Botanical composition and nutritional value of natural pasture of the Caatinga selected by sheep receiving different amounts of an energy-protein supplement

Botanical composition and nutritional value of natural pasture of the Caatinga selected by sheep receiving different amounts of an energy-protein supplement | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Botanical composition and nutritional value of natural pasture of the Caatinga selected by sheep receiving different amounts of an energy-protein supplement Alexandre Ribeiro Araújo, Elomir Brito Mourão, Roberto Cláudio Fernandes Franco Pompeu, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 2 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the composition and nutritional value of the diet selected by sheep on Caatinga pasture receiving different amounts of concentrate supplementation. Thirty-two sheep were divided into four groups (0g; 200g; 350g and 500g of supplementation per day), on native Caatinga pasture, during the rainy, transition and dry seasons, from 2015 to 2017. An inventory was carried out and samples of the species present in the pasture were collected to prepare microscopic slides. To identify the selected diet, samples of feces were collected and the slides were prepared and examined. Based on the frequency of species observed in the slide readings and the nutritional value determined in the bromatological analysis, it was possible to determine the key species and the quality of the selected diet. There was no effect of interaction between the level of supplementation offered and the season (P > 0.05). Sheep supplemented with 500g concentrate − 1 day − 1 had higher preference for herbs and other dicotyledons and less selection for grasses. Of the 63 species catalogued in the caatinga pasture evaluated, the fecal micro-histological technique allowed the identification of 26 species in the botanical composition of the diet, 20 of which were highly preferred and 7 were considered key species: Stylosanthes humilis and Cynodon dactylon in the rainy season, Aristida longiseta , Mimosa caesalpinifolia , Herissanta tiubae and Commelina diffusa in the transition, and Aristida adscensionis and Mimosa caesalpinifolia in the dry season. Sheep managed on native Caatinga pasture change their selection strategy according to the supplementation they are offered. grazing microhistological technique natural pastures semiarid region sheep Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 1. Introduction Sheep production in semi-arid environments challenges animals to find the best strategy for grasping feed and farmers to establish an adequate nutritional balance for the herds. In the semi-arid region of Brazil, the Caatinga is the predominant biome, which is characterized by a shrubby-arboreal vegetation favoring goat farming, and the occurrence of a herbaceous stratum composed of grasses and herbaceous dicotyledons that provide potential for sheep grazing (LEITE et al .,1995). Thus, in sheep grazing systems in the semi-arid northeast of Brazil, rangelands of the Caatinga biome are the basis of the diet (GONZAGA NETO et al., 2001 ). Although the Caatinga biome has botanical diversity and forage potential for sheep grazing, the use of the portion potentially consumable by the animals is limited by the access to forage (e.g., trees and shrubs with foliage over 1.6m) and the disappearance of the herbaceous layer due to the seasonal dry season. The predominance of plant strata in Caatinga areas is dependent on climate, soil and anthropogenic action, which is the main contributor to the degradation and desertification processes observed in those areas. Overall, the greatest herbage allowance occurs in the rainy season, with a predominance of grasses and herbaceous dicotyledons of ephemeral cycle. With the end of the rains, the plant strata senesce, resulting in a decline in the quantity and quality of the caatinga forage throughout the dry season. During this period, the diet is basically made up of leaf litter, which is the material formed by the deposition of leaves from shrub and tree species on the ground (PEREIRA FILHO and BAKKE, 2010 ). From a qualitative point of view, the increase in lignification caused by the natural maturation of the forage, with a consequent reduction in protein content and digestibility, are responsible for the change in the nutritional value of the pasture during the dry season, thus requiring the improvement of the available pasture or concentrated supplementation for the animals (BEN SALEM, 2010 ). In line with these challenges, there is a need to control animal stocking in pastures in order to prevent further degradation, usually caused by overgrazing. In this scenario, preferentially consumed species, also known as key species, are more vulnerable to disappearance. Thus, botanical knowledge of caatinga pasture areas, as well as managing the use of these areas by animals, is crucial for the conservation of species with forage potential. According to Giulietti et al. ( 2004 ), excessive animal loads alter the plant composition of the pasture due to the intense pressure that animals exert on the most palatable species, which tend to decrease. Assessments to determine the feeding habits of sheep on pasture can be carried out in different ways, from subjective methods such as simulated grazing (MARCHI et al., 2021 ), to more precise but invasive methods, such as the use of rumen- or esophagus-fistulatedanimals (BOOYSE et al., 2009 ; MUZZI et al., 2009 ). Prohmann et al. (2012) commented that accurately determining the diet of grazing animals is a challenge, as they are highly selective, prefer more palatable species and consume different plant structures. Among the available methodologies, the fecal micro-histological technique for botanical identification is based on the use of previously established cytological or histological descriptors to identify the diet selected by the animals (ROSITO E MARCHEZAN, 2003). The micro-histological technique makes it possible to assess the diet selected by the animal in a non-invasive way, since it is carried out using feces, thus eliminating the need to use fistulated animals. Considering that the starting point for structuring a production system isknowing the quantity and quality of the forage available throughout the different seasons of the year, the adoption of this technique to determine the botanical composition of the forage selected by small ruminants in native pasture conditions is justified due to its high efficiency and the possibility of proposing managements to conserve the Caatinga and maintain animal performance. Therefore, strategies are needed to contribute to rational grazing in order to accommodate sheep in caatinga pastures without degrading the areas,avoiding overgrazing and guaranteeing the nutritional intake of the flock. Among the applicable strategies, in addition to botanical identification to find out the key species, as well as the nutritional value of the material consumed by the animals throughout the year, the use of energy-protein supplementation to meet the nutritional deficits of the herds is an alternative. Supplementation, in this case, should be made up of energy and protein-rich feeds that are potentially available and capable of meeting the animals’ nutritional requirements when the nutritional value of the pasture is insufficient. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine, the botanical composition of the caatingausing fecal micro-histologyand the nutritional value of the forage selected by sheep subjected to different levels of concentrate supplementation. 2. Material and Methods 2.1. Caracterization of the experimental area and experimental treatments The experiment was conducted at the LagoaSeca farm, which is located in the town ofCariré, Ceará, from 2015 to 2017, where small ruminant production is based on the exploitation of native Caatinga pastures. The farm is located at 3°57’02” South Latitude, 40°28’24” West Longitude and has an area of approximately 240 ha. Thirty-two crossbred multiparous ewes weighing on average 38.8 kg were distributed in four treatments represented by supplementation with concentrated feed (0; 200; 350 and 500g animal -1 day -1 ), with eight replications (ewes) per treatment. The animals grazed freely in the Caatinga areas with native grass for eight hours a day. The animal load in the area was adjusted during the three seasons to ensure that up to 60% of the available forage was used, in order to preserve and guarantee the sustainability of the production system (ARAÚJO FILHO, 2013 ). According to the classification defined by Giulietti et al. ( 2004 ), the area of LagoaSecafarm is part of the native Caatinga of the shrub type, characterized by its low size, twisted stems and the density that varies between denser and more open plant types. Jurema-preta ( Mimosa tenuiflora ), catingueira ( Cenostigmapyramidale ), sabiá( Mimosa caesalpiniifolia ) and mandacaru ( Cereus jamacaru ) are some of the dominant species in this type of shrubby Caatinga (ARAÚJO, 1998 ). The climate is classified as BShw’according to the Köppen classificationwith rainy season from January to June and average rainfall of 700 mm/year. Figure 1 shows the rainfall history for the last 43 years and during the experimental period (2015, 2016 and 2017). The areas for data collection at Lagoa Seca farm were previously explored in their entirety in order to identify the ecological sites. Visual and descriptive assessments of the areas were used to identify the boundaries, establishing a map according to the existing ecological sites. There was a variation between areas with a higher density of shrub and tree species, which were completely enclosed; areas with a lower density of shrub and tree species, with a greater presence of herbaceous species; and completely open areas, with no shrub or tree species present. The areas were selected beforehand according to the availability of pasture and the management of the property. Collections and observations of botanical species frequency, cover and phytomass production were carried out using sampling points obtained from macro-plots with arbitrarily defined dimensions or sized according to natural and easily observable differences within the grazing area (closed, thinned and open areas). These variables were collected through micro-plots established in the macro-plots, using an iron frame measuring 1.00 x 0.25 m, as suggested by ARAÚJO FILHO ( 2013 ). For uniform distribution of the sampling points, an average distance of approximately 100 m was adopted between the spots. Evaluations in the areas were carried out over 15 days during the seasons (rainy, transition and dry) which correspond to March, June and July respectively of each year. The quadrant method was used to characterize the shrub and tree strata, by marking random spots within the grazing area, determining four directions and, in each direction, the distance of each shrub or tree species was measured using a tape measure. These measurements always considered the species closest to each quadrant (Fig. 2 ). The total density was determined by dividing the area of a hectare by the area per plant. The specific density was obtained by dividing the number of plants of each species by the total number of plants, then multiplying by the total density (Table 1 ). Table 1 Specific density (SD), total density (TD), relative density (RD) and total cover (TC) of the tree stratum in the area during the experimental period (average from 2015 to 2017) Rainy season Species SD (Plants ha-1) RD (%) CATINGUEIRA (Caesalpinea pyramidalis) 141.67 7.33 PEÃO BRAVO ( Jatro phamollissima ) 57.14 2.96 JUCÁ ( Libidibia ferrea ) 133.33 6.90 JUREMA PRETA (Mimosa tenuiflora) 200.00 10.35 JUREMA BRANCA ( Piptadenia stipulacea ) 147.62 7.64 MARMELEIRO ( Croton sonderianus ) 347.62 17.99 MOFUMBO (Combretum lepreosum) 323.81 16.76 MORORÓ ( Bauhinia cheilantha ) 57.14 2.96 PAU BRANCO (Auxemma oncocalix) 142.86 7.39 PAU D'ARCO ( Handroanthus impetiginosus ) 23.81 1.23 PAU MOCÓ (Luetzelburgia auriculata) 38.10 1.97 SABIÁ (Mimosa caesalpinifolia) 290.48 15.03 TINGUÍ (Amorimia sp.) 28.57 1.48 Total Density (Plants ha-1) 2427.53 - Total Cover (% of area) 68.54 - Transition season CATINGUEIRA (Caesalpinea pyramidalis) 95.24 7.97 SABIÁ (Mimosa caesalpinifolia) 342.86 28.69 MARMELEIRO ( Croton sonderianus ) 319.05 26.69 MOFUMBO (Combretum lepreosum) 219.05 18.33 MORORÓ ( Bauhinia cheilantha ) 38.10 3.19 PAU BRANCO (Auxemma oncocalix) 180.95 15.14 Total Density (Plants ha-1) 1369.15 - Total Cover (% of area) 43.27 - Dry season MARMELEIRO (Croton sonderianus) 161.90 27.64 MOFUMBO (Combretum lepreosum) 123.81 21.14 SABIÁ (Mimosa caesalpinifolia) 138.10 23.58 PAU BRANCO (Auxemma oncocalix) 109.52 18.70 TINGUÍ (Amorimia Sp.) 14.29 2.44 AMBURANA ( Amburana cearensis ) 38.10 6.50 Total Density (Plants ha-1) 1833.79 - Total Cover (% of area) 27.45 - To estimate production, material from the herbaceous stratum and components of the shrub and tree strata up to 150cm high were collected and weighed. The herbaceous stratum was divided into grasses, legumes, other dicotyledons and litter (Table 2 ). Table 2 Yield (kg DM ha -1 ) of the plant strata in the area during the experimental period Stratum Season* Rainy Transition Dry Grasses 292.57 170.12 88.45 Herbaceous legumes 189.64 154.34 142.31 Other dicotyledons 268.32 274.23 278.18 Litter 210.14 334.02 532.60 Total 960.67 932.71 1041.54 *Rainy = referring to the month of March; Transition = referring to the month of June; Dry = referring to the month of July. Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. 