Skip to main content

Table 1 Weight (mg DM) of bite categories grouped by morphological group (M2) (mean ± standard error)

From: Simpler intake estimation using direct observation in small ruminants: grouping bites by plant structure and morphology

Morphological

Bite categories: leaves alone

Bite categories: leaves + stems

Group1

< 1 cm

3–5 cm

6–10 cm

11–15 cm

16–20 cm

< 1 cm

3–5 cm

6–10 cm

11–15 cm

16–20 cm

Grass

33 ± 1a

n = 30

122 ± 3b

n = 30

256 ± 10c

n = 30

396 ± 11d

n = 20

404 ± 6d

n = 10

Small herbaceous

8 ± 1a

n = 20

19 ± 1ab

n = 30

53 ± 8c

n = 20

11 ± 0.5a

n = 20

280 ± 1b

n = 10

32 ± 2b

n = 10

Big herbaceous

25 ± 4a

n = 85

78 ± 8ab

n = 75

137 ± 19c

n = 60

385 ± 58c

n = 40

889 ± 72d

n = 20

50 ± 8a

n = 60

115 ± 11ab

n = 70

176 ± 18b

n = 40

461 ± 65c

n = 50

1214 ± 115d

n = 30

Small woody shrubs

109 ± 1a

n = 30

23 ± 3a

n = 30

102 ± 4b

n = 30

167 ± 4c

n = 30

22 ± 3a

n = 30

85 ± 10b

n = 30

188 ± 5c

n = 25

301 ± 11d

n = 30

684 ± 116e

n = 10

Big woody shrubs

64 ± 5a

n = 39

105 ± 5ab

n = 35

222 ± 19b

n = 35

400 ± 44c

n = 30

750 ± 141d

n = 15

134 ± 9a

n = 29

221 ± 6a

n = 25

585 ± 8b

n = 15

1350 ± 8c

n = 15

1633 ± 166c

n = 20

Small bipinnate

110 ± 8a

n = 20

145 ± 12ab

n = 20

184 ± 17b

n = 20

Medium bipinnate

99 ± 7a

n = 20

150 ± 14b

n = 20

266 ± 3c

n = 10

755 ± 10d

n = 10

922 ± 21e

n = 10

Big bipinnate

76 ± 3a

n = 30

98 ± 4a

n = 30

296 ± 5b

n = 30

1306 ± 31c

n = 30

1582 ± 31d

n = 20

Vines

40 ± 4a

n = 39

111 ± 7b

n = 39

159 ± 5c

n = 39

209 ± 7d

n = 29

362 ± 21e

n = 10

71 ± 7a

n = 39

195 ± 11b

n = 29

317 ± 11c

n = 29

0.412 ± 30d

n = 10

654 ± 20e

n = 10

  1. a–e For each category (leaves alone and leaves + stems), the mean values within a row with a different superscript differ (Tukey’s post hoc honest significant difference test, P < 0.05)
  2. 1 Species listing for each group: Grass: Chloris inflata, Eragrostis ciliaris var. ciliaris, Eragrostis amabilis. Herbaceous small: Sida acuta, Blechum pyramidatum, Tetramerium nervosum. Herbaceous big: Althernatera flavescens, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, Bourreria pulchra, Parthenium hysterophorus, Solanum trydanum, Viguiera dentata, Waltheria indica, Morinda royoc. Woddy small: Dyospirus anisandra, Gymnopodium floribundum, Randia aculeata. Woddy big: Bunchosia swartziana, Cordia alliodora, neomillspaughia emarginata, Piscida piscipula. Bipinnate small: Senegalia gaumeri, Mimosa bahamensis. Bipinnate medium: Acacia collinsii, Acacia pennatula. Bipinnate big: Leucaena leucocephala, Lysiloma latisiliquum, Caesalpinia gaumeri. Vines: Bahuinia divaricata, Ipomea crinicalyx, Ipomea nill, Cardiospermum alicacabum
  3. 2 The symbol “–” indicates that none of the species fall within this bite category group