specific appetite for carotenoids in a colorful bird具体对类胡萝卜素在色彩斑斓的鸟.pdfVIP

Specific Appetite for Carotenoids in a Colorful Bird 1 2,3 1 ´ 4 1,4 5 Juan Carlos Senar *, Anders Pape Møller , Iker Ruiz , Juan Jose Negro , Juli Broggi , Esa Hohtola ´ 1 Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Associate Research Unit – CSIC, Museu Ciencies Naturals Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 2 Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Systematique et ´ ´ ´ Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079, Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, 3 Center for Advanced Study, Oslo, Norway, 4 Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estacion Biologica de ˜ Donana-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain, 5 Department of Biology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland Abstract 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. Citation: Senar JC, M