Caceres, C.W. et al.: Fiber use and digestion in the herbivorous rodent Octodon degus: an analysis using chemical reactor theory

CRISTIAN W. CACERES and FRANCISCO BOZINOVIC: Fiber use and digestion in the herbivorous rodent Octodon degus: an analysis using chemical reactor theory.
In: Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 67: 321-327, 1994.

Link: http://rchn.biologiachile.cl/pdfs/1994/3/Caceres_&_Bozinovic_1994.pdf

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ABSTRACT

Small herbivorous mammals compensate for high fiber food by "fine-tuned" responses involving increases in gut volume and hence increases in food turnover time and in the amount of energy obtained from fiber. By using models from chemical engineering adapted to digestion - i.e. chemical reactor theory - we attempt to understand the mechanisms of fiber hydrolisis and energy use as a function of the digestive design of Octodon degus a small herbivorous rodent. These objectives were conducted taking into account the biotic environment, and specifically seasonal changes in the intake of food differing in quality and fiber content. We postulated that during the environmental nutritional bottlenecks occurring in the dry season, O.degus may operate according to the principles of foraging and digestion theories. This small herbivorous seems to compensate for the low digestibility of high fiber food by increasing gut volume contents and hence increasing food turnover time. A significant quantity of its daily energy requirements is obtained from the digestion offiber from plants, as observed from the pattern of fiber disappearance or reaction rate along the gut. The digestion and reaction rate of high dietary fiber food may involve the acid conditions of the stomach acting in concert with microbial ceacum fermentation.