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Bleke CA, Gese EM, Villalba JJ, Roberts SB, French SS. Temporal and Spatial Influences on Fawn Summer Survival in Pronghorn Populations: Management Implications from Noninvasive Monitoring. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1468. [PMID: 38791686 PMCID: PMC11117275 DOI: 10.3390/ani14101468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Monitoring vital rates allows managers to estimate trends in growth rates of ungulate populations. However, connecting the influence of nutrition on ungulate demography is challenging. Noninvasive sampling offers a low-cost, low-effort alternative for measuring nutritional indices, allowing for an increased understanding of the mechanistic relationships between environmental factors, nutrition, and specific population vital rates. We examined the temporal influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) fawn recruitment. We collected fresh fecal samples from adult female pronghorn in five subpopulations spanning three sampling periods associated with critical maternal life-history stages (late gestation, early lactation, breeding season) for 2 years to investigate both intra- and interannual influences. Intrinsic factors were fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), nutritional indices (fecal nitrogen (FN) and 2,6-diaminopimelic acid (DAPA)), and dietary composition (protein intake of forbs, graminoids, legumes, other, shrubs), while the extrinsic factor was vegetative greenness (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). We found variations in DAPA, protein intake of forbs, variation in forb protein intake, and protein intake of legumes during late gestation positively influenced fawn recruitment. Fecal nitrogen during early lactation showed the strongest positive influence on the recruitment of any measured parameter. Finally, breeding season NDVI and the variation in DAPA values positively influenced the subsequent year's fawn recruitment. Our longitudinal study enabled us to investigate which parameter was most important to specific periods of fawn development and recruitment. We combined the results across five subpopulations, but interpretation and subsequent management decisions should be made at the subpopulation level such that pronghorn subpopulations with low recruitment can be positively influenced by increasing nitrogen on the landscape available to adult females during the early lactation period. As the use of noninvasive monitoring methods continues to expand, we believe our methodologies and results can be broadly applied to other ungulate monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole A. Bleke
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;
| | - Eric M. Gese
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Utah Field Station, Logan, UT 84322, USA;
| | - Juan J. Villalba
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;
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Shrestha B, Karki U, Chaudhary S, Tiwari A, Karki LB. Supplement Type Impact on the Performance and Nutrient Dynamics of Nursing Does and Kids Raised in Woodlands. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:68. [PMID: 38200799 PMCID: PMC10778155 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The influence of different supplement types on the performance and nutrient dynamics of goats stocked in woodlands is not known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplement type on the performance and the concentration of fecal nutrients of nursing does and the performance of kids raised in woodlands. One group of goats (SG, 9 does; 18 kids) was allowed supplemental grazing in adjacent silvopasture plots for 3-4 h daily and another group (SF, 8 does; 15 kids) was supplemented with corn (0.5% of metabolic weight) and ad libitum hay. Vegetation samples were collected and analyzed for productivity and quality (crude protein, CP; acid detergent fiber, ADF; neutral detergent fiber, NDF). The quality of the hay (N, ADF, NDF) and fecal samples (N, P, Ca) was analyzed. The animals' live weight, FAMACHA score, and body condition score were collected. The browsing height for does consuming woodland vegetation was measured. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure, Mixed procedure, and MEANS procedure in SAS 9.4. SG does showed better FAMACHA scores vs. SF does (p < 0.05). Fecal N and ADF were greater (p < 0.0001) in SG does vs. SF does. The findings showed a better performance and greater concentration of fecal nutrients in SG does vs. SF does, suggesting grazing quality pastures is a better option than using feedstuffs to supplement nursing does in woodland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhuwan Shrestha
- College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA; (U.K.); (S.C.); (A.T.)
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Uma Karki
- College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA; (U.K.); (S.C.); (A.T.)
| | - Santoshi Chaudhary
- College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA; (U.K.); (S.C.); (A.T.)
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16802, USA
| | - Anand Tiwari
- College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA; (U.K.); (S.C.); (A.T.)
