Food Composition, Feeding And Nutritional Adaption Strategies Of Tibetan Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Wallichi) During The Green Grass Period In Tibet

In August-September in 2007 and 2008 durning green grass period,in Tibet Sangri red deer nature conservation area where most of red deer live,321 sampling plots(2m×2m) of feeding of red deer were set,30 sampling plots of chewing food crops of red deer were set. 129 fecal samples of Tibet red deer were collect and 173 fecal samples of herding livestock were collect(including yellow cattle 42,goats 45,yaks 46 and horses 40).Total 58 species contrast plant samples belonged to 20 families are collected.Food habit of Tibet red deer and herding livestock is analyzed by faecalm icroscopic methods,Through the Ivlel exponential formula,Pearson correlation analysis,percentage similarity exponential formula and niche overlap formula recommended by Smith,we research the food selectivity,correlations of food composition,the niche width and the niche overlap index of Tibet red deer and herding livestock.Research the food composition,feeding and nutritional adaption strategies of Tibetan Red Deer during the Green Grass Period in Tibet.1.Food habit of Tibet red deer showed that 23 plant species of 16 genera of 11 families were foraged by Tibet red deer,4 families such as Comopositae,Cyperaceae,Leguminosae, Rosales of which were main food of Tibet red deer,and Boraginaceae,Salicaceae,Gramineae, Polygonaceae were their secondary food,Juncaceae,Labiatae,Cruciferae were occasional food. The food of Tibet red deer classified by genera showed that Saussurea was main food, Kobresia was secondary,Aslraralus,Lithospermum,Leontopodium,Salix etc.were in following decreasing sequence.The food of Tibet red deer classified by specie showed that Kobresia robusta was main,Astragalus adsurgens,Kobresia humilis etc.were in following decreasing sequence.The food habit analysis of Tibet red deer showed that the flower and fruits not leaves of Brassica campestris L.and Brassica in Brassicaceae were main food,which was accord with the result of field inquiry.And the plant height foraged by Tibet red deer was 23.86±5.06cm, the diameter was 1.87±0.45cm.And then the analysis of nutrient compositions of rape fruits and leaves showed that there was high content of protein,fiber,fattiness,water in rape flowers and fruits,which may be the reason of food selectivity of Tibet red deer.Comparative analysis of food habit of Tibet red deer in 2007 and 2008 showed that 23 plant species of 16 genera of 11 families were foraged in 2007,24 plant species of 17 genera of 12 families in 2008.There was little difference of food foraged in this two year,Comopositae, Cyperaceae,Leguminosae and Rosales were still main food of Tibet red deer;Salicaceae, Boraginaceae and Gramineae were secondary food;the occasional food was different, Umbelliferae and Scrophulariaceae appeared in 2008,but Brassicaceae lossed. The proportion of food selected by Tibet red deer in this two year was different;the proportion of Comopositae,Cyperaceae and Boraginaceae in 2008 was lower than that in 2007, but that of Rosales and Salicaceae in 2008 was higher than that in 2007,and the proportion of woody plant increased obviously.Tibet red deer entities on lower altitudes in 2007 than in 2008,altitude elevation difference of Tibet red deer entity loci to a significant level between 2007 and 2008.Durning 2007,through the analysis of food selection,we found that the Tibet red deer feeding crops,cole,but didn't eat it on 2008.2.Food selectivity of Tibet red deer showed that Boraginaceae was main,Salicaceae, Gramineae,Leguminosae,Comopositae were secondary,Juncaceae and Cyperaceae were plants they obviated,Gentianaceae,Umbelliferae etc.were not their food.The food of Tibet red deer classified by genera showed that Lithospermum,Potentilla,Aslragalus etc.were main food,Sibiraea,Caragana Fabr.,and Leontopodium were plants they obviated,The food of Tibet red deer classified by specie showed that Polygonum macrophyllum,Onosma waltonii etc.were main food;Kobresia humilis,Sibiraea tomentosa Diels,Leontopodium pusillum etc. were plants they obviated.Analysis of nutrient of Tibet red deer food