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Blendinger PG, Rojas TN, Ramírez‐Mejía AF, Bender IMA, Lomáscolo S, Magro J, Núñez Montellano MG, Ruggera RA, Valoy M, Ordano M. Nutrient balance and energy‐acquisition effectiveness: do birds adjust their fruit diet to achieve intake targets? Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G. Blendinger
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán Tucumán Argentina
| | - Tobias N. Rojas
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
| | | | - Irene M. A. Bender
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
| | - Silvia Lomáscolo
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
| | - Julieta Magro
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
| | | | - Román A. Ruggera
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy & CONICET Jujuy Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy Jujuy Argentina
| | | | - Mariano Ordano
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán & CONICET Tucumán Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo Tucumán Argentina
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2
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Tedore C, Tedore K, Westcott D, Suttner C, Nilsson DE. The role of detectability in the evolution of avian-dispersed fruit color. Vision Res 2022; 196:108046. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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3
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Takahashi K, Takahashi K. Alpine ericaceous dwarf shrubs as summer food resources for Asiatic black bears in Japan. URSUS 2022. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-20-00013.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuaki Takahashi
- Faculty of Tourism and Environmental Studies, Nagano University, Japan
| | - Kaori Takahashi
- Division of Gene Research, Department of Life Science, Research Center for Human and Environmental Sciences, Shinshu University, Japan
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Valverde‐Espinoza JM, Chacón‐Madrigal E, Alvarado‐Rodríguez O, Dellinger AS. The predictive power of pollination syndromes: Passerine pollination in heterantherous Meriania macrophylla (Benth.) Triana (Melastomataceae). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13668-13677. [PMID: 34707808 PMCID: PMC8525179 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cloud forest species Meriania macrophylla (Benth.) Triana has pseudocampanulate flowers with bulbous stamen appendages, typical for the passerine pollination syndrome found in the Melastomataceae tribe Merianieae. The species is further characterized by strong stamen dimorphism (heteranthery), a condition otherwise associated with pollen-rewarding bee-pollinated species (both in Melastomataceae and beyond). In passerine-pollinated Merianieae, however, flowers usually only show weak stamen dimorphism. Here, we conducted field and laboratory investigations to determine the pollinators of M. macrophylla and assess the potential role of strong heteranthery in this species. Our field observations in Costa Rica confirmed syndrome predictions and indeed proved pollination by passerine birds in M. macrophylla. The large bulbous set of stamens functions as a food-body reward to the pollinating birds, and as trigger for pollen release (bellows mechanism) as typical for the passerine syndrome in Merianieae. In contrast to other passerine-pollinated Merianieae, the second set of stamens has seemingly lost its rewarding and pollination function, however. Our results demonstrate the utility of the pollination syndrome concept even in light of potentially misleading traits such as strong heteranthery.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Miguel Valverde‐Espinoza
- Escuela de BiologíaUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Eduardo Chacón‐Madrigal
- Escuela de BiologíaUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
- Herbario Luis A. Fournier Origgi (USJ)Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología TropicalUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
| | - Olman Alvarado‐Rodríguez
- Escuela de BiologíaUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
- Centro de Investigación en Estructuras MicroscópicasUniversidad de Costa RicaSan JoséCosta Rica
| | - Agnes S. Dellinger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
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Mahandran V, Murugan CM, Anisha PS, Wang G, Chen J, Nathan PT. Chemical components change along the ontogeny of a bat fruit (Neolamarckia cadamba) with ripening asynchrony in favour of its fruit selection and seed dispersal. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:46. [PMID: 34581964 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01756-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
An asynchronous fruit-ripening strategy can enhance the chance of seed dispersal by providing ripe fruits for an extended period to foragers. However, mechanisms associated with this strategy that can facilitate seed dispersal are understudied. This study aimed to investigate whether the chemical components (minerals and secondary metabolites) of a bat fruit with ripening asynchrony change along its ontogeny (Rubiaceae: Neolamarckia cadamba). We predicted that the seed-to-pulp ratio would increase along with fruit ripeness. The chemical components of the fruit were also predicted to change along their ontogenesis in favour of fruit selection and seed dispersal by fruit bats. Our study shows that the asynchronous fruiting strategy limited the number of ripe fruits daily so that fruits were available at a steady rate. As predicted, the seed-to-pulp ratio of each fruit increased along with fruit development. A fruit's mineral concentration also increased as fruit developed, with a sharp jump at full ripeness, when fruit colour also changed. In contrast, the concentration of secondary metabolite compositions decreased gradually during the process of ontogeny. Fruit bats (Pteropodidae: Pteropus giganteus and Cynopterus sphinx) were the only nocturnal frugivore visitors of these trees and their fruit selection was driven by fruit size and colour. Both bats preferably consumed ripe fruits, which had a higher concentration of attractants (essential minerals) and a lower concentration of deterrents (secondary metabolites), supplemented with a higher seed-to-pulp ratio. The bats exhibited different foraging patterns and home ranges resulting in dispersal (as measured by feeding roost location) occurring across different spatial scales. Our study shows that the chemical components involved in an asynchronous fruit-ripening process could select for extended fruit availability by intensifying the demand for each ripe fruit among legitimate seed dispersers, which increases the likelihood of fruits being dispersed away from parent crowns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valliyappan Mahandran
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
| | | | | | - Gang Wang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
| | - Jin Chen
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
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6