2.2. Identification of forage botanical composition The method described by Sparks and Malecheck (1968) was used to identify the composition of the plant material ingested by the animals and, consequently, the quality of the selected diet. Samples of the forage available in the grazing area were collected over 15 days in each season (rainy, transition and dry) in the three years (2015, 2016 and 2017). The collection procedure consisted of observing and monitoring the feeding habits of the animals in order to represent a forage canopy using micro-histological slides of each species, which were used to identify the structural indicators of the plants and were used as a reference for analyzing the fecal samples. The plant samples collected in the field were packed, identified and preserved in 70% alcohol. The process of making the micro-histological slides followed the method described by Rogério et al. ( 2017 ). An aliquot of each plant sample was ground in a blender for 1 to 2 minutes, and when the sample was grass, this time was increased by another minute due to the greater resistance of the cell wall. The samples were then sieved through an ABNT 140 sieve with a mesh size of 1.105 mm. The slides were made from the residue on the sieve, from which a sub-sample was removed and placed on a microscope slide together with the cleaning and mounting solutions. The slides were labeled with the name of the species, the date of collection and the date they were made. Three replicate slides were made for each forage species. In order to identify the selected diet, feces were also collected (directly from the animals’ rectal ampulla) on two days per season (rainy, transition and dry) in each year (2015, 2016 and 2017) during pasture collection (15 days per season). Fecal samples were processed according to the methodology adopted for plant samples (Rogério et al., 2017 ), and two slides were made per animal. After preparation and drying, the slides of the forage species were analyzed in an exploratory way using a binocular microscope with an attached digital camera for photographic recording and characterization of the epidermal descriptors observed (e.g., stomata, trichomes, silica bodies, plant wallcells), thus forming an image bank for each species identified. To analyze the fecal slides, 20 points were systematically distributed in the visual field of the slide. To help with the identification analysis, the points on the fecal slides were also photographed. The structures identified on the fecal slides were compared to the structures identified on the forage to determine the plant material consumed. The species identified per point on the slides were recorded in a spreadsheet and the frequency of species per slide was then calculated to determine the composition of the selected diet. 2.3. Chemical analysis To determine the chemical composition of the plant species (Table 3 ), plant and fecal samples were identified, weighed and pre-dried (Detmann et al., 2012 ; INCT-CA G-001/1 method). Then they were ground to 1 mm and stored in plastic containers for the determination of dry matter (Detmann et al., 2012 ; INCT-CA G-003/1 method), mineral matter (AOAC, 2005; method number 942.05), crude protein (Detmann et al., 2012 ; INCT-CA N-001/1) and fiber constituents (NDF, ADF and HEM) according to the sequential methodology of Van Soest et al. ( 1991 ). Table 3 – Chemical composition of the concentrate supplement and plants selected by sheep in the caatinga area (%DM), in Cariré-CE £ DM* MM OM CP NDF ADF HEM Concentrate supplement 85.46 7.10 - 13.07 24.32 8.94 - Grasses Barba-de-bode (Aristida longiseta) 28.80 16.01 83.99 13.61 63.41 36.32 27.09 Grama-touceira (Paspalum paniculatum) 32.81 12.88 87.12 15.66 66.08 32.38 33.70 Grama-seda (Cynodon dactylon) 19.47 21.78 78.22 10.41 66.54 41.39 25.16 Panasco (Aristida adscensionis) 31.91 13.35 86.65 8.79 69.69 39.03 30.66 Sorgo ( Sorghum bicolor ) 26.24 3.26 86.74 13.76 62.52 48.82 13.70 Tiririca (Cyperus rotundus) 27.72 11.31 88.69 14.47 67.26 33.11 34.15 Legumes Amendoim-forrageiro ( Arachis dardani ) 23.98 8.27 68.09 19.11 55.34 41.21 14.13 Estilosante ( Stylosanthes humilis ) 23.47 14.00 86.00 16.19 51.90 33.44 18.46 Mata-pasto ( Senna obtusifolia ) 30.83 15.11 84.89 15.85 42.25 20.78 21.47 Sabiá ( Mimosa caesalpinifolia ) 37.35 4.94 75.06 18.77 59.61 45.70 13.91 Other Dicotyledons Bamburral ( Hyptissua veolens ) 13.56 7.35 78.34 11.66 55.39 41.98 13.41 Cabeça-branca ( Alternanthera tenella Colla) 11.96 13.12 86.88 14.66 65.18 36.88 28.29 Capa-bode ( Melochia tomentosa L.) 22.47 7.28 68.72 8.20 52.36 41.65 14.37 Centrosema ( Centrosema sp. ) 23.05 8.27 67.23 16.86 47.95 32.51 15.44 Ervanço ( Alternanthera brasiliana ) 14.54 12.24 87.76 21.70 52.35 25.56 26.79 Jucá ( Libidibia ferrea ) 46.60 4.47 75.53 19.47 54.78 29.63 25.15 Jurema-branca (Piptadenia stipulacea) 39.50 3.28 86.72 18.99 56.12 36.68 19.44 Jurema-preta ( Mimosa tenuiflora ) 40.33 3.30 79.70 16.31 56.22 36.52 19.70 Malva ( Sida cordifolia ) 29.69 7.95 82.05 9.94 63.80 38.18 25.62 Malva-branca ( Herissanta tiubae ) 22.83 8.01 81.99 14.78 45.30 20.68 24.62 Marianinha ( Commelina diffusa ) 9.32 18.05 81.95 31.22 58.50 36.22 22.28 Marmeleiro ( Croton sonderianus ) 37.54 7.57 72.43 14.82 69.00 49.50 19.50 Mofumbo ( Combretum leprosum ) 35.52 7.64 82.36 12.12 56.63 53.12 3.52 Mororó ( Bauhinia cheilantha Steud) 43.35 7.83 79.17 12.62 54.53 38.73 15.80 Paco-paco ( Wissadula rostrata ) 22.46 9.27 80.73 20.50 58.83 31.30 27.53 Pau-branco (Auxemma oncocalix) 31.10 9.72 90.28 13.49 66.99 47.60 19.39 Pau-mocó (Luetzelburgia auriculata) 32.53 7.08 78.92 14.38 50.49 36.85 13.64 Pereiro ( Aspidosperma pyrifolium ) 30.62 8.72 91.28 12.80 44.32 27.68 16.64 £ Mean values obtained from 2015 to 2017; *DM = dry matter; MM = mineral matter; OM = organic matter; CP = crude protein; NDF = neutral detergent fiber; ADF = acid detergent fiber and HEM = hemicellulose. 2.4. Diet quality The proportion of plants consumed by the sheep was estimated by the number of fragments identified per species as a function of the total number of species observed in the fecal slide, recorded on the spreadsheet. Plants classified as “other dicotyledons” were the species with a frequency of less than 15%, participating in the diet in small proportions. The nutritional value of the ingested pasture was estimated according to the McInnis and Vavra ( 1987 ) equation, with the values of DM, MM, OM, CP, NDF, ADF and hemicellulose considering the composition (%) of each species identified in the fecal slides. 𝑛 𝑁 𝑖 = ∑ 𝑎 𝑖𝑗 𝑥 𝑗 𝑖=1 Where: N i = participation of nutrient i on feed composition; a ij = content of nutrient i of foragespecies j; x j = percentage composition in terms of dry weight of the forage species j . 2.5. Experimental design It was adopted a completely randomized design, with levels of concentrate supplementation (0; 200; 350 and 500g) with eight replications in three seasons (rainy, transition and dry). The data was subjected to normality tests using the PROC UNIVARIATE procedure in the SAS software (2016) and was then subjected to analysis of variance using PROC MIXED, with the diets considered as a fixed effect and the years as random effect. Diet effects were explored using regression analysis through PROC REG also in the SAS software (2016). The statistics proposed by Costa et al. ( 2002 ) for classifying CVs were adopted to define the preference degree classification ranges, based on the percentage of selection of each forage consumed, and adapted for plant frequency data as: Low preference ≤ Md - PS and high preference > Md + PS. Md = (Q1 + Q3)/2 is the median of the frequencies. Q1 and Q3 are the first and third quartiles, respectively, which delimit 25% of each end of the distribution and PS = (IQR/1.35), where PS is the pseudo-sigma and IQR is the interquartile range (Q3-Q1). 3. Results There was no effect of interaction between the level of supplementation offered and the season (P > 0.05). Analyzing the factors individually, the evaluation of the frequency of selection of the strata in the three seasons indicated a greater preference for low-growing species (grasses, herbaceous legumes and other dicotyledons) in the rainy season (Table 4 ). Table 4 Centesimal composition (%) of plant genera selected by sheep in a caatinga area according to the season Genre Season* Rain Transition Dry Grasses 38.30 24.56 26.32 Woody legumes 27.66 38.60 39.47 Herbaceous and Other Dicotyledons 34.04 36.84 34.21 *Rainy = referring to the month of March; Transition = referring to the month of June; Dry = referring to the month of July. Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. As for selection according to the amount of supplementation offered to the sheep, selection for grasses was greater for concentrate supplementation up to 350 g animal -1 day -1 , with a severe decline for the treatment offering 500 g animal -1 day -1 (Table 5 ). On the other hand, in this treatment animals showed a higher frequency of selection for herbaceous species and other dicotyledonsin comparison to the other treatments. Table 5 Centesimal composition (%) of plant genera selected by sheep in a caatinga area according to levels of concentrate supplementation* Stratum Concentrate supplementation (g animal-1 day-1) 0 200 350 500 Grasses 41.41 47.75 45.69 28.18 Woody legumes 19.79 16.86 17.92 15.89 Herbaceous and Other Dicotyledons 38.80 35.39 36.39 55.93 *Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. Regarding the botanical composition selected during the rainy season, the most selected species by the sheep in the pasture were the legume Stylosantheshumilis , and the grasses Cynodondactylon , Paspalumpaniculatum and Melochiatomentosa L., followed by other species (Fig. 3 ). In the transition season, there was greater selection for the grass Melochia tomentosa L., the legume Mimosa caesalpinifolia , and the dicotyledons Alternanthera brasiliana and Alternanthera tenella Colla , followed by other species. During the dry season, there was a greater demand for Aristida adscensionis and the legume Mimosa caesalpinifolia , followed by Croton sonderianus and other species. During the rainy season, the sheep selected 60.79% of grasses, 27.45% of legumes, followed by other species. During the transition season, selectivity was more balanced, with greater demand for herbaceous dicotyledons (38.78%) followed by grasses (26.53%), legumes (24.49%) and other species (10.20%). In the dry season, selection was greater for grasses, followed by legumes, dicotyledons and other species. The presence of the legume M. caesalpiniaefolia , a species selected during the transition and dry periods is highlighted. The presence of the same key species was not observed for all periods evaluated (Fig. 3 ). The grass Melochiatomentosa L. had its selection importance in the rainy and transition seasons, and the legume M. caesalpiniaefolia in the transition and dry seasons. Regarding the effect of concentrate supplementation for the sheep, offering 200 g day -1 of concentrate caused greater selection for the herbaceous dicotyledons Alternanthera brasiliana and Alternanthera tenella Colla (42.6%), followed by Cynodon dactylon (24.07%) and Stylosanthes humilis (20.37%) in the rainy season (Fig. 4 ). These species have a high CP content, reaching 21.70%, 14.66% and 16.19% ( Alternanthera brasiliana , Alternanthera tenella Colla and Stylosanthes humilis , respectively) (Table 3 ). During the transition season, there was greater selection for herbaceous dicotyledons (44.9%), followed by M. caesalpiniaefolia (22.45%), Cynodon dactylon (20.41%) and other species (12.24%). During the dry season, Aristida adscensionis was the most selected species, followed by M. caesalpinifolia , Combretumleprosum and others. When the sheep were supplemented with 350 g day -1 of concentrate feed in the rainy season there was a greater selection for grasses, totaling 46.81%, made up mainly of Aristida adscensionis and Cynodon dactylon , followed by 40.42% of legumes such as Arachis dardani and Stylosanthes humilis , and 12.77% of other species with less frequency in the grazing area (Fig. 5 ). In the transition season, Aristida adscensionis was the most selected grass. The variation in the availability of grasses as the seasons progressed, the presence of ephemeral species, and the frequency of Aristida adscensionis in the area, led the animals to select this grass over others, keeping it in the diet in all seasons with supplementation of 350 g day -1 of concentrate feed. Herbaceous dicotyledons made up 39.58% ( Herissanta tiubae and Commelina diffusa ) of the sheep’s diet during the transition season, followed by Stylosanthes humilis (22.92%) and other species less frequent (Fig. 5 ). The higher frequency of herbaceous dicotyledons in the diet of the sheep supplemented with 350 g day -1 of concentrate may have contributed to the higher intake of CP. During the dry season, Aristida adscensionis was more commonly selected, followed by Croton sonderianus , Mimosa caesalpinifolia and other species. The second species with the highest relative density in the grazing area during the dry season was Mimosa caesalpinifolia (23.58%), making an effective contribution to the selection and composition of the animals’ diet. Supplementing the animals with 500 g day -1 of concentrate feed during the rainy season resulted in greater intake of the species with the highest CP contents (Table 3 ): Stylosanthes humilis , Arachis dardani and Alternanthera tenella Colla (Fig. 6 ). Although the selection of Arachis dardani was equivalent to that of Cynodon dactylon , as the proportion of concentrate increased, the intake of CP increased to the detriment of the other species. This result corresponds to the greater selectivity for other dicotyledons, grasses and legumes with supplementation of 500 g day -1 (Table 5 ). Sheep’s selection behavior during the transition season was similar to that observed during the rainy season. In general, the animals selected more species with high protein content, followed by grasses and other species less frequently. Aristida longiseta , for example, has a high CP content, which may indicate a high preference at that time, since energy was being supplied by the concentrate. In the dry season, there was greater selection for Aristida adscensionis , followed by M. Caesalpiniaefolia , C. Sonderianus and other species. In short, non-supplemented sheep tried to compensate for the absence of the supplement in the diet (Fig. 3 ) by selecting species with higher CP content and a lower content of fiberconstituents (Table 3 ). In the dry season there was a greater selection of species that are not common in sheep diets ( C. Sonderianus , C. leprosum and Piptadenia stipulacea ), indicating that as the seasons progressed and due to the absence of herbaceous species, the animals modified their diet. The high frequency of these species in the grazing areas during the dry season also contributed to high selection by the animals, as well as being an indicative of secondary succession. Although the sheep consumed a wide variety of forage species, seven species were selected the most, and were considered key species. Regardless of the level of supplementation, in the rainy season Stylosanthes humilis and Cynodon dactylon were the key species. In the transition season, the key species were Aristida longiseta , Mimosa caesalpinifolia , Herissanta tiubae and Commelina diffusa . While in the dry season, Aristida adscensionis and Mimosa caesalpinifolia were the key species. Of the total of 63 species present in the area, 26 were selected by the sheep and of these, 20 showed a high preference. Of this total, 75% were herbaceous species (Table 6 ), which corroborates the sheep’s feeding habits. The great variability of herbaceous species with high preference allows for the possibility of selecting better quality fiber and protein components, which are the main components selected during the rainy and transition seasons. By identifying the key species in a caatinga environment, it is possible to make rational use of the pasture, seeking to control species with low or no forage potential, and ensuring the establishment, preservation and dispersal of the key species, thus providing areas with higher frequencies of this group of species. Table 6 Classification of species consumed according