Body Size, Gender, Seed Husking and Energy Requirements in Two Species of Desert Gerbilline Rodents, Meriones crassus and Gerbillus henleyi

Khokhlova, Irina S.; Degen, A. A.; Kam, Michael

doi:10.2307/2390244

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…It is a burrow-dweller that forages nocturnally and is primarily granivorous (Khokhlova et al 1995;Degen et al 1997). This rodent has a long reproduction period from January to September with peaks in February to May and in August.…”

Section: Study Species and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seeds and pieces of plant material that passed through the mesh were separated manually from the feces. The animals were allowed 3 weeks for adjustment, and then dry matter and energy digestibilities were measured over 7 days (Khokhlova et al 1995). Body mass (M b ) was measured each day over the 7-day period and the mean was used for the body mass before pregnancy.…”

Section: Study Species and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Milk production of the dam limits the growth rate of Sundevall's jird (Meriones crassus) pups

2011

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a b s t r a c tWe determined metabolizable energy intake (MEI), body energy change and milk production in primiparous, lactating Sundevall's jirds (Meriones crassus) when nursing litters of two to six pups. We hypothesized that milk production was a constraint and that pups in small litters would have a faster growth rate than pups in large litters. We also hypothesized that females with small litters would offset the costs predominantly with metabolizable energy intake while females with large litters would be forced to mobilize more body energy. There was a negative relationship between growth rate of a pup and litter size which would imply that milk production was the limiting factor in pup growth, which supports our first hypothesis. Although there was an increase in maternal milk production with an increase in litter size, there was a decrease in milk intake per pup with litter size. There was a significant correlation between loss in body energy and litter size, that is, an increase in litter size was associated with more maternal body energy loss, which supports our second hypothesis. MEI in lactating females was on the average 35% above that of non-reproducing females and, together with litter size explained 74% of the variance in the growth rate of a pup. Each of these independent variables contributed about equally to the variance.

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Section: Study Species and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Species and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Milk production of the dam limits the growth rate of Sundevall's jird (Meriones crassus) pups

2011

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“…Both DMD and DE of millet kernels are similar for G. henleyi and M. crassus (Khokhlova et al 1995); therefore, any differences in either DMD or DE between these rodent species, when offered plants in addition to seeds, would be due to differences in plant digestibility. Selection for highly digestible and energy-rich plant parts could be tested by comparing apparent digestibilities of dry matter (DMD) and energy (DE) among animal species.…”

Section: Testing Of Hypothesis 2: Total Plant Selection and Body Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the study, the three gerbil species were offered millet seeds that supplied -40% and 80% of maintenance energy requirements (Khokhlova et al 1995); G. henleyi and M. crassus were also offered a treatment with no millet seeds. Three individuals of each species were offered each seed level (0%, 40%, and 80%).…”

Section: Animal Maintenance and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies showed that G. henleyi and M. crassus have similar, high dry-matter digestibilities of -95% when consuming millet kernels (Khokhlova et al 1995). Furthermore, there are indications that the seasonal change in plant phonology is accompanied by a shift in dietary habits, in M. crassus but not in G. henleyi, from mainly seeds during the summer to a diet higher in green vegetation during the winter ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Granivory and Plant Selection by Desert Gerbils of Different Body Size

Kam¹,

Khokhlova²,

Degen³

1997

Ecology

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecology.Abstract. Plant selection, energy intake, and digestibility were studied in nonreproducing Gerbillus henleyi (10 g; n = 9), Gerbillus dasyurus (24 g; n = 6), and Meriones crassus (90 g; n = 9). These gerbils coexist in the Negev Desert Highlands, have similar dietary habits (being primarily granivores), and do not require drinking water, but they differ greatly in body mass. Each species was offered different levels (0% and -40% and 80% of maintenance energy requirements) of millet seeds and ad libitum fresh vegetation consisting of Atriplex halimus, Moricandia nitens, Zygophyllum dumosum, Lycium shawii, Anabasis articulate, and Thymelaea hirsuta, the dominant plants in the area inhabited by the rodents. Drinking water was not available. We hypothesized that: (1) smaller animals would be more dependent than larger animals on highly digestible food items such as seeds, and (2) smaller animals would be more selective than larger animals for highly digestible and energy-rich plant parts.The minimum levels of millet seeds needed to maintain body mass were 97%, 94%, and 36% of maintenance energy requirements for G. henleyi, G. dasyurus, and M. crassus, respectively. Therefore, G. henleyi was the most dependent on seeds, and M. crassus the least, supporting hypothesis 1. At similar levels of seeds consumed, apparent digestibilities of dry matter (DMD) and energy of the total diet were highest for G. henleyi. In the absence of seeds, vegetation DMD averaged 88% in G. henleyi and 70% in M. crassus, yet G. henleyi lost body mass, as a percentage, twice as fast as M. crassus. The three rodent species were selective in consuming vegetation and made similar choices. A. halimus and M. nitens were preferred, comprising -48%, 64%, and 67% of total plant dry matter consumption in G. henleyi, G. dasyurus, and M. crassus, respectively. Plant species not selected were relatively low in water and protein contents and were high in phenolic compounds and condensed tannins compared to preferred species. Gross energy, ash, and fiber levels did not appear to affect selectivity. Selection of plant parts within each plant species, as indicated by the leaf: stem (L:S) ratio, differed among rodent species. The L:S ratio for A. halimus was 4.8, but the L:S ratios ingested were 1.7, 4.0, and 7.4 in G. henleyi, G. dasyurus, and M. crassus, respectively, indicating selection of stems by G. henleyi, selection of leaves by M. crassus, and basically no selection by G. dasyurus. The ratio of seed: green vegetation (S:G) intake was highest in G. henleyi and lowest in M. crassus. A similar inverse relationship ...

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Seasonal plasticity of gut morphology and small intestinal enzymes in free-living Mongolian gerbils

et al. 2012

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The phenotypic plasticity of the digestive system may determine the diversity of animal diets and, thus, their niche width. This study examines the effects of seasonal fluctuations in food quality and temperature on the gut morphology and the activity of sucrase, maltase, and aminopeptidase-N in the small intestinal brush-border membrane of male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Based on the adaptive modulation hypothesis and the principle of optimal gut function design, we hypothesize that the gut size, tissue-specific activity, and total hydrolytic capacity of intestinal digestive enzyme are upregulated in winter and downregulated in summer in response to diet shifts and energy demand in free-living Mongolian gerbils. Various seasonal modulation patterns in digestive enzyme activity in different regions of the small intestines were observed. The results show that male gerbils have the longest and heaviest small intestines in winter. This mechanism may be adapted to increase their food intake during winter. Male gerbils also exhibit the highest tissue-specific and total sucrase, maltase, and aminopeptidase-N activity in winter and in spring. Seasonal modulations are more distinct in the jejunum than in the duodenum and the ileum of the small intestines. The digestive phenotypic flexibility of male gerbils effectively corresponded with seasonal diet shifts and temperature fluctuations.

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Body Size, Gender, Seed Husking and Energy Requirements in Two Species of Desert Gerbilline Rodents, Meriones crassus and Gerbillus henleyi

Cited by 16 publications

References 22 publications

Milk production of the dam limits the growth rate of Sundevall's jird (Meriones crassus) pups

Milk production of the dam limits the growth rate of Sundevall's jird (Meriones crassus) pups

Granivory and Plant Selection by Desert Gerbils of Different Body Size

Seasonal plasticity of gut morphology and small intestinal enzymes in free-living Mongolian gerbils

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