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Erastova DA, Galbraith JA, Cain KE, van Heezik Y, Filion A, Stanley MC. Sugar water feeding practices are associated with bird species composition in urban backyards. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Feeding backyard birds with sugar water is increasingly popular in urban areas, but it has poorly understood effects on bird assemblages. In New Zealand, ca. 20% of households engaged in feeding wild birds use sugar water, often in an attempt to attract native, nectarivorous birds. Developing best practices for sugar water feeding could be a powerful tool for attracting these species in urban areas. However, it is currently unclear whether these feeders actually support native species, and, if so, which feeding practices are most effective in increasing visitation. We surveyed New Zealanders who provide sugar water to birds about their feeding practices via an online questionnaire. The aim of our research was to understand existing practices and their effect on attracting native species, as well as the motivations and social factors behind urban sugar water bird feeding. Our results show that this practice is popular throughout the country with the majority of households successful in attracting native nectarivorous species to their gardens. Sugar water feeder type had the largest effect on reported species richness at feeders in comparison to other factors (e.g. sugar concentration). Feeders specifically designed for nectarivorous birds, namely the Tui Nectar Feeder™, are more successful at attracting natives in comparison to other commonly used feeder types. Thus, individual householder decisions around feeder use can have important consequences for bird species composition in urban gardens. Future research is needed to understand the consequences of sugar water feeding for bird communities and individual bird health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria A Erastova
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Josie A Galbraith
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, The Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Kristal E Cain
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Yolanda van Heezik
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Antoine Filion
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Margaret C Stanley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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Rojas TN, Bruzzone OA, Zampini IC, Isla MI, Blendinger PG. A combination of rules govern fruit trait preference by frugivorous bat and bird species: nutrients, defence and size. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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8
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Dellinger AS, Artuso S, Fernández-Fernández DM, Schönenberger J. Stamen dimorphism in bird-pollinated flowers: Investigating alternative hypotheses on the evolution of heteranthery. Evolution 2021; 75:2589-2599. [PMID: 33963764 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Heteranthery, the presence of distinct stamen types within a flower, is commonly explained as functional adaptation to alleviate the "pollen dilemma," defined as the dual and conflicting function of pollen as pollinator food resource and male reproductive agent. A single primary hypothesis, "division of labor," has been central in studies on heteranthery. This hypothesis postulates that one stamen type functions in rewarding pollen-collecting pollinators and the other in reproduction, thereby minimizing pollen loss. Only recently, alternative functions (i.e., staggered pollen release), were proposed, but comparative and experimental investigations are lagging behind. Here, we used 63 species of the tribe Merianieae (Melastomataceae) to demonstrate that, against theory, heteranthery occurs in flowers offering rewards other than pollen, such as staminal food bodies or nectar. Although shifts in reward type released species from the "pollen dilemma," heteranthery has evolved repeatedly de novo in food-body-rewarding, passerine-pollinated flowers. We used field investigations to show that foraging passerines discriminated between stamen types and removed large stamens more quickly than small stamens. Passerines removed small stamens on separate visits towards the end of flower anthesis. We propose that the staggered increase in nutritive content of small stamens functions to increase chances for outcross-pollen transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Artuso
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Jürg Schönenberger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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9
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Plant origin and fruit traits shape fruit removal patterns by native birds in invaded plant communities. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02407-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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10
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Gopal A, Mudappa D, Raman TRS, Naniwadekar R. Forest cover and fruit crop size differentially influence frugivory of select rainforest tree species in Western Ghats, India. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Gopal
- Post‐Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation Wildlife Conservation Society‐India National Centre for Biological Sciences Bangalore India
- Nature Conservation Foundation Mysore India
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Reward regulation in plant-frugivore networks requires only weak cues. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4838. [PMID: 30446651 PMCID: PMC6240120 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07362-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory assumes that fair trade among mutualists requires highly reliable communication. In plant–animal mutualisms the reliability of cues that indicate reward quality is often low. Therefore, it is controversial whether communication allows animal mutualists to regulate their reward intake. Here we show that even loose relationships between fruit brightness and nutritional rewards (r2 = 0.11–0.35) allow birds to regulate their nutrient intake across distinct European plant–frugivore networks. Resident, over-wintering generalist frugivores that interact with diverse plant species select bright, lipid-rich fruits, whereas migratory birds select dark, sugar- and antioxidant-rich fruits. Both nutritional strategies are consistent with previous physiological experiments suggesting that over-wintering generalists aim to maximize their energy intake, whereas migrants aim to enhance the build-up of body fat, their immune response and oxidative status during migration. Our results suggest that animal mutualists require only weak cues to regulate their reward intake according to specific nutritional strategies. A challenge for mutualists is that partner cue reliability is often low. Here, the authors show that though fruit brightness is weakly predictive of nutritional content, the diets of birds (e.g. migrants vs. residents) are structured by fruit brightness in alignment with expected nutritional needs.
