Transformation of Food Lignocellulose Compounds in the Digestive Tract of Saigatatarica: Functional and Comparative Aspects

Abstract

Comparative analysis of chymus transformation have been carried out in Saiga tatarica kept at the Center for Wild Animals of Kalmykia, as well as in four wild Bovidae species: the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica, the East Caucasian tur C. cylindricornis, the chamois Rupicapra rupicapra, and the bighorn sheep Ovis сanadensis. The size composition of cellulose fibers and the nutrient content were studied in different parts of the digestive tract and in feces of 12 animals. It was found that the relative cellulose value in the saiga rumen was higher than in other Bovidae species, whereas in feces it was lower. The most effective cellulose fiber reduction in the digestive tract was observed in the East Caucasian tur, while in the Siberian ibex it was the least effective. It was shown that in S. tatarica successful fiber reduction depended not only on the dental apparatus, but also on the enzyme system of the species.