Forage quality thresholds for Saiga antelope in a semi-desert rangeland

Forage quality thresholds for Saiga antelope in a semi-desert rangeland

Abaturov B.D., Subbotin A.E.

P. 71-81

Levels of digestibility and protein content necessary for maintenance, weight gain and lactation were estimated for Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Estimates were based on results of digestion-balance trials using confined animals, and feeding trials involving tractable animals at pasture. Threshold parameters were estimated by regression of metabolizable energy intake and body weight gain, food digestibility and metabolic energy intake, protein content in food and the amount of consumed digestible protein. To meet maintenance requirements, food digestibility must be > 59%, with protein content > 7.7%. To meet requirements for growth and lactation, minimum digestibility must be 61–68%, with protein content > 14%. When feeding on native semi-desert range, free-ranging Saiga antelope can meet these nutritional thresholds only through selective foraging. Therefore, when evaluating grazing capacity of Saiga habitat it is important to take into consideration that only a small portion of the total plant biomass is comprised of plants and plant parts of sufficient quality.DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.10.2.05

Литература
  • Abaturov B.D. 2007. The population of saiga antelopes in Russia and the Problems of its preservation // Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vol.77. P.462-469 [Translated from Vestnik Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Vol.77. P.785-793]
  • Abaturov B.D. & Magomedov M.-R. D. 1988. [Food value and dynamics of food resources as a factor characterizing the state of populations of herbivorous mammals] // Zoologicheskii Zhurnal. Vol.67. No.2. P.223-234 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Abaturov B.D., Kholodova M.V. & Subbotin A.E. 1982. [Intensity of food consumption and digestibility in Saiga tatarica] // Zoologicheskii Zhurnal. Vol.61. No.12. P.1870-1881 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Abaturov B.D., Fekadu Kassaye, Kuznetsov G.V., Magomedov M.-R.D. & Petelin D.A. 1995. Nutritional estimate of populations of some wild free-ranging African ungulates in grassland (Nechisar national park, Ethiopia) in dry season // Ecography. Vol.8. No.2. P.164-172.
  • Abaturov B.D., Kolesnikov M.P., Likhnova O.P., Petrishchev B.I. & Nikonova O.A. 1997. [Use of plant forage lignin and silica as digestibility indicators for a quantitative estimation of food consumption by free-ranging saigas] // Russian Journal of Zoology. Vol.1. No.1. P.110-117. [Translated from Zoologicheskii Zhurnal Vol.76. P.104-113]
  • Abaturov B.D., Petrishchev B.I., Kolesnikov M.P. & Subbotin A.E. 1998. [Seasonal dynamics of forage resources and nutrition of saiga in natural semidesert pasture] // Uspekhi sovremennoy biologii. Vol.118. No.5. P.564-584 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Abaturov B.D., Kolesnikov M.P., Nikonova O.A. & Pozdnyakova M.K. 2003. [Experience of quantitative investigation of nutrition in free-ranging mammals in natural habitat] // Zoologicheskii Zhurnal. Vol.82. No.1. P.104-114 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Abaturov B.D., Larionov K.O., Kolesnikov M.P. & Nikonova O.A. 2005. [Providing of saigas (Saiga tatarica) with forage and their state in pastures with vegetation of different types] // Zoologicheskii Zhurnal. Vol.84. No.3. P.377-390 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Anon. 1968. [Instruction for zonal agrochemical laboratories analysis of forage and plants] // Moscow: Izdatel'stvo Kolos. 55 p. [in Russian].
  • Arman P. & Hopcraft D. 1975. Nutritional studies on East African herbivores. 1. Digestibilities of dry matter, crude fibre and crude protein in antelope, cattle and sheep // British Journal of Nutrition. Vol.33. P.255-264.
  • Arnold G.W. 1985. Regulation of forage intake. Bioenergetics of wild herbivores // Hudson, R.Y. & White, R.G. (eds.). Bioenergetics of wild Herbivores. Florida: CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton. P.81-101.
  • Bannikov A.G., Zhirnov L.V., Lebedeva L.S. & Fandeev A.A. 1961. [Biology of saiga antelope]. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo literatury, zhurnalov i plakatov. 336 p. [in Russian].
  • Bell R.H.V., 1971. A grazing ecosystem in the Serengeti // Scientific American. Vol.225. P.86-93.
  • Berry H.H. & Louw G.N. 1982. Nutritional measurements in a population of free-ranging wildebeest in Etosha National Park // Madoqua. Vol.13. P.101-125.
  • Bol'shakov A.F. & Bazykina G.S. 1974. [Natural biogeocoenosises and conditions for their existing] // Rode A.A. (ed.). Biogeocoenotic fundaments for the development of Northern Caspian semidesert. Moscow: Nauka. P.6-34 [in Russian].
  • Cook J.G., Quinlan L.G., Irwin L.L., Bryant L.D., Riggs R.A. & Thomas J.W. 1996. Nutrition-growth relations of elk calves during late summer and fall // Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol.60. No.3. P.528-541.