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12
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Temporal dynamics in the effectiveness of seed dispersal by birds visiting a tropical tree. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467418000226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is related to the role of seed dispersal agents in realizing the reproductive potential of plants through seed dispersal and subsequent plant recruitment. The SDE of a given seed disperser may vary spatially and temporally, with important implications for our understanding of the mutualistic relationships involving plants and frugivores. Here we observed 22 frugivorous bird species visiting an individual tree (Cabralea canjerana) over a 9-y period in a fragment of Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil to document the temporal variation in SDE. The quantitative (that takes into account the frequency of feeding visits to the focal plant and the number of fruits removed per visit) and qualitative (that considers the probability of seed deposition on a suitable site for plant recruitment) components of SDE varied in two and one order of magnitude both among bird species and among years within bird species, respectively. As a result, the SDE of bird species fluctuates over the years, especially for a migratory species that is the main seed disperser ofC. canjerana(Chivi vireoVireo chivi) whose quantitative component (i.e. the product of visit and fruit intake rates) varied from 3.0 to 7.1. This study illustrates the dynamic nature of the seed-dispersal environment to which a plant is subjected to over the course of its life, which has important consequences for the plant's individual fitness.
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Assessing seasonal changes in animal diets with stable-isotope analysis of amino acids: a migratory boreal songbird switches diet over its annual cycle. Oecologia 2018; 187:1-13. [PMID: 29564539 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4113-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Tools to study seasonal changes in animal diets are needed to address a wide range of ecological questions. This is especially true of migratory animals that experience distinct environments where diets may be substantially different. However, tracking diets of individuals that move vast distances has proven difficult. Compound-specific isotope analysis has emerged as a valuable tool to study diets but has been little used to study dietary changes of migratory animals. Using this technique, we quantify seasonal variation in the annual diet of a migratory songbird (gray-cheeked thrush, Catharus minimus) and test the hypothesis that migrants change their diet in response to the energetic requirements of different periods of the annual cycle. By measuring δ13C and δ15N values of amino acids from feathers grown on the breeding grounds, blood formed during migration and claw grown on the wintering grounds, we found that migration is associated with greater consumption of fruit, compared to the breeding or wintering periods. This was confirmed by the lower trophic position of blood compared to feather and claw, by a decrease in the δ15N value of the source amino acid phenylalanine in blood as a function of days of stopover, and by the positive correlation between δ15N and δ13C values of phenylalanine in blood, and not in feather or claw. This study illustrates how isotopic analysis of amino acids can contribute to understand food webs, seasonal dietary changes and metabolic routing of nutrients in migratory animals.
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14
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Koski TM, Kalpio M, Laaksonen T, Sirkiä PM, Kallio HP, Yang B, Linderborg KM, Klemola T. Effects of Insect Herbivory on Bilberry Production and Removal of Berries by Frugivores. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:422-432. [PMID: 28374224 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0838-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary purpose of a fleshy fruit is to attract seed dispersers and get the seeds dispersed by frugivorous animals. For this reason, fruits should be highly rewarding to these mutualists. However, insect herbivory can alter plant reproductive success e.g. by decreasing fruit yield or affecting the attractiveness of the fruits to mutualistic seed dispersers. Under natural conditions, we tested the effects of experimental larval-defoliation on berry ripening and consumption of a non-cultivated dwarf shrub, the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), which produces animal-dispersed berries with high sugar and anthocyanin concentration. Bilberry ramets with high fruit yield were most likely to have their berries foraged, indicating that frugivores made foraging choices based on the abundance of berries. Moreover, the probability for berries being foraged was the lowest for non-defoliated ramets that grew adjacent to larval-defoliated ramets, even though larval-defoliation did not affect the biochemical composition (total concentrations of anthocyanins, sugars and organic acids) or the probability of ripening of berries. We hypothesise that the lower probability for berries being foraged in these ramets may be a consequence of rhizome- or volatile-mediated communication between ramets, resulting in a priming effect of the herbivore defence and lower attractiveness of the non-defoliated ramets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuuli-Marjaana Koski
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.
| | - Marika Kalpio
- Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
| | - Päivi M Sirkiä
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.,Finnish Natural History Museum, Zoology Unit, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, FI, Finland
| | - Heikki P Kallio
- Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland.,Centre for Environmental Research, Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
| | - Baoru Yang
- Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
| | - Kaisa M Linderborg
- Section of Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
| | - Tero Klemola
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, FI, Finland
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15
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Making dispersal syndromes and networks useful in tropical conservation and restoration. Glob Ecol Conserv 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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16
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Blendinger PG, Martín E, Osinaga Acosta O, Ruggera RA, Aráoz E. Fruit selection by Andean forest birds: influence of fruit functional traits and their temporal variation. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G. Blendinger
- Instituto de Ecología Regional; Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; CC 34 4107 Yerba Buena Tucumán Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Crisóstomo Álvarez 722 4000 Tucumán Argentina
| | - Eduardo Martín
- Instituto de Ecología Regional; Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; CC 34 4107 Yerba Buena Tucumán Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Crisóstomo Álvarez 722 4000 Tucumán Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo; Miguel Lillo 251 4000 Tucumán Argentina
| | - Oriana Osinaga Acosta
- Instituto de Ecología Regional; Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; CC 34 4107 Yerba Buena Tucumán Argentina
| | - Román A. Ruggera
