Limitation of body mass of herbivores [Elektronische Ressource] : allometry of food quality and of digestive aspects / vorgelegt von Patrick Steuer

Patrick Steuer

Sujets

• Biologie

Informations

• Publié par: rheinische_friedrich-wilhelms-universitat_bonn
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 99
• Langue: Deutsch
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Limitation of body mass of herbivores
-
Allometry of food quality and of digestive
aspects





Dissertation
zur
Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. rer. nat.)
der
Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät
der
Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

vorgelegt von



Patrick Steuer
aus
Köln





Bonn
Juni, 2010







Angefertigt mit Genehmigung der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen
Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn





1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Südekum
2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Gerhard von der Emde







Tag der Promotion: 01.10.2010













Meiner Familie

















Contents
Page
List of figures ........................................................................................................................... III
List of tables .............................................................................................................................IV
List of abbreviations.................................................................................................................. V
General introduction................................................................................................................... 1
Topic of the thesis ...................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1: Is there an influence of body mass on digesta mean retention time in herbivores?
A comparative study on ungulates ............................................................................................. 6
Abstract .................................................................................................................................. 6
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 7
1.1. Mean retention time, food intake and body mass........................................................ 7
1.2. Different digestive tracts............................................................................................. 8
Aims of this chapter ............................................................................................................... 8
2. Materials and Methods ....................................................................................................... 9
2.1. Animals and feeding.................................................................................................... 9
2.2. Mean retention time .................................................................................................. 10
2.3. Chemical analysis ..................................................................................................... 11
2.4. Calculations .............................................................................................................. 11
2.5. Statistics .................................................................................................................... 11
3. Results .............................................................................................................................. 12
3.1. Food intake ............................................................................................................... 12
3.2. Mean retention time .................................................................................................. 13
4. Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 17
4.1. Method validation ..................................................................................................... 17
4.2. General influence of BM on different aspects of digestion....................................... 18
4.3. Influence of BM on MRT........................................................................................... 18
4.4. Herbivores going to extremes – implications for herbivorous dinosaurs................. 21
4.5. Differences between MRT of ruminants and hindgut fermenters ............................. 21
4.6. “The” hindgut fermenters - equids, rhinos, elephants and warthog ........................ 23
5. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 2: Measuring differences in fibre degradability realized by large herbivores - using
an in vitro test........................................................................................................................... 24
Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 24
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 25
Aims of this chapter ............................................................................................................. 26
2. Materials and Methods ..................................................................................................... 26
2.1. Methods..................................................................................................................... 26
2.2. Animals and feeding.................................................................................................. 26
2.3. Chemical analysis ..................................................................................................... 27
2.4. Statistics .................................................................................................................... 29
3. Results .............................................................................................................................. 30
3.1. Gas production.......................................................................................................... 30
3.2. Faecal nitrogen and faecal NDF .............................................................................. 30
3.3. Relation between gas production and body mass ..................................................... 30
3.4. Relation between gas production and metabolic faecal nitrogen............................. 30
3.5. Relation between gas production and MRT ...................................................... 33 particle
4. Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 34
4.1. Method evaluation..................................................................................................... 34
4.2. Differences in faecal NDF composition.................................................................... 37
4.3. Faecal nitrogen and mean retention time ................................................................. 37
I

Page
4.4. Apparent digestibilities ............................................................................................. 37
4.5. The “special” white rhinoceros................................................................................ 39
5. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 40
Appendix .............................................................................................................................. 41
Chapter 3: Allometry of diet quality - quantification via faecal nitrogen and faecal neutral
detergent fibre .......................................................................................................................... 42
Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 42
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 43
Aims of this chapter ............................................................................................................. 47
2. Materials and Methods ..................................................................................................... 47
2.1. Animals and sampling............................................................................................... 47
2.2. Chemical analysis ..................................................................................................... 50
2.3. Statistics .................................................................................................................... 50
3. Results .............................................................................................................................. 51
3.1. Faecal ash contents................................................................................................... 51
3.2. TFN ........................................................................................................................... 51
3.3. NDIN .............................................................................