THE EFFECT OF SEX AND MAINTENANCE ON MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF STOMACH IN FALLOW DEER (DAMA DAMA)
DOI:10.30825/5.EJPAU.79.2018.21.3

Jan Wach, Włodzimierz Nowicki, Krzysztof Kirkiłło-Stacewicz, Adam Brudnicki, Benedykt Skoczylas, Witold Brudnicki
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out on 116 individuals of European fallow deer (Dama dama), including 58 free-living animals and 58 farm animals. The age of the fallow deer was 1.5 to 3 years. Carcasses of free-living animals were used, acquired as a result of culling, while carcasses of farm animals were provided by a deer farm. Out of the individuals from each maintenance method, a group of does and a group of bucks were isolated. The aim of the study was to determine and compare the values of metric features of the stomach as a whole and its individual chambers in two different European fallow deer populations (Dama dama) i.e. living in a natural hunting ground and kept in a farm system. Measurements of stomach capacities were made on the material not fixed according to Kwaœnicki's method. The results of the study showed that the metric features of the fallow deer stomach are largely dependent on the maintenance and sex. Significant differences in total gastric capacity and its individual chambers were observed.

Key words: carcass, stomach, fallow deer, maintenance.

INTRODUCTION

In literature concerning morphology of the gastrointestinal tract, you can find publications in which authors, in addition to the morphological features, describe morphometric features of the intestines and stomach of particular mammal species. In the case of the intestine it is usually determined by its absolute length and the length of its individual parts. In literature you can also find information on the metric features of the stomach. This usually applies to monogastric animals. In addition to the absolute values, the authors often express the weight of the stomach relative to body weight. Publications in which authors describe the biometric features of polygastric animals are much less frequent and it is exceptional to examine parameters of individual chambers in addition to the total capacity. Apart from the textbook information on stomach capacity in domestic animals, the stomach and intestinal morphology of cattle and bison subspecies were analyzed by Pytel and Krasińska [8]. The interesting correlations between body weight relative to the volume of the forestomach expressed by their share in the total stomach volume as a percentage were determined by Langer [5]. The other original indicators suggested by this author are the stomach volume per 100 kg of body weight and the percentage share of zymolytic chambers of the rumen and reticulum referred to the body weight of the animal.

The aim of the study was to determine and compare the values of metric features of the stomach as a whole and its individual chambers in two different European fallow deer populations (Dama dama) i.e. living in a natural hunting ground and kept in a farm system..

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was carried out on 116 individuals of European fallow deer (Dama dama) divided into groups based on the way of maintenance and sex. Animals aged 1.5 to 3 years were investigated, that is, in the first age class. Animals of this age already have a fully formed gastrointestinal tract. Animals were divided into 4 research groups:

• Group I – free-living bucks – research sample – 30 individuals,
• Group II – farm bucks – research sample – 28 individuals,
• Group III – free-living does – research sample – 28 individuals,
• Group IV – farm does – research sample – 30 individuals.

Free-living animals were gained as a result of culling during individual and collective hunts in the Zambrów Forest District in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship (50°30' N, 17°46' E). Farm fallow deers derived from the deer farm Bomafar in Dąbrówka (52°34' N; 15°49' E), the Lubuskie Voivodeship. Animals were slaughtered in accordance with the applicable veterinary regulations.

The age in free-living fallow deers was determined on the basis of dentition. Age estimation was based on the abrasion of incisal teeth as well as the lateral, cheek or molar teeth using the method developed by Riecka after Lochman (1987). The carcass weight (in the skin, in the absence of internal organs and blood) was determined after its cooling with an electronic, certified hook weight of 0.1 kilogram.

In addition, data on body weight of farm fallow deers were available. In contrast, in the group of does and bucks obtained from the hunting ground the weight of the animals was not determined due to the course of the field hunting. The intestines removed from the abdominal cavity were separated from the stomach. The capacity of individual chambers of the stomach was determined according to Kwaśnicki's method [4]. The submerged stomach with closed pylorus was filled with water to an external pressure of 5 centimeters of water. This method determines the total capacity, which consists of the inner volume together with the wall of the corresponding stomach chamber. Calibrated vessels were used to measure the capacity. The percentage of individual stomach chambers relative to total stomach volume was calculated as well as the stomach volume per 100 kg carcass weight, and knowing the carcass weight of farmed deer the value of this index was determined relative to 100 kg body weight. All the measured results, i.e. the results of the measurement of the carcass and the measurements of the visceral organs, were subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistica 10 software and the Microsoft Office Standard 2013 OLP EDU. The two-factor analysis of variance was done in a completely randomized way with sex and maintenance as a factor. Tukey's post-hock test was used to verify the significance of the differences. The interdependence of features was assessed using the r-Pearson correlation coefficient..