- Instituto de Ecología Regional; Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; CC 34 4107 Yerba Buena Tucumán Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Crisóstomo Álvarez 722 4000 Tucumán Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Universidad Nacional de Jujuy; Alberdi 47 4600 San Salvador de Jujuy Jujuy Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Aráoz
- Instituto de Ecología Regional; Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; CC 34 4107 Yerba Buena Tucumán Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Crisóstomo Álvarez 722 4000 Tucumán Argentina
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Vasconcellos-Neto J, Ramos RR, Pinto LP. The impact of anthropogenic food supply on fruit consumption by dusky-legged guan (Penelope obscura Temminck, 1815): potential effects on seed dispersal in an Atlantic forest area. BRAZ J BIOL 2015; 75:1008-17. [PMID: 26675919 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.05714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Frugivorous birds are important seed dispersers and influence the recruitment of many plant species in the rainforest. The efficiency of this dispersal generally depends on environment quality, bird species, richness and diversity of resources, and low levels of anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, we compared the sighting number of dusky-legged guans (Penelope obscura) by km and their movement in two areas of Serra do Japi, one around the administrative base (Base) where birds received anthropogenic food and a pristine area (DAE) with no anthropogenic resource. We also compared the richness of native seeds in feces of birds living in these two areas. Although the abundance of P. obscura was higher in the Base, these individuals moved less, dispersed 80% fewer species of plants and consumed 30% fewer seeds than individuals from DAE. The rarefaction indicated a low richness in the frugivorous diet of birds from the Base when compared to the populations from DAE. We conclude that human food supply can interfere in the behavior of these birds and in the richness of native seeds dispersed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Vasconcellos-Neto
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - R R Ramos
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - L P Pinto
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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18
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Stournaras KE, Prum RO, Schaefer HM. Fruit advertisement strategies in two Neotropical plant–seed disperser markets. Evol Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-015-9766-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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19
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Taste preferences and taste thresholds to classical taste substances in the carnivorous fish, kutum Rutilus frisii kutum (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Physiol Behav 2015; 140:111-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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20
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Morgan KV, Hurly TA, Healy SD. Individual differences in decision making by foraging hummingbirds. Behav Processes 2014; 109 Pt B:195-200. [PMID: 25181327 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
For both humans and animals preference for one option over others can be influenced by the context in which the options occur. In animals, changes in preference could be due to comparative decision-making or to changes in the energy state of the animal when making decisions. We investigated which of these possibilities better explained the response of wild hummingbirds to the addition of a decoy option to a set of two options by presenting Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) with a foraging experiment with two treatments. In each treatment the birds were presented with a binary choice between two options and a trinary choice with three options. In treatment one the binary choice was between a volume option and a concentration option, whereas in treatment two the same volume option was presented alongside an alternative concentration option. In the trinary choice, birds were presented with the same options as in the binary choice plus one of two inferior options. Birds changed their preferences when a poorer option was added to the choice set: birds increased their preference for the same option when in the presence of either decoy. Which option differed across individuals and the changes in preference were not readily explained by either energy maximisation or the decoy effect. The consistency in response within individuals, however, would suggest that the individual itself brings an extra dimension to context-dependent decision-making. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognition in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate V Morgan
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews KY16 9TH, Fife, Scotland, UK.
| | - T Andrew Hurly
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada AB T1K 3M4
| | - Susan D Healy
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews KY16 9TH, Fife, Scotland, UK
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Feeding and digestive responses to fatty acid intake in two South American passerines with different food habits. J Comp Physiol B 2014; 184:729-39. [PMID: 24997538 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-014-0832-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Specific fatty acids (FA) such as unsaturated (UFA) and saturated (SFA) fatty acids contained in foods are key factors in the nutritional ecology of birds. By means of a field and experimental approach, we evaluated the effect of diet on the activity of three esterases involved in FA hydrolysis; carboxylesterase (CE: 4-NPA-CE and a-NA-CE) and butyrylcholinesterase, in two South American passerines: the omnivorous rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) and the granivorous common diuca-finch (Diuca diuca). The activity of the three esterases was measured in the intestines of freshly caught individuals over two distinct seasons and also after a chronic intake of a UFA-rich or SFA-rich diet in the laboratory. In turn, we assessed the feeding responses of the birds choosing amongst diets contrasting in the kind of specific FA (UFA- vs. SFA-treated diets). During summer, field CE activities (4-NPA-CE and a-NA-CE) in the small intestine were higher in the rufous-collared sparrow (25.3 ± 3.3 and 81.4 ± 10.8 µmol min(-1) g tissue(-1), respectively) than in the common diuca-finch (10.0 ± 3.0 and 33.9 ± 13.1 µmol min(-1) g tissue(-1), respectively). Two hour feeding trial test indicated that both species exhibited a clear preference for UFA-treated diets. On average, the rufous-collared sparrow consumed 0.46 g 2 h(-1) of UFA-rich diets and 0.12 g 2 h(-1) of SFA-rich diets. In turn, the consumption pattern of the common diuca-finch averaged 0.73 and 0.16 g 2 h(-1) for UFA-rich and SFA-rich diets, respectively. After a month of dietary acclimation to UFA-rich and SFA-rich diets, both species maintained body mass irrespective of the dietary regime. Additionally, the intestinal 4-NPA-CE activity exhibited by birds fed on a UFA-rich or SFA-rich diet was higher in the rufous-collared sparrow (39.0 ± 5.3 and 44.2 ± 7.3 µmol min(-1) g tissue(-1), respectively) than in the common diuca-finch (13.3 ± 1.9 and 11.2 ± 1.4 µmol min(-1) g tissue(-1), respectively). Finally, the intestinal a-NA-CE activity exhibited by the rufous-collared sparrow was about two times higher when consuming an UFA-rich diet. Our results suggest that the rufus-collared sparrow exhibits a greater capacity for intestinal FA hydrolysis, which would allow it to better deal with fats from different sources.
