Ruffed grouse feeding behavior and its relationship to secondary metabolites of quaking aspen flower buds

1989 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1899-1917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Jakubas ◽  
Gordon W. Gullion ◽  
Thomas P. Clausen
1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1106-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Jakubas ◽  
Christopher G. Guglielmo ◽  
Conrad Vispo ◽  
William H. Karasov

Forages in boreal ecosystems are often deficient in sodium for mammalian herbivores. Moreover, consumption of various plant secondary metabolites has been associated with negative sodium balance in mammals. Neither of these issues has been investigated in birds, which differ from mammals in their ion-exchange processes and postrenal absorption of urine. Our objectives were to determine if ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) can maintain sodium balance on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) flower buds, an important winter food, and to determine if the buds' primary plant secondary metabolite (coniferyl benzoate) further compromises a bird's sodium balance. Captive ruffed grouse were fed either aspen buds (0.063 mg∙g−1 sodium) or a formulated diet having different concentrations of coniferyl benzoate in no-choice feeding trials. Sodium excretion did not change in response to coniferyl benzoate intake or acid load from detoxication processes; however, birds were marginally in negative sodium balance (P = 0.035; −5.06 ± 2.05 mg∙kg−1∙d−1) when feeding on aspen buds. Sodium levels in the feces from free-ranging grouse (0.050 ± 0.0 mg∙g−1) and in their winter foods (0.065 mg∙g−1) indicated that these birds likely maintained sodium balance. We estimated that free-ranging ruffed grouse may need as little as 7 mg∙kg−1∙d−1 of sodium to maintain sodium balance, which is lower than the minimum sodium requirements for poultry and mammals.


1990 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1077-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Jakubas ◽  
Gordon W. Gullion

1968 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Schladweiler

1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
LI Pahl

The foliage of Eucalyptus spp. contributed 61-98% of the annual diet of ringtails at sites dominated by Eucalyptus spp. or prickly teatree, Leptospermum juniperinum. Up to 45% of the Eucalyptus foliage consumed was young, and young foliage was mostly eaten during spring and summer. The remainder of the diet consisted of foliage of several species of shrub and significant proportions of the diet of one population consisted of flowers and/or flower buds of Eucalyptus maculata during winter. The proportion of shrub foliage eaten was generally highest at sites dominated by less preferred Eucalyptus spp., such as E. tereticornis, E. camaldulensis and E. botryoides, compared to sites dominated by the favoured species, E. ovata, E. dives, and E. maculata. Ringtails in thickets of coast teatree, L. laevigatum, fed predominantly on foliage of that species. The proportions of Eucalyptus and shrub foliage eaten by different populations did not appear to be correlated with availability, suggesting that ringtails fed selectively from the foods available. Food selection was practised at four levels: between species, trees, leaves and leaf parts. Partly digested leaf material appeared to have been consumed by pouch young before they had begun to feed on foliage.


Fitoterapia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 44-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixiang Liu ◽  
Zhuoyang Cheng ◽  
Qingjun He ◽  
Bin Lin ◽  
Pinyi Gao ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Sanchez ◽  
Travis Ramirez ◽  
Lauren A O'Connell

Animals show a spectrum of avoidance-tolerance to foods containing toxic secondary metabolites. However, this spectrum has not been evaluated in animals that may actively seek out these compounds as a chemical defense. Poison frogs sequester toxic and unpalatable alkaloids from their diet, and in some species, tadpoles are exposed to these toxins before the development of their skin granular glands, which are used for toxin compartmentalization. Here, we examined the effects of the alkaloid decahydroquinoline (DHQ) in tadpoles of the Mimetic poison frog, Ranitomeya imitator, using alkaloid supplemented food. We found that although their survival is lowered by the alkaloid, their development is only mildly affected, with no evident effects on their growth. Furthermore, locomotor activity and feeding behavior was altered in the first week of DHQ treatment, probably in part through nicotinic blockade. However, after two weeks, tadpoles learned to avoid the alkaloid by visiting the food area only when necessary to eat. Our results suggest that poison frogs navigate the avoidance-tolerance spectrum during the development of their sequestration machinery.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Hyejin Hyeon ◽  
Ho Bong Hyun ◽  
Boram Go ◽  
Sung Chun Kim ◽  
Yong-Hwan Jung ◽  
...  

Magnolia flower buds are a source of herbal medicines with various active compounds. In this study, differences in the distribution and abundance of major essential oils, phenolic acids, and primary metabolites between white flower buds of Magnolia heptapeta and violet flower buds of Magnolia denudata var. purpurascens were characterised. A multivariate analysis revealed clear separation between the white and violet flower buds with respect to primary and secondary metabolites closely related to metabolic systems. White flower buds contained large amounts of monoterpene hydrocarbons (MH), phenolic acids, aromatic amino acids, and monosaccharides, related to the production of isoprenes, as MH precursors, and the activity of MH synthase. However, concentrations of β-myrcene, a major MH compound, were higher in violet flower buds than in white flower buds, possibly due to higher threonine levels and low acidic conditions induced by comparatively low levels of some organic acids. Moreover, levels of stress-related metabolites, such as oxygenated monoterpenes, proline, and glutamic acid, were higher in violet flower buds than in white flower buds. Our results support the feasibility of metabolic profiling for the identification of phytochemical differences and improve our understanding of the correlated biological pathways for primary and secondary metabolites.


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