Food Composition for Herbivores

Question 1

Grazers and Browsers

Answer 1

eat leaves, stems, vegetative parts of plants

includes algae (marine mammals) and lichen

does not include fruit, seeds, nectar, pollen or fungi

Question 2

forage and browse composition - CP

Answer 2

seasonal
<7% from late winter to early spring
~15-50% in the summer

fluctuates with cell wall content

Question 3

forage and browse composition- Cell wall content

Answer 3

cell wall content- hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin
>50% in late winter
~30% in mid summer

Question 4

forage and browse composition- soluble carbohydrates

Answer 4

~40% year round

Question 5

forage and browse composition- Ash

Answer 5

~5% year round

Question 6

forage and browse composition- EE

Answer 6

<5% year round

Question 7

Forage and Browse Accessibility

Answer 7

browse–> leaves, twigs, and other high-growing vegetation
changes with season
- as snow depth increases - may make is easier or harder to reach food
- some herbivores may need to access the forage below the snow

Question 8

Ash content

Answer 8

minerals are very important in herbivorous diets

• Na, K, Ca, P
• Na, Ca, P may be low in many plants
• K is typically high in most plants
• Na:K and Ca:P may be unbalanced
• want Na:K to be 1:4
• want Ca:P to be 2:1

Question 9

other sources of Na

Answer 9

road salt
rocks
dirt
artificial salt licks

Question 10

other sources of Ca

Answer 10

chewing bone
mineral licks
chewing eggshells
dirt

Question 11

Granivores

Answer 11

dry fruit eating frugivores

- eat cereal grains, nuts, seeds

Question 12

Cultivated seeds vs weed seeds

Answer 12

low CF vs high CF
high NFE vs low NFE

seed composition

• germ is high in EE
• endosperm is high in NFE
• husk is high in CF

Question 13

Phorphorous availability

Answer 13

some P stored as phytate in seeds

• mostly concentrated in the husk
• reduces digestibility off other nutrients (CHO, CP, EE)
• plant phytases turn phytate into available P when seeds sprout

Question 14

Mycophages

Answer 14

fungi eating animals
fungi are 75% water
CP is 60-80 unavailable --> mostly NPN
lots of NDF- lots of cell wall 
BAd Ca:P