Studies of Ruminant Digestion, Ecology and Evolution
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STUDIES OF RUMINANT DIGESTION, ECOLOGY, AND EVOLUTION _______________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science _____________________________________________________ by TIMOTHY HACKMANN Dr. James Spain, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2008 © Copyright by Timothy Hackmann 2008 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled STUDIES OF RUMINANT DIGESTION, ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION presented by Timothy Hackmann, a candidate for the degree of Master of Science, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Professor James Spain Professor Monty Kerley Professor Joshua Millspaugh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is indebted to Dr. James Spain, Julie Sampson, and Benjamin Nielson, for varied support and insight that turned the impossible into the possible Lucas Warnke, Chad McNeal, Eric Meyer, Zach Brockman, Reagan Bluel, Ruthie Dietrich, Marin Summers, Asa Spain, and Denise Frietag, for additional assistance in the lab and the field Dr. Joshua Millspaugh, for his ecological perspective and reaffirming the value of mathematical modeling Dr. Monty Kerley, for additional review and teaching me the importance of originality Drs. William Lamberson and John Fresen, for introducing me to much of the statistical analysis used herein Drs. James Williams, Ronald Belyea, and Deke Alkire, for additional critical review Matthew Brooks, Illana Barasch, and Nicole Barkley, for academic and non-academic conversations alike My parents, other family, and friends, for listening to me during the joys and frustrations of research Kate Kocyba, for being special Father God for orchestrating it all. This thesis belongs to them as much as it does to me. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ ii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................xii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. xv CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................ 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Ecology and Evolutionary History of Wild Ruminants ............................................ 1 Ruminant Families ...................................................................................... 1 Phylogeny and Evolution ............................................................................. 3 Distribution, Abundance, BW, and Dietary Preferences of Living Ruminants .................................................................................................................... 5 Domestication of Ruminant Species ........................................................................ 7 Details of Domestication ............................................................................. 7 Characteristics of Domestic Species ............................................................ 8 Summary and Experimental Objectives ................................................................... 8 Appendix .............................................................................................................. 10 2. COMPARING RELATIVE FEED VALUE WITH DEGRADATION PARAMETERS OF GRASS AND LEGUME FORAGES ................................. 29 Abstract ................................................................................................................ 29 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 30 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................... 31 Hay Types and Sampling Procedures ......................................................... 31 In Situ and Chemical Analysis ................................................................... 31 iii Calculations and Statistical Analysis ......................................................... 34 Comparison with Data of Mertens (1973) .................................................. 39 Results and Discussion.......................................................................................... 40 Chemical Composition .............................................................................. 40 Model Selection ........................................................................................ 40 Influence of Incubation Times on Model Selection and Parameter Estimates .................................................................................................................. 44 Degradation Parameter Estimate Means..................................................... 46 Correlation between RFV and Degradation Parameter Values ................... 46 Assumption in Correlation Analysis .......................................................... 47 Comparison with Data of Mertens (1973) .................................................. 48 Shortcomings of the conceptual structure of RFV ...................................... 49 3. VARIABILITY IN RUMINAL DEGRADATION PARAMETERS CAUSES IMPRECISION IN ESTIMATED RUMINAL DIGESTIBILITY ....................... 64 Abstract ................................................................................................................ 64 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 65 Experimental Methods .......................................................................................... 66 Hay Types and Sampling Procedures ......................................................... 66 In Situ and Chemical Analysis ................................................................... 66 Calculations and Statistical Analysis of In Situ Data .................................. 67 Statistical Analysis with Other Previously Published Degradation Data ..... 69 Calculation of Ruminal Digestibility and 95% Confidence Limits ............. 70 Results .................................................................................................................. 74 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 77 Chemical Composition and Degradation Parameter Means ........................ 77 iv Variation in Degradation Parameter Estimates ........................................... 77 Calculated Digestibilities and Their 95% Confidence Limits ..................... 79 Analysis Where a and b are Known with Certainty .................................... 81 Appendix .............................................................................................................. 83 4. USING YTTERBIUM-LABELED FORAGE TO INVESTIGATE PARTICLE FLOW KINETICS ACROSS SITES IN THE BOVINE RETICULORUMEN ... 89 Abstract ................................................................................................................ 89 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 90 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................... 91 Animals and Diets ..................................................................................... 91 Marker Preparation .................................................................................... 92 Passage Trial ............................................................................................. 92 Chemical Analyses .................................................................................... 94 Regression with Yb Profile Data ............................................................... 94 Calculation of Mean Residence Time ........................................................ 96 Peak Marker Concentration ....................................................................... 97 ANOVA and Other Statistical Procedures ................................................. 97 Results .................................................................................................................. 98 Forage Composition and Intake ................................................................. 98 General Shape of Yb Marker Profiles ........................................................ 99 Comparison of Methods Used to Calculate Mean Residence Time ............ 99 Differences in MRT by Cow, Diet, Period, and Site................................. 100 Differences in Marker Concentration Peak by Cow, Diet, Period, and Site .... ................................................................................................................ 101 Discussion .......................................................................................................... 101 v Forage Composition and Intake ............................................................... 101 Stochastic Variation in Yb Marker Profiles .............................................. 102 Regression Models to Visualize Marker Profiles