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Walker LK, Thorogood R, Karadas F, Raubenheimer D, Kilner RM, Ewen JG. Foraging for carotenoids: do colorful male hihi target carotenoid-rich foods in the wild? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 25:1048-1057. [PMID: 25214753 PMCID: PMC4160110 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 03/23/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Birds that color their feathers with dietary carotenoid pigments are expected to seek out these pigments when they are molting. We show that molting male hihi, who express carotenoid-based plumage, seek out naturally occurring foods that are rich in carotenoid pigments. Female hihi, who do not express carotenoid-based plumage, do not seek out carotenoid-rich foods. This lends strength to the idea that carotenoid-based plumage reveals an individual’s foraging ability. Dietary access to carotenoids is expected to determine the strength of carotenoid-based signal expression and potentially to maintain signal honesty. Species that display carotenoid-based yellow, orange, or red plumage are therefore expected to forage selectively for carotenoid-rich foods when they are depositing these pigments during molt, but whether they actually do so is unknown. We set out to address this in the hihi (Notiomystis cincta), a New Zealand passerine where males, but not females, display yellow carotenoid-based plumage. We measured circulating carotenoid concentrations in male and female hihi during breeding and molt, determined the nutritional content of common foods in the hihi diet, and conducted feeding observations of male and female hihi during molt. We found that although male and female hihi do not differ significantly in plasma carotenoid concentration, male hihi have a greater proportion of carotenoid-rich foods in their diet than do females. This is a consequence of a greater fruit and lower invertebrate intake than females and an avoidance of low-carotenoid content fruit. By combining behavioral observations with quantification of circulating carotenoids, we present evidence that colorful birds forage to maximize carotenoid intake, a conclusion we would not have drawn had we examined plasma carotenoids alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila K Walker
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ , UK , ; Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London , Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY , UK
| | - Rose Thorogood
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ , UK
| | - Filiz Karadas
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Yüzüncü Yil , Van 35080 , Turkey , and
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Veterinary Science and School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Rebecca M Kilner
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ , UK
| | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London , Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY , UK
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Schaefer HM, Valido A, Jordano P. Birds see the true colours of fruits to live off the fat of the land. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132516. [PMID: 24403330 PMCID: PMC3896014 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication is a characteristic of life, but its reliability and basic definition are hotly debated. Theory predicts that trade among mutualists requires high reliability. Here, we show that moderate reliability already allows mutualists to optimize their rewards. The colours of Mediterranean fleshy-fruits indicate lipid rewards (but not other nutrients) to avian seed dispersers on regional and local scales. On the regional scale, fruits with high lipid content were significantly darker and less chromatic than congeners with lower lipid content. On the local scale, two warbler species (Sylvia atricapilla and Sylvia borin) selected fruit colours that were less chromatic, and thereby maximized their intake of lipids-a critical resource during migration and wintering. Crucially, birds were able to maximize lipid rewards with moderate reliability from visual fruit colours (r(2) = 0.44-0.60). We suggest that mutualisms require only that any association between the quality and sensory aspects of signallers is learned through multiple, repeated interactions. Because these conditions are often fulfilled, also in social communication systems, we contend that selection on reliability is less intense than hitherto assumed. This may contribute to explaining the extraordinary diversity of signals, including that of plant reproductive displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Martin Schaefer
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, , Hauptstrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany, Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), , C/Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de La Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Encinas-Viso F, Revilla TA, van Velzen E, Etienne RS. Frugivores and cheap fruits make fruiting fruitful. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:313-24. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2013] [Revised: 10/27/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F. Encinas-Viso
- Community and Conservation Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - T. A. Revilla
- Station d'Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis; Moulis France
| | - E. van Velzen
- Community and Conservation Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - R. S. Etienne
- Community and Conservation Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
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Wang Z, Schaefer HM. Limits of selection against cheaters: birds prioritise visual fruit advertisement over taste. Oecologia 2014; 174:1293-300. [PMID: 24390478 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2867-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The concept of biological markets aims to explain how organisms interact with each other. Market theory predicts that organisms choose the most rewarding partner in mutualisms. However, partner choice may also be influenced by advertisement which may not be reliable. In seed dispersal mutualism, we analysed whether seed dispersers prioritise taste cues over visual advertisement to select the most rewarding fruits and whether they select against partners with unreliable advertisement. We conducted experiments on black elder (Sambucus nigra), a species of which the colours of the peduncles match the sugar content of their fruits. We created infructescences the colours of which matched or mismatched the sugar content of their fruits. There was no selection against cheaters in the field or by captive blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) as seed dispersers. Blackcaps were constrained to select against unreliable advertisement because they swallowed fruits entirely and thus did not obtain an immediate feedback by taste. Instead, blackcaps selected fruits according to the colour variation of red peduncles. Overall, we suggest that the concept of constraints should be incorporated into biological markets. We further contend that biological markets can be more complex than currently acknowledged because a moderate degree of reliability occurred in black elder even in the absence of selection against cheaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Wang
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
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26
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Horn DJ, Johansen SM, Wilcoxen TE. Seed and feeder use by birds in the United States and Canada. WILDLIFE SOC B 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Horn
- Department of Biology; Millikin University; 1184 W Main Street Decatur IL 62522 USA
| | - Stacey M. Johansen
- Department of Biology; Millikin University; 1184 W Main Street Decatur IL 62522 USA
| | - Travis E. Wilcoxen
- Department of Biology; Millikin University; 1184 W Main Street Decatur IL 62522 USA
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27