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Lila B. Karki
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853, USA;
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Panting BR, Gese EM, Conner MM, Bergen S. Factors Influencing Survival Rates of Pronghorn Fawns in Idaho. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brett R. Panting
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Eric M. Gese
- United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Mary M. Conner
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Scott Bergen
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southeast Regional Office Pocatello ID 83204 USA
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Christianson D, Creel S. Photosynthetic pigments estimate diet quality in forage and feces of elk (Cervus elaphus). CAN J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the nutritional dynamics of herbivores living in highly seasonal landscapes remains a central challenge in foraging ecology with few tools available for describing variation in selection for dormant versus growing vegetation. Here, we tested whether the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) in forage and feces of elk (Cervus elaphus L., 1785) were correlated with other commonly used indices of forage quality (digestibility, energy content, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and nitrogen content) and diet quality (fecal nitrogen, fecal NDF, and botanical composition of the diet). Photosynthetic pigment concentrations were strongly correlated with nitrogen content, gross energy, digestibility, and NDF of elk forages, particularly in spring. Winter and spring variation in fecal pigments and fecal nitrogen was explained with nearly identical linear models estimating the effects of season, sex, and day-of-spring, although models of fecal pigments were consistently a better fit (r2adjusted = 0.379–0.904) and estimated effect sizes more precisely than models of fecal nitrogen (r2adjusted = 0.247–0.773). A positive correlation with forage digestibility, nutrient concentration, and (or) botanical composition of the diet implies fecal photosynthetic pigments may be a sensitive and informative descriptor of diet selection in free-ranging herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Christianson
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Biological Sciences East 325, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - S. Creel
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, 310 Lewis Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Monteith KB, Monteith KL, Bowyer RT, Leslie DM, Jenks JA. Reproductive effects on fecal nitrogen as an index of diet quality: an experimental assessment. J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/12-mamm-a-306.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Steuer P, Südekum KH, Tütken T, Müller DWH, Kaandorp J, Bucher M, Clauss M, Hummel J. Does body mass convey a digestive advantage for large herbivores? Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Steuer
- Institute of Animal Science; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | | | - Thomas Tütken
- Steinmann Institute for Geology; Mineralogy and Palaeontology, University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Dennis W. H. Müller
- Clinic for Zoo Animals; Exotic Pets and Wildlife; Vetsuisse Faculty; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
- National Park ‘Bavarian Forest’; Grafenau Germany
| | | | | | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals; Exotic Pets and Wildlife; Vetsuisse Faculty; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Jürgen Hummel
- Institute of Animal Science; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
- Department of Animal Sciences; Georg-August-University Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
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Clauss M, Steuer P, Müller DWH, Codron D, Hummel J. Herbivory and body size: allometries of diet quality and gastrointestinal physiology, and implications for herbivore ecology and dinosaur gigantism. PLoS One 2013; 8:e68714. [PMID: 24204552 PMCID: PMC3812987 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Digestive physiology has played a prominent role in explanations for terrestrial herbivore body size evolution and size-driven diversification and niche differentiation. This is based on the association of increasing body mass (BM) with diets of lower quality, and with putative mechanisms by which a higher BM could translate into a higher digestive efficiency. Such concepts, however, often do not match empirical data. Here, we review concepts and data on terrestrial herbivore BM, diet quality, digestive physiology and metabolism, and in doing so give examples for problems in using allometric analyses and extrapolations. A digestive advantage of larger BM is not corroborated by conceptual or empirical approaches. We suggest that explanatory models should shift from physiological to ecological scenarios based on the association of forage quality and biomass availability, and the association between BM and feeding selectivity. These associations mostly (but not exclusively) allow large herbivores to use low quality forage only, whereas they allow small herbivores the use of any forage they can physically manage. Examples of small herbivores able to subsist on lower quality diets are rare but exist. We speculate that this could be explained by evolutionary adaptations to the ecological opportunity of selective feeding in smaller animals, rather than by a physiologic or metabolic necessity linked to BM. For gigantic herbivores such as sauropod dinosaurs, other factors than digestive physiology appear more promising candidates to explain evolutionary drives towards extreme BM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Patrick Steuer
- Institute of Animal Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Daryl Codron
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Florisbad Quaternary Research, National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Jürgen Hummel
