The effects of ethanol consumption can be negligible or beneficial for some frugivores (reviewed in – ). Frugivorous animals display diverse responses to consuming ethanol (reviewed in – ), and where an individual falls on the spectrum of tolerance could influence its ability to exploit certain foods. Thus frugivores and nectarivores in the tropics may be exposed to fruits with a wide range of concentrations of ethanol and, while foraging, may naturally encounter it in high concentrations. Although studies on ethanol concentrations of fruits in natural ecosystems are limited –, available information suggests that in Central America, ethanol concentrations in fermenting fruits can range from 0.6% up to 4.5%. Ripe fruits generally have higher concentrations of ethanol than unripe ones –. As fleshy fruits ripen, their sugars are converted to ethanol by in situ fermentation, mediated by microorganisms –.
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