A comparison of faecal and stomach contents analysis in the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

Autor:	B. R. Neal, D. A. Pulkinen, B. D. Owen
Rok vydání:	1973
Předmět:	biology Stomach digestive oral and skin physiology Dicotyledon Zoology biology.organism_classification medicine.anatomical_structure Botany Quantitative assessment medicine Animal Science and Zoology Vole Microtus Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Feces
Zdroj:	Canadian Journal of Zoology. 51:715-721
ISSN:	1480-3283 0008-4301
DOI:	10.1139/z73-105
Popis:	The food preferences of 14 specimens of Microtus pennsylvanicus were studied by the quantitative assessment of plant cuticular fragments in the stomachs and faeces. Paired comparisons of stomach with faecal observations indicated that sedges and dicotyledons were considerably underrated, grasses were generally slightly overrated, and unidentifiable fragments were considerably more abundant in the faecal samples. About half of the sedge and dicotyledon cuticular fragments appeared to be lost between the stomach and colon sampling sites. It was concluded that most of these fragments were rendered unidentifiable, but some were probably completely digested. Stomach and faecal samples provided similar estimates of food preferences when few sedges and dicotyledons were observed, but were markedly different when sedges and dicotyledons formed a substantial proportion of the diet. A simple correction factor was used to compensate for differences in the digestibility of the different food items. The corrected faecal observations were very similar to the stomach observations.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
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