Meeting Abstract
Sweet taste perception is a valuable sensory tool influencing diet choice and ecological niche. Notably, for species with a frugivorous diet, the ability to perceive sugars could provide a distinct evolutionary advantage aiding them in foraging more effectively. Many vertebrates can perceive sweet tastants; however this ability is not ubiquitous across the entire Aves clade, as a key part of the mammalian sweet receptor is lost in birds. Hummingbirds have been shown to have taste receptors to detect sugars; but whether this is true of other birds is not yet known. In this study, we investigate the taste preferences of tataupa tinamou (Crypturellus tataupa) and the feral pigeon (Columba livia) These species represent basally-branching clades – Palaeognathae and Columbaves – which contain many frugivorous species, however few studies have been conducted into taste perception in these groups. Here, using brief access video-monitored trials to control for post-ingestive effects, we examine whether C. tataupa and C. livia display a behavioral preference for sucrose. The characterization of taste preferences in basal clades, such as Palaeognathae and Columbaves, will deepen our understanding of the evolution of chemosensory perception across birds.
