Nutritional quality and potential energetic supply of spring forage for Cuvier’s gazelle in a North African Mediterranean forest mosaic

Abstract Understanding the nutritional ecology of threatened ungulates can guide habitat management in heterogeneous Mediterranean landscapes. We assessed the nutritional quality and potential energetic adequacy of key spring forage plants consumed by the vulnerable Cuvier’s gazelle in Djebel Messaâd forest (north-central Algeria). Based on prior diet analyses, we sampled 12 forage species and quantified dry matter, ash, fibre fractions and crude protein. We then predicted dry matter digestibility and metabolisable energy from published equations and compared predicted energy content with published allometric estimates of gazelle energy requirements for maintenance and higher-cost states (activity and lactation). Nutritional profiles varied strongly among species. Grasses dominated by Stipa species showed high fibre and low crude protein, whereas several dicotyledons and the grass Koeleria vallesiana had comparatively higher protein and lower digestibility constraints. Multivariate ordination indicated only weak grouping by forage category, highlighting species-level nutritional complementarity within the forest mosaic. Predicted metabolisable energy ranged from 6.2 to 9.3 MJ kg −1 of dry matter, suggesting that spring forage can generally support maintenance requirements, whereas meeting lactation or high-activity demands may depend on access to higher-energy species. These results highlight the conservation value of maintaining habitat heterogeneity in Mediterranean forest mosaics to provide complementary forage resources during spring.