Seasonal variation in water buffaloes’ diet grazing in wet grasslands in Northern Greece

Seasonal variability in grasslands’ vegetation affects animals’ diet selection. We studied the seasonal changes in water buffaloes’ diet during grazing in wet grasslands in Northern Greece. We recorded each month the plant species of the vegetation and the species consumed by buffaloes. We categoriz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hacquetia 2019-12, Vol.18 (2), p.201-212
Main Authors: Tsiobani, Eleni T., Yiakoulaki, Maria D., Menexes, Georgios
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buffalo
Diet
dietary preferences
Flowers & plants
Foraging behavior
Forbs
Functional groups
Grasslands
Grazing
grazing livestock
Legumes
Nutrient deficiency
plant functional types
Seasonal variations
Seasons
Shrubs
Species
Trees
Vegetation
vegetation composition
wetlands
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Summary:Seasonal variability in grasslands’ vegetation affects animals’ diet selection. We studied the seasonal changes in water buffaloes’ diet during grazing in wet grasslands in Northern Greece. We recorded each month the plant species of the vegetation and the species consumed by buffaloes. We categorized the former into three functional groups (graminoids, legumes, and forbs) and the latter into five groups (graminoids, legumes, forbs, shrubs, and trees). There were significant differences in the proportions (%) of functional groups in the vegetation and in buffaloes’ diet between seasons (χ test,
ISSN:1854-9829
1581-4661
1854-9829
DOI:10.2478/hacq-2019-0004