A comparison of food habits of two sympatric ruminants of Mt. Yatsugatake, central Japan: sika deer and Japanese serow

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kento Kobayashi ◽  
Seiki Takatsuki
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Central Japan ◽  
Japanese Serow

Habitat use and the coexistence of the sika deer and the Japanese serow, sympatric ungulates from Mt. Asama, central Japan

Mammalia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 503-511
Author(s):  
Hayato Takada ◽  
Riki Ohuchi ◽  
Haruko Watanabe ◽  
Risako Yano ◽  
Risako Miyaoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Cervus Nippon ◽  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Dwarf Bamboo ◽  
Central Japan ◽  
Habitat Mosaic ◽  
The Japanese Archipelago ◽  
Japanese Serow

AbstractDifferential resource use allows for diverse species to specialize in ecological niches and thus coexist in a particular area. In the Japanese archipelago, increasing sika deer (Cervus nippon, Temminck 1836) densities have excluded the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus, Temminck 1836), but in places where deer population densities are low, the two species coexist. We wanted to better understand their habitats and how these two ungulates manage to coexist. We evaluated the role of habitat use in the coexistence of these two sympatric ungulates on Mt. Asama, central Japan. Deer frequently used the dwarf bamboo-rich communities in autumn and winter, and their habitat use was not associated with topography. Serows frequently used deciduous broadleaf shrub-rich communities and steep slopes throughout the year. Consequently, their habitat use was significantly different in terms of vegetation and topography. Niche breadth suggests that deer tend to be generalists, whereas serows tend to be specialists. Niche differentiation in habitat use between deer and serows may make the coexistence of these similarly sized ungulates possible in Japanese mountainous zones. Therefore, the fine-grained habitat mosaic of different vegetation and topography areas might be the underlying feature that allows the coexistence of these two species.

Food Habits of Sika Deer as Assessed by Fecal Analysis in Mt. Ohdaigahara, Central Japan

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shotaro Yokoyama ◽  
Toru Koizumi ◽  
Ei'ichi Shibata
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Fecal Analysis ◽  
Central Japan

Food habits of sika deer on the Boso Peninsula, central japan

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiko Asada ◽  
Keiji Ochiai
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Central Japan ◽  
Boso Peninsula

Food habits of the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) in an alpine habitat on Mount Asama, central Japan

Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 455-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayato Takada ◽  
Masato Minami
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Central Japan ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Rupicapra Pyrenaica ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Alpine Habitats ◽  
Alpine Chamois ◽  
Japanese Serow ◽  
Pyrenean Chamois

Abstract We investigated the food habits of the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) in alpine habitats using direct observations at Mount Asama, central Japan. We observed the feeding behavior of 13 identified adult serows throughout the year, from April 2016 to October 2017. The animals’ food habits were evaluated by the feeding probability among 2129 observation bouts. The most important food throughout the year was grasses (feeding probability, 57.6%), followed by forbs (43.5%) and dwarf bamboos (11.4%). However, the feeding probability for each food category drastically changed in relation to the season; in particular, grasses and forbs were especially important foods from spring to autumn, whereas dwarf bamboos and conifers were important in winter. These results suggest that the food habits of the serow are flexible and will vary according to seasonal changes in vegetation. The findings also suggest that the feeding ecology of the serow in an alpine area tends to match that of an intermediate feeder rather than a browser, as was reported by several previous studies conducted in forested habitats. However, the food habits of the serows in the alpine habitats were similar to those of other alpine caprids, such as the mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica). This is the first study to demonstrate that the food habits of the serow are variable according to the season and/or population. Similar to other alpine caprids, the flexible food habits of the serow in alpine habitats are likely an adaptation to an environment with a characteristically unstable food supply.

Dietary Overlap But Spatial Gap between Sympatric Japanese Serow (Capricornis crispus) and Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) on Eastern Shikoku, Japan

Mammal Study ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Asuka Yamashiro ◽  
Yoshinori Kaneshiro ◽  
Yoichi Kawaguchi ◽  
Tadashi Yamashiro
Keyword(s):  
Sika Deer ◽  
Cervus Nippon ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Japanese Serow
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document