scholarly journals Food Habit and Feeding Patterns of Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Assam, India

ISRN Zoology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. C. Hazarika ◽  
P. K. Saikia
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Aquatic Plants ◽  
National Park ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Feeding Patterns ◽  
Relative Dominance ◽  
Rhinoceros Unicornis ◽  
Hemarthria Compressa

Food and feeding patterns of great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) has been studied in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park. Altogether 75 species of grasses, 27 species of herbs-shrubs, 27 species of trees, and 9 species of aquatic plants species were identified as a food-plant species of Indian Rhino in the study area. Of the total 75 species of grasses, 48 species had a relative dominance of <1.0. The Saccharum spontaneum was ranked as the highest relative dominance food-plant among grasses (relative dominance value, 8.45%), while the Cyperus pilosus ranked the lowest (relative dominance value, 0.08%). Among 27 herbs-shrubs species, three had a relative dominance of <1.0. The Diplazium esculentum was ranked the highest relative dominance food plants among herbs-shrubs food plants (relative dominance value, 13.83%), while the Solanum viarum was ranked the lowest (relative dominance value, 0.66%). All tree species had a relative dominance of >1.0. The Dalbergia sissoo ranked the highest among all trees (relative dominance value, 7.94%), while the Anthocephalus cadamba ranked the lowest (value, 1.19%). Grasses constituted 86.66% of the total annual diet of Rhino, while the aquatic and woodland species constituted only 13.34% of the total annual diet. Altogether 71 plants species were identified as the Rhino food plants at Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park. Of which, grasses constituted the highest (42 species), followed by woodland species (trees, herbs-shrubs), (20 species) and aquatic plants (9 species). The grass species Hemarthria compressa contributed a highest of 11.63%, while the aquatic plant Polygonum hydropiper was the least of 0.01% in total annual diet. Out of total 42 food-plant species, 20 grass species had no selectivity. The Hemarthria compressa was the top ranking grass species that has been selected as food by the Indian Rhino. Altogether, 36 food-plants (24 grasses, 9 woodland species, and 3 aquatic species) were identified as the staple food that constituted 83.64% of the total annual diet. Study showed that ten top ranking food plants constituted 56.44% and 20 top ranking food plants constituted 72.19% of the total annual diet. Thus, the grass species alone have enough to provide food for Indian Rhino in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park. Soil licking and crop depredation by the Indian Rhino were common in the fringe villages in study area.

scholarly journals Food habits of the aoudad Ammotragus lervia in the Bou Hedma mountains, Tunisia

2015 ◽  
Vol Volume 111 (Number 11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamel Ben Mimoun ◽  
Saïd Nouira ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Stipa Tenacissima ◽  
Ammotragus Lervia ◽  
Barbary Sheep ◽  
Faecal Samples

Abstract A micro-histological analysis of composite faecal samples was used to determine the food plants consumed by the aoudad Ammotragus lervia (Barbary sheep) in the mountains of Bou Hedma National Park, as well as to study food preferences and seasonal variation of the diet of this ungulate. A total of 19 plant species was identified in the faecal samples: 8 grasses, 6 browse types and 5 forbs. The annual diet of this ungulate is composed of approximately 67% grasses, 17% browse and 16% forbs. Two grass species, Stipa parviflora and Stipa tenacissima, comprised 97% of grasses consumed and 63% of the annual diet, and were eaten in the year with considerably greater frequency than any other plant species. The diet of the aoudad at Bou Hedma National Park showed a seasonal variation. For example, grasses were consumed the entire year with a preference in spring (72.57%) and summer (78.31%), but their occurrence in the diet dropped in winter(38.7%). Browse was eaten preferentially in autumn (21.86%) and forbs were utilised most during winter(43.22%) and least during summer (7.53%). Our results show the plasticity of the Tunisian aoudad’s diet andidentify it predominantly as a grazer.

scholarly journals Nutrient Analysis of Grass Species Consumed by Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Unicornis) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Thakur ◽  
C.R. Upreti ◽  
K. Jha
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Slight Variation ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Nutrient Analysis ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Rhinoceros Unicornis ◽  
Chitwan National Park

