Supplementing a grain diet with insects instead of fruits sustains the body condition of an omnivorous bird

Omnivores utilize dietary sources which differ in nutrients, hence dietary limitations due to environmental change or habitat alteration could cause nutrient limitations, and thus deterioration of body condition if omnivory is obligate. We investigated how the body condition of the omnivorous Villag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Ecology and evolution Vol. 13; no. 5; pp. e10141 - n/a
Main Authors:	Simon, Ojodomo G., Manu, Shiiwua A., Nwaogu, Chima J., Omotoriogun, Taiwo C.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-05-2023 John Wiley and Sons Inc Wiley
Subjects:	Animals Birds body condition Body mass Carbohydrates Cell size Conservation Ecology Diet diet limitation diet preference Dietary supplements environmental change Environmental changes environmental seasonality Females Food Foraging behavior Fruits Grain Hemoglobin Insects Lipids Males Morphology Muscles nutrient limitation Nutrients Omnivores omnivory Physiology Preferences Proteins Seasonal variations Sex Sexes Sorghum environmental seasonality omnivory body condition diet preference environmental change nutrient limitation diet limitation
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Summary:	Omnivores utilize dietary sources which differ in nutrients, hence dietary limitations due to environmental change or habitat alteration could cause nutrient limitations, and thus deterioration of body condition if omnivory is obligate. We investigated how the body condition of the omnivorous Village weaver Ploceus cucullatus (weavers), which forages predominantly on grains, responds to the supplementation of its grain diet with insects instead of fruits. Forty wild‐caught weavers held in aviaries were fed a combination of grains and fruits, or grains and insects ad libitum for 8 weeks. We determined diet preference by recording the number of birds on each diet option per minute for 1 h and the amount of food left‐over after 3 h of foraging. Fortnightly, we assessed indices of body condition including body mass, pectoral muscle, and fat scores, packed cell volume (PCV), and hemoglobin concentration (HBC). We modeled the number of foragers, food left‐over, and body condition indices as functions of diet, while accounting for time (weeks) and sex effects. Grains were the preferred diet, but males ate more fruits and insects than females. Weavers fed on grains and fruits lost body and pectoral muscle mass and accumulated less fat than those fed on grains and insects. This effect was sex‐dependent: females supplemented with fruits lost more pectoral muscle mass than males of the same group and males but not females, supplemented with insects accumulated more fat reserve than those supplemented with fruits. PCV and HBC did not differ between diets but increased over the 8 weeks. Weavers are likely obligate rather than facultative omnivores, with insects as being a more nutritive supplement than fruits. Nutrient limitation arising from environmental change or habitat alteration could impair body condition and affect physiological function to environmental seasonality in obligate omnivores like the weavers. Diet limitation and the associated nutrient limitation influenced optimal body condition and physiological response to environmental seasonality in an omnivorous song bird.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2045-7758 2045-7758
DOI:	10.1002/ece3.10141