Rumen contents and food selectivity of sika deer (Cervus nippon) on Tsushima Islands

Abstract

Rumen contents (N=90) of sika deer (Cervus nippon) were collected on Shimojima and Kamijima, which together compose the Tsushima Island group, western Japan, in the spring and autumn of 1992 and 1993. Data were analyzed using the point frame method. The dominant food was tree leaves in both seasons; 42.2% and 64.3% in spring and autumn, respectively, for the Shimojima population and 63.1% in autumn for the Kamijima population. As for the Shimojima population, deciduous tree leaves comprised less of rumen contents in spring (3.4%) than in autumn (17.4%). In autumn, occurrence of evergreen tree leaves was the highest among tree leaves found in the Shimojima population, while the highest occurrence was of deciduous tree leaves for the Kamijima population. Tree species available to the deer were classified into the following four groups; group A which is composed of 13 families including 17 species such as Castanopsis sieboldii was eaten and abundant, group B which is composed of 8 families including 8 species such as Swida macrophylla was preferred but less available, group C was abundant but uneaten, and group D was scarce and uneaten.