Abstract
Abstract. Norway spruce is a wide-spread food resource and its utilisable biomass exceeds the needs of herbivores. Needles seem to be a generally ignored food component in temperate forests that is consumed only when there are no better food sources. It is used especially during winters with deep snow cover. The aim of this study was to test presumption of needles as nutritive poor component of ungulate diets through botanical diet analyses and chemical nutrition estimation (content of crude protein and metabolizable energy volume in faeces) and elaborate the calibration curve on indirect estimation of quality food resources for ungulates in environment (NIRS needle content in faeces). High content of spruce needles corresponded well with a low quality winter diet of wild ungulates and may reflect animal nutritional constraints. As a consequence, the content of spruce needles may be used as an easy index of animal performance in a particular environment in forested area with coniferous forests in temperat...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
