Physiological, Morphological and Behavioural Adaptation to a Sodium Deficient Environment by Wild Native Australian and Introduced Species of Animals

Blair‐West, J. R.; Coghlan, John P.; Denton, Derek A.; Nelson, J. F.; Orchard, Elspeth; Scoggins, Bruce A.; Wright, R. D.; Myers, K.; Junqueira, Carina

doi:10.1038/217922a0

Cited by 159 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Consistent with our second prediction, carnivorous ant genera and subfamilies are less likely to recruit to salt than those with lower delta 15N signatures (24). Sodium stress may also be tempered by reducing body sodium (17), increasing the efficiency of osmoregulation (30,31), switching sodium with phosphate or potassium (2), or feeding at higher trophic levels (16). Ultimately, the increasingly triangular scatterplots at finer taxonomic resolution may represent individual taxa, populations, or individuals implementing a variety of tactics to ameliorate sodium stress (32,33).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…But despite the chemical diversity of living organisms (1) and spatial patterns of biogeochemistry (28), there have been few studies of the geography of nutrient limitation in consumers (17,29). Here we show that ant communities increasingly recruit to sodium baits with increasing distance inland.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…As a consequence, continental populations of moose (6), gorillas (11), parrots (12), butterflies (13), and bees (14) often search for ''salt licks'' (15) or resort to cannibalism (16) to maintain sodium balance. However, aside from the salient work of Blair-West et al (17) on introduced rabbits in Australia, we know of no detailed studies of how attraction to sodium, and potentially sodium limitation, varies geographically.…”

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confidence: 99%

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On the biogeography of salt limitation: A study of ant communities

Kaspari

Yanoviak

Dudley

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

125

200

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Sodium is an essential nutrient whose deposition in rainfall decreases with distance inland. The herbivores and microbial decomposers that feed on sodium-poor vegetation should be particularly constrained along gradients of decreasing sodium. We studied the use of sucrose and NaCl baits in 17 New World ant communities located 4 -2757 km inland. Sodium use was higher in genera and subfamilies characterized as omnivores/herbivores compared with those classified as carnivores and was lower in communities embedded in forest litter than in those embedded in abundant vegetation. Sodium use was increased in ant communities further inland, as was preference for the baits with the highest sodium concentration. Sucrose use, a measure of ant activity, peaked in communities 10 -100 km inland. We suggest that the geography of ant activity is shaped by sodium toxicity near the shore and by sodium deficit farther inland. Given the importance of ants in terrestrial ecosystems, changing patterns of rainfall with global change may ramify through inland food webs.ants ͉ biogeochemistry ͉ geography ͉ limitation ͉ sodium

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the biogeography of salt limitation: A study of ant communities

Kaspari

Yanoviak

Dudley

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

125

200

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Salt appetite is conspicuous in herbivores and omnivores, because sodium is very scarce in soil and vegetation in large regions of the planet (7). Carnivores obtain obligatory sodium intake with meat.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Relation of addiction genes to hypothalamic gene changes subserving genesis and gratification of a classic instinct, sodium appetite

Liedtke

McKinley

Walker

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Sodium appetite is an instinct that involves avid specific intention. It is elicited by sodium deficiency, stress-evoked adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and reproduction. Genome-wide microarrays in sodium-deficient mice or after ACTH infusion showed up-regulation of hypothalamic genes, including dopamine-and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP-32), dopamine receptors-1 and -2, α-2C-adrenoceptor, and striatally enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP). Both DARPP-32 and neural plasticity regulator activity-regulated cytoskeleton associated protein (ARC) were upregulated in lateral hypothalamic orexinergic neurons by sodium deficiency. Administration of dopamine D1 (SCH23390) and D2 receptor (raclopride) antagonists reduced gratification of sodium appetite triggered by sodium deficiency. SCH23390 was specific, having no effect on osmotic-induced water drinking, whereas raclopride also reduced water intake. D1 receptor KO mice had normal sodium appetite, indicating compensatory regulation. Appetite was insensitive to SCH23390, confirming the absence of off-target effects. Bilateral microinjection of SCH23390 (100 nM in 200 nL) into rats' lateral hypothalamus greatly reduced sodium appetite. Gene set enrichment analysis in hypothalami of mice with sodium appetite showed significant enrichment of gene sets previously linked to addiction (opiates and cocaine). This finding of concerted gene regulation was attenuated on gratification with perplexingly rapid kinetics of only 10 min, anteceding significant absorption of salt from the gut. Salt appetite and hedonic liking of salt taste have evolved over >100 million y (e.g., being present in Metatheria). Drugs causing pleasure and addiction are comparatively recent and likely reflect usurping of evolutionary ancient systems with high survival value by the gratification of contemporary hedonic indulgences. Our findings outline a molecular logic for instinctive behavior encoded by the brain with possible important translational-medical implications.

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“…This results from sodium ions in the soil dissolving in water, causing downhill run-off to leach the nutrients from higher elevation soil (Blair-West et al 1968). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%