Dietary selection by goats and the implications for range management in the Chihuahuan Desert: a review

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mellado

Field studies characterising the forage resources of mixed-breed goats on Chihuahuan Desert rangelands were reviewed and the principal sources of variation in their diet choices discussed. Goats eat a varied diet comprising at least 126 plant species in this landscape. Goats are highly selective feeders, changing their diet from predominantly forbs (8–64%) to browse (35–88%). Graminoids make up only ~5% of the diet, but grasses could be important dietary components on rangelands in good condition. Feed intakes range between 0.8% and 3.4% of bodyweight, depending on the season. DM digestibility of forage selected by goats ranges between 44% and 65%. Annual crude protein (CP) in forages selected by goats varies from 80 to 160 g CP kg–1 DM. Overall, pregnant and lactating goats manage to ingest food that contains higher amounts of CP and lower amounts of cell wall than non-pregnant, non-lactating goats. Goats not adapted to severe shortage of forage select a diet that does not match their nutritional requirements and fetal losses occur. Goat kids select higher quality diets than do mature goats (94.5 vs 88.5 g CP kg–1 DM). Granadina goats eat ~20% more shrubs, including 3-fold more Larrea tridentata (DC) Cav., than Nubian goats. Goats with severely eroded incisors avoid grasses, focusing on tender-leaved shrubs. During the rainy season, bucks select mainly shrubs (78% of the diet) and avoid grasses (1.7% of the diet), whereas does rely heavily on forbs (about one-third of their diet). Alternating use of grazing grounds increases shrub ingestion by 25%. No evidence exists indicating that food choice by goats in this arid environment is biased towards forages with lower secondary compounds. It is concluded that the flexible, broad-scale and opportunistic feeding behaviour of goats make them an effective animal to sustainably exploit the forage resources of the Chihuahuan Desert.

1996 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Smith ◽  
Jerry L. Holechek ◽  
Manual Cardenas

1994 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Smith ◽  
Jerry L. Holechek ◽  
Manual Cardenas

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-306
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ishaque ◽  
Reldon F Beck ◽  
Rex D Pieper

Leaves and pods of viscid acacia (Acacia neovernicosa Isley) and whitethorn acacia (Acacia constricta Benth) shrubs were analyzed for their nutritional suitability for livestock and wildlife. Leaves and pods were collected in mid-summer and at the end of the growing season in 1993 and 1994 from two sites in southern New Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert. Chemical composition was determined by standard laboratory procedures. Pods of both species generally contained more crude protein, and phosphorus than the leaves. The difference in protein content between leaves and pods was not as great for whitethorn acacia as for viscid acacia. Calcium content of leaves for both species in 1994 (a drought year) was nearly double the calcium content measured in 1993 (near average precipitation). The amounts of crude protein, phosphorus and calcium in leaves and pods were adequate to meet the nutrient requirements of young immature animals and lactating females of livestock and wildlife during the summer and fall seasons. However, besides having thorns, both species also have secondary compounds including tannins and phenols, which reduce palatability and may limit intake and negate any benefit of the high crude protein content. Although a direct comparison was not possible, whitethorn acacia appears to have a higher potential forage value than viscid acacia because of higher protein content and lower tannin and phenol content. In southern New Mexico, desert grasslands, once common, are today dominated by many shrub species of low palatability. Both viscid acacia and whitethorn acacia species appear to have palatabilities similar to or higher than the two most common shrubs on these desert rangelands, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torrey) and creosotebush [Larrea tridentata (D. C.) Coville]. With the continued decrease of herbaceous forage on these rangelands, and the continued expansion of the populations of these two acacia species, both have the potential to become more valuable as browse components in the diets of grazing animals. Key words: Viscid acacia, whitethorn acacia, crude proteins, condensed tannins, total phenolics, Chihuahuan Desert


2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Navarro ◽  
Dee Galt ◽  
Jerry Holechek ◽  
Jim McCormick ◽  
Francisco Molinar

