Digestive physiology of ruminants

                               1           INTRODUCTION
               2           THE DIGESTIVE TRACT OF HERBIVORES                                                                                                                        2.1 Ruminant digestive tract
                            2.2          The rumen environment
                            2.3          Rumination
                            2.11        Rumen microbial ecosystem
               3           RUMEN ORGANISMS
                            1             The phycomycetous fungi
                            2             Protozoa
                            3             Bacteria
                            11           Other organisms in the rumen
               4           MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS IN THE RUMEN
                            4.1          Bacteria-bacteria interactions
                            4.2          Protozoa-bacteria interactions
                            4.3          Interactions of bacteria, fungi and protozoa
                            4.4          Conclusions

5 ENERGY TRANSACTIONS IN THE RUMEN

5.1 Fermentation of carbohydrate

5.2 Fate of dietary fat in the rumen

5.3 Microbial growth and fermentation

5.4 Factors affecting the quantities of rumen microbes available for digestion in the small intestines

5.5.1 Maintenance-ATP (MATp) requirements of rumen micro-organisms

5.5.2

6 MODEL OF FERMENTATION IN THE RUMEN

                                 6.1           Stoichiometry
                                 6.2           Energy losses in fermentation
                                 6.3           The balance of microbial protein to VFA energy (P/E ratio)
                                 6.4           Protein fermentation and P/E ratio
                                 6.5           Significance of P/E ratio

              7               N-TRANSACTIONS IN THE RUMEN
                                  7. 1          Dietary nitrogen .
                                                                    7.2           Degradation of dietary protein in the rumen

7.3 Outflow of dietary and endogenous nitrogenous materials from the rumen

7.4 Peptides and amino acids in runien fluid

7.5 Rumen ammonia pool

7.6 Recycling of N to the rumen from plasma urea

7.7 Urea (ammonia) toxicity

7.8 Other sources of non-protein nitrogen (NPN)

8 SULPHUR NUTRITION OF RUMINANTS

8.1 Sulphur utilisation in the runien

8.2 Toxicity of sulphur

9 FERMENTATION IN THE LOWER GUT

10 ABSORPTION OF VFAs

11 BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYTICAL METHODS

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Biological methods

11.2.1 Rumen fistulation

11.2.2 Manufacture of rumen cannulas from locally available materials

11.2.3 Rumen incubation with nylon bags

11.2.4 The use of rumen ammonia concentration to determine when urea supplementation is necessary

11.2.5 Assay for by-pass protein in a supplement

11.2.6 Water soluble dry matter and nitrogen as indicators of nutritive value

11.2.7 Biological test of soil fertility

11.3 Chemical Analyses

11.3.1 Nitrogen and ammonia

11.3.2 NDF

11.3.3 Oil / fat

Literature

Animal Nutrition (Edwards, McDonals and Greenhalgh)

Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources (Preston and Leng)

CDROMs (UTAINFO1)

UTAINFO1 (Journal and Conferences)

FAO APHP Series (Acrobat Reader needed; download from this web page)
Tropical Feeds Version 8
Tropical Animal Production
Livestock Research for Rural development
Duckweed
Conference Proceedings