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Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation has been increasing in temperate latitudes in recent decades and is expected to continue rising for some time. Enhanced UV-B radiation can change plant chemistry, yet the effects of these changes on mammalian herbivores are unknown. To examine the influence of enhanced UV-B radiation on nutrition of a specialist and generalist hindgut fermenter, we measured nutritional and chemical constituents of three common North American range plants, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoregneria spicata), and how these changes influenced in vitro dry matter digestibility and in vivo digestibility by pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis)...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation,
Journal Citation;
Tags: Cottontail,
Flavonoids,
Herbivore,
Journal of Chemical Ecology,
Phenolics, All tags...
UV-B,
pygmy rabbit,
secondary compounds,
terpenes, Fewer tags
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Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) comprises up to 99% of the winter and 50% of the summer diets of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis). Few animals specialize on such plants as sagebrush, which contain high levels of plant chemicals that can be toxic. We investigated the nutritional requirements of pygmy rabbits and their ability and propensity to consume sagebrush alone and as part of a mixed diet. We compared diet choices of pygmy rabbits with that of a generalist forager, the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). Pygmy rabbits had a moderately low nitrogen requirement (306.5 mg N/kg0.75/d), but a relatively high energy requirement, needing 750.8 kJ digestible energy/kg0.75/d to maintain their body mass...
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Dramatic declines in the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, a genetically unique population of small, burrowing rabbits in Northwestern United States, are likely the combined results of habitat degradation and fragmentation, disease, and predation. A critical component of pygmy rabbit habitat includes big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), which constitutes 82–99% of their winter diet and 10–50% of their summer diet. Sagebrush also forms the bulk of hiding cover around burrow sites. Across the range of pygmy rabbits, sagebrush habitat is grazed extensively by cattle. However, grazing has unknown effects on pygmy rabbits inhabiting the remaining, fragmented shrub-steppe habitat. We evaluated the effects of...
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