THE ECOLOGY OF FEEDING BEHAVIORAL OF TIMOR DEER (Cervus timorenses Blainville) IN BALI BARAT NATIONAL PARK

• Main Author: Ketut Ginantra (NIM 20697515), I
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/8184
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

ABSTRACT: <br /> <br /> <br /> It was conducted a study about feeding activity and availability of food resources to timor deer (Cervus timorensis Blainville) at dry season and rainy season in Bali Barat National Park. Observation of active pattern and time spent for feeding applied with scan method. Availability of forage plants species determined by cover and presence frequence. Vegetation productivity measured by harvesting method. Forage consumption weight with bite count method. Nutrition content of forage measured crude protein. Plants species composition in diet determined by microhistological tecnique. Food preference calculation with Ivlev indeks. Wilcoxon rank test and t test applied to compare time spent, forage consumption weight, food preference and protein content between two seasons. Spearman correlation test provided to determine relation of habitat unit selection with sum of species, productivity and protein content. The result of study indicated that habitat unit with herbs community prefered to feeding activity. Of 58 plants species (herbs) present, 35 species in both dry and rainy seasons, 17 species in rainy season only and 6 species in dry season only. Vegetation productivity of dry season was only 48,03 % than rainy season. Feeding Active pattern of timor deer was mixture between diurnal (day time) and nocturnal (night time). Timor deer tended to be more active in the night time. The time spent (minute/day) was 644,29 approximately 35,25 and 521,88 approximately 40,99 in dry and rainy seasons respectively. Of 67 plants species of forage for timor deer (47 herbs, 4 shrubs, 9 trees and 7 species unidentified), four of them were key species to forage of timor deer, i.e : Cynodon dactylon, Eriochiaa ramosa, Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Eragrostis amabilis. The average protein content was 11, 73 % and 14,12 % in dry and rainy seasons respectively. Forage consumption weight (gram dry matterhnd./day) was 2.799,44 approximately 138,45 and 2.688,45 approximately 171,34 in dry and rainy seasons respctively. Food preference between two seasons indicated significantly different. Feeding habitat unit selection correlated to sum of species available significantly. Daily feeding active any longer, increasing of forage consumption weight and difference of food preference as a responds of feeding behavior of timor deer caused availability of food resource declines in dry season.