BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF FORAGE BY TIMOR DEER (Cervus timorensis Balinville) IN A MONSOON FOREST AND SAVANNA OF WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

The research was conducted at monsoon forest-Prapat Agung and savanna-Brumbun in West Bali National Park (WBNP) to study botanical composition of the forage by timor deer (Cervus timorensis) and relationships availability of forage plants in the habitat unit with the forage plant utilization by deer. Botanical composition in habitats determined from percent ground cover plant species at sampling quadrat. The botanical composition in deer diet estimated by using mikrohistological techniques of fecal sample. Selection of plant species calculated using i'vlev electivity index. Relationships forage plants availability and utilization of plant species by deer calculated using similarity index. The result study showed that’s differences in the availability of plants in two habitat unit (monsoon forest and savanna) effect on botanical composition in timor deer diet. In monsoon forest botanical composition in the diet is dominated by broadleaf plants (forbs and woodys) and in the savanna dominated by graminoids. Based on the selection of plants, some plant are important species for the diet timor deer in the two habitat units both forbs, graminoids and woodys categories. There is a high correlation between the use of plants by the timor deer with the availability of food supply in the habitat. Implication for the management of deer habitat in WBNP focused to suppress the growth of plant species are invasive and potentially cover an area for growth in dicotyledonous herbs and grasses were edible for deer.