Diet selection in goats: a test of intake-rate maximization

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 1008 - 1018
• Main Authors: Illius, A. W., Gordon, I. J., Elston, D. A., Milne, J. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Ecological Society of America 01.04.1999
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Diet; feed intake; feeding preferences; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Food and nutrition; Foraging; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goats; Grasses; grazing; herbivore; Herbivores; intake rate; Mammalia; Plants; preference; selection; Sheep; Sward; Vertebrata; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Capra hircus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Maximization; Diet; Herbivorous; Food intake; Artiodactyla; Feeding preference; Foraging behavior; Ungulata; Feeding

The mechanisms of diet choice by herbivores are poorly understood. We tested whether the preference of goats among five grass species was accounted for by differences in intake rate or differences in species-specific attributes of the grasses. When offered a choice between grass species, the goats s...