Potential effects of prescribed savannah burning on the diet selection of forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) in Lopé National Park, Gabon

AbstractThe hypotheses tested were that the expected preference of sheep for a food with adequate rumen degradable protein (RDP) supplemented with urea would be reduced both by the addition of a buffer (sodium bicarbonate (SB)) and by offering ad libitum access to hay. A control food (C), calculated to be adequate in its ratio of effective RDP to fermentable metabolizable energy (fME), was formulated. Other foods were made by adding 12·5 (U1) or 25 (U2) g urea per kg fresh matter (FM) to C and 20 g SB per kg FM to C, U1and U2. The acid buffering capacity (ABC) of each food was measured in vitro. The experiment consisted of two successive periods, each of 4 weeks. Ninety-eight female, Texel ✕ Greyface sheep were randomly allocated to 14 groups each with seven animals. Groups 1 to 6 were offered one of: C, U2, C + SB, U2+ SB, C with hay or U2with hay throughout the experiment. Groups 7 to 10 were offered the choices of C v. U1or C v. U2, either with or without hay in a change-over design; animals that received hay during period 1 (groups 8 and 10) did not do so during period 2 and vice versa (groups 7 and 9). Groups 11 to 14 (no. = 7) were offered the choices of C v. U1or C v. U2, either with or without SB supplemented to both foods, in a change-over design. Adding either urea, or SB, or both to C had no effects on intake or live-weight gain when offered alone. Both supplements significantly (P 0·001) increased the ABC of food C. Throughout the experiment hay consumption was very low (overall mean: 23 (s.e. 2·5) g hay per sheep day). Offering hay caused no change in the preference for the urea-supplemented foods. Sheep offered the choices C v. U1or C v. U2, with neither hay nor SB, selected 0.466 (s.e. 0·036) and 0.588 (s.e. 0·025) kg/kg total food intake (TFI) of U1and U2respectively. The proportions of the urea-supplemented foods were significantly reduced (P 0.01) by SB supplementation: to 0.348 (s.e.0·045) and 0·406 (s.e.0·059) kg/kg TFI of U1and U2respectively. The effect of SB addition on the diet selection of sheep could be due to its buffering properties. When SB is added to both foods the need for urea to be used as a buffer is reduced with a consequent decrease in the proportion selected as the urea-supplemented food. Effects of diet on buffering may override other diet selection objectives, such as the avoidance of an excess intake of RDP.

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Diet selection of the Chilean stone crab Homalaspis plana

Marine Biology ◽

10.1007/bf00393212 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 79-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

C. Morales ◽

T. Antezana

Keyword(s):

Diet Selection ◽

Stone Crab ◽

Selection Of

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Structural and floristic typology of the forests in the forest-savanna mosaic of the Lopé National Park, Gabon

Plant Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.5091/plecevo.2011.478 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 144 (3) ◽

pp. 255-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Florence Palla ◽

Nicolas Picard ◽

Kate A. Abernethy ◽

Tharcisse Ukizintambara ◽

Elizabeth C. White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Lope National Park

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Coccidian oocyst and nematode egg counts of free-ranging African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa : research communication

Journal of the South African Veterinary Association ◽

10.4102/jsava.v71i2.689 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

B.L. Penzhorn

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

National Park ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

African Buffalo ◽

Syncerus Caffer ◽

Research Communication ◽

Nematode Eggs ◽

Coccidian Oocyst ◽

Free Ranging

Faecal specimens collected in the Kruger National Park from 103 African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) up to 1 year old and 283 buffaloes older than 1 year were examined for the presence of coccidian oocysts and nematode eggs. Most specimens from animals older than 1 year had negative coccidian oocyst counts. Positive specimens from younger animals had significantly higher coccidian oocyst counts than those from older animals. No such difference was found for nematode egg counts.

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Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d211128 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

Author(s):

KHWANRUTAI CHARASPET ◽

Ronglarp - Sukmasuang ◽

NORASET KHOEWSREE ◽

MANANYA PLA-ARD ◽

YUWALUK CHANACHAI

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Prey Species ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Prey Selection ◽

Selection Index ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Wildlife Sanctuary ◽

Khao Yai National Park ◽

Selection Of

Abstract. Charaspet K, Sukmasuang R, Khoewsree N, Pla-ard M, Chanachai Y. 2020. Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand. Biodiversitas 21: 5248-5262. The study of prey species and prey selection of Dholes at 3 different sites was conducted at Khao Yai National Park, Salak Pra, and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries from 2013 to 2020. Information on Dhole prey at the sites was collected from the residues of dhole scats, from which the selection index, the relative biomass of the prey, and the relative amounts of the consumed prey were calculated. The data were collected simultaneously with the use of camera traps at each site. The study revealed that there were 13 species of Dhole prey with body weight over 5 kg. The result indicated that there were 7 species of even-toed ungulates. The relative biomass of even-toed ungulates ranged between 76.78 - 90.50% of the total biomass of all the Dholes’ consumed prey for all study sites. The dietary diversity index unveiled a similar index in all areas, which proved the adequacy of the analyzed scats. However, the Niche breadth index, which indicates the relevance of prey selection and prey species to the appearances of the prey at each site, was found to be high at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Khao Yai National Park, while the index was found to be low at Salak Pra Wildlife Sanctuary. The results revealed that Dholes consumed viverrid species and Malayan porcupine more often at the site where there were large carnivores. The recommendation from this study was the conservation and restoration of the ungulate populations, the main prey, as it greatly affects the conservation of the Dhole populations in Thailand. Grassland and salt lick sites, water sources improvements are also important to promote prey population. The conservation of wildlife prey by releasing them to nature, as currently conducted, has an effect on the increase of Dholes’ prey species.

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