Translating physiological signals to changes in feeding behaviour in mammals and the future effects of global climate change
Date
2015
Authors
Moore, Ben D.
Wiggins, Natasha L.
Marsh, Karen J.
Dearing, M. Denise
Foley, William J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Mammals cannot avoid ingesting secondary metabolites, often in significant amounts. Thus, their intake must
be regulated to avoid intoxication. Three broad mechanisms have been described by which this can be achieved. These
are conditioned aversions mediated by nausea, non-conditioned aversions and the recognition of limits to detoxification.
Although there is some overlap between these, we know little about the way that mechanisms of toxin avoidance interact
with regulation of nutrient intake and whether one has priority over the other. Nonetheless, regulation of meal length and
inter-meal length allows the intake of some plant secondary metabolites to be matched with an animal’s capacity for
detoxification and its nutritional requirements. Toxicity itself is not a fixed limitation and recent work suggests that
ambient temperature can be a major determinant of the toxicity of plant secondary metabolites, largely through effects on
liver function. These effects are likely to be of major importance in predicting the impact of global climate change on
herbivores.
Description
Keywords
conditioned aversions, diet selection, heat dissipation limit hypothesis, herbivore, plant secondary metabolites, temperature-dependent toxicity
Citation
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Source
Animal Production Science
Type
Journal article