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Broom M, Ruxton GD, Schaefer HM. Signal verification can promote reliable signalling. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20131560. [PMID: 24068354 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The central question in communication theory is whether communication is reliable, and if so, which mechanisms select for reliability. The primary approach in the past has been to attribute reliability to strategic costs associated with signalling as predicted by the handicap principle. Yet, reliability can arise through other mechanisms, such as signal verification; but the theoretical understanding of such mechanisms has received relatively little attention. Here, we model whether verification can lead to reliability in repeated interactions that typically characterize mutualisms. Specifically, we model whether fruit consumers that discriminate among poor- and good-quality fruits within a population can select for reliable fruit signals. In our model, plants either signal or they do not; costs associated with signalling are fixed and independent of plant quality. We find parameter combinations where discriminating fruit consumers can select for signal reliability by abandoning unprofitable plants more quickly. This self-serving behaviour imposes costs upon plants as a by-product, rendering it unprofitable for unrewarding plants to signal. Thus, strategic costs to signalling are not a prerequisite for reliable communication. We expect verification to more generally explain signal reliability in repeated consumer-resource interactions that typify mutualisms but also in antagonistic interactions such as mimicry and aposematism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Broom
- Department of Mathematics, City University London, , London EC1V 0HB, UK, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, , St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK, Faculty of Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, , Hauptstrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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28
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Abstract
Background Generalist herbivores are challenged not only by the low nitrogen and high indigestibility of their plant foods, but also by physical and chemical defenses of plants. This study investigated the foods of wild parrots in the Peruvian Amazon and asked whether these foods contain dietary components that are limiting for generalist herbivores (protein, lipids, minerals) and in what quantity; whether parrots chose foods based on nutrient content; and whether parrots avoid plants that are chemically defended. Methodology/Principal Findings We made 224 field observations of free-ranging parrots of 17 species in 8 genera foraging on 102 species of trees in an undisturbed tropical rainforest, in two dry seasons (July-August 1992–1993) and one wet season (January-February1994). We performed laboratory analyses of parts of plants eaten and not eaten by parrots and brine shrimp assays of toxicity as a proxy for vertebrates. Parrots ate seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, bark, and insect larvae, but up to 70% of their diet comprised seeds of many species of tropical trees, in various stages of ripeness. Plant parts eaten by parrots were rich in protein, lipid, and essential minerals, as well as potentially toxic chemicals. Seeds were higher than other plant materials in protein and lipid and lower in fiber. Large macaws of three species ate foods higher in protein and lipids and lower in fiber compared to plant parts available but not eaten. Macaws ate foods that were lower in phenolic compounds than foods they avoided. Nevertheless, foods eaten by macaws contained measurable levels of toxicity. Macaws did not appear to make dietary selections based on mineral content. Conclusions/Significance Parrots represent a remarkable example of a generalist herbivore that consumes seeds destructively despite plant chemical defenses. With the ability to eat toxic foods, rainforest-dwelling parrots exploited a diversity of nutritious foods, even in the dry season when food was scarce for other frugivores and granivores.
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Köhler A, Raubenheimer D, Nicolson SW. Regulation of nutrient intake in nectar-feeding birds: insights from the geometric framework. J Comp Physiol B 2012; 182:603-11. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-011-0639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2011] [Revised: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 12/21/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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30
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How to be a frugivore (in a changing world). ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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31
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Ward AJ, Herbert-Read JE, Simpson SJ. Diets and decisions: the potential use of food protein cues in dietary, sexual and social decisions by mosquitofish. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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32
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Valido A, Schaefer HM, Jordano P. Colour, design and reward: phenotypic integration of fleshy fruit displays. J Evol Biol 2011; 24:751-60. [PMID: 21255176 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02206.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A Valido
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain.
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33
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Why do some, but not all, tropical birds migrate? A comparative study of diet breadth and fruit preference. Evol Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-010-9403-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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34
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First report of fern (Culcita macrocarpa) spore consumption by a small mammal (Apodemus sylvaticus). Mamm Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2009.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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35
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Bascuñán AL, Tourville EA, Toomey MB, McGraw KJ. Food Color Preferences of Molting House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) in Relation to Sex and Plumage Coloration. Ethology 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01697.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Schaefer HM, Braun J. Reliable cues and signals of fruit quality are contingent on the habitat in black elder (Sambucus nigra). Ecology 2009; 90:1564-73. [PMID: 19569371 DOI: 10.1890/08-1346.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Communication mediates interactions between organisms and can be based on signals or cues. Signals are selected for their signaling function, whereas cues evolve for reasons other than signaling. To be evolutionarily stable, communication needs to be reliable on average, but the mechanisms that enforce reliability are hotly debated in light of strong environmental influence on signals and cues. While fruit quality in black elder (Sambucus nigra) is unrelated to fruit color, it is indicated by alternative pedicel phenotypes. Information on fruit quality has thus been transferred from the fruit to the developmentally associated pedicels, which are environmentally determined cues. Within each phenotype, color variation indicates fruit quality. Communication by black elder is thus reliable, but the proximate mechanisms enforcing reliability are habitat specific. High irradiance increases both the contrasts of the visual cue and fruit quality in the anthocyanin-based red pedicel phenotype, while shaded plants of the chlorophyll-based green phenotype apparently use signals by forgoing photosynthesis. This is because lower chlorophyll content in green pedicels creates contrasting pedicels, and higher contrasts indicate higher sugar content in the fruits of green pedicels. Because anthocyanins are light-induced, plants use cues when exposed to high irradiance, whereas they apparently use costly signals in the shade by reducing chlorophyll content in the pedicels. In behavioral field and laboratory experiments we document that avian seed dispersers select among pedicel phenotypes that indicate different fruit quality. Plants can thus increase their reproductive success by sending highly informative cues. Our results indicate how reliable information transfer can be maintained both in cues and signals in spite of substantial environmental influence on visual traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Martin Schaefer
