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Foraging behavior and dietary preference of Wuxue goats on karst shrubby grassland of West Hunan

LIANG Liang;ZHANG Daigui;XU Jian;DENG Tao;TANG Yonghong;LIU Zhixiao   

  1. Institute of Ecology,College of Biology and Environmental Sciences,Jishou University,Jishou 416000,China
  • Received:2006-02-21 Revised:2006-08-04 Online:2006-12-10 Published:2006-12-10

Abstract: The study on the foraging behavior and dietary preference of Wuxue goats on kars t shrubby grassland of West Hunan Province showed that the duration of different foraging behaviors was in the order of ingestion>wandering>resting and rumina tion>standing>drinking. The foraging behaviors except standing were significantly different in their durations before noon, at noon, and after noon, e.g., ingestion presented a “V” curve, while resting and rumination presented a parabola. The duration of wandering was significantly longer before noon than at noon a nd after noon, and that of drinking was significantly longer after noon than bef ore noon and at noon. Wuxue goats preferred to ingest Broussonetia kazinoki,Indigfera psendotictria and Lonicera japonica, etc., and more preference was to wood plants and lianas than to herbs. The majority of the plants that Wuxue goats i ngested were the preference species, but the main food of the goats was not always the preferred plants due to the different distribution and availability of the plants.

Key words: Cold water irrigation, Multiplication, Rice T(P)GMS line with double low critical temperature values, Critical temperature, Underground water