| Records |
| Author |
Shrestha, R.; Wegge, P.; Koirala, R.A. |
| Title |
Summer diets of wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Himalaya |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Journal of Zoology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
266 |
Issue |
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Pages |
111-119 |
| Keywords |
argali; blue sheep; Capra hircus; diet; faecal analysis; fecal analysis; mountain ungulates; Ovis ammon hodgsoni; pseudois nayaur |
| Abstract |
The selection of summer forage by three sympatric ungulates in the Damodar Kunda region of upper Mustang in
north Nepal was studied to assess the extent of food overlap between them. To compare their diets, a microhistological technique of faecal analysis was used, adjusted for inherent biases by comparing it with bite-count data obtained in domestic goats. Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni, naur (blue sheep or bharal) Pseudois nayaur and domestic goat Capra hircus consumed mostly forbs, graminoids and browse, respectively. The proportions of food items in their diets were significantly different both at the plant species (P<0.02) and at the forage category level (P<0.001). Except for sharing three common plants (Agrostis sp., Stipa sp. and Potentilla fruticosa), dietary overlap at the species level was quite low. At the forage category level, naur and domestic goat overlapped more than the other ungulate pairs. Although all three species were opportunistic, mixed feeders, argali was a more selective forb specialist grazer than the other two ungulates. Owing to some spatial separation and little dietary overlap, interspecific competition for summer forage was low. If animal densities increase, however, goats are expected to compete more with naur than with argali because of their more similar diets. Owing to differences in forage selection by argali and naur throughout their large geographical ranges, reflecting adaptations to local ecological conditions, inferences regarding forage competition between domestic livestock and these two wild caprins need to be made from local, site-specific studies, rather than from general diet comparisons. |
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The Zoological Society of London |
Place of Publication |
London |
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| Call Number |
SLN @ rana @ 934 |
Serial |
888 |
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| Author |
Shrestha, R.; Wegge, P. |
| Title |
Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: coexistence or competition? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2008 |
Publication |
Environmental Conservation |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
32 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
125-136 |
| Keywords |
bharal; blue sheep; diet; food habits; mountain ungulates; Nepal; pastoralism; pseudois nayaur; rangeland management; resource partitioning |
| Abstract |
Excessive grazing by livestock is claimed to displace wild ungulates in the Trans-Himalaya. This study compares the seasonal diets and habitat use of sympatric wild naur Pseudois nayaur and domestic goat Capra hircus, sheep Ovis aries and free-ranging yak Bos grunniens in north Nepal and analyses their overlap both within and across seasons. Alpinemeadow and the legumes Oxytropis and Chesneya were critical resources for all animal groups. High overlap occurred cross-seasonally when smallstock (sheep and goats) in summer used the spring and autumn ranges of naur. Relatively high total ungulate biomass (3028 kg km-2) and low recruitment of naur (56 young per 100 adult females in autumn) suggested interspecific competition. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity in composition and phenology of food plants across the steep gradient of altitude, together with rotational grazing, appears to indirectly facilitate coexistence of naur and smallstock. However, owing to high crossseasonal (inter-seasonal) overlaps, competition is likely to occur between these two groups at high stocking densities. Within seasons, naur overlapped more with free-ranging yak than with smallstock. As their habitat use and diets were most similar in winter, when both fed extensively on the same species of shrubs, naur was most likely to compete with yak during that season.
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SLN @ rana @ 936 |
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890 |
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