Adaptive foraging strategy and dietary selection of goats in the Malagasy southwestern xerophytic thickets. ​

Adaptive foraging strategy and dietary selection of goats in the Malagasy southwestern xerophytic thickets. ​ | 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 Adaptive foraging strategy and dietary selection of goats in the Malagasy southwestern xerophytic thickets. ​ Mbolatiana Fiononantsoa Ranaivoharivelo, Isabelle Herisoa Hantanirina, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7765504/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Tropical Animal Health and Production → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Xerophytic thickets are key grazing areas supporting goat herds and local livelihoods in southwestern Madagascar. This study assessed forage consumption and dietary preferences of goats to evaluate ecological–livestock interactions in these fragile ecosystems. Research was conducted in Toliara II district at two contrasting sites—a coastal zone (Soalara-Sud—SS) and a limestone plateau (Andranohinaly—AND)—during the rainy season (March 2024) and dry seasons (July and September 2024). Methods combined forage accessibility plots, continuous bite monitoring, and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for chemical composition. Goat diets showed high species richness (163 species) but were dominated by fewer than ten core species per season. Plateau herds maintained mixed herbaceous–woody diets, while coastal herds favored shrubs and trees. Two species were strongly selected: Heteropogon contortus (AND) and Solanum bumeliifolium (SS). Nutritional quality was strongly influenced by plant species, season, and functional group (herbaceous vs. shrubs/trees) ( p 0.05). The most affected parameters were dry matter digestibility, ash, neutral detergent fiber, crude protein, and fat, while metabolizable energy and acid detergent fiber were moderately influenced. Forage selectivity was the main structuring factor of the feeding behavior, with goats demonstrating adaptive strategies to seasonal constraints. Results highlight (i) strong seasonal plasticity in diets despite limited site differences, (ii) nutritional trade-offs shaped by digestibility–fiber–energy optimization, and (iii) the ecological role of key shrubs as nutritional buffers. These findings underscore the need for integrated ecological–nutritional–spatiotemporal approaches for the sustainable management of xerophytic grazing systems. xerophytic thickets southwestern Madagascar goats feeding behavior NIRS RGCCA Full Text Supplementary Files TableA1.xlsx TableA2.xlsx TableA3.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Tropical Animal Health and Production → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 05 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 03 Oct, 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-7765504","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":526665294,"identity":"31cd232f-eb64-44c6-86e4-97581366ea81","order_by":0,"name":"Mbolatiana Fiononantsoa 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​","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"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":"xerophytic thickets, southwestern Madagascar, goats, feeding behavior, NIRS, RGCCA","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7765504/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7765504/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eXerophytic thickets are key grazing areas supporting goat herds and local livelihoods in southwestern Madagascar. This study assessed forage consumption and dietary preferences of goats to evaluate ecological\u0026ndash;livestock interactions in these fragile ecosystems. Research was conducted in Toliara II district at two contrasting sites\u0026mdash;a coastal zone (Soalara-Sud\u0026mdash;SS) and a limestone plateau (Andranohinaly\u0026mdash;AND)\u0026mdash;during the rainy season (March 2024) and dry seasons (July and September 2024). Methods combined forage accessibility plots, continuous bite monitoring, and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for chemical composition. Goat diets showed high species richness (163 species) but were dominated by fewer than ten core species per season. Plateau herds maintained mixed herbaceous\u0026ndash;woody diets, while coastal herds favored shrubs and trees. Two species were strongly selected: \u003cem\u003eHeteropogon contortus\u003c/em\u003e (AND) and \u003cem\u003eSolanum bumeliifolium\u003c/em\u003e (SS). Nutritional quality was strongly influenced by plant species, season, and functional group (herbaceous vs. shrubs/trees) (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), while geographical location had little effect (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The most affected parameters were dry matter digestibility, ash, neutral detergent fiber, crude protein, and fat, while metabolizable energy and acid detergent fiber were moderately influenced. Forage selectivity was the main structuring factor of the feeding behavior, with goats demonstrating adaptive strategies to seasonal constraints. Results highlight (i) strong seasonal plasticity in diets despite limited site differences, (ii) nutritional trade-offs shaped by digestibility\u0026ndash;fiber\u0026ndash;energy optimization, and (iii) the ecological role of key shrubs as nutritional buffers. These findings underscore the need for integrated ecological\u0026ndash;nutritional\u0026ndash;spatiotemporal approaches for the sustainable management of xerophytic grazing systems.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Adaptive foraging strategy and dietary selection of goats in the Malagasy southwestern xerophytic thickets. ​","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-21 03:54:06","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7765504/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-10-21T00:11:55+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-08T17:03:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-06T03:53:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Tropical Animal Health and Production","date":"2025-10-03T12:47:46+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":"4ce728d0-6291-4596-a3d0-bcc26395e577","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 21st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-30T16:23:45+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7765504","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-026-05010-z","journal":{"identity":"tropical-animal-health-and-production","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Tropical Animal Health and Production"},"publishedOn":"2026-03-26 16:11:52","publishedOnDateReadable":"March 26th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-21 03:54:06","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s11250-026-05010-z","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-026-05010-z","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7765504","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7765504","identity":"rs-7765504","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}