Food plant selection by reindeer during winter in relation to plant quality

The relative palatabilities of nine plant taxa used as winter food by reindeer were estimated by presenting them in cafeteria and pairwise tests. Feeding preference indices were then related to the chemical composition of the plants. High preference indices were obtained for the lichens Bryoria spp....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecography (Copenhagen) 1994-06, Vol.17 (2), p.153-158
Main Authors: Danell, Kjell, Mikael Utsi, Per, Thomas Palo, R., Eriksson, Olof
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Digestion
Food plants
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lichens
Mammalia
Mosses
Nitrogen
Plants
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Rangifer tarandus
Reindeer
Subshrubs
Taxa
Vertebrata
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Summary:The relative palatabilities of nine plant taxa used as winter food by reindeer were estimated by presenting them in cafeteria and pairwise tests. Feeding preference indices were then related to the chemical composition of the plants. High preference indices were obtained for the lichens Bryoria spp., Cladina arbuscula, C. rangiferina and C. stellaris, while low values were obtained for the moss Pleurozium schreberi and the dwarf shrubs Empetrum hermaphroditum and Vaccinium myrtillus. The grass Deschampsia flexuosa and the lichen Stereocaulon paschale received intermediate scores. Feeding preferences showed a strong negative correlation with acid detergent fiber (ADF)-values. No statistically significant correlations were found between feeding preferences and contents of nitrogen, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) or neutral detergent fiber (NDF).
ISSN:0906-7590
1600-0587
DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1994.tb00088.x