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The Comparative Feeding Bahaviour of Large Browsing and Grazing Herbivores

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Book cover The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 195))

Herbivores exploit a food resource that is fundamentally different from that of most other trophic levels. Their food exists in an apparent surplus, food items are rarely eaten in entirety, and the concepts of pursuit and catchability are irrelevant (Owen- Smith and Novellie 1982; Spalinger & Hobbs 1992a). Plant foliage is generally of low nutritive value so foraging time and digestive time are important constraints. Ungulate herbivores can be broadly classified into two groups—those that feed mainly on grass, and those than feed mainly on browse. This division is important in relation to the both the way in which an animal forages, and the definition of what constitutes a patch, because grass and browse material present themselves in very different ways to the foraging herbivore, and because grasses differ from browses in architecture and physical structure (Table 5.1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO - Sustainable Ecosystems, Davies Laboratory, University Drive, QLD 4814, Annandale, Australia

    Kate R. Searle

  2. Department of Natural Resources, Washington State University, 99163, Washington, USA

    Lisa A. Shipley

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  1. PMB PO Aitkenvale, Qld 4814, Australia

    Iain J. Gordon

  2. Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Herbert H. T. Prins

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Searle, K.R., Shipley, L.A. (2008). The Comparative Feeding Bahaviour of Large Browsing and Grazing Herbivores. In: Gordon, I.J., Prins, H.H.T. (eds) The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing. Ecological Studies, vol 195. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72422-3_5

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