Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Prolonged Winter Undernutrition and the Interpretation of Urinary Allantoin:Creatinine
Ratios in White-tailed Deer
Glenn D. DelGiudice, Ken D. Kerr, L. David Mech, and Ulysses S. Seal
Abstract: The urinary allantoin:creatinine (A:C) ratio (expressed
in micromoles of allantoin to micromoles of creatinine) has shown potential
as an index of recent winter energy intake in preliminary controlled studies
of elk (Cervus elaphus) involving mild condition deterioration (up to
11% loss of body mass). To ensure reliable nutritional assessments of free-ranging
cervids by measuring A:C ratios of urine in snow, it is essential to extend
this work. We assessed the effect of moderate and severe winter nutritional
restriction on urinary A:C ratios of captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus
virginianus) that lost up to 32% body mass and related these ratios to metabolizable
energy intake (MEI), body-mass loss, and other reported nutritional indicators.
Deer in the control group were fed a low-protein, low-energy diet ad libitum,
whereas deer in the treatment group were fed restricted amounts of the same
diet. MEI was below the winter maintenance requirement for all deer, but was
lower (P = 0.029) in treatment deer than in control deer. Percent body-mass
loss differed between the two groups as the study progressed, and represented
the full range of physiological tolerance (0-32% loss). Mean A:C ratios of control
deer, which lost up to 17.4% body mass, showed a slight increasing (P
= 0.086) trend, whereas initially similar A:C ratios of severely restricted
deer increased (P = 0.0002) markedly by the eighth week (0.52 vs. 0.09
µmol:µmol). The urinary A:C ratio was not related (P = 0.839)
to recent (2 days prior to urine sampling) MEI, but there was a marginally significant
relation (r2 = 0.42, P = 0.110)
between the A:C ratio and cumulative percent mass loss. The urinary A:C ratio
was directly related to urinary urea nitrogen: creatinine (r2
= 0.59, P < 0.0001) and 3-methylhistidine:creatinine (r2
= 0.43, P < 0.0001) ratios. This study confirms that elevated and increasing
A:C ratios may be due either to increasing energy intake or to accelerated tissue
catabolism and increased endogenous contributions to urinary allantoin excretion.
This resource is based on the following source (Northern Prairie Publication
1113):
DelGiudice, Glenn D., Ken D. Kerr, L. David Mech, and Ulysses S. Seal.
2000. Prolonged winter undernutrition and the interpretation of
urinary allantoin:creatinine ratios in white-tailed deer.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 78:2147-2155.
This resource should be cited as:
DelGiudice, Glenn D., Ken D. Kerr, L. David Mech, and Ulysses S. Seal.
2000. Prolonged winter undernutrition and the interpretation of
urinary allantoin:creatinine ratios in white-tailed deer.
Canadian Journal of Zoology index.htm5. Jamestown, ND:
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/acratio/index.htm
(Version 30JUL2001).
Table of Contents
Figures and Tables
- Figure 1 -- Recent mean metabolizable
energy intake (MEI) of captive adult white-tailed deer fed either restricted
(treatment) or ad libitum (control) amounts of a low-protein, low-energy
(LPLE) commercial diet.
- Figure 2 -- Urinary allantoin:creatinine
ratios of captive adult white-tailed deer maintained on a high-protein,
high-energy commercial diet.
- Figure 3 -- Urinary allantoin:creatinine
ratios versus recent mean daily metabolizable energy intake (MEI) of captive
adult white-tailed deer fed restricted (treatment) or ad libitum (control)
amounts of a low-protein, low-energy (LPLE) commercial diet.
- Figure 4 -- Relationship of urinary
allantoin:creatinine ratios to cumulative body-mass loss in captive adult
white-tailed deer that consumed varying amounts of a low-protein, low-energy
(LPLE) commercial diet.
- Table 1 -- Effect of short-term severe nutritional
restrictions on recent daily mass-specific metabolizable energy intake (MEI)
and urinary allantoin:creatinine (A:C) ratios of slightly and highly food-restricted
white-tailed deer.
G.D. DelGiudice*, Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group,
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids,
MN 55744, U.S.A., and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Minnesota,
St. Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A.
*Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed (e-mail: glenn.delgiudice@dnr.state.mn.us).
K.D. Kerr, Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group, Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, 1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744,
U.S.A.
L.D. Mech, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological
Survey, 8711 37th Street SE, Jamestown, ND 58401, U.S.A. Present address:
North Central Research Station, 1992 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A.
U.S. Seal, Captive Breeding Specialist Group, World Conservation
Union, Minnesota Zoological Gardens, Apple Valley, MN 55124, U.S.A.
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