Date of Award:
5-1-1984
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Biology
Department name when degree awarded
Biology Ecology
Committee Chair(s)
James A. Gessaman
Committee
James A. Gessaman
Committee
J. MacMahon
Committee
J. Malechek
Abstract
The northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides, is probably not able to maintain nitrogen (N) balance in winter in northern Utah if it eats only belowground plant material typical of that found in the caches it makes. Gophers burrowing 10 h/day would meet about 81% of their daily N requirement on such a diet, which has a true N digestibility of 49.0%, and a biological value of 90.6%. However, gophers could easily meet N requirements in winter by consuming material only slightly higher in N than cached material. High-N material (both plant and animal matter) is probably available to most gophers, making it unlikely that these animals are protein limited.
Recommended Citation
Stuebe, Miki M., "Nutritional Ecology of the Northern Pocket Gopher: A Study of Nitrogen Balance" (1984). Biology. 523.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd_biology/523
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