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Can I read Optimal Foraging of a Herbivorous Lizard, the Green Iguana in a Seasonal Environment on EtoBox?
Optimal Foraging of a Herbivorous Lizard, the Green Iguana in a Seasonal Environment by Wouter D. van Marken Lichtenbelt is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.
What is Optimal Foraging of a Herbivorous Lizard, the Green Iguana in a Seasonal Environment about?
Food selection was studied in free living green iguanas (Iguana iguana) throughout the year in a semiarid environment, Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles). Food intake was determined by direct observations and converted into biomass intake. Comparison between intake and biomass availability of the various food items revealed that the lizards were selective, and that changes in seasonal food availability led to periodic switching of food plants. The extent to which nutrient constraints determine iguana feeding ecology was investigated. Potential constraints were the requirements for water, digestible crude protein, and metabolizable energy. By using a linear programming model that incorporates characteristics of the food (chemical composition, energy content, item size) and requirements and constraints of the green iguanas (nutrient and energy requirements digestive tract capacity, feeding rate) it was possible to identify which factors determine food choice over the year. During the dry period, when the iguanas had no access to drinking water they consumed flowers to increase water intake, though the amount of flowers consumed was too low to cover maintenance requirements for either ene
Who reads Optimal Foraging of a Herbivorous Lizard, the Green Iguana in a Seasonal Environment?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Environmental Science.
- Author
- Wouter D. van Marken Lichtenbelt
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag; Springer Verlag; Springer Science and Business Media LLC (ISSN 0029-8549)
- Published
- 1993
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)