Daily food intake of free-ranging wild rabbits in semiarid South Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Cooke

Context Although the daily food intake of wild rabbits is broadly known, precise field estimates have not been made. Moreover, regressions based on metabolic body size and food intake of grazing herbivores in general are too imprecise to provide close predictions. Using such values could result in substantial errors when estimating grazing equivalents to sheep or cattle and resultant economic losses, or estimating the numbers of rabbits per hectare based on rates of deposition of faeces. Aim To re-analyse previously collected data on estimated food digestibility and food intake of rabbits, and provide a framework for better estimating economic and conservation losses attributable to wild rabbits. Methods Food intake of wild free-ranging rabbits was calculated from past measurements of water turnover obtained from dilution of injected tritiated water and estimates of the water content and digestibility of the food eaten. Key results During spring, male rabbits were estimated to eat 65.7 ± 12.5 g dry matter per corrected bodyweight (W–0.75) per day and lactating females ate 97.0 ± 19.4 g dry matter W–0.75 day–1. Similar results were obtained on repetition of trials at a second field site and from wild rabbits held in captivity. Conclusions The estimates of food digestibility and intake obtained, although not precise, are an improvement on theoretical expectations alone and help put previously published data in better perspective. Implications Improved estimates of food consumption provide more confidence in estimates of rabbit grazing pressure. Even moderate densities of rabbits (5 rabbits per ha) could remove about half the pasture produced in an average year in Australia’s arid-zone.

1962 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham N McC ◽  
AJ Williams

The rate of passage of food residues through the digestive tract of pregnant and non-pregnant Merino ewes was measured at four levels of feeding. The passage of digesta became more rapid as the level of feeding was increased, or, the intake being constant, as pregnancy advanced. The mean retention time fell by 3 hr per 100 g increase of food intake, and by 1 to 1½ hr per 100 g increase of estimated weight of concepta at constant intake. The digesta increased by about 150 g dry matter (depending on level of feeding) per 100 g increase of daily food intake and fell by about 150 g per 1000 g increase of estimated weight of concepta. Two alternative explanations of the changes of rate of passage during pregnancy are discussed. While reduction of the quantity of digesta by the increasing bulk of the uterus would tend to curtail appetite, increase of the flow of digesta as a physiological side-effect of pregnancy would tend to enhance appetite. In either case, more rapid passage of digesta would depress the digestibility of some rations and so contribute to undernutrition in late pregnancy.


2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (11) ◽  
pp. 1947-1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Johnson ◽  
S. C. Thomson ◽  
J. R. Speakman

SUMMARYTo determine whether mice were limited in their capacity to absorb energy during late lactation, we attempted to increase the energy burden experienced by a group of female mice during late lactation by mating them at the postpartum oestrus, hence combining the energy demands of pregnancy and lactation. These experimental mice were therefore concurrently pregnant and lactating in their first lactation, and were followed through a normal second lactation. In a control group, females also underwent two lactations but sequentially, with the second mating after the first litter had been weaned. Maternal mass and food intake were measured throughout the first lactation, second pregnancy and second lactation. Maternal resting metabolic rate (RMR) was measured prior to the first mating and then at the peak of both the first and second lactations. Litter size and litter mass were also measured throughout both lactations. In the first lactation, experimental mice had a lower mass-independent RMR (F1,88=5.15, P=0.026) and raised significantly heavier pups (t=2.77, d.f.=32, P=0.0093) than the control mice. Experimental mice delayed implantation at the start of the second pregnancy. The extent of the delay was positively related to litter size during the first lactation (F1,19=4.58, P=0.046) and negatively related to mean pup mass (F1,19=5.78, P=0.027) in the first lactation. In the second lactation, the experimental mice gave birth to more (t=2.75, d.f.=38, P=0.0092) and lighter (t=−5.01, d.f.=38, P<0.0001) pups than did the controls in their second lactation. Maternal asymptotic daily food intake of control mice in the second lactation was significantly higher (t=−4.39, d.f.=37, P=0.0001) than that of the experimental mice and higher than that of controls during their first lactation. Despite the added burden on the experimental females during their first lactation, there was no increase in their food intake, which suggested that they might be limited by their capacity to absorb energy. However, control females appeared to be capable of increasing their asymptotic food intake beyond the supposed limits estimated previously, suggesting that the previously established limit was not a fixed central limitation on food intake. As RMR increased in parallel with the increase in food intake during the second lactation of control mice, the sustained energy intake remained at around 7.0×RMR.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 480-487
Author(s):  
Baghdad Science Journal

