Abstract
WITH very few exceptions, animals do not produce an alimentary cellulase; consequently cellulose, which may constitute a considerable proportion of the diet of herbivores under many environmental conditions, is made available as a nutrient only by the fermentative activities of the microbial population of the alimentary tract. In most mammals this occurs in the cæcum and colon, where the material is delayed long enough for effective fermentation. Their digestive physiology is nevertheless characterized by the absorption of glucose. This is the main metabolic fuel and is found in high concentration in the blood, a much reduced level resulting in coma.
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MOIR, R., SOMERS, M., SHARMAN, G. et al. Ruminant-like Digestion in a Marsupial. Nature 173, 269–270 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1038/173269a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/173269a0
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