Influence of ingested forage on the composition of rumen microfauna in fallow deer

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between ingested forage and composition of microfauna in the rumen of fallow deer. Rumen content of six specimens was obtained from the Bolimowska Forest during 2011/12 hunting season. Protozoa of the Entodinium and Epidinium genera belonging to the Ophryoscoleciade family were identified in analysed samples. Density of Entodinium population was positively correlated with percentage share of forage rich in starch. It was also reversely and equally strongly correlated to the share of forage rich in cellulose (p>0.05). Share of volume and biomass of Epidinium population was correlated negatively with the share of acorns in the forage (p>0.1). Differences in number and share of protozoa of the Entodinium and Epidinium genera in the rumen of fallow deer coexisting in the same place and time indicate feeding opportunism of this ruminant