Wildlife Food Plants - Forestry Natural Resources and Wildlife - Lecture Slides, Slides of Wildlife Ecology

Download Wildlife Food Plants - Forestry Natural Resources and Wildlife - Lecture Slides and more Slides Wildlife Ecology in PDF only on Docsity! Establishing and Enhancing Wildlife Food Plants Docsity.com Outline • Wildlife Nutrition and Feeding Habits • Geology, Soils and Wildlife Plants • Categories of Plants • Developing a Wildlife Planting Plan • Experimental Results of Herbicide Work in Food Plots • In-the-Field Demonstrations Docsity.com In most cases, managing existing native plants is a more practical and cost-effective method of enhancing wildlife habitat. Docsity.com Starvation vs. Malnutrition • Starvation - animal dies from lack of food • Malnutrition - animal usually survives in poor condition due to lack of quality food – lower body weights, delayed maturity, lower reproductive rate, susceptible to disease/predation & extreme weather • In the Southeast, rarely starvation but poor habitat results in malnutrition Docsity.com Ranking of Wildlife Foods 1. Preferred - found more in the diet compared to abundance in the field, usually 1st choice. 2. Staple - foods eaten on a regular basis which meet nutritional needs, usually 2nd choice. 3. Emergency - foods eaten to meet short-term nutritional needs, usually when staple foods are absent. 4. Stuffers - foods with low nutritional value that are consumed because there is nothing else to eat. Docsity.com Nutritional Needs of Wildlife Protein • Comprised of amino acids & measured in % crude protein (CP) content of food • Native plants average 10% CP (2-39%) • Deer require 16-17 % CP for body maintenance – > 17% required for optimal antler growth Docsity.com Nutrient Content of Select Foods Dry matter (%) DE (kcal/kg) CP % CF % Ca% Alfalfa 90 1800 15.3 27.0 1.4 Barley 87 1790 7.6 24.0 .2 Red Clover 88 1760 17.3 21.8 1.3 W.Clover 92 2024 21.4 20.9 1.8 Lespedeza 92 1290 12.7 28.1 .9 Oats 89 2000 7.3 29.5 .3 Ryegrass 86 2070 7.4 26.0 .5 Wheat 88 1870 7.4 25.0 .2 Docsity.com Nutritional Needs of Wildlife Carbohydrates • Comprise 3/4 of dry matter in plants • Primary source of energy for wildlife • Sugars (glucose, lactose) & non-sugars (cellulose, starch, hemicellulose) • Sugars are quickly & easily digested • Non-sugar digestion is a longer process • Cellulose cannot be digested by wildlife – ( Only broken down by bacteria, fungi & some protozoan) Docsity.com Nutritional Needs of Wildlife Minerals • Macro-elements - Ca, P, K, S, Na, Cl, Mg – Ca for egg production, Ca & P for antler growth • Trace elements - Fe, Mn, Cu, I, Mo, Zn – Too much can be toxic • Important in bone & tooth development Docsity.com Nutritional Needs of Wildlife Minerals • Aid physiological processes • Obtain through food, water, ingestion of soil, or grit • Ratio of intake important – Ca & P should be 2:1 Salt or mineral blocks for deer? Late spring/early summer of value on nutrient depleted soils use fortified mineral blocks check regulations / baiting Docsity.com Nutritional Needs of Wildlife Water • Necessary for digestion, metabolism, cooling, lubrication & other life processes • Usually not a limiting factor to wildlife in the Southeast – Obtained from free water (lakes, streams, dew on vegetation, water from food consumed & metabolic water) • Rainfall effects vegetation quality & abundance Docsity.com Categories of Wildlife Based on Feeding Strategies 1. Carnivore - diet primarily animal matter 2. Herbivore - diet primarily vegetation/plant parts 3. Insectivore - diet mostly insects 4. Granivore - diet of seeds, grains 5. Omnivore - mixed diet of #1 & #2 or combination of all the above 6. Scavenger - diet of primarily carrion Diets determine the type of digestive system that has evolved to process food efficiently for various species of wildlife. Docsity.com Two Types of Wildlife Digestive Systems 1. Simple Digestive System • Tongue, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine • Foods that are easily digested • Primarily carnivorous mammals, some omnivores & insectivores Docsity.com Simple Digestive System Tongue, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine Docsity.com Two Types of Wildlife Digestive Systems 2. Modified/Complex Digestive System Rodents & Small Mammals • Large caecum & enlarge large intestine for microbial digestion • Break down of cellulose and complex carbohydrates • Produces bacterial protein • Also can ingest own feces or coprophagy (rabbits) – increases amino acid & vitamin absorption Docsity.com Rabbit Digestive System Caecum comprises 45% of digestive system Docsity.com Two Types of Wildlife Digestive Systems 2. Modified/Complex Digestive System Ruminants (deer) • Most complex, 4 parts 1. Rumen - fermentation vat 2. Reticulum - nutrient absorption 3. Omasum - acts as a filter of digested foods 4. Abomasum - acid & peptic digestion of microorganisms 5. Small & large intestine - nutrient absorption Docsity.com