to average frequency of selection by sheep kept in Caatinga areas from 2015 to 2017 SPECIES FREQUENCY SELECTIVITY Amburana ( Amburana cearenses) 7.07 Low Amendoim-forrageiro ( Arachis dardani ) 13.50 High Azedinha ( Rumexa cestosella) 13.67 High Barba-de-bode ( Aristida longiseta ) 13.46 High Cabeça-branca ( Alternanthera tenella ) 12.78 High Capa-bode ( Melochia tomentosa ) 14.33 High Centrosema ( Centrosema sp.) 11.89 Low Ervanço ( Alternanthera brasiliana ) 13.08 High Estilosantes ( Stylosanthes humilis ) 13.73 High Feijão-de-rola ( Macroptilium lathyroides) 12.48 Low Grama-seda (Cynodon dactylon) 13.36 High Grama-touceira (Paspalum paniculatum) 13.25 High Jurema-preta (Mimosa tenuiflora) 12.35 Low Jurema-branca (Piptadenia stipulacea) 14.31 High Malva (Sida cordifolia) 13.18 High Malva-branca (Herissanta tiubae) 11.11 Low Marianinha (Commelina diffusa) 13.47 High Marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus) 13.43 High Mata-pasto (Senna obtusifolia) 13.62 High Mofumbo ( Combretum leprosum) 12.84 High Paco-paco (Wissadula rostrata) 12.61 High Panasco (Aristida adscensionis) 13.70 High Pau-branco (Auxemma oncocalix) 13.80 High Sabiá (Mimosa caesalpinifolia) 13.75 High Tiririca (Cyperus rotundus) 15.21 High Concentrate supplementation had a decreasing linear effect (P < 0.05) on DM and OM selection (Table 7 ). For every gram of concentrate added to the diet there was a reduction of 0.0379% of DM. Similar behavior was observed for the demand for DM in the transition and dry seasons, with a reduction occurring as the level of supplementation increased (Table 7 ). In the transition season, the reduction in the search for DM occurred more slowly as the dry season approached, probably due to the gradual decrease in forage availability. Table 7 Averages of the percentage (%) of selection for nutrients in the pasture by sheep kept in caatinga areas under different levels of concentrate supplementation, from 2015 to 2017 Season Dry matter p -value 0 200 350 500 S.E.M Regression R² Linear Quadratic Rainy 36.01 24.40 25.53 21.44 y = 37.822-0.0379x 0.6112 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 Transition 34.50 28.87 24.27 22.84 0.7723 y = 34.052-0.0254x 0.4822 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 Dry 36.52 32.64 26.50 27.44 y = 36.991-0.0235x 0.4916 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 Mineral matter Rainy 6.43 5.51 6.27 6.06 y = 6.395 0.0201 0.4463 0.2372 Transition 4.54 6.16 5.63 4.57 0.1330 y = 6.063 0.0318 0.3206 0.0762 Dry 4.57 3.78 4.72 4.24 y = 4.303 0.0069 0.6504 0.7495 Organic matter Rainy 49.38 48.00 45.02 43.19 y = 49.707-0.0147x 0.4006 0.0001 0.0006 Transition 51.07 49.24 46.35 40.46 0.5513 y = 52.262-0.0212x 0.6657 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 Dry 54.04 48.79 48.56 44.40 y = 56.359-0.0258x 0.6128 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 Crude protein Rainy 9.97 9.39 8.98 11.62 y = 10.131-0.0131x + 0.00003x² 0.4322 0.1149 0.0004 Transition 10.01 10.75 8.63 9.79 0.1331 y = 10.472 0.0928 0.0847 0.2319 Dry 10.89 10.01 8.61 10.52 y = 11.086-0.0114x + 0.00001x² 0.3335 0.0892 0.0028 Neutral detergent fiber Rainy 30.59 30.58 29.56 29.45 y = 30.076 0.0018 0.8199 0.7889 Transition 30.70 30.16 29.71 29.62 0.2811 y = 30.689 0.0093 0.5937 0.7267 Dry 34.22 32.18 31.88 31.40 y = 34.148-0.006x 0.1529 0.0269 0.0818 Acid detergent fiber Rainy 18.95 18.58 18.78 18.88 y = 18.045 0.0421 0.2682 0.4175 Transition 19.88 19.65 18.31 18.20 0.2705 y = 19.663 0.1277 0.0612 0.0811 Dry 23.50 21.94 21.14 20.47 y = 23.724-0.006x 0.2056 0.0091 0.0068 Hemicellulose Rainy 13.30 11.71 11.39 11.34 y = 12.992-0.003x 0.1857 0.0383 0.0563 Transition 13.62 11.26 11.88 11.30 0.1685 y = 13.457-0.0104x + 0.00001x2 0.2505 0.0093 0.0132 Dry 13.20 11.17 11.09 10.64 y = 12.866-0.005x 0.5379 < 0.0001 < 0.0001 This behavior could probably be characterized by the substitution effect, due to the intake of the supplement with higher energy availability compared to the intake of pasture. In addition to the higher energy concentration, the supplement may contribute to the intake of CP during this period. Although there are a variety of legume species on the animal’s grazing sites with high protein value (Table 3 ), the lignification process of shrub and tree species can limit the availability of protein. Regarding the MM intake in native caatinga pasture, there was no diet effect (P > 0.05), with average intake of 6.04% in the rainy season, 5.22% in the transition and 4.32% in the dry season, showing lower intake in the dry season. There was no effect of supplementation in the transition season, with an average of 10.47%. However, the intake of CP in the rainy and dry seasons showed similar response, with a reduction in the intake of this nutrient up to the supply of 350 g day -1 of concentrate, decreasing as the amount of supplement increased. There was an increase in CP intake when the sheep were supplemented with 500 g day -1 , probably due to the high availability of energy from the concentrate and the search for higher amounts of protein. As for the intake of fiber constituents (NDF and ADF), there was no effect (P > 0.05) during the rainy and transition seasons. In the dry season, there was a linear decreasing effect (P < 0.05) on the average intake of both components. This may be associated with the fact that during this season the selected diet included a greater quantity of tree species with a high lignin content, probably making some of the other fiber constituents unavailable. As for the behavior of hemicellulose, it was higher in the rainy and dry seasons, with a decreasing linear effect (P < 0.05). As the level of supplementation increased, the amount of hemicellulose decreased. It can be inferred that selection during these seasons led to the consumption of species with lower levels of fiber constituents. However, in the dry season, this behavior may be due to the lower availability of forage and the higher proportion of anti-nutritional factors, such as tannins and lignin. 4. Discussion In addition to the feeding habits of sheep (Hoffmann, 1989 ) and their preference for these genera (AraújoFilho and Crispim, 2002), these species are more readily available in the rainy season (Table 2 ), which favored selection. Most low-growing species have a short phenological cycle, so the availability and nutritional value of these species is gradually reduced from the end of the rainy season. Therefore, selection for grasses in the transition and dry periods tends to be lower (Table 4 ). In the transition season, there was an increase in the selection of species from the woody stratum. The xerophytic characteristic of most woody species in the caatinga results in leaf fall during the transition and dry season. As the leaves fall, there is an increase in the litter component (Table 2 ) and, consequently, greater selection of the shrub and tree component by the sheep (Table 4 ). According to Santos et al. ( 2010 ), most of the woody species present in the diet of animals in the caatinga are selected after the leaves that make up the litter fall. Due to the height of the trees and shrubs, the reach to the branches and twigs by the animals is limited. Although their nutritional value is lower than that observed in the rainy season, the greater proportion of legumes consumed as the transition to the dry season progresses is relevant as a source of protein in this period. The presence of other dicotyledonous species maintains a high degree of selectivity over time, as it covers a greater diversity of species. These results may indicate the beginning of the adoption of management of areas destined for grazing, with the favoring of herbaceous species with greater selectivity, from the adoption of thinning, which consequently promotes the emergence of open areas favorable to the herbaceous stratum. Concentrate supplementation can have a substitutive effect on forage intake (Araújo et al., 2018). When this occurs, sheep choose to select forage that meets their fiber needs to maintain rumen functions, as the energy and protein demand can be met by concentrate supplementation (Carvalho et al., 2021 ). Araújo Filho et al. ( 1996 ) evaluated the intake of sheep and goats in the caatinga during the rainy-dry transition, dry, and the dry-rainy transition seasonsand found that the selection of grasses by sheep remained above 20% of the total floristic composition selected. The preference of sheep for herbaceous dicotyledons can also be explained by the greater frequency of these species in the rainy season, the ease with which they can be obtained by the animals and the feeding habits of the animal species (Santos et al., 2010 ). According to Araújo Filho ( 2013 ), the importance of M. caesalpiniaefolia stems from the nutritional value of the leaves, which are rich in crude protein (18.77%, Table 3 ) and are an important component of the diet of ruminants in the caatinga. Selection by the sheep was related to the time of year and the composition of the species selected in the pasture. The presence of Croton sonderianus in the animals’ diet during the dry season is noteworthy, as this species was more frequent in the grazing area during the dry season. In addition, as the availability of different grass species decreased, there was an increase in the intake of Croton sonderianus by the sheep, as also reported by Santos et al. ( 2008 ). In the dry season, Croton sonderianus had a relative density of 27.65%, which was the highest among the species observed in this season, and that may explain the selection of this species by the animals, since it is not common in the diet of sheep, in addition to the fact that in the dry season there is a substantial reduction in the herbaceous stratum preferred by the animals, which leads them to select lesser desirable species present in the area (Carvalho et al., 2009 ). In addition, the high density of shrubs in this species is indicative of the secondary succession stage (Araújo Filho, 2013 ). Pfíster (1983) reported that the diet selected by sheep in the caatinga can vary from 0.7 to 59% for grasses. This variation depends on the type of grass, its availability and density in the area.Of the 63 species cataloged in the caatinga native pasture area evaluated, the fecal micro-histological technique allowed the identification of 26 species in the botanical composition of the diet selected by sheep, 20 of which were highly preferred and 7 were considered key species: Stylosanthes humilis and Cynodon dactylon in the rainy season, Aristida longiseta , Mimosa caesalpinifolia , Herissanta tiubae and Commelina diffusa in the transition, and Aristida adscensionis and Mimosa caesalpinifolia in the dry season. Sheep managed on native caatinga pasture change their selection strategy according to the supplementation they receive. The preference for species with a higher protein value is evident in the rainy, transition and dry seasons. Declarations Statement of Animal Rights The procedures using animals in this research were approved by the Ethics Committee for the Use of Animals at Embrapa Goats and Sheep (Protocol No. 09/2015) and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All applicable institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data. Conflict of Interest Statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Funding Statement This work was supported by Embrapa (Grant Number 03.14.00.134.00.00) and CNPq - National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Grant Number 448976/2014-5). M.C.P. Rogério has received research support from Embrapa and CNPq. Author contributions MCPR, FEPF and RCFFP formulated the idea; EBM, DSO and HQM developed the methodology; EBM, WFC and DSO conducted field work; DSO and LFG performed statistical analyses; EBM, LFG, DSO, MCPR, AAA, RCFFP, DSO and AAA drafted the manuscript. MCPR and RCFFP reviewed and edited the manuscript. Acknowledgments We thank the expert technical support by the staffs of the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and of the Semi-arid Respirometry Laboratory, both from the Embrapa Goats and Sheep. Also, we acknowledge the technical support by the staff of the Lagoa Seca Farm for all support. Data Availability The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available as contain sensitive information, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. References ARAÚJO FILHO, J.A.; GADELHA, J.A.; LEITE, E.R.; SOUZA, P.Z.; CRISPIM, S.M.A.;REGO, M.C. 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VAN SOEST, P. J.; ROBERTSON, J. B.; LEWIS, B. A. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, v. 74, p. 3583–3597, 1991. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editor assigned by journal 25 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 23 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7437436","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":509346125,"identity":"ea85c6db-483b-47c3-8c61-77775878ef79","order_by":0,"name":"Alexandre Ribeiro Araújo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Piauí: Universidade Federal do Piaui","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexandre","middleName":"Ribeiro","lastName":"Araújo","suffix":""},{"id":509346126,"identity":"02c9c8fe-eb29-41ee-8310-b66031a1af39","order_by":1,"name":"Elomir Brito 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Rogério","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBADGSA2OMBQAaSYmRuI0sID0XIGpIWRBC0MjG0gNgEtuu1nH3748MeOh39G8sYDH+fVRvO3A7X8qNiGU4vZmXRjyZltyTwSN9IKDs7cdjx3xmHGBsaeM7dxazmQxsbM23CAh+FGjsFh3m3HchuAWpgZ2/BoOf+MjZnnzwEeebCWOcdy5xPUcgNoCw/bAR4DsJaGmtwNhLU8Ywb7xfDMs4KDM44dyN0I1HIQr1/OpzGCQkxO7njy5g8faupy550/fPDBjwrcWtDBYTB5gGj1QFBHiuJRMApGwSgYIQAAN5ter8pM9GgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3567-5211","institution":"Embrapa: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marcos","middleName":"Cláudio Pinheiro","lastName":"Rogério","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-22 21:28:33","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90938138,"identity":"cbba5701-a4a9-4bb9-88db-e5b07e4f4067","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:26:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":219273,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure11.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/153935196b9b79b879cd42e5.jpg"},{"id":90938141,"identity":"63104e71-7bba-46b7-9960-185874ca8689","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:26:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":258651,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure12.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/6333d5a0e798e5444a0d2199.jpg"},{"id":90938139,"identity":"da588786-6b88-408a-8736-7e249f4c5225","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:26:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":247966,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure13.