Photosynthetic pigments estimate diet quality in forage and feces of elk (Cervus elaphus)

摘要: Understanding the nutritional dynamics of herbivores living in highly seasonal landscapes remains a central challenge foraging ecology with few tools available for describing variation selection dormant versus growing vegetation. Here, we tested whether concentrations photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) forage feces elk (Cervus elaphus L., 1785) were correlated other commonly used indices quality (digestibility, energy content, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), nitrogen content) diet (fecal nitrogen, fecal NDF, botanical composition diet). Photosynthetic pigment strongly gross energy, digestibility, NDF forages, particularly spring. Winter spring was explained nearly identical linear models estimating effects season, sex, day-of-spring, although consistently a...