Long-term stability in the winter diet of the Japanese serow (Artiodactyla, Caprinae)

The winter diets of northern ungulates are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and ungulate population densities. We hypothesized that the winter diets of smaller browser ungulates might not readily change in response to fluctuating environmental conditions. We analyzed long-term trends...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inZooKeys Vol. 1122; pp. 39 - 51
Main Authors Hiruma, Mitsuko, Tochigi, Kahoko, Kishimoto, Ryosuke, Kuroe, Misako, Elisa Trentin, Bruna, Koike, Shinsuke
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 20.09.2022
Subjects
Artiodactyla
Asia
Biodiversity & Conservation
Ecology & Environmental sciences
ungulate
Cervusnippon
Capricorniscrispus
population dynamics
sika deer
browser
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Summary:The winter diets of northern ungulates are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and ungulate population densities. We hypothesized that the winter diets of smaller browser ungulates might not readily change in response to fluctuating environmental conditions. We analyzed long-term trends in the winter diet of the Japanese serow ( ) by analyzing rumen contents of 532 individuals over a span of 16 years among five populations along with changes in the population densities of sika deer ( ) in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan. The winter diet composition of the serow was stable over the long term despite the increase in deer population density. The little-flexible nature of the serow diet may explain the long-term stability in the winter diets.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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Academic editor: Jesus Maldonado
ISSN:1313-2989
1313-2970
DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1122.76486