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/03dd569ecad9e09dc38302aa.jpg"},{"id":90938466,"identity":"7ee7a108-deee-4242-ace8-e2cdfb10defd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:34:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":262447,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure14.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/5a9a35ea87a3bcb5e9b92d7a.jpg"},{"id":90938468,"identity":"fe2b7b92-15bb-4bab-a554-ffac137f4225","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:34:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":264483,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure15.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/14da9d63c72d41080fbab715.jpg"},{"id":90938145,"identity":"10662738-3adf-42be-adde-b8b3eb724b47","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-09 17:26:51","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":251019,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure16.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/f1951f237efbaeb599d2fcc5.jpg"},{"id":91149032,"identity":"c49f3ddb-1b7f-4dc7-85fa-cba05b1cf863","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-12 06:46:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2990708,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7437436/v1/3622fad6-2b04-4e48-a325-8563efd6cbe6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Botanical composition and nutritional value of natural pasture of the Caatinga selected by sheep receiving different amounts of an energy-protein supplement","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSheep production in semi-arid environments challenges animals to find the best strategy for grasping feed and farmers to establish an adequate nutritional balance for the herds. In the semi-arid region of Brazil, the Caatinga is the predominant biome, which is characterized by a shrubby-arboreal vegetation favoring goat farming, and the occurrence of a herbaceous stratum composed of grasses and herbaceous dicotyledons that provide potential for sheep grazing (LEITE \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e.,1995). Thus, in sheep grazing systems in the semi-arid northeast of Brazil, rangelands of the Caatinga biome are the basis of the diet (GONZAGA NETO et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough the Caatinga biome has botanical diversity and forage potential for sheep grazing, the use of the portion potentially consumable by the animals is limited by the access to forage (e.g., trees and shrubs with foliage over 1.6m) and the disappearance of the herbaceous layer due to the seasonal dry season. The predominance of plant strata in Caatinga areas is dependent on climate, soil and anthropogenic action, which is the main contributor to the degradation and desertification processes observed in those areas.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall, the greatest herbage allowance occurs in the rainy season, with a predominance of grasses and herbaceous dicotyledons of ephemeral cycle. With the end of the rains, the plant strata senesce, resulting in a decline in the quantity and quality of the caatinga forage throughout the dry season. During this period, the diet is basically made up of leaf litter, which is the material formed by the deposition of leaves from shrub and tree species on the ground (PEREIRA FILHO and BAKKE, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). From a qualitative point of view, the increase in lignification caused by the natural maturation of the forage, with a consequent reduction in protein content and digestibility, are responsible for the change in the nutritional value of the pasture during the dry season, thus requiring the improvement of the available pasture or concentrated supplementation for the animals (BEN SALEM, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn line with these challenges, there is a need to control animal stocking in pastures in order to prevent further degradation, usually caused by overgrazing. In this scenario, preferentially consumed species, also known as key species, are more vulnerable to disappearance. Thus, botanical knowledge of caatinga pasture areas, as well as managing the use of these areas by animals, is crucial for the conservation of species with forage potential. According to Giulietti et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), excessive animal loads alter the plant composition of the pasture due to the intense pressure that animals exert on the most palatable species, which tend to decrease.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAssessments to determine the feeding habits of sheep on pasture can be carried out in different ways, from subjective methods such as simulated grazing (MARCHI et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), to more precise but invasive methods, such as the use of rumen- or esophagus-fistulatedanimals (BOOYSE et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; MUZZI et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). Prohmann et al. (2012) commented that accurately determining the diet of grazing animals is a challenge, as they are highly selective, prefer more palatable species and consume different plant structures. Among the available methodologies, the fecal micro-histological technique for botanical identification is based on the use of previously established cytological or histological descriptors to identify the diet selected by the animals (ROSITO E MARCHEZAN, 2003).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe micro-histological technique makes it possible to assess the diet selected by the animal in a non-invasive way, since it is carried out using feces, thus eliminating the need to use fistulated animals. Considering that the starting point for structuring a production system isknowing the quantity and quality of the forage available throughout the different seasons of the year, the adoption of this technique to determine the botanical composition of the forage selected by small ruminants in native pasture conditions is justified due to its high efficiency and the possibility of proposing managements to conserve the Caatinga and maintain animal performance.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTherefore, strategies are needed to contribute to rational grazing in order to accommodate sheep in caatinga pastures without degrading the areas,avoiding overgrazing and guaranteeing the nutritional intake of the flock. Among the applicable strategies, in addition to botanical identification to find out the key species, as well as the nutritional value of the material consumed by the animals throughout the year, the use of energy-protein supplementation to meet the nutritional deficits of the herds is an alternative. Supplementation, in this case, should be made up of energy and protein-rich feeds that are potentially available and capable of meeting the animals\u0026rsquo; nutritional requirements when the nutritional value of the pasture is insufficient.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus, the purpose of this study was to determine, the botanical composition of the caatingausing fecal micro-histologyand the nutritional value of the forage selected by sheep subjected to different levels of concentrate supplementation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Material and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1. Caracterization of the experimental area and experimental treatments\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted at the LagoaSeca farm, which is located in the town ofCarir\u0026eacute;, Cear\u0026aacute;, from 2015 to 2017, where small ruminant production is based on the exploitation of native Caatinga pastures. The farm is located at 3\u0026deg;57\u0026rsquo;02\u0026rdquo; South Latitude, 40\u0026deg;28\u0026rsquo;24\u0026rdquo; West Longitude and has an area of approximately 240 ha.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThirty-two crossbred multiparous ewes weighing on average 38.8 kg were distributed in four treatments represented by supplementation with concentrated feed (0; 200; 350 and 500g animal\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e), with eight replications (ewes) per treatment. The animals grazed freely in the Caatinga areas with native grass for eight hours a day. The animal load in the area was adjusted during the three seasons to ensure that up to 60% of the available forage was used, in order to preserve and guarantee the sustainability of the production system (ARA\u0026Uacute;JO FILHO, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to the classification defined by Giulietti et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), the area of LagoaSecafarm is part of the native Caatinga of the shrub type, characterized by its low size, twisted stems and the density that varies between denser and more open plant types. Jurema-preta (\u003cem\u003eMimosa tenuiflora\u003c/em\u003e), catingueira (\u003cem\u003eCenostigmapyramidale\u003c/em\u003e), sabi\u0026aacute;(\u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpiniifolia\u003c/em\u003e) and mandacaru (\u003cem\u003eCereus jamacaru\u003c/em\u003e) are some of the dominant species in this type of shrubby Caatinga (ARA\u0026Uacute;JO, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e). The climate is classified as BShw\u0026rsquo;according to the K\u0026ouml;ppen classificationwith rainy season from January to June and average rainfall of 700 mm/year. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the rainfall history for the last 43 years and during the experimental period (2015, 2016 and 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe areas for data collection at Lagoa Seca farm were previously explored in their entirety in order to identify the ecological sites. Visual and descriptive assessments of the areas were used to identify the boundaries, establishing a map according to the existing ecological sites. There was a variation between areas with a higher density of shrub and tree species, which were completely enclosed; areas with a lower density of shrub and tree species, with a greater presence of herbaceous species; and completely open areas, with no shrub or tree species present. The areas were selected beforehand according to the availability of pasture and the management of the property.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Collections and observations of botanical species frequency, cover and phytomass production were carried out using sampling points obtained from macro-plots with arbitrarily defined dimensions or sized according to natural and easily observable differences within the grazing area (closed, thinned and open areas). These variables were collected through micro-plots established in the macro-plots, using an iron frame measuring 1.00 x 0.25 m, as suggested by ARA\u0026Uacute;JO FILHO (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). For uniform distribution of the sampling points, an average distance of approximately 100 m was adopted between the spots. Evaluations in the areas were carried out over 15 days during the seasons (rainy, transition and dry) which correspond to March, June and July respectively of each year.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe quadrant method was used to characterize the shrub and tree strata, by marking random spots within the grazing area, determining four directions and, in each direction, the distance of each shrub or tree species was measured using a tape measure. These measurements always considered the species closest to each quadrant (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe total density was determined by dividing the area of a hectare by the area per plant. The specific density was obtained by dividing the number of plants of each species by the total number of plants, then multiplying by the total density (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpecific density (SD), total density (TD), relative density (RD) and total cover (TC) of the tree stratum in the area during the experimental period (average from 2015 to 2017)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy season\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpecies\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSD (Plants ha-1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRD (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCATINGUEIRA \u003cem\u003e(Caesalpinea pyramidalis)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e141.67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePE\u0026Atilde;O BRAVO (\u003cem\u003eJatro phamollissima\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e57.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.96\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJUC\u0026Aacute; (\u003cem\u003eLibidibia ferrea\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e133.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJUREMA PRETA \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa tenuiflora)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e200.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJUREMA BRANCA (\u003cem\u003ePiptadenia stipulacea\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e147.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMARMELEIRO (\u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e347.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMOFUMBO \u003cem\u003e(Combretum lepreosum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e323.81\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMOROR\u0026Oacute; (\u003cem\u003eBauhinia cheilantha\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e57.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.96\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePAU BRANCO \u003cem\u003e(Auxemma oncocalix)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e142.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePAU D'ARCO (\u003cem\u003eHandroanthus impetiginosus\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.81\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePAU MOC\u0026Oacute; \u003cem\u003e(Luetzelburgia auriculata)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.97\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSABI\u0026Aacute; \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa caesalpinifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e290.48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTINGU\u0026Iacute; \u003cem\u003e(Amorimia sp.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Density (Plants ha-1)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2427.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Cover (% of area)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTransition season\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCATINGUEIRA \u003cem\u003e(Caesalpinea pyramidalis)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e95.