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Table 6 Foraging events and equations used in the calculation of partial and cumulative indexes of selectivity for alfalfa at each separate scale and across scales of the grazing process.

From: Resource heterogeneity and foraging behaviour of cattle across spatial scales

Foraging scale

Foraging event

Partial index

Cumulative index

Scenario

Patches selected (Ps)

Patch

Feeding stations visited (FS)

Feeding station

Bites cropped (B)

Bite

Dry matter intake (I)

  1. Partial selectivity indexes expressed the ratio of the proportion of foraging events on alfalfa at a focal scale and those at the next larger scale of the grazing process. Cumulative selectivity indexes showed a progressive integration of the proportion of foraging events on alfalfa against the proportion of alfalfa patches offered.
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BMC Ecology

ISSN: 1472-6785

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