Consumption, digestion, and utilization of various grasses by fifth-instar larvae and adults of the migratory locust
1976
Hoekstra, A. | BEENAKKERS, A.M. Th
Food consumption, digestion, and utilization were estimated in fifth-instar larvae and adults of the migratory locust by measurements of the weight of food ingested, the weight of faeces produced and the increase in body weight. The diet consisted of either rye, perennial rye-grass, cocksfoot, water meadow-grass, or reed-grass. Neither the general shape of the growth curve nor the duration of the developmental period are influenced by these diets. Considerable diet-specific differences in amounts of food consumed as well as digested are estimated. Although explanations for these differences cannot be given, some probable causes are discussed: water content of the food, and “transition effect” of dietary change. The approximate digestibility of the food is higher in larvae than in adults during their somatic growth, which will reflect a greater digestive capacity in larvae. This digestive capacity remains constant within each developmental period, but its absolute value may differ between the two periods investigated and is dependent on the kind of food offered. The efficiency of conversion of ingested food as well as digested food to body substance are greater for water meadow-grass and particularly for rye than for the other grasses.
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