The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found almost exclusively in Nepal and North-Eastern India. There have beenonly a few studies made on the food and the nutrient compositions of fodder species preferred by The Greater One- horned Rhinoceros. Thepresent study identifies the nutrient content of the fodder species consumed by One-horned rhinoceros which would be helpful to develop proper strategies for rhinoceros food management. For this altogether 8 grass species which were most preferred by rhinoceros were collected from Chitwan National Park. Systematic sampling was applied for sample collection and collected samples were taken to the Animal Nutrition Laboratory, Khumaltar for nutrient analysis. Among all the collected species the highest OM% was seen in Faank (93.98 ± 0.88) while Ash% and CP% was found to be highest in Eragrastic Tenella (13.67 ± 2.92) and Phragmatic karka (11.94 ± 2.26) respectively. Lowest NDF% was again seen in Eragrastic tenella (76.76 ± 2.93) and lowest ADF% and ADL% were found in Mala dubo with mean values (43.50 ± 6.86) and (6.41 ± 2.16) respectively showing high digestibility of these grasses. There were only slight variation in the EE% of the grass species withhighest mean value of (3.702 ± 1.73) of Imperata cylindrical to lowest mean value of (1.722 ± 0.11) of Eragrastic tenella. Highest energy was found in Faank (4181.90 ±1.10) and Calcium content was seen highest in Cynodon dactylon (1.30 ± 0.83).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11119 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 402-408 

scholarly journals Nutrtional profile of some selected food plants of Otwal and Ngai sub counties Oyam district, northern Uganda

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (57) ◽  
pp. 7428-7451
Author(s):  
A Acipa ◽  
◽  
M Kamatenesi-Mugisha ◽  
H Oryem-Origa
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Wild Plants ◽  
Mineral Nutrient ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Wild Food Plants ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Indigenous Plants ◽  
General Decline

Wild food plants play an important role in the diet of inhabitants of Oyam District. Some of these plants are drought -resistant and gathered throughout the year . These wild foods are an important source of nutrients. However, there is a lack of comprehensive data re garding the nutrient content s of these indigenous plants. The purpose of this study was to document and assess the nutrient and mineral content s of the selected food plants. Ethnobotanical surveys were used to collect data through formal and informal inter views and focused group discussions. Voucher specimens were collected during field excursions and taken to Makerere Herbarium for proper identification . Nutrients and mineral analyses of wild and cultivated fruits, seeds, underground organs and vegetables from Ngai and Otwal sub counties were carried out using known procedures. They were analysed for mineral nutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus concentrations. Additionally nutrients such proteins, beta carotene, vitamin C and dietary fibre were determined . On average, vegetables were found to be richer in organic nutrients and minerals followed by fruits and seeds in that order . Generally the wild food plant species were found to be richer sources of mineral nutrient than their cultivated relatives. F or example , the highest concentration of calcium 867.59 mg/100g was found in Acalypha bipartita leaves compared to 294.18 mg/100g in Cleome gynandra . Plant species that showed high iron contents [>30% ] were leaves of swamp hibiscus , African spider flowers , fruits of Tamarind , Black night shade and Jews mallow . It was also noted that among the food plant species analysed, fruits were low in nutrients and mineral elements. Some of these food plants were also considered to have medicinal properties by the locals such as African spider flower, Rattle pod among others. However, it should be noted that there is a general decline in the consumption of wild plants , despite the apparent high nutritional values . T he conservation of wild food plants is not taking place among the communities in the study area, thus the poor rural communities who are limited on balancing their diet could be faced with diseases associated with nutrient deficiencies .

