Glucose and amino acid absorption in house sparrow intestine and its dietary modulation

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. R561-R568 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Caviedes-Vidal ◽  
W. H. Karasov
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Glucose Absorption ◽  
Uptake Capacity ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
High Lipid ◽  
In Vivo Absorption ◽  
High Starch

We acclimated house sparrows (Passer domesticus; 26 g) to high-starch (HS), high-protein (HP), and high-lipid (HL) diets and tested the predictions that uptake of D-glucose and amino acids will be increased with increased levels of dietary carbohydrate and protein, respectively. HS birds had lower mediated D-glucose uptake rate than HP birds. Total uptake of L-leucine at low concentration (0.01 mM), but not of L-proline at 50mM, was increased by dietary protein. Measures of D-glucose maximal mediated uptake (1.2 +/- 0.2 nmol.min-1.mg-1) and intestinal mass (1 g) indicated that the intestine's mediated uptake capacity was only approximately 10% of the D-glucose absorbed at the whole animal level. This implied that nonmediated glucose absorption predominated. We applied a pharmacokinetic technique to measure in vivo absorption of L-glucose, the stereoisomer that does not interact with the Na(+)-glucose cotransporter. At least 75% of L-glucose that was ingested was apparently absorbed. This adds to the increasing evidence that substantial passive glucose absorption occurs in birds and may explain why mediated D-glucose uptake does not increase on high-carbohydrate diets.

scholarly journals Signatures of human-commensalism in the house sparrow genome

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1884) ◽  
pp. 20181246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Ravinet ◽  
Tore Oldeide Elgvin ◽  
Cassandra Trier ◽  
Mansour Aliabadian ◽  
Andrey Gavrilov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Starch ◽  
Whole Genome Resequencing ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Spread Of Agriculture ◽  
Eurasian Species

House sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) are a hugely successful anthrodependent species; occurring on nearly every continent. Yet, despite their ubiquity and familiarity to humans, surprisingly little is known about their origins. We sought to investigate the evolutionary history of the house sparrow and identify the processes involved in its transition to a human-commensal niche. We used a whole genome resequencing dataset of 120 individuals from three Eurasian species, including three populations of Bactrianus sparrows, a non-commensal, divergent house sparrow lineage occurring in the Near East. Coalescent modelling supports a split between house and Bactrianus sparrow 11 Kya and an expansion in the house sparrow at 6 Kya, consistent with the spread of agriculture following the Neolithic revolution. Commensal house sparrows therefore likely moved into Europe with the spread of agriculture following this period. Using the Bactrianus sparrow as a proxy for a pre-commensal, ancestral house population, we performed a comparative genome scan to identify genes potentially involved with adaptation to an anthropogenic niche. We identified potential signatures of recent, positive selection in the genome of the commensal house sparrow that are absent in Bactrianus populations. The strongest selected region encompasses two major candidate genes; COL11A —which regulates craniofacial and skull development and AMY2A , part of the amylase gene family which has previously been linked to adaptation to high-starch diets in humans and dogs. Our work examines human-commensalism in an evolutionary framework, identifies genomic regions likely involved in rapid adaptation to this new niche and ties the evolution of this species to the development of modern human civilization.

scholarly journals Electromagnetic Pollution as a Possible Explanation for the Decline of House Sparrows in Interaction with Other Factors

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-337
Author(s):  
Alfonso Balmori
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Thermal Effects ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Electromagnetic Pollution ◽  
The Impact

In recent decades, there has been a decline of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), mainly in European cities, and several hypotheses have been proposed that attempt to determine the causes of this rapid decline. Previous studies indicated that house sparrows were significantly negatively associated with increasing electromagnetic radiation and sparrows disappeared from areas most polluted. In addition, there are many studies on the impact of radiation on other bird and non-bird species, as well as numerous laboratory studies that demonstrated detrimental effects at electric field strength levels that can be found in cities today. Electromagnetic radiation is the most plausible factor for multiple reasons, including that this is the only one that affects the other hypotheses proposed so far. It is a type of pollution that affects productivity, fertility, decreases insects (chicken feed), causes loss of habitat, decreases immunity and can promote disease. Additionally, the recent sparrow decline matches the deployment of mobile telephony networks. Further, there are known mechanisms of action for non-thermal effects of electromagnetic radiation that may affect sparrows causing their decline. Thus, electromagnetic radiation must be seriously considered as a factor for house sparrows’ decline, probably in synergy with the other factors previously proposed.

