An evaluation of the microhistological technique in the determination of food preferences of game

Abstract

During the past ten years much research on the identification of especially grass species in the stomach content and faeces of herbivores has been undertaken. This has contributed significantly towards the knowledge of which plant species are being eaten by animals. In spite of these successful investigations, many problems are still experienced. This caused some research workers to reject the method completely, while others are of the opinion that the method has merits. A survey of the literature as well as research indicate that there are especially three aspects that may influence the results, but that they are ignored by most authors. These include the variation in the epidermis of the grass species, the digestibility of the grass species and the methods used in the investigations.