scholarly journals Contrasting feeding patterns of native red deer and two exotic ungulates in a Mediterranean ecosystem

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Miranda ◽  
Marisa Sicilia ◽  
Jordi Bartolomé ◽  
Eduarda Molina-Alcaide ◽  
Lucía Gálvez-Bravo ◽  
...  

Context Ungulates have been widely introduced in multiple ecosystems throughout the world due to their value as food and for sport hunting. The identification of foraging preferences of exotic and native ungulates living in sympatry is, therefore, becoming increasingly important in order to assess potential impacts of introduced animals on the host ecosystem. Aims To describe species-specific foraging strategies and infer resource selection overlap between native and exotic ungulates. Methods We compared the trophic ecology of three sympatric ungulate species living in a Mediterranean landscape: the native Iberian red deer Cervus elaphus hispanicus, and two exotic bovids, the European mouflon Ovis orientalis musimon and the aoudad Ammotragus lervia. We simultaneously determined herbivore diet through analyses of botanical content in faeces and assessed the nutritional content of these diets. Key results Higher selection of shrubs by deer was sustained throughout the year, while bovids showed seasonal shifts in forage selection. Both bovids displayed a selective dietary strategy directed towards a higher overall nutritional quality than that of deer. Divergent exploitation patterns between the studied cervid and bovids might be related to body mass and physiological adaptations to overcome secondary defence compounds of shrubs, and were largely affected by seasonal changes in the nutritional value of available vegetation. Ecological theory suggests that diet overlap should be greater between similar-sized species. Indeed, both exotics showed similar, sometimes overlapping, dietary patterns that could lead to potential competition in the use of resources. Native red deer preferences only showed some overlap with those of exotic mouflon under constrained summer conditions. Conclusions Dietary overlap between deer and mouflon and between aoudad and mouflon during limiting summer conditions could entail a potential competitive interaction under more even densities of the study species, since a concurrent habitat overlap between those pairs of species has previously been reported. Implications The outcomes of our study suggest the need for an integration of habitat and ungulate management. Management actions in Mediterranean rangelands should be directed towards protecting habitat conditions so that biodiversity is enhanced along with the presence of sustainable communities of large herbivores. Management directed towards ungulates should maintain moderate stocking rates and monitor and control introduced and native populations.

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (sup1) ◽  
pp. 851-851
Author(s):  
L. Estévez ◽  
F. Ceacero ◽  
Landete Castillejos ◽  
A. J. García ◽  
D. Carrión ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Esteso ◽  
MR Fernandez-Santos ◽  
AJ Soler ◽  
V Montoro ◽  
A Quintero-Moreno ◽  
...  

Meat Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 108189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almudena Soriano ◽  
Pablo Murillo ◽  
Martín Perales ◽  
Carlos Sánchez-García ◽  
José Antonio Murillo ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Ángel Gómez ◽  
Andrés José García ◽  
Tomás Landete-Castillejos ◽  
Laureano Gallego

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 761
Author(s):  
A. Galán-Ocaña ◽  
M. J. Ramírez-Expósito ◽  
J. M. Martínez-Martos ◽  
S. Tellado ◽  
C. Azorit

The circulating renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is well known for its systemic role in the regulation of blood pressure, renal hemodynamics and fluid homeostasis. However, in mammals several organs also contain a local RAS, including male and female reproductive tissues. In the present study we analysed serum from a free-living population of red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) to determine the activity of four RAS-regulating aminopeptidases (aminopeptidase A, aspartyl aminopeptidase, aminopeptidase N and aminopeptidase B) as part of a study of annual cycles of growth and condition. Our aim was to detect seasonal variations in the activities of these aminopeptidases and their relationship to the reproductive behaviour of both species in a Mediterranean environment. In both males and females there was a maximum peak of activity in autumn. A second peak was detected in spring for males while in females activity was also higher in summer. These changes may be related to a different endocrine status according to their seasonal cycle, the decreased photoperiod in autumn and the normal timing of the seasonal growth cycle. Thus, changes in the activity of RAS-regulating aminopeptidases could reflect the functional role of angiotensins through the annual cycle of both species, also suggesting an important role of these peptide hormones in the regulation of these biological processes.


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