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Nutrition and burrowing energetics of the Cape mole-rat Georychus capensis by J. T. Du Toit; J. U. M. Jarvis; G. N. Louw is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.

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At 22°C the resting oxygen consumption of G. capensis is 1.13±0.05 cmO·g·h (mean± S.E.). In loose sandy soil the burrowing metabolic rate was approximately three times that of resting (3.41±0.19 cmO·g· h). Rate of oxygen consumption while burrowing bears a linear relationship with rate of burrowing. The equation of the regression line describing this relationship was used to construct a model for calculating energy expenditure of burrowing in free-living mole-rats. The diet of G. capensis consists of some green plant material and geophyte corms. The latter has a mean gross energy content of 16.36 kJ·g dry weight. The digestibility coefficient for captive G. capensis fed on sweet potato, was 97.42±0.41%. Data collected from an excavated burrow system revealed that the total energetic cost of constructing the burrow amounted to 79% of the estimated digestible energy available from geophyte corms in the area. A food store in the same burrow system was sufficient to meet the maintenance requirements of an adult G. capensis, resting at 22°C, for approximately 80-85 days. Soil samples taken at random adjacent to the burrow contained corms with a mean estimated digestible energy value of

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Author

J. T. Du Toit; J. U. M. Jarvis; G. N. Louw

Publisher

Springer-Verlag; Springer Verlag; Springer Science and Business Media LLC (ISSN 0029-8549)

Published

1985

Language

EN

Field

Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)