Effect of Short-Term Feed Restriction, Realimentation and Overfeeding on Growth of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Nestlings

Konarzewski, Marek; Kowalczyk, J.; Swierubska, T.; Lewonczuk, B.

doi:10.2307/2390267

Cited by 50 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In agreement with previous studies, muscle water content of house sparrow nestlings declined with age (Ricklefs, 1967;Ricklefs and Webb, 1985;Konarzewski et al, 1996;Bech and Østnes, 1999;Konarzewski and Starck, 2000) but was not significantly altered with experimental nutrient limitation in growing birds (Konarzewski et al, 1996;Burness et al, 2000;Dahdul and Horn, 2003;Takenaka et al, 2005). The trend for higher muscle water content in restricted birds compared with controls (P0.069) suggests that if chronic food restriction were imposed at a more severe level or for a longer duration, more significant differences in muscle water content in conjunction with lean muscle mass differences may be observed.…”

Section: Reductions In Muscle Mass But Not Maturitysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Previous studies in young birds re-fed after restriction or fasting have shown recovery of reduced assimilation organ mass and lipid stores upon realimentation (Konarzewski et al, 1996;Lepczyk et al, 1998;Konarzewski and Starck, 2000;Fassbinder-Orth and Karasov, 2006). Future studies on the response of chronically food-restricted nestlings to realimentation would shed light on the extent to which reductions in assimilation organ mass, function and tissue lipid composition are in fact reversible.…”

Section: Energy-saving Reductions In Assimilation Organ Mass Activitmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Because of these metabolic costs, fitness advantages should lead to the size and performance of birds' digestive systems to be matched to food intake (Karasov et al, 2011). Reductions in assimilation organ size and enzymatic capacity have been observed with acute food restriction (from 50 to 70%) lasting several days in both full-grown adult birds (Karasov and Pinshow, 1998;Lee et al, 2002;Karasov et al, 2004) and growing altricial nestlings (Konarzewski et al, 1996;Brzęk and Konarzewski, 2001). Massspecific enzyme activity did not significantly decrease with food restriction in this study, yet summed enzymatic capacity did, indicating that reduction in enzyme capacity can be attributed to mass loss of intestinal tissue (Lee et al, 2002).…”

Section: Energy-saving Reductions In Assimilation Organ Mass Activitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Growth and development of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to chronic food restriction throughout the nestling period

Killpack

Karasov

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYBirds have evolved phenotypic plasticity in growth and developmental patterns in order to respond to fluctuating environmental conditions and to mitigate the impact of poor feeding on fitness. Chronic food shortage can occur during chick development in the wild, and the responses of altricial birds have not been thoroughly studied. House sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings were raised in the laboratory on age-specific meal sizes (controls) or meal sizes 25% less than age-specific amounts (foodrestricted) and analyzed at 6, 9 and 12days post-hatch for differences in growth and development. Food-restricted birds had significantly reduced body mass and body temperature, but skeletal growth was maintained with respect to controls. Muscle mass was significantly reduced and muscle water content was slightly, though not significantly, higher in food-restricted birds, which may reflect slight developmental immaturity. Assimilation organ masses, summed enzymatic capacity of the intestine and lipid content of the liver were significantly reduced in food-restricted birds. Findings from this study indicate that altricial birds experiencing chronic, moderate food restriction throughout the nestling period may allocate resources to structural growth through energy-saving reductions in mass of assimilation organs and body temperature.

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Section: Reductions In Muscle Mass But Not Maturitysupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Energy-saving Reductions In Assimilation Organ Mass Activitmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Energy-saving Reductions In Assimilation Organ Mass Activitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Growth and development of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to chronic food restriction throughout the nestling period

Killpack

Karasov

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…This low phenotypic flexibility of digestive physiology might reflect the low diet flexibility observed in free-living zebra finches (Zann, 1996). A similar low level of flexibility of digestive physiology was observed in young song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) (Konarzewski et al, 1996) and European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) (Schew and Ricklefs, 1998). On the other hand, nestlings of the sand martin (Riparia riparia), an aerial insectivore that faces variable food availability, show quite large flexibility of their digestive system (Brzęk and Konarzewski, 2001;Brzęk and Konarzewski, 2004).…”