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.97\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSABI\u0026Aacute; \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa caesalpinifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e342.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMARMELEIRO (\u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e319.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMOFUMBO \u003cem\u003e(Combretum lepreosum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e219.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMOROR\u0026Oacute; (\u003cem\u003eBauhinia cheilantha\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePAU BRANCO \u003cem\u003e(Auxemma oncocalix)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e180.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Density (Plants ha-1)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1369.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Cover (% of area)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDry season\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMARMELEIRO \u003cem\u003e(Croton sonderianus)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e161.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMOFUMBO \u003cem\u003e(Combretum lepreosum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e123.81\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSABI\u0026Aacute; \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa caesalpinifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e138.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.58\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePAU BRANCO \u003cem\u003e(Auxemma oncocalix)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e109.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTINGU\u0026Iacute; \u003cem\u003e(Amorimia Sp.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAMBURANA (\u003cem\u003eAmburana cearensis\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Density (Plants ha-1)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1833.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal Cover (% of area)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo estimate production, material from the herbaceous stratum and components of the shrub and tree strata up to 150cm high were collected and weighed. The herbaceous stratum was divided into grasses, legumes, other dicotyledons and litter (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYield (kg DM ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) of the plant strata in the area during the experimental period\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eStratum\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeason*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrasses\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e292.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e170.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e88.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerbaceous legumes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e189.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e154.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e142.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther dicotyledons\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e268.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e274.23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e278.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLitter\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e210.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e334.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e532.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e960.67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e932.71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1041.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e*Rainy\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of March; Transition\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of June; Dry\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of July. Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2. Identification of forage botanical composition\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe method described by Sparks and Malecheck (1968) was used to identify the composition of the plant material ingested by the animals and, consequently, the quality of the selected diet. Samples of the forage available in the grazing area were collected over 15 days in each season (rainy, transition and dry) in the three years (2015, 2016 and 2017). The collection procedure consisted of observing and monitoring the feeding habits of the animals in order to represent a forage canopy using micro-histological slides of each species, which were used to identify the structural indicators of the plants and were used as a reference for analyzing the fecal samples.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe plant samples collected in the field were packed, identified and preserved in 70% alcohol. The process of making the micro-histological slides followed the method described by Rog\u0026eacute;rio et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). An aliquot of each plant sample was ground in a blender for 1 to 2 minutes, and when the sample was grass, this time was increased by another minute due to the greater resistance of the cell wall. The samples were then sieved through an ABNT 140 sieve with a mesh size of 1.105 mm.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe slides were made from the residue on the sieve, from which a sub-sample was removed and placed on a microscope slide together with the cleaning and mounting solutions. The slides were labeled with the name of the species, the date of collection and the date they were made. Three replicate slides were made for each forage species.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn order to identify the selected diet, feces were also collected (directly from the animals\u0026rsquo; rectal ampulla) on two days per season (rainy, transition and dry) in each year (2015, 2016 and 2017) during pasture collection (15 days per season). Fecal samples were processed according to the methodology adopted for plant samples (Rog\u0026eacute;rio et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), and two slides were made per animal.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter preparation and drying, the slides of the forage species were analyzed in an exploratory way using a binocular microscope with an attached digital camera for photographic recording and characterization of the epidermal descriptors observed (e.g., stomata, trichomes, silica bodies, plant wallcells), thus forming an image bank for each species identified. To analyze the fecal slides, 20 points were systematically distributed in the visual field of the slide. To help with the identification analysis, the points on the fecal slides were also photographed. The structures identified on the fecal slides were compared to the structures identified on the forage to determine the plant material consumed. The species identified per point on the slides were recorded in a spreadsheet and the frequency of species per slide was then calculated to determine the composition of the selected diet.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.3. Chemical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo determine the chemical composition of the plant species (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e), plant and fecal samples were identified, weighed and pre-dried (Detmann et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; INCT-CA G-001/1 method). Then they were ground to 1 mm and stored in plastic containers for the determination of dry matter (Detmann et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; INCT-CA G-003/1 method), mineral matter (AOAC, 2005; method number 942.05), crude protein (Detmann et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; INCT-CA N-001/1) and fiber constituents (NDF, ADF and HEM) according to the sequential methodology of Van Soest et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/b\u003e Chemical composition of the concentrate supplement and plants selected by sheep in the caatinga area (%DM), in Carir\u0026eacute;-CE\u003csup\u003e\u0026pound;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDM*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMM\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOM\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNDF\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eADF\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHEM\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConcentrate supplement\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e85.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGrasses\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarba-de-bode \u003cem\u003e(Aristida longiseta)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e83.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrama-touceira \u003cem\u003e(Paspalum paniculatum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.81\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e87.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrama-seda\u003cem\u003e(Cynodon dactylon)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e78.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePanasco\u003cem\u003e(Aristida adscensionis)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSorgo (\u003cem\u003eSorghum bicolor\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86.74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.82\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTiririca \u003cem\u003e(Cyperus rotundus)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e88.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLegumes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmendoim-forrageiro (\u003cem\u003eArachis dardani\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEstilosante (\u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMata-pasto (\u003cem\u003eSenna obtusifolia\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.85\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSabi\u0026aacute; (\u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.77\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOther Dicotyledons\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBamburral (\u003cem\u003eHyptissua veolens\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e78.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41.98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCabe\u0026ccedil;a-branca (\u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella\u003c/em\u003e Colla)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.96\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCapa-bode (\u003cem\u003eMelochia tomentosa\u003c/em\u003e L.)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.37\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentrosema (\u003cem\u003eCentrosema sp.\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67.23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.51\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eErvan\u0026ccedil;o (\u003cem\u003eAlternanthera brasiliana\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e87.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJuc\u0026aacute; (\u003cem\u003eLibidibia ferrea\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJurema-branca \u003cem\u003e(Piptadenia stipulacea)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJurema-preta (\u003cem\u003eMimosa tenuiflora\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalva (\u003cem\u003eSida cordifolia\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalva-branca (\u003cem\u003eHerissanta tiubae\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarianinha (\u003cem\u003eCommelina diffusa\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarmeleiro (\u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e72.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.82\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMofumbo (\u003cem\u003eCombretum leprosum\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e53.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoror\u0026oacute; (\u003cem\u003eBauhinia cheilantha\u003c/em\u003e Steud)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaco-paco (\u003cem\u003eWissadula rostrata\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePau-branco\u003cem\u003e(Auxemma oncocalix)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.49\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePau-moc\u0026oacute; \u003cem\u003e(Luetzelburgia auriculata)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e78.92\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50.49\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.85\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePereiro (\u003cem\u003eAspidosperma pyrifolium\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e91.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026pound;\u003c/sup\u003eMean values obtained from 2015 to 2017; *DM\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;dry matter; MM\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;mineral matter; OM\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;organic matter; CP\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;crude protein; NDF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;neutral detergent fiber; ADF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;acid detergent fiber and HEM\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;hemicellulose.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.4. Diet quality\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe proportion of plants consumed by the sheep was estimated by the number of fragments identified per species as a function of the total number of species observed in the fecal slide, recorded on the spreadsheet. Plants classified as \u0026ldquo;other dicotyledons\u0026rdquo; were the species with a frequency of less than 15%, participating in the diet in small proportions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe nutritional value of the ingested pasture was estimated according to the McInnis and Vavra (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e) equation, with the values of DM, MM, OM, CP, NDF, ADF and hemicellulose considering the composition (%) of each species identified in the fecal slides.