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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37
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Leseigneur CDC, Nicolson SW. Nectar concentration preferences and sugar intake in the white-bellied sunbird, Cinnyris talatala (Nectariniidae). J Comp Physiol B 2009; 179:673-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-009-0348-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2008] [Revised: 02/04/2009] [Accepted: 02/10/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Blendinger PG, Loiselle BA, Blake JG. Crop size, plant aggregation, and microhabitat type affect fruit removal by birds from individual melastome plants in the Upper Amazon. Oecologia 2008; 158:273-83. [PMID: 18810498 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-008-1146-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2007] [Accepted: 08/31/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We studied the efficiency (proportion of the crop removed) and quantitative effectiveness (number of fruits removed) of dispersal of Miconia fosteri and M. serrulata (Melastomataceae) seeds by birds in lowland tropical wet forest of Ecuador. Specifically, we examined variation in fruit removal in order to reveal the spatial scale at which crop size influences seed dispersal outcome of individual plants, and to evaluate how the effect of crop size on plant dispersal success may be affected by conspecific fruit abundance and by the spatial distribution of frugivore abundance. We established two 9-ha plots in undisturbed terra-firme understory, where six manakin species (Pipridae) disperse most seeds of these two plant species. Mean levels of fruit removal were low for both species, with high variability among plants. In general, plants with larger crop sizes experienced greater efficiency and effectiveness of fruit removal than plants with smaller crops. Fruit removal, however, was also influenced by microhabitat, such as local topography and local neighborhood. Fruit-rich and disperser-rich patches overlapped spatially for M. fosteri but not M. serrulata, nonetheless fruit removal of M. serrulata was still much greater in fruit-rich patches. Fruit removal from individual plants did not decrease in patches with many fruiting conspecifics and, in fact, removal effectiveness was enhanced for M. fosteri with small crop sizes when such plants were in patches with more conspecifics. These results suggest that benefits of attracting dispersers to a patch balanced or outweighed the costs of competition for dispersers. Spatial pattern of fruit removal, a measure of plant fitness, depended on a complex interaction among plant traits, spatial patterns of plant distribution, and disperser behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G Blendinger
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St Louis, St Louis, MO, 63121-4499, USA.
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Fleming PA, Xie S, Napier K, McWhorter TJ, Nicolson SW. Nectar concentration affects sugar preferences in two Australian honeyeaters and a lorikeet. Funct Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01401.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Schaefer HM, McGraw K, Catoni C. Birds use fruit colour as honest signal of dietary antioxidant rewards. Funct Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01363.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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41
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The influence of ethanol on feeding in the frugivorous yellow-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos). Behav Processes 2008; 77:369-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2007.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2007] [Revised: 09/24/2007] [Accepted: 10/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Rodríguez-Peña N, Stoner KE, Schondube JE, Ayala-Berdón J, Flores-Ortiz CM, Martínez del Río C. Effects of Sugar Composition and Concentration on Food Selection by Saussure's Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) and the Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina). J Mammal 2007. [DOI: 10.1644/06-mamm-a-353r1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Abstract
We tested male broiler chickens in 3 experimental group sizes (GS) to examine the mediating effects of GS and feed handling time on patch choice. We tested the experimental GS in a 3-patch discrimination trial with patches that contained identical amounts of feed but differed in the proportion of inedible filler material (wood shavings) added. The patch requiring the least handling time offered the highest profitability and was composed of 25% filler and 75% feed (by volume), whereas the mid and low profitability patches contained 50 and 75% filler, respectively. Food consumption, foraging duration, patch residence time, number of foraging bouts, and number of discrete patch visitors were significantly greater at the more profitable patches, requiring less handling time. We found a greater number of birds exploiting all 3 patches at larger GS, although we did not detect a parallel increase in aggression. On the contrary, aggression increased only as handling time decreased. These results suggest that at large GS resource monopolization did not occur; birds were most likely involved in scramble competition, particularly at the more profitable patches. Our findings show that broilers are able to discern the handling time required to obtain nutritious feed and adjust their foraging behavior according to the number of competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- E H Leone
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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Levey DJ, Tewksbury JJ, Cipollini ML, Carlo TA. A field test of the directed deterrence hypothesis in two species of wild chili. Oecologia 2006; 150:61-8. [PMID: 16896774 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-006-0496-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2005] [Accepted: 06/27/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The directed deterrence hypothesis posits that secondary metabolites in ripe fruit function to deter fruit consumption by vertebrates that do not disperse seeds, while not impacting consumption by those that do. We tested this hypothesis in two species of wild chilies (Capsicum spp.). Both produce fruits that contain capsaicinoids, the compounds responsible for the pungency of chilies. Previous work suggests seed-dispersing birds but not seed-destroying rodents consume chili fruits, presumably because rodents are deterred by capsaicin. However, fruit removal from chili plants by rodents and other mammals has not been previously explored. Because laboratory rodents can develop a preference for capsaicin, it is quite possible that wild rodents are natural consumers of chili fruits. We monitored the fate of 125 marked fruits of Capsicum chacoense and 291 fruits of Capsicum annuum. For both species, essentially all fruit removal occurred during the day, when rodents are inactive. Video monitoring revealed fruit removal only by birds, mostly by species known to disperse chili seeds in viable condition. Furthermore, these species are from taxonomic groups that tend to specialize on lipid-rich fruits. Both species of chili produce fruits that are unusually high in lipids (35% in C. chacoense, 24% in C. annuum). These results support the directed deterrence hypothesis and suggest that fruiting plants distinguish between seed predators and seed dispersers by producing fruits that repel the former and attract the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Levey
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA.
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45
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Raubenheimer D, Jones S. Nutritional imbalance in an extreme generalist omnivore: tolerance and recovery through complementary food selection. Anim Behav 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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46
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Tsang AC, Corlett RT. Reproductive biology of the Ilex species (Aquifoliaceae) in Hong Kong, China. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1139/b05-131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Fourteen wild species of shrubs and trees in the dioecious genus Ilex occur in Hong Kong (22°N, 114°E). All species flowered and formed fruits once each year. Sex ratios at flowering were male biased in all but one large population studied and, in most cases, this bias could not be explained by earlier flowering in males or higher female mortality. Apis cerana accounted for >87% of flower visits in all species and there was a significant positive relationship across species between the number of visits per flower per hour and the estimated mean number of flowers on a plant. The large green fruits of Ilex chapaensis Merr. were consumed only by masked palm civets, Paguma larvata, while the red or black fruits of other species were consumed by birds. The rate of fruit removal across species was positively related to sugar content and negatively related to phenolic and saponin contents. The mean number of pyrenes per fruit was 4.0–6.2 and the mean percentage of pyrenes containing seeds was 49%–90%. Most embryos were immature (heart shaped) at fruit maturity, but <50% of embryos developed further in some species. Floral investment was 0.93–5.84 times higher in male plants, but total reproductive investment was 0.62–8.3 higher in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita C.W. Tsang
- Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Richard T. Corlett
- Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
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47
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Lotz CN, Schondube JE. Sugar Preferences in Nectar- and Fruit-Eating Birds: Behavioral Patterns and Physiological Causes1. Biotropica 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00104.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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48
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Saracco JF, Collazo JA, Groom MJ, Carlo TA. Crop Size and Fruit Neighborhood Effects on Bird Visitation to Fruiting Schefflera morototoni Trees in Puerto Rico1. Biotropica 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2005.04040.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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49
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Tang AMC, Corlett RT, Hyde KD. The persistence of ripe fleshy fruits in the presence and absence of frugivores. Oecologia 2004; 142:232-7. [PMID: 15517410 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-004-1730-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2004] [Accepted: 09/10/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
A trade-off between antimicrobial defences and palatability to dispersers may place limits on fruit persistence in nature. The retention times of ripe fruits on 34 wild plant species under natural conditions (unbagged persistence) and when fruits had been bagged with nylon mesh to exclude frugivores (bagged persistence) were compared in Hong Kong, China (22 degrees N). Bagged persistence is a measure of the effectiveness of fruit defence while unbagged persistence is an inverse measure of attractiveness to vertebrate frugivores. Bagged fruits persisted significantly longer than unbagged fruits in 30 species, with half the species tested persisting for more than 2 months. There was a significant positive relationship between the median persistence times of bagged and unbagged fruits, suggesting that species with a high resistance to microbial infection are also less attractive to frugivores. Both bagged and unbagged fruits persisted significantly longer at lower temperatures. There was a significant positive relationship between bagged persistence time and fibre content of the fruit pulp, but no significant relationships between unbagged persistence and the six fruit traits tested (diameter, pulp as a percentage of fruit fresh weight, and lipid, total soluble carbohydrate, nitrogen and fibre as percentages of pulp dry weight). Mechanical damage significantly decreased the bagged persistence time for half of the species. Although some fruits decayed or dried up while attached to the plant, fruits of 53% of the species remained visually attractive until they fell off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin M C Tang
- Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
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Pierce BJ, McWilliams SR, Place AR, Huguenin MA. Diet preferences for specific fatty acids and their effect on composition of fat reserves in migratory Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceous). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2004; 138:503-14. [PMID: 15369840 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2004.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2004] [Revised: 06/17/2004] [Accepted: 06/18/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Fatty acid composition of body fat in birds often differs between bird species and between seasons, and changes in diet may be responsible for this variation. We tested two related hypotheses using Red-eyed Vireos, a long-distance migratory songbird: (1) birds prefer diets with certain fatty acids, and (2) fatty acid composition of the diet primarily determines the composition of lipid reserves. During paired-choice experiments, vireos preferred semi-synthetic diets with triolein (81% digestive extraction efficiency) over diets with tristearin (54% digestive extraction efficiency) and, in general, ate more when offered diets with unsaturated fats compared to saturated fats. These results demonstrate that vireos can discriminate between diets differing only in fatty acid composition and prefer diets with long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. When vireos were fed one of two diets for 1 month, the primary fatty acids in each diet also predominated in the tissues of birds fed each diet. However, some fatty acids that were absent in the diet occurred in bird tissues (e.g., 22:4, 22:5) suggesting that selective metabolism of fatty acids along with diet composition determine the fatty acid composition of lipid reserves in migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara J Pierce
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute Kingston, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
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