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Seasonal variations in botanical and nutritive composition, forage availability and ingestive behavior of grazing goats in the semiarid region

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess how the different seasons of the year impact the botanical composition, availability, and quality of forage in the caatinga, as well as the frequency of ingestion and ingestive behavior of goats in a semi-arid region. The experiment used four crossbred castrated males, with an average weight of 30.2 ± 4.76 kg and an average age of 20 months. The experimental period lasted for 12 months, encompassing two rainy seasons and one dry season within this timeframe, with three replications (data collection) per season. All collected forage was categorized based on its stratum (herbaceous, woody, and litter), and a chemical composition analysis was conducted. The goats’ behavior was assessed by observing variables such as feeding time, idleness, rumination, displacement, social interaction, and water intake. The findings revealed clear seasonality in both availability and quality of forage, consequently influencing the botanical composition of the goats’ diet and their ingestive behavior. In addition, during the grazing period, the goats showed a shift grazing habit, in which idle and feeding peaks were alternated with increased displacement during the morning and rumination in the afternoon. The seasons of the year strongly impact the availability and nutritional quality of forage in the caatinga biome, consequently influencing the ingestive behavior and dietary composition of goats in this ecosystem.

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Fig. 1

Source: Adapted from Google Maps. b Sample points of the experimental area. Source: Personal File

Fig. 2

Source: Emdagro (2018)

Fig. 3

Source: Personal file; b Goat consuming litter in the middle of the dry season, note the great predominance of catingueira (Poincianella pyramidalis) leaves. Source: Personal file

Fig. 4

Source: Personal file; b example of macambira (bromelia laciniosa) after grazing. Source: Personal file

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are included in the manuscript but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brasil

    Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Fábio Luíz de Oliveira, José Uellington do Nascimento Lima & Gilmartins Alves Nascimento

  2. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Norte, Macaíba, RN, Brasil

    Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão & Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Zootecnia Tropical, Universidade Federal Do Piauí, Campus Professora Cinobelina Elvas, Bom Jesus, PI, Brasil

    Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva, Antônio Leandro Chaves Gurgel & Marcos Jácome de Araújo

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  1. Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira
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  2. Fábio Luíz de Oliveira
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  3. José Uellington do Nascimento Lima
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão, Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques and Gilmartins Alves Nascimento; methodology: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão, Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques and Fábio Luíz de Oliveira; software: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques; validation: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva and Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão; formal analysis: Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques, Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva, Antônio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Marcos Jácome de Araújo and Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão; investigation: Fábio Luíz de Oliveira, José Uellington do Nascimento Lima and Gilmartins Alves Nascimento; resources: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques; data curation: Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva, Antônio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Marcos Jácome de Araújo and Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira; writing—original draft preparation: Fábio Luíz de Oliveira and Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva; writing—review and editing: Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva, Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira. and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques; visualization: Tairon Pannunzio Dias-Silva, Antônio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Marcos Jácome de Araújo and Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão; supervision: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira; project administration: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques; and funding acquisition: Angela Cristina Dias Ferreira, Jacira Neves da Costa Torreão and Carlo Aldrovandi Torreão Marques. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Ferreira, A.C.D., de Oliveira, F.L., do Nascimento Lima, J.U. et al. Seasonal variations in botanical and nutritive composition, forage availability and ingestive behavior of grazing goats in the semiarid region. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 36 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-03886-3

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