Diet of Tree Hyraxes Dendrohyrax arboreus (Hyracoidea: Procaviidae) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
| Autor: | Angela Gaylard, Graham I. H. Kerley |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1997 |
| Předmět: |
Arboreal locomotion
Herbivore Ecology biology ved/biology ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Energetics Euclea natalensis biology.organism_classification Tree hyrax Cape Genetics Animal Science and Zoology Mammal Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Eugenia capensis Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Mammalogy. 78:213-221 |
| ISSN: | 0022-2372 1545-1542 |
| DOI: | 10.2307/1382654 |
| Popis: | This study identified the dietary composition of the arboreal tree hyrax Dendrohyrax ar-boreus , a rare, poorly known, forest mammal, in three eastern Cape forests. Fecal analysis showed D. arboreus to be a selective browser with an average of 7.2, 12.4, and 9.5 species of plants in the diet at the Pirie, Alexandria and Springmount forests, respectively. The economically important yellowwood Podocarpus falcatus was the principal dietary item at Pirie forest, whereas the principal dietary items at Alexandria forest were Schotia latifolia, Cassine aethiopica , and Eugenia capensis zeyheri. Principal food items at Springmount forest were S. latifolia and Euclea natalensis. Dietary preferences could not be explained by dietary abundance of plants, and appear to be related to the complex energetics of arboreal folivory. This delicate energy balance, together with the fact that the tree hyrax is a selective feeder, has implications for the selective removal of plant species from forests of the eastern Cape. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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