A utilitarian simulation model of botanical composition of ruminant diets on rangelands is proposed. It emphasizes the use of forage resource diversity within the range ecosystem context. The forage species, within a plant community, are taken as the functional unit of the model. Four indices are defined: (a) a probability of encountering forage i in the plant community, (b) a structural index of bite taken in forage i, (c) a quality index of forage i, and (d) a selectivity index of the animal foraging. These indices are combined to calculate potential alimentary capacities of forage species (PAC), and to estimate their contribution to the diet taken from a particular plant community. An extrapolation to the overall habitat is then made, by an estimation of relative feeding times spent within the various plant communities of the rangeland.
Journal articles from the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) African Journal of Range and Forage Science as well as related articles and reports from throughout the southern African region.