Abstract
Seladang food preferences primarily depended on the habitat types within their home range. Shrubs and grasses were their main food sources. The types of food species preferred by seladang in each habitat types were unknown. In this study, the food species were identified and classified according to the intensity of browsing and grazing capacity of seladang within each habitat type such as in the primary forests, secondary forests and agricultural areas. Study plots and sub-plots were selected based on feeding habit and footprint signs. The results of this study found that 17 species of shrubs and 6 species of grasses were preferred by seladang. S. acuminata (7.95%) was the most preferable species of shrubs in the primary forest, Melastoma malabathricum (10.42%) in the secondary forest and Erythrina variegata (18.56%) in the agriculture area. The amount of grass species eaten by seladang is not significantly different but Imperata cylindrica was grazed in the primary forest compared to Paspalum conjugatum in the secondary forest and Paspalum vaginatum in agricultural area.
Highlights
Habitat is defined as an area where an organism lives and meets its basic needs for food, water, cover and space to survive
Out of 1663 twigs count for all grass species in the primary forest 19.06% of Imperata cylindrica was eaten by seladang
The preferences on shrubs were estimated based on the number of twigs of shrub species eaten by seladang
Summary
Habitat is defined as an area where an organism lives and meets its basic needs for food, water, cover and space to survive. Wildlife habitat regardless of whether it is terrestrial, marine or wetland habitats, is significant because of a number of functions it performs to support wildlife These include (a) food for browsing (the twigs and buds of shrubs and trees), and foraging (grasses and legumes); (b) water that they need directly from the food they eat; (c) cover to protect themselves from predators, resting, rearing their young and protection against inclement weather and (d) Space for a territory or home range of the year. First study of seladang feeding habits was accomplished through field observation in Endau Rompin State Park (Ebil, 1991) He found that seladang utilized most the plants they like best. Many wildlife researchers are inclined to consider those plants utilized most as the ones most preferred Such observations may be misleading because of the effect of
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