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Summer dietary compositions of sika deer on Yakushima Island, southern Japan
Author(s) -
Takatsuki Seiki
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02346995
Subject(s) - cervus , bamboo , evergreen , biology , grassland , evergreen forest , foraging , ecology , habit , food habits , geography , medicine , psychology , environmental health , psychotherapist
Summer food habits of Sika deer ( Cervus nippon yakushimae ) on Yakushima Island, southern Japan, were studied focusing in particular on Pseudosasa owatarii , a dwarf bamboo native to the island. Fecal analyses showed that the food habit of the Sika deer on Yakushima island was plastic: the dietary composition was dominated by graminoids (ca. 90%), particularly P. owatarii (50%–60%) in the bamboo grassland of the P. owatarii zone above the timber line, whereas leaves and non‐leafy parts of woody plants were important in the crytomeria forest and evergreen broad‐leaved forest below the timber line. The maximum culm age of P. owatarii was 8.5 yr, but the majority of leaves (97.8%) were younger than 2.5 yr. Since the weight contribution of the leaves is great (27.7%) and the turnover rate is high, the P. owatarii grassland affords a good foraging place for the Sika deer on Yakushima Island.