BIOLOGY AND REARING OF PARAPHLEPSIUS IRRORATUS (HOMOPTERA: CICADELLIDAE), A VECTOR OF PEACH X-DISEASE

1985 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 717-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.N. Chiykowski
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Leguminous Plant ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Similar Survival ◽  
Survival Level ◽  
Gramineous Species

AbstractA method of rearing Paraphlepsius irroratus (Say) under artificial conditions was developed by using a leguminous plant species as the oviposition host and a gramineous species as the food plant for nymphs. Nymphs completed their development on all 10 gramineous species tested. Total time for completion of the 5 nymphal instars ranged from 31.8 to 59.2 days, depending on the plant species used. With the exception of Alopecurus pratensis, all monocotyledonous species tested were found to be suitable food plants for nymphs, allowing 50% or more of the insects to survive for 3 weeks or more. Only 5 dicotyledonous species supported a similar survival level of nymphs. Adult survival remained above the 50% level on Apium graveolans var. dulce, 6 members of the Leguminosae, and all members of Composite with the exception of Callistephus chinensis. Survival of adult leafhoppers on monocotyledons was relatively high after 1 week but considerable mortality followed longer confinement. Although nymphs emerged from eggs laid on a wide range of plant species, the numbers recorded on monocotyledons suggest that monocots are important as oviposition hosts for P. irroratus in nature.

scholarly journals Interrelationships Between Fire, Grazing and Grass Cover at the Bontebok National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Novellie
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Growth Stage ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
First Year ◽  
Grass Cover

Point surveys of permanently marked plots were conducted with the aim of (i) determining the change in grass height, cover and degree of defoliation with increasing time after veld burning and (ii) determining which plant species are most intensively defoliated by herbivores (mainly bontebok and grey rhebok). Grass was the most heavily defoliated component of the vegetation, whereas Restionaceae and Cyperaceae were generally avoided. No grass species was consistently avoided by herbivores, and no species was consistently favoured. Instead selection among species varied with growth stage. The tall, coarse species were favoured on new burns when the vegetation was still short. The short species came into favour once the sward had grown taller. Defoliation was heaviest within the first year after burning and thereafter decreased substantially. The introduction of coarse grass grazers such as mountain zebra to the park might lead to greater use of the mature veld. Those grass species that underwent the heaviest defoliation on new burns (over 50 of leaves severed) showed three- to seven-fold increases in canopy spread cover over subsequent years. Thus heavy use of recently burnt veld is not necessarily deleterious.

scholarly journals Large variation in availability of Maya food plant sources during ancient droughts

2021 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. e2115657118
Author(s):  
Scott L. Fedick ◽  
Louis S. Santiago
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Moderate Drought ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

Paleoclimatic evidence indicating a series of droughts in the Yucatan Peninsula during the Terminal Classic period suggests that climate change may have contributed to the disruption or collapse of Classic Maya polities. Although climate change cannot fully account for the multifaceted, political turmoil of the period, it is clear that droughts of strong magnitude could have limited food availability, potentially causing famine, migration, and societal decline. Maize was undoubtedly an important staple food of the ancient Maya, but a complete analysis of other food resources that would have been available during drought remains unresolved. Here, we assess drought resistance of all 497 indigenous food plant species documented in ethnographic, ethnobotanical, and botanical studies as having been used by the lowland Maya and classify the availability of these plant species and their edible components under various drought scenarios. Our analysis indicates availability of 83% of food plant species in short-term drought, but this percentage drops to 22% of food plant species available in moderate drought up to 1 y. During extreme drought, lasting several years, our analysis indicates availability of 11% of food plant species. Our results demonstrate a greater diversity of food sources beyond maize that would have been available to the Maya during climate disruption of the Terminal Classic period than has been previously acknowledged. While drought would have necessitated shifts in dietary patterns, the range of physiological drought responses for the available food plants would have allowed a continuing food supply under all but the most dire conditions.

Feeding Behavior of Phayre’s Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) and Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) in Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Ht Decemson ◽  
Abinash Parida ◽  
G.S. Solanki
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Leaf Monkey ◽  
Tiger Reserve ◽  
Capped Langur ◽  
Selection Of

