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SUMMARY:&quot\;Making Sense of Avian Taste&quot\; - Hannah Rowland (Depart
 ment of Zoology\, University of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20121010T113000Z
DTEND:20121010T123000Z
UID:TALK40915@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Diane Pearce
DESCRIPTION:The taste (gustation) system of animals allows them to recogni
 se a diverse\nrepertoire of nutrients (sugars\, amino acids\, salts\, fats
 ) or toxic\nchemicals\,  and is intimately related to diet selection. The 
 ability to\nperceive bitter-tasting substances is a particularly important
  trait\, since\nit enables an animal to avoid ingesting potentially fatal 
 toxins. Bitter\ntaste perception is mediated by a family of taste receptor
  genes called\nTas2r\, which belong to a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)
  signalling\npathway. Tas2r gene repertoires have been identified in the c
 hicken\, turkey\,\nzebra finch\, white throated sparrow\, and a range of m
 ammals\, frogs\, lizards\nand some teleost fishes. The diversity\, evoluti
 on and function of Tas2r\ngenes in humans and non-human primates are relat
 ively well understood. In\ncontrast\, our understanding of Tas2r genes and
  the evolution and function of\nbitter taste perception in birds is more c
 ontroversial. I will review the\nchemosensory mechanisms by which birds de
 tect defensive chemicals\; the\nevidence for perception\, avoidance and to
 lerance of defensive chemicals by\nbirds\, and discuss how dietary and hab
 itat differences might underlie\nvariation in diet selection\, food prefer
 ences\, and the number of functional\nTas2r genes in birds.
LOCATION:Library\, Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour\, Madingley
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