Mrd. Magomedov et al., RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE QUALITATIVE COMPOSITIONS OF FOOD RESOURCES, STOMACH CONTENTS, AND FECES IN SMALL HERBIVOROUS MAMMALS, Russian journal of ecology, 27(5), 1996, pp. 339-344
The possibility of using stomach contents and feces to estimate the qu
alitative composition of the food consumed was studied in six rodent s
pecies and the European hare. The chemical composition of the stomach
contents almost entirely reflected the composition of the consumed foo
d with respect to such important parameters as protein, fat, cellulose
, and nitrogen-free extractive substances. This correspondence was pre
served in animals slaughtered one or two hours after feeding. When fec
es were studied, a close correspondence to the food was found with res
pect to the cellulose content aid, in the case of gerbils and the Euro
pean hare, the fat and protein contents as well.