Abstract
Abstract. The impact of altitudinal zone on the nutritional quality of kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) acorns was assessed in Xirovouni Mountain shrublands in northwestern Greece. Whole acorns were collected during autumn 2011 from 15 sites located at three altitudinal zones (i.e. lower, middle, upper). Kermes oak acorn samples were manually separated into kernel and hull and analysed for chemical composition (crude protein, CP; neutral detergent fibre, NDF; acid detergent fibre, ADF; lignin), in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD), digestible energy (DE), and minerals (i.e. Ca, P, K, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu). Altitude had a negative correlation with CP, IVDMD, and IVNDFD and positively correlated to cell wall contents in both kernel and hull. Acorns growing under higher temperatures (at lower altitude) have more digestible cell wall compared to acorns growing under lower temperatures (at higher altitude) due to increased CP content and decreased cell wall content. It seems that environmental factors affect the nutritional value of acorns. Thus, goat farmers should take this into account when collecting acorns to feed their animals.
Highlights
Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) is a sclerophyllous evergreen shrub that is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate (Tsiouvaras, 1987)
The air temperature and precipitation patterns were differentiated in the altitudinal zones (Fig. 1)
This study has provided evidence that the altitudinal gradient of a mountainside forms individual microclimates in each altitudinal zone, which directly affect kermes oak acorn nutritive value
Summary
Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) is a sclerophyllous evergreen shrub that is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate (Tsiouvaras, 1987). It is the most abundant evergreen species in Greece and constitutes one of the main shrubland types that extends from lowlands to mountainous areas. Acorns are the nuts of oak species and their nutritional quality is affected by the stage of maturity (Moujahed et al, 2003), which, in turn, is affected by climatic conditions (Merouani et al, 2003; Pons and Pausas, 2012). Acorns are a good source of energy for small ruminants (Kayouli and Buldgen, 2001) and they could replace 50 % of the barley in goat diets (Moujahed et al, 2005) and 25 % in lamb diets (Al Jassim et al, 1998)
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