A., & Bontti, E. E. (2000). Diet selection by goats on a semi-arid shrubland in central Argentina. Ecología Austral, 10(1), 103–108. Retrieved from https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1602
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