Passive absorption of hydrophilic carbohydrate probes by the house sparrow Passer domesticus

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.G. Chediack ◽  
E. Caviedes-Vidal ◽  
W.H. Karasov ◽  
M. Pestchanker
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evolutionary Physiology ◽  
Linear Fashion ◽  
Probe Concentration ◽  
Plasma Probe ◽  
Log Linear

To evaluate the permeability of the intestine of the house sparrow Passer domesticus to hydrophilic compounds, we applied a pharmacokinetic technique to measure in vivo absorption of two carbohydrate probes, l-arabinose and d-mannitol. Probes were fed or injected, and blood and excreta were subsequently collected and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Following injection, plasma probe concentration decreased in a log-linear fashion, implying single-compartment, first-order kinetics. Following oral administration, plasma probe concentrations increased, reached a maximum at 10 min and then decreased in log-linear fashion. Mannitol and arabinose absorption were calculated from the areas under the post-absorption plasma curve and the respective distribution spaces and elimination constants. The amounts absorbed increased linearly with the concentration administered (range 1–1000 mmol × l(−1)), implying a passive process. The mouth-to-cloaca retention time of digesta, measured using the non-absorbable compound potassium ferrocyanide, was independent of probe concentration. On average, 69% of the oral dose of probe was absorbed and this was independent of the concentration of probe administered. This paper supports an earlier report of substantial passive glucose absorption in house sparrows and offers a method to study the extent of hydrophilic solute absorption, which has importance for future research in areas as diverse as biomedical, ecological and evolutionary physiology.

Relation between dietary-induced increase of intestinal lactase activity and lactose digestion and absorption in adult rats

1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (6) ◽  
pp. G729-G735
Author(s):  
J. Leichter ◽  
T. Goda ◽  
S. D. Bhandari ◽  
S. Bustamante ◽  
O. Koldovsky
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Absorption ◽  
Diet Group ◽  
Lactase Activity ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
High Starch ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Starch Diet

To study the relation between dietary-induced increase of intestinal lactase activity and lactose absorption, 11-wk-old rats were fed either a high-starch (70 cal%), low-fat (7 cal%) diet or a low-starch (5 cal%), high-fat (73 cal%) diet for 7 days. Food intake and body weight changes were similar in the two dietary groups. In the first experiment, lactose absorption was studied in vivo after oral administration of 600 mg lactose (10% solution in water with added [3H]PEG) to rats fasted for 16 h. Groups of rats were killed at time 0 and at 1-h intervals for the next 3 h. Lactase activity and lactose absorption were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in the high-starch group than in the low-starch group. In the subsequent experiment, 9-wk-old rats were fed the two isocaloric diets for 3 days. By use of the everted sac technique, we have demonstrated a significantly higher absorption of monosaccharides from lactose in the high-starch diet group; also, glucose transport was higher in the high-starch diet-fed animals. When Tris, an inhibitor of lactase, was added into the mucosal fluid, absorption of lactose was abolished and no effect was seen on glucose absorption (in vivo and in vitro). In both experiments, significant linear regression was established between lactase activity and lactose absorption. Our results thus show that the increase in lactase activity, induced by feeding a high-starch diet to adult rats, is accompanied by an increased capacity to hydrolyze lactose and absorb the constituent monosaccharides.