showed there was high content of crude protein, crude fattiness and water,low content of crude fiber,flavones and tannin in the plants.3.Food selectivity of herding livestock showed that 15 plant species of 9 families including Comopositae,Cyperaceae,Gramineae,Polygonaceae,Leguminosae,Rosales, Boraginaceae,Labiatae,Cruciferae were food of yellow cattle.Comopositae and Cyperaceae were main food,Gramineae,Polygonaceae,Leguminosae and Rosales were secondary food of them,others were occasional food of cattle.15 plant species of 9 families including Cyperaceae,Gramineae,Comopositae, Leguminosae,Rosales,Boraginaceae,Labiatae etc.were food of yaks,Cyperaceae and Comopositae were their main food,Polygonaceae,Gramineae and Leguminosae were secondary food of yaks,others were occasional food of them.14 plant species of 7 families including Cyperaceae,Comopositae,Gramineae, Leguminosae,Polygonaceae,Rosales,Boraginaceae were food of goats,Cyperaceae was main food of them,more than 50%of their total food composition;Comopositae and Gramineae were secondary,others were occasional food.9 plant species of 4 families including Cyperaceae,Gramineae,Comopositae, Leguminosae were food of horses.Cyperaceae was main food of horses,Comopositae was secondary food,and Gramineae and Leguminosae were occasional food of horses.4.Mechanism discussion of food selectivity of Tibet red deer showed that the relation between frequency of food selection and nutrient(crude protein,crude fattiness,crude fiber and water),secondary biology(flavone,tannic acid),relative biomass was quantified by RSFs, the food selection function of it as follows:Logisitic(p)=2.3194+0.0463×CP-0.0131×CF+0.1521×EE0.8059×FN-1.2237×HT+4.5037×HO-16.7047×RA.The formula showed that the nutrient including crude protein,crude fattiness and water help Tibet red deer forage,the two secondary metabolites inhibit it forage.The model fitting ability is very good,the model fitting rate is 89.39%.The fitting accuracy of the food what Tibet red deer not toeat is the highest,97.3%.But what Tibet red deer to eat is the lowest,only 81.48%.It's mean the model can fit the food what Tibet red deer not toeat exactly,but can't fit the food what Tibet red deer toeat exactly.In order to look for the reason of food habit of Tibet red deer,food selection index of it was designed as dependent variables,the content of crude protein,crude fiber,crude lipid, water and flavone and tannic acid were designed as independent variables,the regression equation would be as follows:selection index=-0.2597+0.0707×crude protein+0.0121×crude lipid -0.0011×crude fiber-0.1003×flavone-0.1191×tannic acid +0.4374×water(multiple correlation coefficient R~2=0.896).The equation showed that Tibet red deer like the food of high content of crude protein,crude lipid,water and low content of cellulose,flavone,and tannic acid.5.The relation of food composition between Tibet red deer and herding livestock showed that there was comparability in food composition of Tibet red deer and cattle,yaks,goats, horses.Comopositae,Cyperaceae and Leguminosae were main food of them,especially Cyperaceae accounted for most proportion of their total food.The sequence of correlation of food composition between 4 livestock and Tibet red deer was cattle＞yaks＞goats＞horses.The correlation between cattle and Tibet red deer was very significant,the correlation between yaks,goats and Tibet red deer was significant,and there was no correlation between horses and Tibet red deer.6.Niche width and overlap index between Tibet red deer and herding livestock showed that both their niche width were low,the overlap index was high.High overlap index may mean high food competition,which was not serious during young grass time,serious during old grass time.The dry grass period on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau last eight months,this phenomenon even more serious.The nutrient would be decreased gradually from young grass time to old grass time,when the food was limit and the nutrient was lower,the competition between wild ungulate and herding livestock increased,which would influence the live of red deer.So it was necessary to administer herding livestock in the condition of limit food resource.