Section: The Evolution Of Flexibility Of Digestive Physiology In Altrsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…However, the persistence of effects of early feeding conditions in altricial birds is almost unknown. Some studies have found that the effects of a short (2-3day) undernourishment on digestive function in altricial birds can be compensated for relatively quickly (Lepczyk et al, 1998;Brzęk and Konarzewski, 2004) (but see Konarzewski et al, 1996). However, in many organisms the responsiveness of digestive physiology to external factors decreases during ontogeny (Henning and Leeper, 1982;Toloza and Diamond, 1990), which can limit the potential for reversible plasticity after fledging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fully reversible phenotypic plasticity of digestive physiology in young house sparrows: lack of long-term effect of early diet composition

Brzęk

Kohl

Caviedes‐Vidal

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYFeeding conditions during the nestling period may significantly affect whole-life fitness in altricial birds but little is known about the physiological mechanisms responsible for these effects. Permanent changes (irreversible developmental plasticity) in digestive physiology caused by the neonatal diet may form such a mechanism. We previously showed that the lack of starch in the diet of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings between 3 and 12days post-hatching significantly decreased the activity of intestinal maltase, an enzyme essential for starch digestion. To check whether diet-induced variation in maltase activity in young house sparrows is reversible, we raised them under laboratory conditions from 3 until 30days of age on diets with either 0% starch or 25% starch, with some individuals experiencing a switch in their assigned diet at 12days of age. We found evidence for the presence of an internal, presumably genetic, program for changes in the activity of maltase and sucrase, which was, however, significantly affected by diet composition (i.e. environmental factor). Digestive enzyme activity in 30day old birds was not influenced by diet composition prior to day12 but instead depended only on diet that was fed between days 12 and 30. We conclude that plasticity in the activity of intestinal disaccharidases in house sparrow nestlings represents completely reversible phenotypic flexibility that can help young sparrows to cope with unpredictable variation in food composition during ontogeny without long-term effects on their digestive system. However, comparison with other species suggests that the magnitude of digestive flexibility in young passerines may be evolutionarily matched to species-specific variation in feeding conditions.

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Comparative Digestive Physiology

Karasov

Douglas

2013

Comprehensive Physiology

243

221

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In vertebrates and invertebrates, morphological and functional features of gastrointestinal (GI) tracts generally reflect food chemistry, such as content of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and material(s) refractory to rapid digestion (e.g., cellulose). The expression of digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters approximately matches the dietary load of their respective substrates, with relatively modest excess capacity. Mechanisms explaining differences in hydrolase activity between populations and species include gene copy number variations and single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Transcriptional and posttranscriptional adjustments mediate phenotypic changes in the expression of hydrolases and transporters in response to dietary signals. Many species respond to higher food intake by flexibly increasing digestive compartment size. Fermentative processes by symbiotic microorganisms are important for cellulose degradation but are relatively slow, so animals that rely on those processes typically possess special enlarged compartment(s) to maintain a microbiota and other GI structures that slow digesta flow. The taxon richness of the gut microbiota, usually identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, is typically an order of magnitude greater in vertebrates than invertebrates, and the interspecific variation in microbial composition is strongly influenced by diet. Many of the nutrient transporters are orthologous across different animal phyla, though functional details may vary (e.g., glucose and amino acid transport with K+ rather than Na+ as a counter ion). Paracellular absorption is important in many birds. Natural toxins are ubiquitous in foods and may influence key features such as digesta transit, enzymatic breakdown, microbial fermentation, and absorption

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Effect of Short-Term Feed Restriction, Realimentation and Overfeeding on Growth of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Nestlings

Cited by 50 publications

References 34 publications

Growth and development of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to chronic food restriction throughout the nestling period

Growth and development of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in response to chronic food restriction throughout the nestling period

Fully reversible phenotypic plasticity of digestive physiology in young house sparrows: lack of long-term effect of early diet composition

Comparative Digestive Physiology

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