Author(s):  
SYAIMAK ISMAIL ◽  
MOHAMAD SAUPI BIN ISMAIL ◽  
MUHAMMAD SAIFUL ISLAM ISMAIL ◽  
AEMY AZIZ

In the state of Melaka, there are eighteen islands recorded by the Melaka State Museum Corporation (PERZIM). Part of this island serves as a tourist island, and developed islands are also uninhabited islands. However, three islands are recorded to have amazing coral reefs that are still in good condition. The Penang Batu Maung Fisheries Research Institute (AkuaTAR) has conducted a study on the biodiversity of coral reefs around the waters of Pulau Dodol, Pulau Serimbun, and Pulau Undan. AkuaTAR researchers are using scuba diving methods, and at the same time, they did conservation on coral reefs that have been identified in the waters of the Straits of Melaka. The objective of this study is to record the types of community forms such as living corals and identify the species of coral reefs found in three islands in the state of Melaka in Pulau Undan, Pulau Dodol, and Pulau Serimbun. The study also implemented method observation by conducting field studies on the islands involved by doing scuba diving. Results and discussion of the search, these three islands are located in very clean, uninhabited waters. They have a wide range of coral biodiversity using soft coral reefs and hard coral reefs. The study also found that the three islands in the state have the largest coral reefs in the waters of the Straits of Melaka. Keywords: Biodiversity; Conservation; Coral; Three island; Melaka


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 375-376
Author(s):  
Matthew M McIntosh ◽  
Richard Estell ◽  
Andres Cibils ◽  
Andrew Cox ◽  
Shelemia Nyamuryekung’e ◽  
...  

Abstract Use of adapted beef cattle biotypes is gaining momentum as a novel management strategy for limiting the environmental footprint of ranching and adapting to climate change in the southwest. We compared supplement intake (SI), calf birthweights, cow weights, and body condition scores (BCS) of desert-adapted Brangus (BR; n = 15) vs. Raramuri Criollo (RC; n = 28) cows in four adjacent pastures (1098±85 ha) for three months (Mar 7 – Jun 9, 2020) using ANOVA for a RCBD (significance at P < 0.05). Cows had ad libitum access to 18% crude protein lick tubs in all pastures, which were weighed weekly to determine SI. Brangus cows had greater SI than RC, both overall (BR: 0.21±0.04 vs. RC: 0.08±0.03 kg×cow×d-1) and on a metabolic bodyweight basis (BR: 2.31±0.09 vs. RC: 0.95±0.09 g×kg0.75). All cows were bred to Brangus bulls and calf birth weights were not different between biotypes (BR: 31.5 ± 1.0; RC: 29.6±0.9 kg). Brangus cows weighed more at the beginning (535.0±14.8 kg) and end (582.2±14.5 kg) of the study compared to RC (beginning: 345.5±11.8 kg; end: 357.0±12.0 kg). Percent of bodyweight change was not different between biotypes (BR: 8.51±2.35; RC: 2.85±1.81 %). On a 1 to 5 scale, BCS of Brangus (4.06±0.09) was greater than RC (3.18 ± 0.07) at the onset of the study, but biotypes had similar BCS at the end of the trial (BR: 4.09 ± 0.09; RC: 3.89±0.08). Our preliminary results indicate that lighter RC cows were capable of gaining bodyweight and improving BCS with reduced SI, both overall and on a metabolic bodyweight basis. This finding may reflect lower nutrient requirements, better relative efficiencies and lesser grazing impacts on desert rangelands by RC cattle. Future studies will seek to replicate these breed-comparison trials over multiple years, research sites, and supply chains, with an emphasis on overall systems production efficiency and sustainability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1536315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha P. Olivas-Sánchez ◽  
Cuauhcihuatl Vital-García ◽  
Juan P. Flores-Margez ◽  
Antonio De La Mora-Covarrubias ◽  
Fernando Clemente-Sánchez ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 963-972
Author(s):  
Laura M. Ladwig ◽  
Scott L. Collins ◽  
Dan J. Krofcheck ◽  
William T. Pockman

2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Navarro ◽  
D. Galt ◽  
J. Holechek ◽  
J. McCormick ◽  
F. Molinar

2004 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Jamus Joseph ◽  
Jerry L. Holechek ◽  
Raul Valdez ◽  
Milt Thomas

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