Abstract
This study assessed the diet composition of Salt’s dik-dik (Madoqua saltiana) in Awash National Park and is aimed at identifying the forage species and analyzing their contributions to the respective forage categories (grass or browse). Feeding duration records, coupled with quadrat surveys, were used to evaluate the dietary contributions and acceptability of the plants. Twenty plant species were found to be consumed by the animal; however, only 16 species were recorded during the dry season. The three staple plants were Acacia senegal (41.3%), Acacia mellifera (20.5%), and Balanites aegyptiaca (12.7%), and these species constituted 74.4% of the dik-diks’ diet. Between the wet and dry seasons, a similar dietary proportion was found for A. senegal, while significant variations were observed for both A. mellifera and B. aegyptiaca. From the forage categories, browse constituted the major proportion of the diet both during the wet (91.9%) and dry (93.3%) seasons, while plant litter, herbs, and grass constituted the remainder. Acceptability index analysis showed that A. mellifera was highly acceptable during the wet season followed by A. senegal. However, during the dry season, A. senegal was the most accepted plant followed by B. aegyptiaca and A. mellifera.
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Acknowledgements
Special acknowledgment goes to the Ethiopian Wildlife Authority for granting permission to carry out the study in the park. Idea wild is appreciated for providing field equipment. Our gratitude goes to the park warden, field assistants, Park scouts, and drivers for their assistance with fieldwork.
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The authors are grateful to the Addis Ababa University, Department of Zoological Sciences, and the biodiversity thematic project for funding the research.
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This work is part of a PhD dissertation submitted to the Department of Zoological Sciences of Addis Ababa University.
Appendices
Appendix 1
Plate 1 foraging Salt’s dik-dik (a, b the animal foraging during the wet season; c, d foraging during the dry season; e foraging height of Salt’s dik-dik; f recording the foraging activity)
Appendix 2
N.B, activity budget is calculated for observation time of activity per observation session (out of 100%), but sum up of activity budget exceeded 100% due to activity overlap (for instance, time overlap between ruminating and resting)
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Comparison of seasonal availability of the principal forage species from the sampled quadrat of the surveyed sites
Comparison of seasonal availability of the foraged species revealed insignificant difference for A. senegal (χ2 = 1.4, P = 0.153), while varied availabilities were recorded for A. mellifera (χ2 =5.4, P = 0.051), B. aegyptiaca (χ2 =5.3, P = 0.059), A. oerfota (χ2 = 4.0, P = 0.116), and A. etbaica (χ2 = 8.1, P = 0.074). Unavailability during the dry season feeding quadrat survey led to statistical significance for S. ovate (χ2 =7.2, P = 0.005) and L. trifolia (χ2 = 6.1, P = 0.044).
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Geta, S., Bekele, A. Diet composition of Salt’s dik-dik (Madoqua saltiana Blainville, 1816) in Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Eur J Wildl Res 69, 103 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01731-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01731-w