- Institute of Animal Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Ruminant Nutrition, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Steyaert SM, Hütter FJ, Elfström M, Zedrosser A, Hackländer K, Lê MH, Windisch WM, Swenson JE, Isaksson T. Faecal spectroscopy: a practical tool to assess diet quality in an opportunistic omnivore. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.2981/12-036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Verheyden H, Aubry L, Merlet J, Petibon P, Chauveau-Duriot B, Guillon N, Duncan P. Faecal nitrogen, an index of diet quality in roe deer Capreolus capreolus? WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.2981/10-111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Christianson D, Creel S. Fecal chlorophyll describes the link between primary production and consumption in a terrestrial herbivore. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2009; 19:1323-1335. [PMID: 19688938 DOI: 10.1890/08-0987.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal variation in primary productivity is known to have strong and far-reaching effects on herbivore ecology, but this relationship is often studied indirectly at broad scales, in part due to the difficulty in measuring selection for green biomass by individual animals. In aquatic systems, the concentration of chlorophyll in herbivore feces has been used as a direct measure of the consumption of photosynthetic primary production, but this method has not been applied to terrestrial systems. We measured chlorophyll concentration in feces from elk (Cervus elaphus) experiencing large fluctuations in primary production in the winter to spring transition over three years. We compared temporal trends in fecal chlorophyll with trends in fecal nitrogen, grass chlorophyll, grass digestible nitrogen, and landscape-level primary productivity (as described by the normalized difference vegetation index or NDVI). We also directly examined the relationship between fecal chlorophyll and NDVI. Temporal trends in fecal chlorophyll were strong and well described by piecewise regression (adjusted coefficient of determination, r(2)a = 0.881-0.888), showing uniformly low concentrations throughout winter followed by an abrupt, rapid increase beginning on different Julian days (88, 91, or 110) each year. Changes in fecal chlorophyll closely matched the temporal trend in the chlorophyll and digestible nitrogen concentration of forage grasses collected directly from elk feeding sites. Fecal chlorophyll also tracked broad temporal patterns in fecal nitrogen and NDVI, but discrepancies between the indexes may highlight preferences or constraints on selectivity for green biomass in elk. Spatially and temporally matched NDVI and fecal chlorophyll estimates were uncorrelated until NDVI reached approximately half its seasonal range. Combined, these data describe important patterns in selection for nutritious, green biomass in a temperate herbivore that would be difficult to study without data on fecal chlorophyll. Fecal chlorophyll produced novel and precise descriptions of (and detected large interannual differences in) winter length, severity, and the rate of spring green-up, as they were experienced by a large, grazing herbivore. Measuring fecal chlorophyll provides a noninvasive, inexpensive, and direct approach to describe an important aspect of foraging ecology in terrestrial herbivores and may be particularly powerful for studying climate effects in seasonal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Christianson
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
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Fanchone A, Archimède H, Boval M. Comparison of fecal crude protein and fecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict digestibility of fresh grass consumed by sheep1. J Anim Sci 2009; 87:236-43. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2007-0817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Ryan SJ, Knechtel CU, Getz WM. Ecological cues, gestation length, and birth timing in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Sacconi F, Ponzetta MP, Cervasio F. Fecal nitrogen and dietary quality relationships in Fallow deer. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2007. [DOI: 10.4081/ijas.2007.1s.862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F. Sacconi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche. Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | - M. P. Ponzetta
- Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche. Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | - F. Cervasio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche. Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
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Boval M, Coates D, Lecomte P, Decruyenaere V, Archimède H. Faecal near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess chemical composition, in vivo digestibility and intake of tropical grass by Creole cattle. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2003.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Post DM, Armbrust TS, Horne EA, Goheen JR. SEXUAL SEGREGATION RESULTS IN DIFFERENCES IN CONTENT AND QUALITY OF BISON (BOS BISON) DIETS. J Mammal 2001. [DOI: 10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<0407:ssridi>2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Réale D, Boussès P, Chapuis JL. Nursing behaviour and mother–lamb relationships in mouflon under fluctuating population densities. Behav Processes 1999; 47:81-94. [DOI: 10.1016/s0376-6357(99)00051-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/1998] [Revised: 05/28/1999] [Accepted: 06/02/1999] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Prache S, Roguet C, Petit M. How degree of selectivity modifies foraging behaviour of dry ewes on reproductive compared to vegetative sward structure. Appl Anim Behav Sci 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1591(97)00110-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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