Seasonal variation of selected diets by sheep in mountain areas

Abstract

The indigenous plant communities are characterized by the variation in the range of plant communities, their distribution and proportion by area; there are also, seasonal changes in their quantity and quality, and the impact of the herbivores is essential in their conservation and maintenance (Grant and Hodgson, 1986). This impact, results mainly from their feeding behaviour and diet selection. The knowledge of the composition and nutritive value of roughages ingested under various extensive conditions is limited, and this is specialy true with regard to the mountain areas of Northern Spain where plant communities undergo significant seasonal changes. Differences among ruminant species in their foraging strategy are well documented (Gordon and Iason, 1989), but differences among genotypes of sheep have not been widely studied, and this is the case of the two major sheep genotypes of Northem Spain (Churro and Merino). With the aim to know how the grazing period during summer affect the degree of food selection in mountain areas and consistency of this differences, in Churro and Merino genotypes, an experiment was caried out.