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The use of alkanes as markers for estimating diet composition in sheep and goats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

L.M.M. Ferreira
Affiliation:
CECAV-Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apartado 1013, 5001 Vila Real Codex, Portugal
M. Oliván
Affiliation:
SERIDA- Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Apartado 13, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
M.A.M. Rodrigues
Affiliation:
CECAV-Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apartado 1013, 5001 Vila Real Codex, Portugal
A. Dias-da-Silva
Affiliation:
CECAV-Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apartado 1013, 5001 Vila Real Codex, Portugal
K. Osoro
Affiliation:
SERIDA- Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Apartado 13, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
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Summary

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the use of alkanes for estimating diet composition of goats and sheep offered three different dietary treatments. Twelve animals as two groups of 4 crossbred goats (G1, 24 kg live weight; G2, 22 kg) and 4 crossbred sheep (S, 26 kg live weight), were housed in metabolism pens. Animals were offered daily a total of 1 kg DM/100 kg live weight. G1 received 70% ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and 30% gorse (Ulex gallii), G2 received 70% ryegrass and 30% heather (Erica sp.) and S group ate 100% ryegrass. Diet composition was estimated from the alkane concentrations (using all alkanes from C23 to C36 or only odd-chain alkanes C27, C29, C31 and C33) in diet and faeces (with or without correction for incomplete faecal recoveries) using least-squares procedures.

Dietary treatment and animal species significantly affected alkane faecal recoveries, except for C24 and C36. When applying the faecal recovery corrections, there were no significant differences between measured proportions of dietary components and those estimated using all alkanes or odd-chain alkanes. In contrast, the proportions calculated without faecal recovery correction differed significantly (P<0.05) from the actual proportions and over-estimated the amount in the diet of those plant components with higher concentrations of long-chain alkanes (Erica sp. and Lolium perenne). The results indicate that alkanes are useful markers to estimate diet composition, however, it was observed that animal species and diet composition influenced the faecal recovery of alkanes. This suggests that the use of the alkane methodology for estimating the diet selection of grazing animals should be preceded by a calculation of the actual alkane faecal recoveries for each experimental condition.

Resumen

Resumen

Se pretende evaluar la utilización de los alcanos como marcadores para estimar la composición de la dieta de ovinos y caprinos alimentados con tres tipos de dieta diferentes. Se manejaron doce animales, divididos en dos grupos de 4 machos cabríos castrados (G1, 24 kg de peso vivo y G2, 22 kg) y un tercer grupo de 4 ovejas (S, 26 kg), en jaulas metabólicas. Se ofreció a los animales un total de 1 kg de MS/100 kg de peso vivo. La dieta del grupo G1 consistió en 70% raigrás (Lolium perenne) y 30% tojo (Ulex gallii), G2 recibió 70% raigrás y 30% brezo (Erica sp.) y el grupo S comió 100% raigrás. Se estimó la composición de la dieta a partir de la concentración de alcanos (utilizando todos los alcanos del C23 al C36 o sólo los alcanos impares C27, C29, C31 y C33) en la dieta y las heces (con o sin corrección de la recuperación fecal incompleta) mediante procedimientos de mínimos cuadrados.

Se observó un efecto significativo (P<0.05) de la composición de la dieta y la especie animal sobre las recuperaciones fecales de los alcanos, exceptuando el C24 y el C36. Al aplicar la corrección de las recuperaciones fecales incompletas no hubo diferencias significativas entre la composición real de la dieta y la estimada utilizando todos los alcanos o sólo los alcanos de cadena impar. Sin embargo, sin dicha corrección la composición resultó significativamente diferente (P<0.05) de la proporción real, sobre-estimándose los componentes vegetales con mayor concentración de alcanos de cadena larga (Erica sp. and Lolium perenne). Los resultados indican que los alcanos son marcadores útiles para estimar la composición de dieta, sin embargo se observó que la especie animal y la composición de la dieta influyen sobre la recuperación fecal de los alcanos. Esto sugiere que el uso de esta metodología para estimar la selección de dieta de animales en pastoreo debe ser precedido por un cálculo de las recuperaciones fecales de los alcanos en cada condición experimental.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2006

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