Specific Appetite for Carotenoids in a Colorful Bird

BACKGROUND: Since carotenoids have physiological functions necessary for maintaining health, individuals should be selected to actively seek and develop a specific appetite for these compounds. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Great tits Parus major in a diet choice experiment, both in captivity and...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Senar, Juan Carlos, Møller, Anders Pape, Ruiz, Iker, Negro, Juan José, Broggi, Juli, Hohtola, Esa
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2010
Materias:
Research Article
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873299/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20502717
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010716
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: Since carotenoids have physiological functions necessary for maintaining health, individuals should be selected to actively seek and develop a specific appetite for these compounds. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Great tits Parus major in a diet choice experiment, both in captivity and the field, preferred carotenoid-enriched diets to control diets. The food items did not differ in any other aspects measured besides carotenoid content. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Specific appetite for carotenoids is here demonstrated for the first time, placing these compounds on a par with essential nutrients as sodium or calcium.

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