|
Beneficial effects of anthocyanins in birds’ health
My research project focuses on the interaction between fruiting
plants and fruit-eating consumers, and more precisely on the role
that secondary compounds play in this interaction.
Fruits
are very rich in secondary compounds that, although without
nutritive importance, still contribute to consumers’ health
status. In particular, I’m interested in the effect
that anthocyanins might play in the consumers’ health.
Anthocyanins are very common secondary compounds in fruits,
where they play a major role as pigments (dark-red to black)
and antioxidants. They are also known to influence general
health condition in humans enhancing the immune system
and reducing the oxidative stress. However, these benefits
have never been tested on wild consumers and never in a
comprehensive study on the life history of fruit consumers.
The aim of my research is to examine the beneficial effects that anthocyanins
confer to birds, which are the main consumers of temperate fruits. These
beneficial effects are probably similar to those tested on humans, if
not even more evident. Indeed, due to their much lighter body-mass, and
to the importance of frugivory, many birds’ species are actually
exposed to much higher concentration of anthocyanins than humans.
For my research project I’ve chosen the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
for its high degree of frugivory during the non breeding season. In my
research I will test whether anthocyanins have beneficial effects during
various periods of blackcap’s life history, like periods of illness
or during winter.
Furthermore,
once the benefits of these substances have been demonstrated,
I will test how their presence in fruits might influence
food selection in birds. I hypothesise that, during periods
of stress, birds will select fruits with higher amounts
of anthocyanins, given that the nutritional parameters
of the food are the same. Hence, birds might use fruits’ colour
as honest signal of their anti-oxidant value. With this
study, therefore, I hope to create new insights on fruit-frugivore
interactions and on plant-herbivore communication based
on honest signals.
My work is funded by an exchange grant from the La Sapienza University
of Rome
|
© M. Wiora |
