Animal preference and external plant attributes: application of principle component analysis
Journal Title: Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) - Year 2015, Vol 6, Issue 1
Abstract
To evaluate the relationship between the external plant attributes (EPA) and animal preference (AP), plant composition in the study area and in the diet of sheep and goats, as well as the selection index of species were determined. Then, the most important EPA was selected and evaluated using literature review. Since there were a lot of EPA, plants were ranked based on these attributes using the principle component analysis (PCA). The eigenvalue and eigenvectors of the plant species and EPA were graphed, and the correlation between the species selection index by sheep and goats and the eigenvalue of the PCA axis for each plant species were calculated. Results indicated that while there was no significant difference between grazing time of sheep and rangeland plant composition, a significant relation was found between grazing time of goat and rangeland plant composition. Hence, it can be concluded that goat is not selective as they grazed plants in proportion to their forage yield and canopy cover in the field. Moreover, there is a significant relationship between the species' selection by sheep and goats and EPA. This study showed that the optimum grazing can be achieved by common grazing of goat and sheep as a result of different grazing time of plant life-forms and plant species.
Authors and Affiliations
Valiollah RaufiradA, Ataollah Ebrahimi, Hossein Azadi
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP38114
- DOI -
- Views 185
- Downloads 0
Geographical accessibility analysis of public health care centers in Faisalabad city (Pakistan) for a sustainable future
Primary health care is the most important element in health services while geographical accessibility explains the efficient provision of health care facilities to the public of any particular area. Current study is an a...
Bryophyte flora of Mt. Matutum protected landscape, South Cotabato, Philippines
An inventory of Mt. Matutum’s bryophyte flora as to its species richness and composition on the three vegetation types namely: lowland (mixed dipterocarp), montane and mossy forests was conducted. A floristic survey thro...
Assessment of the relationship between land use land cover and water quality status of the tropical watershed: a case of Batang Merao Watershed, Indonesia
Considering the vital role of Batang Merao Watershed as the source of water reservoir for most regional economic activities and the buffer zone of Kerinci Seblat National Park, this study aimed to investigate the relati...
Macroepiphytes and macroalgae (Phaeophyceae, rhodophyceae and chlorophyceae) in the nador lagoon (Morocco)
Many species of marine macroalgae support the development of attached communities on their external surfaces, studies on epiphytic algal communities are however rare in lagoonal environments. A major management plan wa...
The first study of isotomidae fauna (collembola: apterygota) in lorestan province, western iran, with new records for iranian fauna
Preliminary fauna of the Isotomidae were investigated in 10 different regions of the Kohdasht County (Lorestan province, Western Iran) during 2013-2014. The specimens were collected from the surface layer of soil and le...