I want to share abstract of my M.Sc. research "Dry Season Diets of Sympatric Ungulates in Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal" at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway.

During the early part of the dry season (November), the diet of three sympatric ungulate species in Royal Bardia National Park in Nepal was examined to assess the dietary patterns, extent of food overlap and potential for competition between them. A microhistological technique of faecal analysis was used to compare their diets. Two hundred plant fragments from randomly collected pellet and dung samples were identified for each animal species.

Graminoids dominated the diet of one-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis (45.5%), swamp deer Cervus duvauceli (74.5%) and hog deer Axis porcinus (66.5%). Woody plants were also important in the diet of rhino (33.0%). Diet similarity indices were high among all three species both at broader (forage categories) and finer scale (within forage categories). However, the composition of diets at both scales was different among them except for the early succession tall grasses.

Generally, the diet of rhino was significantly different from that of swamp and hog deer at the forage category level and among the most important plant species, Saccharum spontaneum, because they consumed more woody plants and less Saccharum spontaneum than the two deer species. However, rhino did not differ in their consumption of subcategories of graminoids, especially early succession grasses and late succession grasses. The diets of the two deer species were relatively similar, but still they differed significantly in their consumption of subcategories of graminoid. In addition to early succession tall grasses, swamp deer ate more late succession tall grasses and short grasses than hog deer.

Saccharum spontaneum was the staple food for all the three species. Its contribution was highest in hog deer (30.5%) followed by swamp deer (24.0%) and rhino (18.5%). High dependency of the ungulates on this particular forage species and high diet overlap within graminoids could lead to competition among the sympatric ungulates at higher population densities, particularly in the dry season when most other forages are less palatable. Hog deer might then be a weaker species, as rhino and swamp deer have wider dietary niches and larger home ranges. However, there is also a possibility of feeding facilitation by rhino creating grazing lawns for the deer species. Nevertheless, the early succession tall grasses, especially S. spontaneum, may critical resources for the long-term survival of these sympatric herbivores.