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The effect of sexual dimorphism and maintenance was described on the basis of the total capacity of the stomach and the participation of the individual chambers.

The rumen volume was determined by the way of maintenance (Fig.1). Free-living animals had a greater ruminal capacity of 0.51 dm³ (4.4%) than those kept in closed breeding. Sex-specific responses were similar, evidenced by lack of interaction. The rumen is the largest of the forestomachs, hence its mean for the groups of animals compared is 86.4% of the total volume of the stomach. Proportions indicate, however, that for farmed bucks this percentage is slightly higher and stands at 88.8% (Tab. 1). According to Langer, this index for Cervidae group is 80%.

Fig. 1. Rumen capacity [dm3] in fallow deer depending on sex and maintenance

Table 1. Stomach capacity and share of individual chambers in the total capacity of the fallow deer stomach considering the way of maintenance

Segment of the intestine	Unit/share [%]	Bucks			Does			Mean
		farmed	free-living	mean	farmed	free-living	mean
Rumen capacity	[dm3]	11.2	11.6	11.4	10.7	11.4	11.0	11.2
	% of the total capacity of stomach	88.8	85.5	87.0	85.3	86.3	85.8	86.4
Reticulum capacity	[dm3]	0.58	0.83	0.71	0.80	0.75	0.78	0.74
	% of the total capacity of the stomach	4.59	6.16	5.41	6.39	5.67	6.03	5.71
Abomasum and omasum capacity	[dm3]	0.84	1.13	0.99	1.05	1.06	1.05	1.02
	% of the total capacity of the stomach	6.64	8.35	7.54	8.36	8.04	8.20	7.86
Total capacity	[dm3]	12.6	13.5	13.1	12.6	13.2	12.9	13.0

The reticulum capacity was dependent on the sex, the way of maintanance and the interaction of these factors (Fig. 2). The volume of forestomachs in bucks was on average higher than 0.07 dm³, i.e. 8.6%. The capacity of reticulum in free-living fallow deers was greater by 0.095 dm³ (12.0%) compared to the animals kept on the farm. However, interactions indicate that the capacity of reticulum in does of two ways of maintanance and free-living bucks are similar and do not differ significantly. On the other hand, the significantly lower capacity of the reticulum is characterized by bucks kept on the farm. This explains the observed regularity associated with the volume of reticulum in bucks kept in closed culture, unlike the rest of the studied animal groups, is least involved in the total volume of the stomachs.

Fig. 2. Reticulum capacity [dm3] in fallow deer depending on sex and maintenance

Similar dependencies described above with respect to the reticulum were also found for the abomasum capacity with omasum, determined both by sex, the way of mainteinance and their interaction (Fig. 3). The capacity of the abomasum with omasum was on average 6.4% larger than that of bucks, and smaller by 13.4% than in the farm animals. However, does of the two ways of maintenance had a similar volume of abomasum with omasum. Free-living bucks had a larger volume of forestomachs by 0.29 dm³ (25.8%) compared to farmed bucks. This corresponds to a relatively smaller (6.64%) share of these stomach parts in total stomach volume for farmed bucks than in the other groups compared (Tab. 1).

Fig. 3. Abomasum and omasum capacity [dm3] in fallow deer depending on sex and maintenance

However, the total capacity of fallow deer stomachs was determined only by the maintenance method (Fig. 4) and was on average 13.0 dm³. Fallow deers kept in the natural conditions were characterized by an average of 0.8 dm³ i.e. 5.6% bigger stomach than in animals kept in farm conditions.

Fig. 4. Total stomach capacity [dm3] in fallow deer depending on sex and maintenance

DISCUSSION

A review of the literature suggests that previous studies have provided interesting and valuable information on Ruminantia's stomachs [1, 2, 5].

The percentages of individual stomach chambers expressed in percent are found in the general range of values determined for Cervidae [5]. In Cervidae, the rumen and reticulum volume is 88%, omasum 6% and abomasum 6%. Compared to Tragulidae, forestomachs account for 95 and 5% for abomasum. In Camelidae the forestomach volume is up to 87%, and abomasum amounts to 13% of volume [5].

