Abstract
The objective of this work was to evaluate carbon turnover and half-life in feces and blood from sheep fed on C3 and C4 plant diets, using the stable isotope technique. Eight Santa Ines sheep were randomly distributed between two treatments: the first consisted of animals that were fed alfalfa hay, and the second consisted of animals that were fed corn silage only. Function of time was used to measure carbon turnover rate. At steady state, the half life for carbon isotopic enrichment between food and feces is 1.2 and 1.0 days for alfalfa hay and corn silage treatments, respectively. For blood data collection the time was insufficient to reach the isotope equilibrium level, indicating a slow carbon exchange between diet and blood. It is concluded that blood has a slow turnover, indicating the isotope signal for the former diets. Feces, by contrast, have a quick turnover, indicative of their recent diets.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
