Nutritional resource selection for Persian fallow deer (Cervusdamamesopotamica) in Ashk Island, Urmia lake national park in spring season

Identification and documentation of the resources used by large herbivores are one of the fundamental principles in animal ecology, which is essential to conservation of endangered species and population management. We examined food sources used by deer in Ashk Island, Urmia lake national park in the spring season of 2011. Given that the Persian fallow deer is an endangered species and its population is growing in the island of Ashk, therefore investigation of its nutritional status is an undeniable necessity for sustainable management of this introduced population to the island.
The amount of exploited plants by deer was measured using 10*10 quadrats. Stem count method was used to estimate the density of plant species in the quadrats. To determine the preference of sources, the Manly selection index was used. Also G test was used to test the null hypothesis that animals are selecting resources at random.
Results showed that among the existent plant species the Persian fallow deer in the Ashk Island in spring prefer Oat (Avenafatua), Tausch's goat grass (AegilopstauschiiCosson) and Wild Garlic (Allium akaka) than other species, also they showed a relative avoidance for wild pistachio (Pistaciaatlantic) and perfect avoidance for buckthorn (RhamnuspallasiiFisch& C.A. Mey).
Finally, with regard to the interactions in plant-herbivore system along with climate changes in global scale and unpredictable seasonal fluctuations in local scale that leads to direct and indirect changes on habitat resources therefore it is suggested that based on habitat conditions and plant community, in consecutive years and seasons, needed essential resource and carrying capacity of this species must be monitored.