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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #131018
Title: APPLICATION OF MOLECULAR FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE ELUCIDATION OF DIET COMPOSITION FOR FREE-RANGING HERBIVORES

Author
item RAYSON, GARY - NEW MEXICO STATE UNIV
item Anderson, Dean
item Estell, Richard - Rick
item Frederickson, Eddie
item Havstad, Kris

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Annual Meeting Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2001
Publication Date: 1/23/2002
Citation: RAYSON, G.D., ANDERSON, D.M., ESTELL, R.E., FREDRICKSON, E.L., HAVSTAD, K.M. APPLICATION OF MOLECULAR FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE ELUCIDATION OF DIET COMPOSITION FOR FREE-RANGING HERBIVORES. PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST NATIONAL MEETING, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 2002. V. 41(1). P. 785-790.

Interpretive Summary: Interpretive summary not required.

Technical Abstract: This research focuses on the use of multidimensional fluorescence measurements for rapid, objective identification of those plants eaten by specific animals. It enables the collection of multidimensional response surfaces to define the species-specific signatures. Initial work has concentrated on the generation of a spectral database for tobosa hay, mesa dropseed, spectacle pod, pale globemallow, tarbush and four-wing salt bush Normalized average spectra of chloroform extracts from triplicate samples of at least five different plants yielded significant spectral signatures in the wavelength region of 400-600 nm. The spectra suggest distinguishing different species using their respective spectral fluorescence signatures would be relatively simple. One approach to generation of identifying criteria has been deconvolution of the measured spectral envelope into separate components. This approach provides spectroscopically relevant parameters for applying pattern recognition and regression analysis algorithms to identification of plant species in complex mixtures. This technique can lead the way to a rapid, accurate and precise method to investigate the dietary habits of rangeland animals.