THE DIET OF GOATS, RED DEER AND SOUTH-AMERICAN CAMELIDS FEEDING ON 3 CONTRASTING SCOTTISH UPLAND VEGETATION COMMUNITIES

1. With changes in the agricultural policy for rural areas in the UK t here is increased interest in the development of management protocols for indigenous and sown swards in upland Scotland based on grazing by ruminant species other than sheep and cattle, e.g. goats, red deer and South American camelids. 2. Here we describe the diet composition ove r two seasons of goats, red deer and South American camelids (guanacos ) grazing three vegetation types typical of upland ecosystems in the U K: a sown sward (Lolium perenne-dominated), an indigenous grassland (N ardus stricta-dominated) and a dwarf shrub community (Calluna vulgaris -dominated). 3. On each vegetation type, all three animal species were selective feeders. The composition of the goats' diet was more variab le than that of the red deer and guanacos. All three species were more selective when grazing the indigenous communities than when grazing t he sown sward. 4. On the Lolium sward, the guanacos avoided clover and other dicotyledonous plants, whilst the goats and red deer consumed g reen leaf from all plant categories found at or near the sward surface . 5. On the Nardus community, all three species avoided the dominant t ussock-grass and selected green lamina of broad-leaved grasses from th e species-rich inter-tussock areas. Between-species differences in min or components included an increased contribution of non-grass monocoty ledonous plants to the goats' diet in spring, and a higher proportion of grass flowerstem and grass seed/flowerhead in the guanacos' diet in summer. 6. The diets of the three species of animal on the Calluna co mmunity were broadly similar. All generally avoided C. vulgaris and st rongly selected graminoid species. Consumption of grass was greater in spring than summer. 7. Species differences in diet composition, parti cularly on indigenous swards dominated by N. stricta and C. vulgaris, might facilitate vegetation management and improve animal output using multispecies grazing systems.