How to translate text using browser tools
1 June 2011 Rumen Contents of the Sika deer in Wakayama Prefecture, Southern Honshu: A New Demonstration of Latitudinal Variations of the Food Habits
Seiki Takatsuki, Masato Kobayashi, Atsushi Katayama
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

We analyzed 78 rumen content samples obtained in middle and southern parts of Wakayama Prefecture, the southern-most part of Honshu, the main island of Japan from 1995 to 1998. The rumen contents were dominated by browse (leaves of woody plants). Evergreen broad-leaves such as Quercus spp., Eurya japonica, Ligustrum japonicum, and Aucuba japonica were dominant, occupying 30–45%. Deciduous broad-leaves including Rubus spp., Hydrangea luteo-venosa, and Callicarpa mollis accounted for 20–35%. Forbs accounted for 10–20%. Non-synthetic organs like twigs and bark accounted for only 2–5%, and graminoids and ferns appeared little. These results suggest that foods of the Wakayama deer are good in quality, particularly in winter. The comparison has shown that the Wakayama deer are categorized into the typical southern browser type. Geographical variations of the food contents of sika deer are demonstrated by greater contributions of graminoids as well as by summer-winter differences in the northern grazer type than the southern browser type. Percentage similarity (PS, Whittaker 1952) well demonstrated seasonal variations of dietary compositions.

© the Mammalogical Society of Japan
Seiki Takatsuki, Masato Kobayashi, and Atsushi Katayama "Rumen Contents of the Sika deer in Wakayama Prefecture, Southern Honshu: A New Demonstration of Latitudinal Variations of the Food Habits," Mammal Study 36(2), 73-77, (1 June 2011). https://doi.org/10.3106/041.036.0205
Received: 26 November 2010; Accepted: 1 January 2011; Published: 1 June 2011
KEYWORDS
browser
food habits
geographic variation
rumen contents
sika deer
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top