The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status for samples at the age of 17-15 years. These samples were taken from secondary schools and universities in Baghdad area, 123 of them were male and 261 were female. Data on weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were determined in each individual. Smaller sample of 215 individuals (male and female) from the original sample was taken in order to record their nutritional behavior and daily food intake during the 24 hours prior to the visit through personal meeting using special questionnaire. The results showed that the weight and the height were within the range of the people of neighboring Arab countries, who are in the same age. Beside 44.4- 55.95% of these samples were within the normal weight using body mass index. Percentages of obesity and overweight were between 43.5- 6.5% for male and female respectively. There was an increase in daily food intake in general for essential diet and energy indeed, as recorded in nutritional behavior. 67% of samples have their breakfast every day. There were 51% of the samples having snacks (additional meal) between the major meals everyday and 62% have beverages every day. Also high percentage of samples were having milk and its products, vegetables, fruits (as nutritional sources) every day and the percentages were 47%, 67%, 78% respectively. In general their nutritional behavior and daily food intake were within the limits which showed by American recommended daily dietary, still there was some incorrect nutritional behavior which need more education and learning about nutrition.


1980 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 215-225
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki TOYOKAWA ◽  
Yuko MIYAKE ◽  
Eiji MARUI

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Booth

Field experiments were conducted over the summer of 1983 to determine food-evacuation rate and measure stomach fullness of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). A combination of these data gave estimates of daily food intake of fish. Fish were captured and held in large holding pens in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, Canada, and periodically subsampled over 24 h to monitor changes in mean weight of stomach contents. Stomach-evacuation rates obtained in this way increased significantly with water temperature over the range 10–25 °C. However, variation in stomach-evacuation rate was considerable, reducing the utility of water temperature as a predictor of stomach-evacuation rate. It is suggested that the simple field methods employed here to estimate stomach evacuation and food intake are more useful in the estimation of daily ration than the more commonly employed laboratory-based methods.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (1) ◽  
pp. R181-R186
Author(s):  
A. Bado ◽  
M. J. Lewin ◽  
M. Dubrasquet

The brain and gut peptide bombesin has been reported both to stimulate gastric secretion and to induce satiety. To understand how the peripheral administration of bombesin affects food intake and whether gastric mechanisms are involved, a comparative study of the doses of bombesin active on gastric secretion, gastric emptying, and food intake was undertaken in cats provided with a gastric fistula and a denervated Heidenhain pouch. The smallest dose of intravenous bombesin that stimulated significantly basal acid secretion (20 pmol.kg-1.h-1) by the gastric fistula also enhanced meal-stimulated acid secretion by the Heidenhain pouch (+138%, P less than 0.01), delayed gastric emptying of a liquid protein meal (-30%, P less than 0.01), and suppressed food intake when the test meal was allowed to reach the stomach (-15%, P less than 0.01). Conversely, in sham-feeding experiments, the same dose of bombesin increased food intake (+35%, P less than 0.01). In full-day experiments conducted in nonfasted cats, bombesin decreased both the food intake in the 4-h period after the infusion and the daily food intake, whereas octapeptide cholecystokinin induced a transient satiety but did not decrease daily food intake. These results indicate that in cats the interaction of bombesin with "pregastric" mechanisms is not sufficient to induce satiety and that a relation could exist between the effects of bombesin on gastric secretion, emptying, and food intake. A single class of receptors might be involved in these peripheral effects of bombesin.


2000 ◽  
Vol 2000 ◽  
pp. 22-22
Author(s):  
N.D. Cameron ◽  
J.C. Penman ◽  
E. McCullough

Leptin is synthesised and secreted from adipocytes into the blood stream and transported to the brain, where it acts to cause a release of factors which can reduce food intake (Houseknecht et al., 1998). There are two murine mutations of the recessive gene coding for leptin which are associated with obesity. The Lepob allele determines synthesis and secretion of leptin, while the Lepdb allele determines responsiveness to leptin. In the Edinburgh lean growth experiment in pigs, selection for high and low daily food intake (DFI) has been practiced for seven generations in a Large White herd, which provides the experimental resource to determine if the correlated response in fat deposition is consistent with insufficient leptin production or with insensitivity to leptin.


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