A study on feeding behavior of two primate species viz; Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei, Blyth, 1847) and capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus Blyth, 1843) was conducted during summer season (March–May, 2014) in Dampa Tiger Reserve (DTR), Mizoram, India. Study was carried out in the Terei range of forest reserve. A total of 87 plant species including bamboo were recorded in the area. Both species of primates (T. phayrei and T. pileatus) were studied for their food plant selection, diet composition, time budget for activities during day. Selection of trees to sleep at night was also observed. Capped langur selected 7 food plant species whereas Phayre’s leaf monkey selected 8 food plants. 40% of the plant species were common to both the primate species; however they showed a distinct variation in food plant preference. Phayre’s leaf monkey spent S 90% of feeding time on Musa ornata, Melacana baccifera and Dendrocalamus longispathus and S 80% Musa balbisiana, Gmelina arborea and Buetneria pilosa; an indication of preference for bamboo species and climbers. Capped langur spent feeding time S 90% on Ficus maclellendi and Ficus semicordata while other species were given comparatively less time. Both the species had consumed young leaves, flowers and fruits in their diet that constitute nearly 80% of the diet. Food items were drawn from different plants. The Phayre’s preferred Dendrocalamus longispathus, (98%) as sleeping site while the Capped langur selected Ficus benghalensis (90%) to sleep at night. Both the species are folivorous in nature but the selection of food plants, source of diet components and plants used to sleep at night were different that indicates that both species has distinct niche within the same habitat type; a very strong survival strategy.

scholarly journals The winter diet of elephant in Eastern Cape Subtropical Thicket, Addo Elephant National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.G.T. Paley ◽  
G.I.H. Kerley
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Cynodon Dactylon ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Limited Time ◽  
Observational Methods ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Winter Diet

Direct observational methods were used to establish the winter diet of elephants in Eastern Cape Subtropical Thicket in the Addo Elephant National Park, thereby determining which plant species were most at risk from elephant herbivory. A total of 70 species were identified as food plants for elephants, with the grass Cynodon dactylon and the succulents Portulacaria afra and Platythyra haeckeliana dominating, both in terms of frequency of feeding events and volume consumed. In view of the fact that elephants represent 78 of the herbivore biomass in the park, it appears likely that elephant feeding restricts the availability of forage for other browsers. Due to the limited time frame of this study, further research is needed to provide a comprehensive record of the elephant diet for all seasons of the year.

scholarly journals Effect of mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) population growth to their key food plant biomass in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J.P. Samedi ◽  
W Eckardt ◽  
M Derhé ◽  
M Miller ◽  
C.C. Grueter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Food Plant ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Mountain Gorilla ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Virunga Massif ◽  
The Relationship

High densities of large herbivores can have detrimental effects on plant biomass. Understanding the relationship between animal densities and plant distribution and abundance is essential for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems. Mountain gorilla censuses conducted for different periods in the last three decades have revealed a steady increase of gorilla population in Virunga Massif whereby the recent number of gorillas has doubled compared to their number in the 1980s. It is unclear whether the continuous population growth of the herbivorous Virunga gorilla within an isolated forest ‘island’ has been affecting gorilla food plant biomass. This study investigated the effect of varying mountain gorilla densities on the biomass of the five key food plant species (Galium spp., Carduus nyassanus, Peucedanum linderi, Rubus spp., Laportea alatipes) that make up >70% of the mountain gorilla diet. We used plant biomass data collected in a central part of the Virunga massif, commonly known as Karisoke sector from 2009 to 2011, and GPS records of gorilla groups ranging in the same area nine months prior biomass assessment. Gorilla densities were estimated using the Kernel Utilization Distribution (KDE) analysis (functions: ‘kernelUD’ and ‘getvolumeUD’) from the Adehabitat package in R software, which provides the probability density of gorilla occurrence at each coordinate (x, y) of the study area. Analyses using GLMs suggest that gorilla densities (a proxy of previous gorilla utilization intensity) did neither affect the total biomass of key food plant species nor the biomass of each key food plant species (p>0.05). These results may indicate that current revisit rates of feeding sites by gorillas allow for complete plant regeneration, and no signs of overharvesting. Alternatively, feeding sites characterized by very high biomass may be preferred by gorillas and remain sites with the highest biomass even after being frequently used by gorillas. Findings also suggest that carrying capacity of the gorilla population in the study areas may not yet be reached if food is the driving constraint. However, monitoring of the relationship between gorilla densities and food plant biomass must continue while the Virunga population continues growing. Future studies also need to incorporate other sympatric large herbivores in the Virungas who share food plants with mountain gorillas.Keywords: habitat use, gorilla density, plants biomass

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