Adaptations to and consequences of an herbivorous diet in grouse and waterfowl
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Authors: J. S. Sedinger
Date: 1997
Journal: The Condor
Volume: 99
Number: 2
Pages: 314-326
Summary of Methods: This review looks at diet selection in grouse and waterfowl in the context of their herbivorous diets and discusses adaptations to herbivory in these groups. Grouse eat plant foods containing lower concentrations of protein than foods of waterfowl, especially during the breeding season. Several species of grouse and small waterfowl (ducks) eat invertebrates during periods of high protein requirement, such as growth or egg production. Grouse and waterfowl differ little from each other in the morphology of digestive structures. The principal exception is the ceca, which are 5 times as long in grouse as in comparably sized waterfowl. Enlarged ceca are associated with improved nitrogen economy in grouse; evolution of these structures in geese may have been precluded by energetic costs of carrying enlarged ceca during migration.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: grouse, waterfowl, herbivory, nutrition, digestion
Annotation: Grazing intensity is not specified.
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