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026#119899;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026#119873;\u003csub\u003e\u0026#119894;\u003c/sub\u003e = \u0026sum; \u0026#119886;\u003csub\u003e\u0026#119894;\u0026#119895;\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026#119909;\u003csub\u003e\u0026#119895;\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026#119894;=1\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e \u003cem\u003e=\u003c/em\u003e participation of nutrient \u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003eon feed composition;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ea\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003eij\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e \u003cem\u003e=\u003c/em\u003e content of nutrient \u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003eof foragespecies\u003cem\u003ej;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ex\u003csub\u003e\u003cem\u003ej\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e \u003cem\u003e=\u003c/em\u003epercentage composition in terms of dry weight of the forage species\u003cem\u003ej\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.5. Experimental design\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was adopted a completely randomized design, with levels of concentrate supplementation (0; 200; 350 and 500g) with eight replications in three seasons (rainy, transition and dry). The data was subjected to normality tests using the PROC UNIVARIATE procedure in the SAS software (2016) and was then subjected to analysis of variance using PROC MIXED, with the diets considered as a fixed effect and the years as random effect. Diet effects were explored using regression analysis through PROC REG also in the SAS software (2016).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe statistics proposed by Costa et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e) for classifying CVs were adopted to define the preference degree classification ranges, based on the percentage of selection of each forage consumed, and adapted for plant frequency data as: Low preference\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;Md - PS and high preference\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Md\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;PS. Md = (Q1\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Q3)/2 is the median of the frequencies. Q1 and Q3 are the first and third quartiles, respectively, which delimit 25% of each end of the distribution and PS = (IQR/1.35), where PS is the pseudo-sigma and IQR is the interquartile range (Q3-Q1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere was no effect of interaction between the level of supplementation offered and the season (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Analyzing the factors individually, the evaluation of the frequency of selection of the strata in the three seasons indicated a greater preference for low-growing species (grasses, herbaceous legumes and other dicotyledons) in the rainy season (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentesimal composition (%) of plant genera selected by sheep in a caatinga area according to the season\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGenre\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeason*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRain\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrasses\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWoody legumes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerbaceous and Other Dicotyledons\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e*Rainy\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of March; Transition\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of June; Dry\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;referring to the month of July. Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs for selection according to the amount of supplementation offered to the sheep, selection for grasses was greater for concentrate supplementation up to 350 g animal\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, with a severe decline for the treatment offering 500 g animal\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). On the other hand, in this treatment animals showed a higher frequency of selection for herbaceous species and other dicotyledonsin comparison to the other treatments.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentesimal composition (%) of plant genera selected by sheep in a caatinga area according to levels of concentrate supplementation*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eStratum\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcentrate supplementation (g animal-1 day-1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e200\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e350\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrasses\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWoody legumes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17.92\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerbaceous and Other Dicotyledons\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55.93\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e*Average data for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding the botanical composition selected during the rainy season, the most selected species by the sheep in the pasture were the legume \u003cem\u003eStylosantheshumilis\u003c/em\u003e, and the grasses \u003cem\u003eCynodondactylon\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePaspalumpaniculatum\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMelochiatomentosa\u003c/em\u003e L., followed by other species (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the transition season, there was greater selection for the grass \u003cem\u003eMelochia tomentosa\u003c/em\u003e L., the legume \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, and the dicotyledons \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera brasiliana\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella Colla\u003c/em\u003e, followed by other species. During the dry season, there was a greater demand for \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e and the legume \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, followed by \u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e and other species. During the rainy season, the sheep selected 60.79% of grasses, 27.45% of legumes, followed by other species. During the transition season, selectivity was more balanced, with greater demand for herbaceous dicotyledons (38.78%) followed by grasses (26.53%), legumes (24.49%) and other species (10.20%). In the dry season, selection was greater for grasses, followed by legumes, dicotyledons and other species.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe presence of the legume \u003cem\u003eM. caesalpiniaefolia\u003c/em\u003e, a species selected during the transition and dry periods is highlighted. The presence of the same key species was not observed for all periods evaluated (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). The grass \u003cem\u003eMelochiatomentosa\u003c/em\u003e L. had its selection importance in the rainy and transition seasons, and the legume \u003cem\u003eM. caesalpiniaefolia\u003c/em\u003ein the transition and dry seasons.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding the effect of concentrate supplementation for the sheep, offering 200 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate caused greater selection for the herbaceous dicotyledons \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera brasiliana\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella Colla\u003c/em\u003e (42.6%), followed by \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003e (24.07%) and \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e (20.37%) in the rainy season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). These species have a high CP content, reaching 21.70%, 14.66% and 16.19% (\u003cem\u003eAlternanthera brasiliana\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella Colla\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e, respectively) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the transition season, there was greater selection for herbaceous dicotyledons (44.9%), followed by \u003cem\u003eM. caesalpiniaefolia\u003c/em\u003e (22.45%), \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003e (20.41%) and other species (12.24%). During the dry season, \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e was the most selected species, followed by \u003cem\u003eM. caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCombretumleprosum\u003c/em\u003e and others.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the sheep were supplemented with 350 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate feed in the rainy season there was a greater selection for grasses, totaling 46.81%, made up mainly of \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003e, followed by 40.42% of legumes such as \u003cem\u003eArachis dardani\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e, and 12.77% of other species with less frequency in the grazing area (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the transition season, \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e was the most selected grass. The variation in the availability of grasses as the seasons progressed, the presence of ephemeral species, and the frequency of \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e in the area, led the animals to select this grass over others, keeping it in the diet in all seasons with supplementation of 350 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate feed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerbaceous dicotyledons made up 39.58% (\u003cem\u003eHerissanta tiubae\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCommelina diffusa\u003c/em\u003e) of the sheep\u0026rsquo;s diet during the transition season, followed by \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e (22.92%) and other species less frequent (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). The higher frequency of herbaceous dicotyledons in the diet of the sheep supplemented with 350 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate may have contributed to the higher intake of CP.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the dry season, \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e was more commonly selected, followed by \u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e and other species. The second species with the highest relative density in the grazing area during the dry season was \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e (23.58%), making an effective contribution to the selection and composition of the animals\u0026rsquo; diet.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSupplementing the animals with 500 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate feed during the rainy season resulted in greater intake of the species with the highest CP contents (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e): \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eArachis dardani\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella Colla\u003c/em\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Although the selection of \u003cem\u003eArachis dardani\u003c/em\u003e was equivalent to that of \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003e, as the proportion of concentrate increased, the intake of CP increased to the detriment of the other species. This result corresponds to the greater selectivity for other dicotyledons, grasses and legumes with supplementation of 500 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSheep\u0026rsquo;s selection behavior during the transition season was similar to that observed during the rainy season. In general, the animals selected more species with high protein content, followed by grasses and other species less frequently. \u003cem\u003eAristida longiseta\u003c/em\u003e, for example, has a high CP content, which may indicate a high preference at that time, since energy was being supplied by the concentrate. In the dry season, there was greater selection for \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e, followed by \u003cem\u003eM. Caesalpiniaefolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eC. Sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e and other species.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn short, non-supplemented sheep tried to compensate for the absence of the supplement in the diet (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) by selecting species with higher CP content and a lower content of fiberconstituents (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). In the dry season there was a greater selection of species that are not common in sheep diets (\u003cem\u003eC. Sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eC. leprosum\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePiptadenia stipulacea\u003c/em\u003e), indicating that as the seasons progressed and due to the absence of herbaceous species, the animals modified their diet. The high frequency of these species in the grazing areas during the dry season also contributed to high selection by the animals, as well as being an indicative of secondary succession.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough the sheep consumed a wide variety of forage species, seven species were selected the most, and were considered key species. Regardless of the level of supplementation, in the rainy season \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003e were the key species. In the transition season, the key species were \u003cem\u003eAristida longiseta\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHerissanta tiubae\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCommelina diffusa\u003c/em\u003e. While in the dry season, \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e were the key species.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf the total of 63 species present in the area, 26 were selected by the sheep and of these, 20 showed a high preference. Of this total, 75% were herbaceous species (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e), which corroborates the sheep\u0026rsquo;s feeding habits. The great variability of herbaceous species with high preference allows for the possibility of selecting better quality fiber and protein components, which are the main components selected during the rainy and transition seasons. By identifying the key species in a caatinga environment, it is possible to make rational use of the pasture, seeking to control species with low or no forage potential, and ensuring the establishment, preservation and dispersal of the key species, thus providing areas with higher frequencies of this group of species.