scholarly journals Badge Size and Extra-Pair Fertilizations in the House Sparrow

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Whitekiller ◽  
David F. Westneat ◽  
P. L. Schwagmeyer ◽  
Douglas W. Mock
Keyword(s):  
Dna Fingerprinting ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Genetic Benefits ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Badge Size

Abstract For House Sparrows, Passer domesticus, it has been proposed that the size of a male's throat badge correlates with his success in avoiding cuckoldry as well as obtaining extra-pair copulations (EPCs), and that females gain indirect (genetic) benefits from EPCs with large-badged males. Alternatively, female House Sparrows may engage in EPCs as a guard against their social mate's infertility. We used multi-locus DNA fingerprinting to examine paternity and found that among 41 broods and 136 offspring, 20% of the offspring were attributable to extra-pair fertilizations (EPFs). Forty-one percent of the 34 males were cuckolded; however, large-badged males were as likely to be cuckolded as small-badged males. Moreover, we found no evidence that large-badged males were inherently superior to small-badged males in terms of survivorship. We compared the prevalence of unhatched eggs in broods with and without extra-pair offspring to determine whether EPFs are associated with hatching failure. Although we detected no association between hatch failure and EPFs, enhanced fertility remains a plausible EPC benefit to females, but experimental approaches may be required to evaluate its significance.

L-glucose absorption in house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) is nonmediated

2004 ◽  
Vol 174 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-H. Chang ◽  
J. G. Chediack ◽  
E. Caviedes-Vidal ◽  
W. H. Karasov
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Glucose Absorption ◽  
House Sparrows

scholarly journals Hard to fly the nest: A study of body condition and plumage quality in house sparrow fledglings

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlène Leloutre ◽  
Alice Gouzerh ◽  
Frédéric Angelier
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Probability Current ◽  
State Body

Abstract Contrary to the nestling phase, the post-fledging phase has been less studied probably because it is challenging to follow the chicks after they fledge. However, this phase is crucial to consider when focusing on the life cycle of individuals because it is associated with new demands: After leaving the nest, individuals have to find their own food and cope with a new set of previously unknown stressors. In this study, we aimed at better understanding how energetically demanding the post-fledging period is in house sparrows Passer domesticus by measuring several indices of a fledgling’s state (body condition, fat and muscle scores and plumage quality). If the energetic demands of the post-fledging period are greater than those of the adult life, we predicted that fledglings should be in lower condition and should have a plumage of lower quality relative to adults. Supporting this prediction, the condition and the plumage of fledglings differed dramatically from those of adults. Interestingly, this difference disappeared in autumn. Overall, our results suggest that the post-fledging period is probably one of the most energetically demanding of the life cycle in this species. Supporting this idea, the resighting probability of fledglings was lower relative to adults. However, resighting probability depends on many factors (mortality, dispersal, habitat use and behaviours) and future studies are necessary to tease apart their relative importance in determining resighting probability [Current Zoology 60 (4): 449–459, 2014].

Lower intestinal modification of ureteral urine in hydrated house sparrows

1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (1) ◽  
pp. R89-R95 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Goldstein ◽  
E. J. Braun
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Epithelium ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Urine Osmolarity ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Osmotic Permeability ◽  
Lower Intestine ◽  
Interspecific Comparisons

