Do changes in dietary chemistry during ontogeny affect digestive performance in adults of the herbivorous rodent Octodon degus?

Sabat P.; Bozinovic F.

Abstract

We characterize the flexibility in digestive performance in degus (Octodon degus) an herbivorous rodent. We tested the hypothesis that dietary and physiological-digestive flexibility are correlated. Degus were fed with artificial diets of different chemical composition from weaning to adulthood and their digestive performance was measured through records of apparent digestibility. The starch content of the acclimation diet was not correlated with protein digestibility nor was it correlated with starch digestibility. In addition, digestive tract morphology was not affected by dietary treatments. Hence, an absence of morphological and physiological flexibility related to digestive traits was observed in degus. The lower flexibility in digestive performance given by our dietary experimental treatments of degus, may be an evolutionary constraint related to their specialized herbivorous food habits. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Título según WOS: Do changes in dietary chemistry during ontogeny affect digestive performance in adults of the herbivorous rodent Octodon degus?
Título según SCOPUS: Do changes in dietary chemistry during ontogeny affect digestive performance in adults of the herbivorous rodent Octodon degus?
Título de la Revista: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Volumen: 151
Número: 3
Editorial: Elsevier
Fecha de publicación: 2008
Página de inicio: 455
Página final: 460
Idioma: English
URL: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1095643307015437
DOI:

10.1016/j.cbpa.2007.07.009

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS