Use of NIRS in Wild Rodents’ Research: A Review of Timid Beginnings

Abstract

The article summarizes the previous experience and results from the study of wild rodents using the NIRS method. The importance and role of rodents in ecosystems and the specifics associated with their research using the NIRS method are briefly mentioned. The results of previous partial studies are mentioned and discussed. The NIRS method proved to be a useful tool to determine the amount of a particular food ingredient in the diet from faeces or chyme and to estimate the food quality (i.e., diversity of nitrogenous substances in chyme). On this basis, other possible directions of research using the NIRS method in wild rodents are proposed. These could help to better understand both the relationship between rodents and their environment and practical management in sectors where rodents interfere with human interests, especially in agriculture and forestry.