An evaluation of diet quality in two desert ungulates exposed to hyper-arid conditions

Abstract

Desert-dwelling ungulates are frequently exposed to plant communities of poor nutritional quality and low abundance. We assessed the diet quality of a large-bodied non-ruminant, the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) and that of a small-bodied ruminant, the dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) in Makhtesh Ramon, Negev desert, Israel. The diet of the dorcas gazelle was significantly richer in crude protein than that of the wild ass. The level of crude protein in the faeces of dorcas gazelles was...