scholarly journals Effects of herbivorous mammals on aboveground and underground parts of Sasa nipponica

2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumi TERAI ◽  
Shozo SHIBATA ◽  
Teruaki HINO
Keyword(s):  
Sasa Nipponica ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals

scholarly journals The plant secondary compound swainsonine reshapes gut microbiota in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shien Ren ◽  
Chao Fan ◽  
Liangzhi Zhang ◽  
Xianjiang Tang ◽  
Haibo Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Artificial Diet ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Rdna Sequencing ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals

Abstract Plants produce various plant secondary compounds (PSCs) to deter the foraging of herbivorous mammals. However, little is known about whether PSCs can reshape gut microbiota and promote gut homeostasis of hosts. Using 16S rDNA sequencing to investigate the effects of PSCs on the gut microbiota of small herbivorous mammals, we studied plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) fed diets containing swainsonine (SW) extracted from Oxytropis ochrocephala. Our results showed that both long- and short-term treatment of a single artificial diet in the laboratory significantly reduced alpha diversity and significantly affected beta diversity, core bacteria abundance, and bacterial functions in pikas. After SW was added to the artificial diet, the alpha diversity significantly increased in the long-term treatment, and core bacteria (e.g., Akkermansiaceae) with altered relative abundances in the two treatments showed no significant difference compared with pikas in the wild. The complexity of the co-occurrence network structure was reduced in the artificial diet, but it increased after SW was added in both treatments. Further, the abundances of bacteria related to altered alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism in the artificial diet were restored in response to SW. SW further decreased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in both treatments. Our results suggest that PSCs play a key role in regulating gut microbiota community and intestinal homeostasis, thereby maintaining host health. Key points • Swainsonine improves the intestinal bacterial diversity of plateau pikas. • Swainsonine promotes the recovery of core bacterial abundances in the gut of plateau pikas. • Swainsonine promotes the restoration of intestinal bacterial functions of plateau pikas.

Population dynamics of large and small mammals: Graeme Caughley's grand vision

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Disturbed Systems ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals ◽  
Grand Vision

Ecologists that study the population dynamics of large and small herbivorous mammals operate in two worlds that overlap only partly, and in this paper I address whether the conjecture that these worlds represent two distinct and valid paradigms is currently justified. I argue that large mammals fall into three groups depending on whether they have effective predators or not, and whether they are harvested by humans. Because of human persecution of large predators, more and more large herbivorous mammals are effectively predator-free and are controlled bottom-up by food. But in less disturbed systems, large herbivorous mammals should be controlled top-down by effective predators, and this can lead to a trophic cascade. Small herbivorous mammals have been suggested to be controlled top-down by predators but some experimental evidence has challenged this idea and replaced it with the notion that predation is one of several factors that may affect rates of population increase. Intrinsic control (territoriality, infanticide, social inhibition of breeding) appears to be common in small herbivorous mammals with altricial young but is absent in species with precocial young, in ecosystems with strong stochastic weather variation (deserts) and in areas of human-induced habitat fragmentation in agricultural monocultures. The extrinsic control of large herbivores with precocial young validates part of Graeme Caughley’s Grand Vision, but the relative role of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms for small herbivores with altricial young is still controversial. An improved knowledge of population control mechanisms for large and small herbivores is essential for natural resource management.

scholarly journals Habitat-preference in South African antelope species and its significance in natural and artificial distribution patterns

Koedoe ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
U. De V. Pienaar
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Vegetation Zones ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Artificial Introduction

The unequal distribution of species is due to different environmental conditions of the various regions of the globe. The environmental factors governing the occurrence, distribution and abundance of large herbivorous mammals may be divided into physical, historical and biotic. Vegetation is all-important in herbivore biology as it provides habitat, cover and food. Many of the distribution patterns and structural attributes of species are associated with living in and utilizing particular vegetation zones. Africa has an enormous diversity of habitats and animal species utilizing these habitats. An attempt is made to characterize the patterns of habitat preference of South African antelope species and the significance of the habitat requirements of the individual species is discussed in thelight of natural and artificial distribution patterns. It is stressed that artificial introduction of species without prior knowledge of the habitat requirements of such species may lead to disastrous consequences.

