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1 November 2016 Comparison of three methods to evaluate wild boar diet
Jaroslav Zeman, Jan Hrbek, Jakub Drimaj, Tomáš Kudláček, Jiří Kamler, Radim Plhal, Marta Heroldová
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Abstract

Wild boar diet composition highly reflects the management of the species as well as the level of its damaging effect. For this reason we tried to prove similarity and reliability of three methods of wild boar diet analysis to find out their suitability in practical use. Gastrointestinal tracts of 27 wild boar specimens were sampled, with the stomach and faecal contents of each individual being analysed and compared. Stomach and faeces analyses were done by identification of food items under microscope and measuring their quantity volumetrically. The third method, so called “veterinary”, was the simplest one lying in the visual estimation of diet items percentage content diluted and spread in water on a tray. The similarity evaluation by qualitative and quantitative indices and additionally the generalised additive model confirmed that it is possible to identify all major food items which indicate the main diet strategy using all three analysis methods. All three tested methods were relevant in terms of basic features of quantitative and qualitative dietary assessment. The simple “veterinary” method, based on pure estimation, was proved to be suitable for field studies.

Jaroslav Zeman, Jan Hrbek, Jakub Drimaj, Tomáš Kudláček, Jiří Kamler, Radim Plhal, and Marta Heroldová "Comparison of three methods to evaluate wild boar diet," Folia Zoologica 65(3), 221-224, (1 November 2016). https://doi.org/10.25225/fozo.v65.i3.a7.2016
Received: 15 March 2016; Accepted: 1 June 2016; Published: 1 November 2016
KEYWORDS
diet analysis
faeces
food composition
stomach
Sus scrofa
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