Feeding preferences of sika deer on Mt. Tanzawa: a case study in a habitat heavily impacted by long-term deer grazing

Takatsuki Seiki, Kajitani Toshio

doi:10.18960/hozen.1903

<p>The sika deer (Cervus nippon) population on the Tanzawa Mountains increased during the 1970s. The vegetation on the mountains was strongly impacted by the intensive grazing of the burgeoning deer population. The species richness in the forest floor vegetation was dramatically reduced, and soil erosion was a frequent occurrence. In the present study, we examined the feeding preferences of the deer under prevailing conditions in the period of February.December, 2018. The preferences were determined by analysis of faecal samples. Five faecal sampling sites were chosen in the eastern (East High, East Middle), central (Mid High, Mid Middle), and western (West High) parts of the Mt. Tanzawa region. We found that (i) dicotyledonous leaves accounted for only a small proportion of the deer faeces content, (ii) fibre comprised a large proportion of the faeces, particularly in winter, and was also an important component in summer, and (iii) grasses accounted for a high proportion of faecal content at high-elevation sites. These data, together with those from other areas, suggest that the deer of this region persisted on a forage-poor diet; they were unable to access adequate quantities leafy food, even during the plant growing season. Thus, it will be important to monitor (i) the nutritional status and gestation of this deer population, and (ii) changes in vegetation components, including the populations of dwarf bamboo, for better management of the forest ecosystem on the Tanzawa Mountains.</p>

Feeding preferences of sika deer on Mt. Tanzawa: a case study in a habitat heavily impacted by long-term deer grazing

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