Ethnobotany Research On Wild Forage Plants Of Mithun(Bos Frontalis)

Ethnobotany is the science that studies the relationship between humans,plants and their ecological environment.With population growth and economic development,the sustainable use of natural resources by mankind has become the focus and hotspot of global change research.Adapting measures in line with local conditions,exploring new feed resources from wild forage plants,establishing an agroforestry system,and promoting the development of animal husbandry are of great significance to the livelihood development and ecological civilization construction of mountain ethnic groups.Dulongjiang Township in northwestern Yunnan Province,an inhabited area of the Dulong people who were key informants of the study,was selected as study site,and local semi-wild mithun(Bos frontalis)was the research object.Ethnobotanical study on wild forage plants of mithun and the traditional management of mithun by Dulong people was combined with the ecological model and laboratory molecular biology.This study aims to explore three scientific issues:(1)What is the diet of mithun under wild habitat?(2)What is the rumen microecology of mithun under wild habitat?(3)From the Dulong people's and mithun's perspectives,whether there are potential wild forage plant resources in the Dulong area or not.The main results of this study are as follows: 1.The diet of mithun under natural habitatA total of 142 species of wild forage plants of mithun in the Dulongjiang area were categorized in ethnobotancal survey,belonging to 54 families and 117 genera.In family level,Poaceae,Rosaceae,and Urticaceae were three families with most of fodder species,16,14,and 11 species respectively.According to the traditional knowledge of 58 Dulong people,mithun's favorite wild forage plants included Erianthus longisetosus(cite frequency=47),Phyllostachys mannii(37),Imperata cylindrical(31),Debregeasia orientalis(28),Arundo donax(27),Elatostema hookerianum(24),etc.Barcoding method for wild mithun diet study found that:(1)294 plants belonging to 88 families and 174 genera were found in mithun's diet.(2)There was a significant difference in the plants composition and structure of mithun's feces between four seasons(P<0.05).The season with the highest diversity of plant species in the mithun's feces was autumn(Shannon index=5.13),meanwhile the niche breadth was biggest(0.23),and Betulaceae plants accounted for largest proportion(26%);Rosaceae plants took up largest proportion in both spring and winter(65% and 51% respectively),while in summer the Poaceae plants accounted for largest proportion(29%).Mithun is a forest ruminant with a wide range of food and its diet is linked to the characteristics of the local flora and seasonal changes of local vegetation.2.Rumen microecology under natural habitatThere were 13 phylums and 131 genera bacteria species in mithun's rumen.The dominant bacterial communities were Firmicutes and Butyrivibrio in phylum and genus level repectively.Mithun had the most abundant bacterial communities in summer(Shannon index=8.12).Mithun's rumen bacterial community structure was significantly associated with its food composition(P<0.05).Mantel test showed that rumen bacterial communities of mithun were significantly correlated with the proportions of Clusiaceae and Rosaceae plants in the mithuns' feces(P values were 0.032 and 0.002 respectively).3.The nutritional evaluation of wild forage plantsNutritional study on 21 wild fodders with high frequency among Dulong informants found that:(1)High crude protein feed(CP> 16% of DM)included Fagopyrum dibotrys,Polygonum molle,Hydrangea longipes,D.orientalis,and Rubus lineatus;(2)Easily digestable feed(> 50% of DM)included E.hookerianum,Tetrastigma obtectum,Carex nubigena,Isachne albens,Plantago asiatica,F.dibotrys,etc.(3)There was a significant positive correlation between traditional knowledge and nutritional value of feed(R2 = 0.28,P < 0.05).4.Agroforestry systemThe new agroforestry system based breeding model of mithun adopts the semi-captive(November to March)and semi-grazing(from April to October)breeding mode,combining with two modes of agroforestry system-the forestry and animal husbandry compound management and courtyard compound management.During captive period each mithun is provided with 12.5 kg of feed(dry matter)per day.During the grazing period,the grazing area could periodically change based on the restoration of pasture vegetation.This mithun breeding model brings a lot of opportunities and challenges and is possible to promote and implement among the Dulong community in the Dulongjiang area.This study aims to lay a foundation for the development and utilization of wild forage resources,provide scientific basis for the construction of agroforestry systems in mountain areas,promote the development of animal husbandry,and help to promote "Village Rejuvenation" and thus promote the development of the local economy.