Shrestha, R., Wegge, P., & Koirala, R. A. (2005). Summer diets of wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Himalaya. Journal of Zoology, 266, 111–119.
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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Suryawanshi, K. R., Bhatnagar, Y., & Mishra, C. (2009). Why should a grazer browse? Livestock impact on winter resource use by bharal Pseudois nayaur
. Oecologia, , 1–10.
Abstract: Many mammalian herbivores show a temporal diet variation between graminoid-dominated and browse dominated diets. We determined the causes of such a diet shift and its implications for conservation of a medium sized ungulate-the bharal Pseudois nayaur. Past studies show that the bharal diet is dominated by graminoids (>80%) during summer, but the contribution of graminoids declines to about 50% in winter. We tested the predictions generated by two alternative hypotheses explaining the decline: low graminoid availability during winter causes bharal to include browse in their diet; bharal include browse, with relatively higher nutritional quality, in their diet to compensate for the poor quality of graminoids during winter. We measured winter graminoid availability in areas with no livestock grazing, areas with relatively moderate livestock grazing, and those with intense livestock grazing pressures. The chemical composition of plants contributing to the bharal diet was analysed. The bharal diet was quantiWed through signs of feeding on vegetation at feeding locations. Population structures of bharal populations were recorded using a total count method. Graminoid availability was highest in areas without livestock grazing, followed by areas with moderate and intense livestock grazing. The bharal diet was dominated by graminoids (73%) in areas with highest graminoid availability. Graminoid contribution to the bharal diet declined monotonically (50, 36%) with a decline in graminoid availability. Bharal young to female ratio was 3 times higher in areas with high graminoid availability than areas with low graminoid availability. The composition of the bharal winter diet was governed predominantly by the availability of graminoids in the rangelands. Our results suggest that bharal include more browse in their diet during winter due to competition from livestock for graminoids. Since livestock grazing reduces graminoid availability, creation of livestock-free areas is necessary for the conservation of grazing species such as the bharal and its predators including the endangered snow leopard in the Trans-Himalaya.
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Hongguang, H., & Yongfu, X. (1994). Captive snow leopards in the Chongqing Zoo. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 191–193). Usa: Islt.
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Xinchun, M. (1994). Distribution in the wild and the captive raising of snow leopards in Xinjiang, China. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 157–162). Usa: Islt.
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Wharton, D., & Mainka, S. A. (1994). Captive Management of the Snow Leopard. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 135–148). Usa: Islt.
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Jafri, R. H., & Shah, F. (1994). The role of education and research in the conservation of snow leopard and its habitat in Northern Pakistan. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 273–277). Usa: Islt.
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Shuren, X. (1994). An introduction to feeding and management of snow leopard in Xining Zoo, China. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 177–182). Usa: Islt.
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Lilin, Z. (1994). Captive rearing of a wild snow leopard cub in the Xining Zoo, China. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 177–182). Usa: Islt.
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Schaller, G. B., Tserendeleg, J., & Amarsana, G. (1994). Observations on snow leopards in Mongolia. In J.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 33–42). Usa: Islt.
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Qiming, X. (1994). Captive care and management of wild snow leopard cubs at the Chengdu Zoo, China. In J.L.Fox, & D.Jizeng (Eds.), (pp. 187–189). Usa: Islt.
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