  • Eisfeld D. 1974. Protein requirements of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) for maintenance // XI Congress of International Union of Game Biologists. No.11. P.133-138.
  • Eisfeld D. 1985. Anspruche von Rehen an die Qualitдt ihrer Nahrung // XXII Congress of International Union of Game Biologists. Brussels. P.1027-1034.
  • Fennessy P.F., Moore G.H. & Gorson I.D. 1981. Energy requirements of red deer // Proceedings of New Zealand Society of Animal Production. Vol.41. P.167-173.
  • Jiang Z. & Hudson R.J., 1992. Estimating forage intake and energy requirements of free-ranging wapiti (Cervus elaphus) // Canadian Journal of Zoology. Vol.70. P.675-679.
  • Gallup W.D., Hobbs C.S. & Briggs H.M. 1945. The use of silica as a reference substance in digestion trials with ruminants // Journal of Animal Science. Vol.4. P.68-71.
  • Gordeeva T.K. & Larin I.V. 1965. [Nature vegetation of Caspian semidesert as forage reserve for livestock] // Moscow: Nauka. 160 p.
  • Hudson R.J. & Christopherson R.J. 1985. Maintenance metabolism // Hudson R.Y. & White R.G. (eds.). Bioenergetics of wild Herbivores. Boca Raton, Florida: CRS Press, Inc. P.121-142.
  • Kaloshnikov A.P. & Kleimenov N.I. 1985. [Standards and rations of livestock]. Moscow: Agropromizdat [in Russian].
  • Kolesnikov M.P. & Abaturov B.D. 1997. [Silicon forms in plants and their quantitative determination] // Uspekhi sovremennoi biologii. Vol.117. No 5. P.534-548 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Lopatin V.N., Abaturov B.D. & Rossolovskiy S.V. 1987. [Mathematical model of energetic processes of saiga growth] // Zhurnal obshchei biologii. Vol.48. No.4. P.513-524 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • Magomedov M.-R.D.& Yarovenko Yu.A. 1997. [Intensity of consumption and digestibility of food in East Caucasian Tur (Capra cylindricornis)] // Zoologicheskii Zhurnal. Vol.76. No.2. P.243-250 [in Russian, with English summary].
  • McDonald P., Edwards R.A. & Greenhalgh J.F.D. 1969. Animal nutrition. Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boid. 479 p.
  • Mould E.D. & Robbins Ch.T. 1981. Nitrogen metabolism in elk // Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol.45. No.2. P.323-334.
  • Owen-Smith N. & Cooper S.M. 1989. Nutritional ecology of a browsing ruminant, the kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), through the seasonal cycle // Journal of Zoology. London. Vol.219. P.29-43.
  • Regelin W.L., Schwartz Ch.C. & Franzmann A.W. 1987. Effects of forest succession on nutritional dynamics of moose forage // Swedish Wildlife Research. Supplement. 1. Part. 1. P.247-263.
  • Robbins Ch.T., Prior R.L., Moen A.N. & Visec W.J. 1974. Nitrogen metabolism of white-tailed deer // Journal of Animal Science. Vol.38. No.1. P.186-191.
  • Robbins, Ch.T. 1983. Wildlife feeding and nutrition. N.Y.Ж Academic press. 343 p.
  • [Ruminants' requirements in nutrients and energy]. 1968. // Izdatel'stvo Kolos, Moscow. 414 p. [in Russian]. Translated from Agricultural Research Council. 1965. The nutrient requirements of farm livestock. No.2. Ruminants, Technical reviews and summaries. London: H.M. Stationery Office.
  • Schwartz Ch.C., Regelin W.L. & Franzmann A.W. 1987. Protein digestion in moose // Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol.51. No.2. P.352-357.
  • Simpson A.M., Webster A.J.F., Smith J.S. & Simpson C.A. 1978. The efficiency of utilization of dietary energy for growth in sheep (Ovis aries) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) // Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Vol.69. P.1166-1175.
  • Sinclair A.R.E. 1974. The natural regulation of buffalo populations in East Africa. IV. The food supply as a regulating factor, and competition // East African Wildlife Journal. Vol.12. P.291-311.
  • Sinclair A.R.E., Fryxell J.M. & Caughley G. (eds.). 2006. Wildlife ecology, conservation and management. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 469 p.
  • Sinclair A.R.E., Krebs C.I. & Smith T.N.M. 1982. Diet quality and food limitation in herbivores: the case of the snowshoe hare // Canadian Journal of Zoology. Vol.60. P.889-897.
  • Smith S.H., Holter J.B., Hayes H.H. & Silver H. 1975. Protein requirement of white-tailed deer fawns // Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol.39. No.3. P.582-589.
  • Stanley Price M.R. 1978. The nutritional ecology of coce's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus cocei) in Kenya // Journal of Applied Ecology. Vol.15. P.33-49.
  • Streeter C.L. 1969. A review of techniques used to estimate the in vivo digestibility of grazed forage // Journal of Animal Science. Vol.29. P.757-768.
  • Suttie J.M., Fennessy P.F., Veenvliet B.A., Littlejohn R.P., Fisher M.W., Corson I.D. & Labes R.E. 1987. Energy nutrition of young red deer (Cervus elaphus) hinds and a comparison with young stags // Proceedings of New Zealand Society of Animal Production. Vol.47. P.111-114.