Protein and Energy Relationships in the Diet of the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
| Autor: | Larry McNease, I. L. Brisbin, Mark A. Staton, Hardy M. Edwards, Ted Joanen |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1990 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Animal feed Alligator Medicine (miscellaneous) Body weight Zea mays Crocodilia Eating Animal science Internal medicine biology.animal Dietary Carbohydrates medicine Animals American alligator Alligators and Crocodiles Nutrition and Dietetics biology Body Weight Reptiles Carbohydrate biology.organism_classification Animal Feed Dietary Fats Endocrinology Regression Analysis Digestion Dietary Proteins Energy Intake Energy Metabolism Energy source |
| Zdroj: | The Journal of Nutrition. 120:775-785 |
| ISSN: | 0022-3166 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/jn/120.7.775 |
| Popis: | First-year alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) averaging 377-857 g body weight were fed diets containing various levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate. In experiment 1, nine diets arranged in a centrally rotatable composite design contained 0-36% extruded corn and 4-20% total fat. Response surface analysis predicted maximum responses in performance criteria at 6.3-18.8% corn and 15.8-27.4% fat. Corn inclusion at up to 27-36% of diet resulted in equal or improved performance compared to carbohydrate-free diets of equal fat content. Energy digestibility averaged 84.3%. Protein digestibility averaged 86.7%. Maximum responses in performance criteria were predicted at 42.5-48.7% digestible protein and 4367-4421 kcal/kg digestible energy. In two additional experiments, alligators were either fasted or fed for various numbers of days/week. Carbohydrate-supplementation of high protein diets led to equal or significantly improved performances. Performance was maximized by feeding the alligators 5-6 d/w. Regression of body weight changes against energy and protein intake yielded estimates of daily maintenance requirements of 5.7-8.4 kcal and 0.49-0.89 g protein/kg live body weight. Dietary fat and carbohydrate in the forms and amounts fed to young alligators were well-utilized. Optimal digestible energy:crude protein ratios (8.2-10.9:1 kcal/g protein) were similar to those of other aquatic ectotherms of equal size. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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