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Feeding Preferences of the Italian Roe Deer ( Capreolus capreolus italicus Festa, 1925) in a Coastal Mediterranean Environment.
- Source :
-
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI [Animals (Basel)] 2021 Jan 26; Vol. 11 (2). Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jan 26. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The present study was aimed to deepen the knowledge on diet and on feeding preferences of the Italian roe deer. The research was carried on in the Castelporziano Presidential Estate, a protected area of Latium coast. Quadrat method was used to assess plant frequency, whereas diet composition was determined by fecal micro-histological analysis. A total of 143 plant species were identified in the site and 109 of them were found in the feces of the Capreolus capreolus italicus . All over the year, most of the taxa were ingested in low percentages (≤5%) and the most utilized plant species were Quercus suber , Prunus spinosa , Rubia peregrina , and Crateaegus monogyna . Fagaceae and Rosaceae plant families represented the bulk of the diet and were positively selected. In addition, a positive selection on Fabaceae and Oleaceae families was found in wet season but not in dry one. In both periods the Italian roe deer showed a positive selection for deciduous woody plants and evergreen woody plants, instead avoided wild forbs and wild graminoids. Our results confirmed that this subspecies behaved as a generalist highly selective feeder.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2076-2615
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33530361
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020308