Do large herbivores select a diet that maximizes short-term energy intake rate?

Using field data on diet composition, diet quality and eating behaviour of three species of herbivores (red deer, Highland cattle and Konik ponies) it was tested if herbivores select their diet according to the intake rate maximizing principle. The digestible organic matter intake rate (DOMIR) was u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forest ecology and management Vol. 88; no. 1; pp. 149 - 156
Main Author: van Wieren, S.E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.1996
Subjects:
BOVIN
BUSQUEDA DE ALIMENTO
CABALLOS
CATTLE
CERVUS ELAPHUS
CHEVAL
CHEVREUIL
CORZO
Diet selection
FEEDING PREFERENCES
FORAGING
GANADO BOVINO
HERBIVORE
HERBIVORES
HERBIVOROS
Herbivory
HORSES
INGESTION DE NUTRIENTES
INGESTION DE SUBSTANCES NUTRITIVES
Intake rate maximization
NUTRIENT INTAKE
Optimal foraging
PREFERENCE ALIMENTAIRE
PREFERENCIAS ALIMENTARIAS
RECHERCHE DE NOURRITURE
ROE DEER
Herbivory
Intake rate maximization
Diet selection
Optimal foraging
ISSN:0378-1127, 1872-7042
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Using field data on diet composition, diet quality and eating behaviour of three species of herbivores (red deer, Highland cattle and Konik ponies) it was tested if herbivores select their diet according to the intake rate maximizing principle. The digestible organic matter intake rate (DOMIR) was used as test parameter. Across all species and diets, 61% of the diet composition could be explained by rate maximization, ponies having the lowest (52.1%) and red deer having the highest (72.1%) proportion of the highest DOMIR-preference class in their diet. Possible reasons for not selecting a perfect optimal diet in the sense of energy maximization include estimation errors, the lack of inclusion of nutrient constraints in the model, and the effects of living in a complex and constantly changing environment leading to ‘imperfect’ foraging decisions. Despite the imperfections, the results do lend substantial credit to the rate maximizing view.
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ISSN:0378-1127
1872-7042
DOI:10.1016/S0378-1127(96)03877-7