The use of gross dental wear in dietary studies of extinct lagomorphs

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 720-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Fraser ◽  
Jessica M. Theodor
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Local Fauna ◽  
Dental Wear ◽  
Mammalian Herbivores ◽  
Microwear Analysis ◽  
Wear Analysis ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals

Studies of paleoenvironments have commonly focused on large mammalian herbivores such as ungulates. Many localities, however, have yielded large numbers of small mammalian herbivores, including lagomorphs and rodents. These fossils represent an untapped paleoecological resource. However, the fossils are often in the form of isolated teeth, and microwear analysis cannot be used due to taphonomic alteration. As a result, we use ungulate gross dental wear as a model. The dental wear features of extant western Canadian lagomorphs are identified and used to create dietary categories that can be applied to make predictions about the diets of extinct forms. The Horse Local Fauna of the Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan has yielded approximately 2,500 fossil specimens, of which nearly 300 are lagomorphs. Two leporid species (rabbits and hares) are present in the Horse Local Fauna, Palaeolagus temnodon and Megalagus brachyodon. Qualitative analysis of the gross dental wear of the lagomorphs of the Horse Local Fauna indicates that M. brachyodon was mainly folivorous and P. temnodon was primarily frugivorous, suggesting that the contemporaneous ecosystem was tree dominated. Gross dental wear analysis allows the use of small herbivores and isolated teeth in paleoecological studies. Studying the diets of small herbivorous mammals will allow more nearly complete reconstructions of past environments and will become increasingly important as more detailed reconstructions are required by paleontologists.

Microdonty and Macrodonty in Herbivorous Mammals

2006 ◽  
Vol 278 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 163-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Schmidt-Kittler
Keyword(s):  
Herbivorous Mammals

scholarly journals Elementos de la dieta del manatí Trichechus manatus manatus en tres sitios importantes para la especie en México y Belice

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavinia Flores-Cascante ◽  
Benjamín Morales-Vela ◽  
Nataly Castelblanco-Martínez ◽  
Janneth Padilla-Saldívar ◽  
Nicole Auil
Keyword(s):  
Health Assessment ◽  
Rhizophora Mangle ◽  
Thalassia Testudinum ◽  
Quintana Roo ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Halodule Wrightii ◽  
Trichechus Manatus ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals ◽  
Microhistological Analysis ◽  
First Time

Los manatíes (Trichechus manatus manatus) son mamíferos herbívoros y de hábitos oportunistas, se alimentan de casi 60 especies de plantas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue identificar los elementos de la dieta del manatí por medio de análisis de heces en dos sitios en México (Jonuta, Tabasco y Bahía de la Ascensión, Quintana Roo) y uno en Belice (Southern Lagoon). Las muestras provienen de manatíes de vida libre y en cautiverio que fueron capturados temporalmente para muestreo y evaluación de su salud durante el período 2004-2006. Un total de 24 muestras fueron procesadas. La identificación de los elementos de la dieta se basó en el análisis microhistológico de las heces y la separación de los ítems para su posterior comparación con material bibliográfico y colecciones histológicas. También se revisaron las muestras para la búsqueda de invertebrados. Las especies vegetales identificadas fueron: Thalassia testudinum, Rhizophora mangle, Halodule wrightii, Ruppia sp. y Panicum sp., esta última confirmada por primera vez para México. No se encontró evidencia de invertebrados en las muestras. El orden de importancia relativa de consumo de las especies vegetales por los manatíes coincide con lo reportado para otras regiones de América. Se recomienda hacer un mayor esfuerzo de muestreo en áreas donde se desconocen los ítems alimentarios de la especie.AbstractManatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) are herbivorous mammals with opportunistic habits that feed onapproximately 60 species of plants. The focus of this paper was to identify diet elements of the manateeby fecal analysis in two sites in Mexico (Jonuta, Tabasco and Bahía de la Ascensión, Quintana Roo) andone site in Belize (Southern Lagoon). Samples were obtained from wild manatees and captive manateestemporarily captured for health assessment and sampling during 2004-2006. A total of 24 samples wereanalyzed. Diet components were assessed by microhistological analysis of feces. Items were separated andcompared with bibliography and histological collections. Samples were also analyzed to detect invertebrates.Vegetal species found included Thalassia testudinum, Rhizophora mangle, Halodule wrightii, Ruppia sp. and Panicum sp., the latter confirmed for the first time for Mexico. No evidence of invertebrates wasfound in the samples. Relative importance of vegetal species consumed by manatees coincides with thefindings reported for other areas in the Americas. Further systematic sampling efforts are needed in areaswhere manatee diet items are unknown.

Food intake rates of herbivorous mammals and birds and the influence of body mass

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Steuer ◽  
Jürgen Hummel ◽  
Christine Grosse-Brinkhaus ◽  
Karl-Heinz Südekum
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals

Archaeol – a biomarker for foregut fermentation in modern and ancient herbivorous mammals?

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona L. Gill ◽  
Richard J. Dewhurst ◽  
Jennifer A.J. Dungait ◽  
Richard P. Evershed ◽  
Luke Ives ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foregut Fermentation ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals
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