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eClassification of species consumed according to average frequency of selection by sheep kept in Caatinga areas from 2015 to 2017\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSPECIES\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFREQUENCY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSELECTIVITY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmburana (\u003cem\u003eAmburana cearenses)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmendoim-forrageiro (\u003cem\u003eArachis dardani\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAzedinha (\u003cem\u003eRumexa cestosella)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarba-de-bode (\u003cem\u003eAristida longiseta\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCabe\u0026ccedil;a-branca (\u003cem\u003eAlternanthera tenella\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCapa-bode (\u003cem\u003eMelochia tomentosa\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentrosema (\u003cem\u003eCentrosema sp.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eErvan\u0026ccedil;o (\u003cem\u003eAlternanthera brasiliana\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEstilosantes (\u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeij\u0026atilde;o-de-rola (\u003cem\u003eMacroptilium lathyroides)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrama-seda \u003cem\u003e(Cynodon dactylon)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrama-touceira \u003cem\u003e(Paspalum paniculatum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJurema-preta \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa tenuiflora)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJurema-branca \u003cem\u003e(Piptadenia stipulacea)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalva \u003cem\u003e(Sida cordifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalva-branca \u003cem\u003e(Herissanta tiubae)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarianinha \u003cem\u003e(Commelina diffusa)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarmeleiro \u003cem\u003e(Croton sonderianus)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMata-pasto \u003cem\u003e(Senna obtusifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMofumbo (\u003cem\u003eCombretum leprosum)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaco-paco \u003cem\u003e(Wissadula rostrata)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePanasco \u003cem\u003e(Aristida adscensionis)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePau-branco \u003cem\u003e(Auxemma oncocalix)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSabi\u0026aacute; \u003cem\u003e(Mimosa caesalpinifolia)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTiririca \u003cem\u003e(Cyperus rotundus)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcentrate supplementation had a decreasing linear effect (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) on DM and OM selection (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). For every gram of concentrate added to the diet there was a reduction of 0.0379% of DM. Similar behavior was observed for the demand for DM in the transition and dry seasons, with a reduction occurring as the level of supplementation increased (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). In the transition season, the reduction in the search for DM occurred more slowly as the dry season approached, probably due to the gradual decrease in forage availability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAverages of the percentage (%) of selection for nutrients in the pasture by sheep kept in caatinga areas under different levels of concentrate supplementation, from 2015 to 2017\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeason\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry matter\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e-value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e200\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e350\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eS.E.M\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegression\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eR\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLinear\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuadratic\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;37.822-0.0379x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6112\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.87\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7723\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;34.052-0.0254x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4822\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;36.991-0.0235x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4916\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMineral matter\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.51\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6.395\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0201\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4463\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2372\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1330\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6.063\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0318\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.3206\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0762\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.303\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0069\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6504\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7495\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrganic matter\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;49.707-0.0147x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4006\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0006\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.5513\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;52.262-0.0212x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6657\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;56.359-0.0258x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6128\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCrude protein\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.97\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10.131-0.0131x\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.00003x\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4322\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1149\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0004\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1331\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10.472\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0928\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0847\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2319\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;11.086-0.0114x\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.00001x\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.3335\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0892\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0028\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNeutral detergent fiber\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.58\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30.076\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0018\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.8199\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7889\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2811\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30.689\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0093\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.5937\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7267\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;34.148-0.006x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1529\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0269\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0818\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAcid detergent fiber\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.58\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18.045\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0421\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2682\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.4175\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2705\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;19.663\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1277\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0612\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0811\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;23.724-0.006x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2056\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0091\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0068\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHemicellulose\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRainy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12.992-0.003x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1857\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0383\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0563\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransition\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1685\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;13.457-0.0104x\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.00001x2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2505\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0093\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0132\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ey\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12.866-0.005x\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.5379\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis behavior could probably be characterized by the substitution effect, due to the intake of the supplement with higher energy availability compared to the intake of pasture. In addition to the higher energy concentration, the supplement may contribute to the intake of CP during this period. Although there are a variety of legume species on the animal\u0026rsquo;s grazing sites with high protein value (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e), the lignification process of shrub and tree species can limit the availability of protein.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding the MM intake in native caatinga pasture, there was no diet effect (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), with average intake of 6.04% in the rainy season, 5.22% in the transition and 4.32% in the dry season, showing lower intake in the dry season. There was no effect of supplementation in the transition season, with an average of 10.47%. However, the intake of CP in the rainy and dry seasons showed similar response, with a reduction in the intake of this nutrient up to the supply of 350 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e of concentrate, decreasing as the amount of supplement increased. There was an increase in CP intake when the sheep were supplemented with 500 g day\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, probably due to the high availability of energy from the concentrate and the search for higher amounts of protein.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs for the intake of fiber constituents (NDF and ADF), there was no effect (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) during the rainy and transition seasons. In the dry season, there was a linear decreasing effect (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) on the average intake of both components. This may be associated with the fact that during this season the selected diet included a greater quantity of tree species with a high lignin content, probably making some of the other fiber constituents unavailable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs for the behavior of hemicellulose, it was higher in the rainy and dry seasons, with a decreasing linear effect (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). As the level of supplementation increased, the amount of hemicellulose decreased. It can be inferred that selection during these seasons led to the consumption of species with lower levels of fiber constituents. However, in the dry season, this behavior may be due to the lower availability of forage and the higher proportion of anti-nutritional factors, such as tannins and lignin.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the feeding habits of sheep (Hoffmann, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e) and their preference for these genera (Ara\u0026uacute;joFilho and Crispim, 2002), these species are more readily available in the rainy season (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e), which favored selection. Most low-growing species have a short phenological cycle, so the availability and nutritional value of these species is gradually reduced from the end of the rainy season. Therefore, selection for grasses in the transition and dry periods tends to be lower (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the transition season, there was an increase in the selection of species from the woody stratum. The xerophytic characteristic of most woody species in the caatinga results in leaf fall during the transition and dry season. As the leaves fall, there is an increase in the litter component (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) and, consequently, greater selection of the shrub and tree component by the sheep (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). According to Santos et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), most of the woody species present in the diet of animals in the caatinga are selected after the leaves that make up the litter fall. Due to the height of the trees and shrubs, the reach to the branches and twigs by the animals is limited.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough their nutritional value is lower than that observed in the rainy season, the greater proportion of legumes consumed as the transition to the dry season progresses is relevant as a source of protein in this period. The presence of other dicotyledonous species maintains a high degree of selectivity over time, as it covers a greater diversity of species. These results may indicate the beginning of the adoption of management of areas destined for grazing, with the favoring of herbaceous species with greater selectivity, from the adoption of thinning, which consequently promotes the emergence of open areas favorable to the herbaceous stratum.