Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T13:22:16.065Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Habitat selection according to the ability of animals to eat, digest and detoxify foods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Alan J. Duncan  and
Iain J. Gordon
Alan J. Duncan*
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH
Iain J. Gordon
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH
*
*Corresponding Author: Dr Alan J. Duncan, fax +44 (0)1224 311556, email a.duncan@mluri.sari.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Large herbivores play a major role in shaping vegetation community dynamics through selective consumption of particular plants and plant communities. An understanding of the factors influencing diet selection at the level of individual bites (‘bite scale’) is important for prediction of the impact of herbivores on vegetation at the habitat scale. Bite-scale diet selection represents an integration of the twin goals of maximizing nutrient intake and minimizing toxin intake. Recent research with ruminants in pen-fed situations has shown that animals are able to make choices between artificial foods that maximize growth and other production variables. The role of post-ingestive feedback as an important mechanism for allowing animals to assess the nutritional quality of particular foods, and so select optimal diets, has been recognized in a number of recent experiments. Our understanding of the role of toxin intake minimization in diet selection decisions is more rudimentary. An important advance in the last decade has been the acknowledgement of the role of post-ingestive feedback and learning as a mechanism for avoidance of dietary toxicity. Further research is required to assess the importance of these processes in relation to free-grazing animals. The extent to which an understanding of bite-scale diet selection can be used to predict habitat utilization is not well understood. At the habitat scale additional factors such as predator avoidance, social constraints, avoidance of parasitism and microclimatic effects have an important influence on foraging decisions. Future research needs to focus on developing a quantitative understanding of such decisions at the habitat scale.

Keywords

Diet selectionHabitat selectionHerbivorePost-ingestive feedback
Type
Symposium on ‘Social and environmental influences on diet choice’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 58 , Issue 4 , November 1999 , pp. 799 - 805
Copyright
The Nutrition Society

References

Alexander, G, Lynch, JJ & Mottershead, BE (1979) Use of shelter and selection of lambing sites by shorn and unshorn ewes in paddocks with closely or widely spaced shelters. Applied Animal Ethology 5, 51–69.Google Scholar
Anderson, RC, Rasmussen, MA & Allison, MJ (1993) Metabolism of the plant toxins nitropropionic acid and nitropropanol by ruminal microorganisms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 59, 3056–3061.Google Scholar
Angerbjorn, A & Pehrson, A (1987) Factors influencing winter food choice by mountain hares (Lepus timidusL.) on Swedish coastal islands. Canadian Journal of Zoology 65, 2163–2167.Google Scholar
Arnold, GW & Maller, RA (1985) An analysis of factors influencing spatial distribution in flocks of grazing sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 14, 173–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Austin, PJ, Suchar, LA, Robbins, CT & Hagerman, AE (1989) Tannin-binding proteins in saliva of deer and their absence in saliva of sheep and cattle. Journal of Chemical Ecology 15, 1335–1347.Google Scholar
Bailey, DW, Gross, JE, Laca, EA, Rittenhouse, LR, Coughenour, MB, Swift, DM & Sims, PL (1996) Mechanisms that result in large herbivore grazing distribution patterns. Journal of Range Management 49, 386–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazely, DR (1990) Rules and cues used by sheep foraging in monocultures. In Behavioural Mechanisms of Food Selection, pp. 343–368 [Hughes, RN, editor]. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belovsky, GE (1978) Diet optimization in a generalist herbivore: the moose. Theoretical Population Biology 14, 105–134.Google Scholar
Belovsky, GE (1981) Food plant selection by a generalist herbivore: the moose. Ecology 62, 1020–1030.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belovsky, GE (1984) Herbivore optimal foraging: a comparative test of three models. American Naturalist 124, 97–115.Google Scholar
Blaxter, KL (1977) Environmental factors and their influence on the nutrition of farm livestock. In Nutrition and the Climatic Environment, pp. 1–16 [Haresign, W, Swan, H and Lewis, D, editors]. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Buckland, ST, Trenkel, VM, Elston, DA, Partridge, LW & Gordon, IJ (1998) A decision support system for deer managers in Scotland. In Population Ecology, Management and Welfare of Deer pp. 82–87 [Goldspink, CR, King, S and Putman, RJ, editors]. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University.Google Scholar
Cooper, J (1997) The behavioural control of helminth infection in sheep. PhD Thesis, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Cooper, SDB, Kyriazakis, I & Nolan, JV (1995) Diet selection in sheep: the role of the rumen environment in the selection of a diet from two feeds that differ in their energy density. British Journal of Nutrition 74, 39–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, SM, Owen-Smith, N & Bryant, JP (1988) Foliage acceptability to browsing ruminants in relation to seasonal changes in leaf chemistry of woody plants in a South African savanna. Oecologia 75, 336–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowlishaw, G (1997) Trade-offs between foraging and predation risk determine habitat use in a desert baboon population. Animal Behaviour 53, 667–686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickinson, JM, Smith, GR, Randel, RD & Pemberton, IJ (1988) In vitro metabolism of Formononetin and Biochanin A in bovine rumen fluid. Journal of Animal Science 66, 1969–1973.Google Scholar
