dc.contributor.author | Gitau, SM | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-05-30T08:13:09Z | |
dc.date.available | 2013-05-30T08:13:09Z | |
dc.date.issued | 1992 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Degree of Master of Science | en |
dc.identifier.uri | http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/27429 | |
dc.description.abstract | Food preferences . of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the forest and
plains of Nairobi National Park were studied each month from July to November
inclusive in 1990. The Rank Preference Index indicated preferences for species that
were not relatively abundant. Most common food items were used in proportion to
their availability. A possible role of plant mineral content in food selection was
examined by comparing the mineral content of shoots of both browsed and
unbrowsed species each month. Concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, potassium,
and magnesium in browsed and unbrowsed species did not vary with time and so do
not appear to be factors in food selection by the giraffe. Shoots of browsed species
did however have a higher sodium content than unbrowsed species, suggesting
selection for plants high in sodium. Higher Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen concentration in
shoots of unbrowsed species than in browsed species may be indicative of nitrogenous
secondary compounds in the former but this possibility needs further investigation | en |
dc.language.iso | en | en |
dc.title | Plant nutrient composition and food preference by the giraffe, giraffa camelopardalis In Nairobi national park, Kenya | en |
dc.type | Thesis | en |
local.publisher | Faculty of Arts and Science,TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada | en |