SUMMER DIET OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS IN THE BLACK LANDS OF KALMYKI

Field material for assessing the diet of grazed domestic animals was collected in the summer season of 2020 on the territory of the Black Lands (the southern part of the Caspian lowland within the borders of the Republic of Kalmykia). The research area belongs to the northern subzone of the desert zone (Zones and Zones…, 1999). Data on the composition of forage plants in the diet of jointly grazed sheep, cows and horses were obtained using the method of microhistological cuticular analysis of excrement. This method is used for the first time to assess the diet of sheep, cows and horses in the study area. 25 plant species were identified in the summer diet of grazed animals, of which 21 species were noted when describing vegetation in the key area. It was revealed that the diet of grazed domestic animal species differs in the ratio of the main forage groups of plants in it: cereals, sedges and various grasses. The share of cereals is the highest in the diet of horses (92%), and the share of various grasses prevails in the diet of sheep (35%).