In addition, Langer [5] presents a further gastric volume index per 100 kg body weight. In Cervidae, this indicator is 24 l / 100 kg, in Tragulinae 11 l / 100 kg, and Camelidae 30 l / 100 kg body weight. In the tested fallow deer bucks, the index was 28.3 l / 100 kg of carcass weight, while in does it was 42.03 l / 100 kg of carcass weight. In the group of tested farmed animals, this ratio reached 28.7 l / 100 kg in bucks and 38.5 l / 100 kg of carcass weight in does. In our own studies, the stomach mass index per 100 kg of body weight was determined only for farmed animals and was 16.6 l / 100 kg in does and 16.3 l / 100 kg body weight in bucks, respectively. For fallow deers gained from the hunting ground index has not been determined because of the lack of data on the body weight of animals.

Another indicator of the mass of zymolytic chambers of the stomach i.e. rumen and reticulum in relation to body weight was 10.5% in fallow deer, 11.4% in red deer and 20.3% in reindeer [5].

Hofman [1, 2, 3] divided Ruminantia into two basic groups, concentrate-selective and roughage-fed animals, based on the ratio of ventricular volumes, muscle membrane growth and mucosal growth. Fallow deer as a representative of Cervidae belongs to the 5-th, herbivory category in HR rating, i.e.the group of animals with the diet full of buds, leaves, stalks, large amounts of grass and concentration of dietary fiber and roughage [5, 7].

In the classification described as morphological rating, MR fallow deer, like other species of Cervidae, may be included in the VI-th group, that is, animals which stomach is significantly enlarged and has complex subdivisions, sachets or convexity, and the large intestine is characterized by varying degrees of variability [5].

CONCLUSIONS

1. The results of the study showed that the metric characteristics of farmed fallow deer stomach differed from those of the animals obtained from the hunting ground.
2. Between the farm and free-living bulls, statistically significant differences were found concerning the reticulum and the abomasum.

 

REFERENCES

1. Hoffmann R., 1969. Zur topographie und Morphologie des Wiederkäuermagens im Hinblick auf seine Funktion (Nach vergleichanden Untersuchungen an Material ostafrikanischer Wildarten). [The topography and morphology of the ruminant stomach in terms of its function (according to comparative studies on material of East African wild species)]. Zbl. Vet. Med. Suppl., 10, 10–180 [in German].
2. Hofmann R., 1973. The ruminant stomach (Stomach structure and feeding habits of East African game ruminants). East Afr. Monogr. Biol., 2, 1–354.
3. Hofmann R., 1976. Zur adaptiven Differenzierung der Wiederkäuer: Untersuchungsergebnisse auf der Basis der vergleichenden funktionellen Anatomie des Verdauungstrakts. [Adaptive differentiation of ruminants: findings based on the comparative functional anatomy of the digestive tract.] Prakt. Tierarzt, 57, 351–358 [in German].
4. Kwaśnicki A.V., 1951. Fizjołogia piszczewarenija u swiniej [Digestion physiology in pig]. Sielchozjiat, Moskwa [in Russian].
5. Langer P., 1988. The mammalian herbivore stomach. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, New York.
6. Lochman J., 1987. Określanie wieku zwierzyny [Animals’ age assessment]. PWRiL [in Polish].
7. Prins R.A., Geelen M.J.H., 1971. Rumen characteristics of red deer, fallow deer, and roe deer. J. Will. Mgmt., 35, 673–680.
8. Pytel S., Krasińska M., 1971. Morphology of thy stomach and intestine in hybrids of European bison and domestic cattle. Acta Theriol., 16, 471–481.

Accepted for print: 20.09.2018

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Jan Wach
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: janwach82@poczta.onet.pl

Włodzimierz Nowicki
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: wlodek_novika@interia.eu

Krzysztof Kirkiłło-Stacewicz
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: krzysztof.stacewicz@o2.pl

Adam Brudnicki
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: brudnicki.adam@gmail.com

Benedykt Skoczylas
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: anat@utp.edu.pl

Witold Brudnicki
Department of Animal Physiology, Zoophysiotherapy and Feeding, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Bernardyńska 6
85-029 Bydgoszcz
Poland
email: anat@utp.edu.pl

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