Silva Sergio I, Jaksic Fabian M, Bozinovic Francisco
Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity and Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, P.O. Box 114-D, Santiago, Chile.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2004 Jan;137(1):33-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2003.09.022.
We studied the metabolic costs associated with the ingestion of peppertree fruits (Schinus molle) in the culpeo fox, Pseudalopex culpaeus, the second largest canid in South America. Throughout its range of distribution, this fox feeds on rodents and other small vertebrates, and also on peppertree fruits, which represent 98% of total fruits consumed in semiarid Chile. Peppertree contains a high diversity of phytochemicals. Foxes feeding on diets containing rats and peppertree fruits (mixed diets) exhibited a 98.9% increase in basal rate of metabolism when compared to rat-acclimated foxes. Thus, acute ingestion of chemically defended fruits has an energetic cost for the fox, reflected in higher values of basal metabolism. Increased metabolic rates may be associated with increased protein synthesis for detoxification and for tissue repair, including the production of biotransformation enzymes.
我们研究了南美第二大犬科动物 Culpeo 狐（Pseudalopex culpaeus）摄入胡椒树果实（南美胡椒树，Schinus molle）所产生的代谢成本。在其整个分布范围内，这种狐狸以啮齿动物和其他小型脊椎动物为食，也食用胡椒树果实，在智利半干旱地区，胡椒树果实占所消耗果实总量的 98%。胡椒树含有高度多样化的植物化学物质。与适应了以大鼠为食的狐狸相比，食用含有大鼠和胡椒树果实的食物（混合饮食）的狐狸基础代谢率提高了 98.9%。因此，急性摄入具有化学防御作用的果实会给狐狸带来能量消耗，这体现在基础代谢值较高上。代谢率的提高可能与用于解毒和组织修复的蛋白质合成增加有关，包括生物转化酶的产生。