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcentrate supplementation can have a substitutive effect on forage intake (Ara\u0026uacute;jo et al., 2018). When this occurs, sheep choose to select forage that meets their fiber needs to maintain rumen functions, as the energy and protein demand can be met by concentrate supplementation (Carvalho et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Ara\u0026uacute;jo Filho et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e) evaluated the intake of sheep and goats in the caatinga during the rainy-dry transition, dry, and the dry-rainy transition seasonsand found that the selection of grasses by sheep remained above 20% of the total floristic composition selected. The preference of sheep for herbaceous dicotyledons can also be explained by the greater frequency of these species in the rainy season, the ease with which they can be obtained by the animals and the feeding habits of the animal species (Santos et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to Ara\u0026uacute;jo Filho (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), the importance of \u003cem\u003eM. caesalpiniaefolia\u003c/em\u003e stems from the nutritional value of the leaves, which are rich in crude protein (18.77%, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) and are an important component of the diet of ruminants in the caatinga. Selection by the sheep was related to the time of year and the composition of the species selected in the pasture. The presence of \u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e in the animals\u0026rsquo; diet during the dry season is noteworthy, as this species was more frequent in the grazing area during the dry season. In addition, as the availability of different grass species decreased, there was an increase in the intake of \u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e by the sheep, as also reported by Santos et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the dry season, \u003cem\u003eCroton sonderianus\u003c/em\u003e had a relative density of 27.65%, which was the highest among the species observed in this season, and that may explain the selection of this species by the animals, since it is not common in the diet of sheep, in addition to the fact that in the dry season there is a substantial reduction in the herbaceous stratum preferred by the animals, which leads them to select lesser desirable species present in the area (Carvalho et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, the high density of shrubs in this species is indicative of the secondary succession stage (Ara\u0026uacute;jo Filho, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePf\u0026iacute;ster (1983) reported that the diet selected by sheep in the caatinga can vary from 0.7 to 59% for grasses. This variation depends on the type of grass, its availability and density in the area.Of the 63 species cataloged in the caatinga native pasture area evaluated, the fecal micro-histological technique allowed the identification of 26 species in the botanical composition of the diet selected by sheep, 20 of which were highly preferred and 7 were considered key species: \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003ein the rainy season, \u003cem\u003eAristida longiseta\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHerissanta tiubae\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCommelina diffusa\u003c/em\u003ein the transition, and \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003ein the dry season.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSheep managed on native caatinga pasture change their selection strategy according to the supplementation they receive. The preference for species with a higher protein value is evident in the rainy, transition and dry seasons.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStatement of Animal Rights\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e The procedures using animals in this research were approved by the Ethics Committee for the Use of Animals at Embrapa Goats and Sheep (Protocol No. 09/2015) and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All applicable institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConflict of Interest Statement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding Statement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by Embrapa (Grant Number 03.14.00.134.00.00) and CNPq - National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Grant Number 448976/2014-5). M.C.P. Rog\u0026eacute;rio has received research support from Embrapa and CNPq.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMCPR, FEPF and RCFFP formulated the idea; EBM, DSO and HQM developed the methodology; EBM, WFC and DSO conducted field work; DSO and LFG performed statistical analyses; EBM, LFG, DSO, MCPR, AAA, RCFFP, DSO and AAA drafted the manuscript. MCPR and RCFFP reviewed and edited the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe thank the expert technical support by the staffs of the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and of the Semi-arid Respirometry Laboratory, both from the Embrapa Goats and Sheep. Also, we acknowledge the technical support by the staff of the Lagoa Seca Farm for all support.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available as contain sensitive information, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eARA\u0026Uacute;JO FILHO, J.A.; GADELHA, J.A.; LEITE, E.R.; SOUZA, P.Z.; CRISPIM, S.M.A.;REGO, M.C. Composi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o bot\u0026acirc;nica e qu\u0026iacute;mica da dieta de ovinos e pastoreio combinado na regi\u0026atilde;o dos Inhamuns, Cear\u0026aacute;. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, v.25, p.383\u0026ndash;395, 1996.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eARA\u0026Uacute;JO, F. S. Composi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o flor\u0026iacute;stica da vegeta\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de carrasco, Novo Oriente, CE. Revista Brasileira de Bot\u0026acirc;nica, vol. 21, n. 2, S\u0026atilde;o Paulo, ago. 1998.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eARA\u0026Uacute;JO FILHO, J.A.; CRISPIM, S.M.A. Pastoreio combinado de bovinos, caprinos e ovinos em \u0026aacute;reas de caatinga no Nordeste do Brasil. In: Confer\u0026ecirc;ncia Virtual Global Sobre Produ\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o Org\u0026acirc;nica de Bovinos de Corte, 2002, Concordia, SC. Anais. 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Minist\u0026eacute;rio do Meio Ambiente, Bras\u0026iacute;lia. 2004.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGONZAGA NETO, S.; BATISTA, A. M. V.; CARVALHO, F. F. R. de; MART\u0026Iacute;NEZ, R. L.V.; BARBOSA, J. E. A. S.; SILVA, E. O. Composi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o bromatol\u0026oacute;gica, consumo e digestibilidade \u003cem\u003eIn Vivo\u003c/em\u003e de dietas com diferentes n\u0026iacute;veis de feno de catingueira (\u003cem\u003eCaesalpinea bracteosa\u003c/em\u003e), fornecidas para ovinos Morada Nova. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, v. 30, n. 2, p. 553\u0026ndash;562, 2001.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHOFFMANN, R.R. Evolutionary steps of ecophysiological adaptation and diversification of ruminants: a comparative view of their digestive system. Oecologia, v. 78, p. 443\u0026ndash;449, 1989.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLEITE, E. R.; ARA\u0026Uacute;JO FILHO, J. A.; PINTO, F. C. 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T\u0026eacute;cnica de fistula\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o e canula\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o do r\u0026uacute;menembovinos e ovinos. Ci\u0026ecirc;ncia e Agrotecnologia, v. 33, Edi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o especial, p. 2059\u0026ndash;2064, 2009.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePEREIRA FILHO, J.M.; BAKKE, O.A. Produ\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de Forragem de esp\u0026eacute;ciesherb\u0026aacute;ceas da caatinga. In: GARIGLIO, M.A.; SAMPAIO, E.V.S\u0026aacute; B.; CESTARO, L.A.; KAGEYAMA,P.Y.; Uso sustent\u0026aacute;vel e conserva\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o dos recursos florestais da caatinga. Bras\u0026iacute;lia: Servi\u0026ccedil;o Florestal Brasileiro, 2010. p.145\u0026ndash;159.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePFISTER, J.A. Nutrition and feeding behavior of goats and sheep grazing deciduous shrub- woodland in Northeastern Brazil. (Disserta\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o). Logan, Utah: Utah State University, 1983.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePROHMANN, P.E.F.; BRANCO, A.F.; PARIS, W.; BARRETO, J.C.; MAGALH\u0026Atilde;ES, V.J.A.; GOES, R.H.T.B.; OLIVEIRA, M.V.M. M\u0026eacute;todo de amostragem e caracteriza\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o qu\u0026iacute;mica da forragem consumida por bovines em pasto consorciado de aveia e azev\u0026eacute;m. Arquivo Brasileiro de MedicinaVeterin\u0026aacute;ria e Zootecnia, v.64, n.4, p.953\u0026ndash;958,2012.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eROG\u0026Eacute;RIO, M. C. P.; SANTOS, S. A. ; POMPEU, R. C. F. F. ; FERNANDES, F. E. P. ; OLIVEIRA, D. S. ; ARA\u0026Uacute;JO, A. R. ; GUEDES, L.F. ; ALVES, F. G. S. ; MOUR\u0026Atilde;O, E. B. Microhistologia para identifica\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de plantas forrageiras consumidas por ovinos na caatinga: coleta de amostras e preparo de laminas fecais e de refer\u0026ecirc;ncia vegetal. Sobral-CE: Embrapa, S\u0026eacute;rie Documentos, 2017.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eROSITO, J. M.; MARCHEZAN, E. Determina\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de descritores foliares para a identifica\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o micro-histol\u0026oacute;gica de species forrageiras. Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences, v. 25, n. 2, p. 407\u0026ndash;413, 2003.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSANTOS, G.R.A. et al. Determina\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o da composi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o bot\u0026acirc;nica da dieta de ovinos em pastejo na Caatinga. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, v. 37, n. 10, p. 1876\u0026ndash;1883, 2008.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSANTOS, M.V.F.; LIRA, M.A.; DUBEUX J\u0026Uacute;NIOR, J.C.B.; GUIM, A. MELLO, A.C.L.; CUNHA, M.V. Potential of Caatinga forage plants in ruminant feeding. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, v. 39, p. 204\u0026ndash;215, 2010.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSAS Institute Inc. SAS\u0026reg; University Edition, Cary, NC, 2016.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSPARKS, D.R., and J.C. MAIECHEK. Estimating percentage dry weight in diets using a microscope technique. Journal of Range Management,v. 21, p. 264\u0026ndash;265, 1968.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVAN SOEST, P. J.; ROBERTSON, J. B.; LEWIS, B. A. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, v. 74, p. 3583\u0026ndash;3597, 1991.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"tropical-animal-health-and-production","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"trop","sideBox":"Learn more about [Tropical Animal Health and Production](https://www.springer.com/journal/11250)","snPcode":"11250","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11250/3","title":"Tropical Animal Health and Production","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"grazing, microhistological technique, natural pastures, semiarid region, sheep","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to evaluate the composition and nutritional value of the diet selected by sheep on Caatinga pasture receiving different amounts of concentrate supplementation. Thirty-two sheep were divided into four groups (0g; 200g; 350g and 500g of supplementation per day), on native Caatinga pasture, during the rainy, transition and dry seasons, from 2015 to 2017. An inventory was carried out and samples of the species present in the pasture were collected to prepare microscopic slides. To identify the selected diet, samples of feces were collected and the slides were prepared and examined. Based on the frequency of species observed in the slide readings and the nutritional value determined in the bromatological analysis, it was possible to determine the key species and the quality of the selected diet. There was no effect of interaction between the level of supplementation offered and the season (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Sheep supplemented with 500g concentrate\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e had higher preference for herbs and other dicotyledons and less selection for grasses. Of the 63 species catalogued in the caatinga pasture evaluated, the fecal micro-histological technique allowed the identification of 26 species in the botanical composition of the diet, 20 of which were highly preferred and 7 were considered key species: \u003cem\u003eStylosanthes humilis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCynodon dactylon\u003c/em\u003ein the rainy season, \u003cem\u003eAristida longiseta\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHerissanta tiubae\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCommelina diffusa\u003c/em\u003e in the transition, and \u003cem\u003eAristida adscensionis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMimosa caesalpinifolia\u003c/em\u003e in the dry season. Sheep managed on native Caatinga pasture change their selection strategy according to the supplementation they are offered.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Botanical composition and nutritional value of natural pasture of the Caatinga selected by sheep receiving different amounts of an energy-protein supplement","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-09 17:26:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7437436/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-08-25T06:11:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Tropical Animal Health and Production","date":"2025-08-23T11:26:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"tropical-animal-health-and-production","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"trop","sideBox":"Learn more about [Tropical Animal Health and Production](https://www.springer.com/journal/11250)","snPcode":"11250","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11250/3","title":"Tropical Animal Health and Production","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"335081c6-a07f-44d2-84d9-8af014536634","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-31T22:16:58+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-09 17:26:46","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7437436","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7437436","identity":"rs-7437436","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}