The ureters of birds empty into the posterior portion of the lower intestine, thereby providing the possibility for modification of ureteral urine by this latter organ. We have used in vivo perfusion to measure the transport of Na+, K+, and water across the lower intestine (colon and coprodaeum) of anesthetized house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Na+ was reabsorbed from (Vmax = approximately 22 mu eq . cm-2 . h-1, Km = approximately 69 meq/l) and K+ was secreted (at variable rates) into all saline perfusion fluids. The osmotic permeability of the intestinal epithelium was 0.39 microliter . cm-2 . h-1 . mosM-1 in the mucosal-to-serosal direction and 0.43 microliter . cm-2 . h-1 . mosM-1 in the serosal-to-mucosal direction. At isosmotic perfusion, Na+-linked water transport occurred at a rate of 1.7 microliter/mu eq Na+. In hydrated house sparrows the composition of ureteral urine (osmolarity = 351 mosM, Na+ = 86.5 meq/l, K+ = 60.5 meq/l) was significantly modified by transport in the lower intestine (voided fluid osmolarity = 344 mosM, Na+ = 60 meq/l, K+ = 90 meq/l). Interspecific comparisons of lower intestinal resorptive surface area and transport parameters at the level of the tissue, organ, and whole animal reveal no consistent pattern of adaptation related to habitat.

scholarly journals Reproduction and modulation of the stress response: an experimental test in the house sparrow

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1608) ◽  
pp. 391-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ádám Zoltán Lendvai ◽  
Mathieu Giraudeau ◽  
Olivier Chastel
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Reproductive Value ◽  
Free Living ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Breeding Date ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Breeding Attempt

The stress response is highly variable among individuals, but the causes of this variation remain largely unknown. In response to stressors, vertebrates secrete elevated levels of glucocorticoids which enhance survival, but concurrently interfere with reproduction. We tested the hypothesis that individuals flexibly modulate their stress response with respect to the reproductive value of their brood in free-living house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ). We experimentally increased or decreased clutch size during the nestling period and found that parents tending enlarged clutches responded less strongly to a stressor than those tending reduced clutches. In addition, we examined whether individuals responded less strongly to a stressor as the breeding season progressed and future reproductive opportunities declined. We found that the stress response decreased with breeding date during the birds' first breeding attempt, but it remained constant during their second breeding attempt. Within-individual variability in the stress response was related to the brood size manipulations the birds received in their two consecutive breeding attempts. These results provide the first experimental support for the hypothesis that individuals actively modulate their stress response with respect to the value of current reproduction.

Physiological responses to food deprivation in the house sparrow, a species not adapted to prolonged fasting

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (5) ◽  
pp. R551-R561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Khalilieh ◽  
Marshall D. McCue ◽  
Berry Pinshow
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Prolonged Fasting ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Limited Food ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Lipid Stores ◽  
Plasma Metabolite

Many wild birds fast during reproduction, molting, migration, or because of limited food availability. Species that are adapted to fasting sequentially oxidize endogenous fuels in three discrete phases. We hypothesized that species not adapted to long fasts have truncated, but otherwise similar, phases of fasting, sequential changes in fuel oxidization, and similar changes in blood metabolites to fasting-adapted species. We tested salient predictions in house sparrows ( Passer domesticus biblicus), a subspecies that is unable to tolerate more than ∼32 h of fasting. Our main hypothesis was that fasting sparrows sequentially oxidize substrates in the order carbohydrates, lipids, and protein. We dosed 24 house sparrows with [13C]glucose, palmitic acid, or glycine and measured 13CO2 in their breath while they fasted for 24 h. To ascertain whether blood metabolite levels reflect fasting-induced changes in metabolic fuels, we also measured glucose, triacylglycerides, and β-hydroxybutyrate in the birds' blood. The results of both breath 13CO2 and plasma metabolite analyses did not support our hypothesis; i.e., that sparrows have the same metabolic responses characteristic of fasting-adapted species, but on a shorter time scale. Contrary to our main prediction, we found that recently assimilated 13C-tracers were oxidized continuously in different patterns with no definite peaks corresponding to the three phases of fasting and also that changes in plasma metabolite levels accurately tracked the changes found by breath analysis. Notably, the rate of recently assimilated [13C]glycine oxidization was significantly higher ( P < 0.001) than that of the other metabolic tracers at all postdosing intervals. We conclude that the inability of house sparrows to fast for longer than 32 h is likely related to their inability to accrue large lipid stores, separately oxidize different fuels, and/or spare protein during fasting.

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