The supply of wild ruminants with major and trace elements. 2. The manganese content of winter grazing and the manganese status of red deer, fallow deer, roes and mouflons

The winter grazing of wild ruminants on mantles of slate waste in the Harz mountains and in Gera county were richest in Mn whereas those on mantles of granite waste in the Erzgebirge were poorest. The flora of the shell-limestone, keuper and loess areas contains much less Mn than that of those acid habitats. The Mn-requirement of the wild ruminants grazing in the forests is met however, since bilberry plants (2,080 mg/kg), spruce twigs (984 mg/kg), spruce bark (827 mg/kg), oak twigs (791 mg/kg) and heather (754 mg/kg dry matter) in addition to many other plant species store extremely high amounts of Mn. Solely sallow twigs were poor in Mn (28 mg/kg). Based on 601 samples examined, the Mn supply of wild ruminants is extensively described. The rumen content reflected the plentiful Mn-supply of the wild ruminants living in forests (greater than 400 mg/kg) and the far worse one of field roes, particularly in Mn-deficiency areas for domesticated ruminants (mantle of shell-limestone waste 37 mg Mn/kg dry matter of rumen content). The indicator organs of the Mn-status (liver, covering hair, kidneys) verify the statements made concerning red deer, fallow deer and mouflons, of which a total of 170 head from 14 biotopes were examined. An Mn-deficit of field roes in Mn-deficiency habitats in winter cannot completely be excluded. Mouflons have not yet been able to adapt themselves to the excessive Mn-supply of the acid forest habitats in Central Europe. They stored significantly higher amounts of Mn in liver, covering hair, kidneys, cerebrum and ribs than the other wild ruminants and sheep and cattle. The normal Mn-content of the liver and the cerebrum of red deer, fallow deer and roes corresponds to that of sheep and cattle. Roes and fallow deer have winter covering hair poor in Mn (less than 4.0 mg/kg) in comparison to sheep and cattle.