NATURAL SCIENCES

Journal of fundamental
and
applied researches

The feces of elk ( L.) and temperature as limiting factors of some physiological processes in a laboratory experiment

2017. ¹4, pp. 66-76

Pilipko E.N. - Ph.D. (Biology), Associate Professor, Vologda State Dairy Farming Academy the N.V. Vereshchagin, Vologda, 2 Shmidta Str., Molochnoe village, 160555, Russian Federation, Karlovna@ukr.net

Mammals are one of the important components of the ecosystem which, through excretory activities can enter complex relationships with soils and plant communities, participate in the cycle of various organic and inorganic compounds. The value of phytophagous animals’ excreta compared to other animal groups is in their composition. The feces of phytophagous animals are the undigested remains of plant food, which have passed primary processing in the gut of the animal and, therefore, are enriched with microorganisms, vitamins and substances needed for growth and development of plants. The excreta of such an animal - phyto- and dendrophagous as elk vary because of the seasonal nature of food supply and are divided into summer and winter ones. Summer feces, the result of eating soft, easily digestible feed, decompose fairly quickly - within one summer season, while the winter feces (‘peanuts’), the product of solid woody forage, are able to decompose within 3 years. Experiments in the laboratory give the opportunity to accurately assess the influence of the feces of the elk as the largest of phytophagous animals in the North-West on some physiological processes of major forest-forming coniferous species. Laboratory experiments with different concentrations of elk’s feces and different temperature regimes revealed that a positive effect on the germination of seeds and growth of seedlings’ roots is achieved with small concentrations of excreta (5 and 10 g/l) and pre-cooling of seeds at +4 °C for 14 days, followed by placing them in normal temperature conditions (+25 °C). Other variations of specified factors exert the inhibiting effect on the germination of seeds and growth of roots. Especially negative effects are caused by increased temperature (+40 °C) and high concentration of feces (20 g/l) in interaction. By using the constructed regression equations both quantitative and qualitative degree of each factor’s influence on the indicators under study (the germination of seeds and the growth of seedlings’ roots), separately and in interaction, are defined.

Key words: ýêñêðåìåíòû, ëîñü (Alces alce L.), âñõîæåñòü, äâóõôàêòîðíûé ýêñïåðèìåíò, óðàâíåíèÿ ðåãðåñèè, feces, elk (Alces alces L.), germination, two-factor experiment, regression equations