Original Research

The nutritive value of veld as indicated by faecal phosphorous and nitrogen and its relation to the condition and movement of prominent ruminants during the 1992-1993 drought in the Kruger National Park

C.C. Grant, H.H. Meissner, W.A. Schultheiss
Koedoe | Vol 38, No 1 | a302 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v38i1.302 | © 1995 C.C. Grant, H.H. Meissner, W.A. Schultheiss | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 25 August 1995 | Published: 25 August 1995

About the author(s)

C.C. Grant, Kruger National Park, South Africa
H.H. Meissner, University of Pretoria, South Africa
W.A. Schultheiss, University of Pretoria, South Africa

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Abstract

Faecal N and P were used as primary indicators of nutritive quality of the veld in relation to migratory movements of major grazers, browsers and selective feeders. Faecal concentrations of these nutrients were shown to be different between species, land- scapes, grass, browse and grass plus browse, between seasons and between soil types, i.e. granite vs. basalt. Faecal N concentrations w/ere well correlated with the condition of the animals, and because nutritive quality of the southern Combretum veld on granite was apparently better than other areas in 1992-1993, also with influx of buffalo, blue wildebeest and kudu into these areas.

Keywords

Faecal analysis, nitrogen, phosphorus, veld quality, granite, basalt, ruminants.

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