Duncan, AJ, Frutos, P & Kyriazakis, I (1998) Conditioned food aversions to oxalic acid in the food plants of sheep and goats. In Toxic Plants and Other Natural Toxicants, pp. 169–173 [Garland, T and Barr, AC, editors] . New York: CAB International.Google Scholar
Duncan, AJ, Hartley, SE & Iason, GR (1994a) Fine scale discrimination of forage quality by sheep offered a soya-bean meal or barley supplement while grazing a nitrogen-fertilized heather (Calluna vulgaris) mosaic. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 123, 363–370.Google Scholar
Duncan, AJ, Hartley, SE & Iason, GR (1994b) The effect of monoterpene concentrations in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) on the browsing behaviour of red deer (Cervus elaphus). Canadian Journal of Zoology 72, 1715–1720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
du, Toit JT, Provenza, FD & Nastis, A (1991) Conditioned taste aversions: how sick must a ruminant get before it learns about toxicity in foods. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 30, 35–46.Google Scholar
Edwards, GR, Newman, JA, Parsons, AJ & Krebs, JR (1997) Use of cues by grazing animals to locate food patches: an example with sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 51, 59–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, S & Loudon, A (1987) Effects of monoterpene odors on food selection by red deer calves. Journal of Chemical Ecology 13, 1343–1349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, JM & Kyriazakis, I (1995) Food preferences in farm animals: why don't they always choose wisely? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 54, 429–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, MD & Gordon, IJ (1997) The diet of goats, red deer and South American camelids feeding on three contrasting Scottish upland vegetation communities. Journal of Applied Ecology 34, 668–686.Google Scholar
Gordon, IJ (1989) Vegetation community selection by ungulates on the Isle of Rhum. III. Determinants of vegetation community selection. Journal of Applied Ecology 26, 65–79.Google Scholar
Hagerman, AE & Robbins, CT (1993) Specificity of tannin-binding salivary proteins relative to diet selection by mammals. Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, 628–633.Google Scholar
Hanley, TA (1997) A nutritional view of understanding and complexity in the problem of diet selection by deer (Cervidae). Oikos 79, 209–218.Google Scholar
Hjalten, J & Palo, T (1992) Selection of deciduous trees by free ranging voles and hares in relation to plant chemistry. Oikos 63, 477–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, RF (1962) Hill sheep and their pasture: A study of sheep-grazing in south-east Scotland. Journal of Ecology 50, 651–680.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutchings, MR, Kyriazakis, I, Anderson, DH, Gordon, IJ & Coop, RL (1999) Trade-offs between nutrient intake and faecal avoidance in herbivore foraging decisions: the effect of parasite status. Journal of Animal Ecology 68, 310–323.Google Scholar
Illius, AW & Gordon, IJ (1992) Modelling the nutritional ecology of ungulate herbivores: evolution of body size and competitive interactions. Oecologia 89, 428–434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, RJ (1981) Does ruminal metabolism of mimosine explain the absence of Leucaena toxicity in Hawaii. Australian Veterinary Journal 57, 55–56.Google Scholar
Kronberg, SL & Malechek, JC (1997) Relationships between nutrition and foraging behavior of free-ranging sheep and goats. Journal of Animal Science 75, 1756–1763.Google Scholar
Kronberg, SL & Walker, JW (1993) Ruminal metabolism of leafy spurge in sheep and goats – A potential explanation for differential foraging on spurge by sheep, goats, and cattle. Journal of Chemical Ecology 19, 2007–2017.Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I & Emmans, GC (1991) Diet selection in pigs: dietary choices made by growing pigs following a period of underfeeding with protein. Animal Production 52, 337–346.Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I & Oldham, JD (1993) Diet selection in sheep: the ability of growing lambs to select a diet that meets their crude protein (nitrogen × 6.25) requirements. British Journal of Nutrition 69, 617–629.Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I, Papachristou, TG, Duncan, AJ & Gordon, IJ (1997) Mild conditioned food aversions developed by sheep towards flavours associated with plant secondary compounds. Journal of Chemical Ecology 23, 727–746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langlands, JP (1969) Studies on the nutritive value of the diet selected by grazing sheep. IV. Variation in the diet selected by sheep differing in age, breed, sex, strain and previous history. Animal Production 11, 369–378.Google Scholar
Lawrence, AB & Wood-Gush, DGM (1988) Influence of social behaviour on utilization of supplemental feedblocks by Scottish hill sheep. Animal Production 46, 203–212.Google Scholar
