Similarity in plant species consumed by goat flocks in the tropical dry forest of the Cañada, Oaxaca

Abstract

Management of goats (Capra hircus) in extensive systems is a common practice in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (TCBR), Mexico. This study analyzes the similarity in plant consumed by goat flocks in landscape at the Cañada region, Oaxaca. Eight (8) flocks were sampled in different locations during the 2012 rainy season and 2013 dry season. To determine spatial and temporal similarity among the flocks, depending upon the consumed plant species, it was used hierarchical agglomerative clustering methods in the R program. The goats consumed a total of 84 plant species, of which 30 constituted 75 % of the diet. According to the similarity analysis, Mimosa sp. and Acacia cochiliacantha were the species consumed by all flocks in both seasons; while Eleusine indica, Prosopis leavigata and Opuntia sp. were the next most important, depending on the season. The Tecomavaca herd showed lower similarity than the other flocks. The results of the present study contribute to furthering the knowledge regarding the foraging habits of goats in tropical dry regions where the seasonality of the resources is very contrasting.