Delorme M, Thomas D W
Recherche et développement scientifique, Biodome de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
J Comp Physiol B. 1996;166(7):427-34. doi: 10.1007/BF02337887.
Nitrogen (N) and energy (E) requirements were measured in adult Carollia perspicillata which were fed on four experimental diets. Bats ate 1.3-1.8 times their body mass.day-1 and ingested 1339.5-1941.4 kJ.kg-0.75.day-1. Despite a rapid transit time, dry matter digestibility and metabolizable E coefficient were high (83.3% and 82.4%, respectively), but true N digestibility was low (67.0%). Mass change was not correlated with E intake, indicating that bats adjusted their metabolic rate to maintain constant mass. Bats were able to maintain constant mass with digestible E intake as low as 1168.7 kJ.kg-0.75.day-1 or 58.6 kJ.. Metabolic fecal N and endogenous urinary N losses were 0.87 mg N.g-1 dry matter intake and 172.5 mg N.kg-0.75.day-1, respectively, and bats required 442 mg N.kg-0.75.day-1 (total nitrogen) or 292.8 mg N.kg-0.75.day-1 (truly digestible nitrogen) for N balance. Based on E and N requirements and digestibilities, it was calculated that non-reproductive fruit bats were able to meet their N requirements without resorting to folivory and without over-ingesting energy. It was demonstrated that low metabolic fecal requirements allowed bats to survive on low-N diets.
对以四种实验性日粮为食的成年秘鲁叶鼻蝠的氮（N）和能量（E）需求进行了测定。蝙蝠每天进食量为其体重的1.3 - 1.8倍，摄入能量为1339.5 - 1941.4千焦·千克⁻⁰.⁷⁵·天⁻¹。尽管食物通过消化道的时间较短，但干物质消化率和可代谢能量系数较高（分别为83.3%和82.4%），但真氮消化率较低（67.0%）。体重变化与能量摄入量无关，这表明蝙蝠会调整其代谢率以维持体重恒定。蝙蝠能够在可消化能量摄入量低至1168.7千焦·千克⁻⁰.⁷⁵·天⁻¹或58.6千焦的情况下维持体重恒定。代谢性粪氮和内源性尿氮损失分别为0.87毫克氮·克⁻¹干物质摄入量和172.5毫克氮·千克⁻⁰.⁷⁵·天⁻¹，蝙蝠氮平衡所需的氮量为442毫克氮·千克⁻⁰.⁷⁵·天⁻¹（总氮）或292.8毫克氮·千克⁻⁰.⁷⁵·天⁻¹（真可消化氮）。根据能量和氮的需求以及消化率计算得出，非繁殖期的果蝠无需依赖食叶就能满足其氮需求，且不会摄入过多能量。研究表明，低代谢性粪氮需求使蝙蝠能够在低氮日粮下生存。