Lima, SL & Dill, DM (1990) Behavioural decisions made under the risk of predation: a review and prospectus. Canadian Journal of Zoology 68, 619–640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Main, MB, Weckerly, FW & Bleich, VC (1996) Sexual segregation in ungulates: New directions for research. Journal of Mammalogy 77, 449–461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mattson, WJ (1980) Herbivory in relation to plant nitrogen content. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 11, 119–161.Google Scholar
Mehansho, H, Butler, LG & Carlson, DM (1987) Dietary tannins and salivary proteins: interactions, induction and defense mechanisms. Annual Review of Nutrition 7, 423–440.Google Scholar
Milne, JA (1991) Diet selection by grazing animals. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 50, 77–85.Google Scholar
Murden, SB & Risenhoover, KL (1993) Effects of habitat enrichment on patterns of diet selection. Ecological Applications 3, 497–505.Google Scholar
Murray, MG (1991) Maximising energy retention in grazing ruminants. Journal of Animal Ecology 60, 1029–1045.Google Scholar
Owen-Smith, N (1994) Foraging responses of kudus to seasonal changes in food resources: Elasticity in constraints. Ecology 75, 1050–1062.Google Scholar
Penning, PD, Parsons, AJ, Newman, JA, Orr, RJ & Harvey, A (1993) The effects of group size on grazing time in sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 37, 101–109.Google Scholar
Provenza, FD (1995) Postingestive feedback as an elementary determinant of food preference and intake in ruminants. Journal of Range Management 48, 2–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Provenza, FD, Pfister, JA & Cheney, CD (1992) Mechanisms of learning in diet selection with reference to phytotoxicosis in herbivores. Journal of Range Management 45, 36–45.Google Scholar
Ralphs, MH (1992) Conditioned food aversion: training livestock to avoid eating poisonous plants. Journal of Range Management 45, 46–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ralphs, MH, Provenza, FD, Wiedmeier, WD & Bunderson, FB (1995) Effects of energy source and food flavor on conditioned preferences in sheep. Journal of Animal Science 73, 1651–1657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rangen, SA, Hawley, AWL & Hudson, RJ (1994) Relationship of snowshoe hare feeding preferences to nutrient and tannin content of four conifers. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 24, 240–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rozin, P (1976) The selection of foods by rats, humans and other animals. In Advances in the Study of Behaviour, Vol. 6, pp. 21–76 [Rosenblatt, JS, Hinde, RA, Shaw, E and Beer, C, editors]. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Senft, RL, Coughenour, MB, Bailey, DW, Rittenhouse, LR, Sala, OE & Swift, DM (1987) Large herbivore foraging and ecological hierarchies. Bioscience 37, 789–799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senft, RL, Rittenhouse, LR & Woodmansee, RG (1985) Factors influencing patterns of cattle grazing behavior on shortgrass steppe. Journal of Range Management 38, 82–87.Google Scholar
Stafford, Smith DM, Noble, IR & Jones, GK (1985) A heat balance model for sheep and its use to predict shade-seeking behaviour in hot conditions. Journal of Animal Ecology 22, 753–774.Google Scholar
Staines, BW (1976) The use of natural shelter by red deer in relation to weather in north-east Scotland. Journal of Zoology 180, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuth, JW (1991) Foraging behavior. In Grazing Management: An Ecological Perspective, pp. 65–83 [Heidschmidt, RK and Stuth, JW, editors]. Portland, OR: Timber Press.Google Scholar
Thouless, CR & Guinness, FE (1986) Conflict between red deer hinds: the winner always wins. Animal Behaviour 34, 1166–1171.Google Scholar
Tixier, H, Duncan, P, Scehovic, J, Yani, A, Gleizes, M & Lila, M (1997) Food selection by European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus): effects of plant chemistry, and consequences for the nutritional value of their diets. Journal of Zoology 242, 229–245.Google Scholar
Tolkamp, BJ, Dewhurst, RJ, Friggens, NC, Kyriazakis, I, Veerkamp, RF & Oldham, JD (1998) Diet choice by dairy cows. 1. Selection of feed protein content during the first half of lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 81, 2657–2669.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Villalba, JJ & Provenza, FD (1996) Preference for flavored wheat-straw by lambs conditioned with intraruminal administrations of sodium propionate. Journal of Animal Science 74, 2362–2368.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ & Provenza, FD (1997) Preference for flavoured foods by lambs conditioned with intraruminal administration of nitrogen. British Journal of Nutrition 78, 545–561.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wachenheim, DE, Blythe, LL & Craig, AM (1992) Characterization of rumen bacterial pyrrolizidine alkaloid biotransformation in ruminants of various species. Veterinary and Human Toxicology 34, 513–517.Google Scholar
Wallis, de Vries MF & Schippers, P (1994) Foraging in a landscape mosaic – selection for energy and minerals in free-ranging cattle. Oecologia 100, 107–117.Google Scholar
Watkins, JBI & Klaassen, CD (1986) Xenobiotic biotransformation in livestock: comparison to other species commonly used in toxicity testing. Journal of Animal Science 63, 933–942.Google Scholar
Wilmshurst, JF, Fryxell, JM & Hudson, RJ (1995) Forage quality and patch choice by wapiti (Cervus elaphus). Behavioral Ecology 6, 209–217.Google Scholar
Zahorik, DM & Houpt, KA (1981) Species differences in feeding strategies, food hazards and the ability to learn food aversions. In Foraging Behaviour, pp. 289–310 [Kamil, AC and Sargent, TD, editors]. New York: Garland.Google Scholar