TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding the evolution of nutritive taste in animals

T2 - Insights from biological stoichiometry and nutritional geometry

AU - Demi, Lee M.

AU - Taylor, Brad W.

AU - Reading, Benjamin J.

AU - Tordoff, Michael G.

AU - Dunn, Robert R.

N1 - Funding Information: This manuscript was improved by comments from P Jiang, JA Balik, R Irwin, and S Jordt. This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation [grant number 1556914] as well as the Department of Applied Ecology and Dr. Jules Silverman at North Carolina State University. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2021/7

Y1 - 2021/7

N2 - A major conceptual gap in taste biology is the lack of a general framework for understanding the evolution of different taste modalities among animal species. We turn to two complementary nutritional frameworks, biological stoichiometry theory and nutritional geometry, to develop hypotheses for the evolution of different taste modalities in animals. We describe how the attractive tastes of Na-, Ca-, P-, N-, and C-containing compounds are consistent with principles of both frameworks based on their shared focus on nutritional imbalances and consumer homeostasis. Specifically, we suggest that the evolution of multiple nutritive taste modalities can be predicted by identifying individual elements that are typically more concentrated in the tissues of animals than plants. Additionally, we discuss how consumer homeostasis can inform our understanding of why some taste compounds (i.e., Na, Ca, and P salts) can be either attractive or aversive depending on concentration. We also discuss how these complementary frameworks can help to explain the evolutionary history of different taste modalities and improve our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to loss of taste capabilities in some animal lineages. The ideas presented here will stimulate research that bridges the fields of evolutionary biology, sensory biology, and ecology.

AB - A major conceptual gap in taste biology is the lack of a general framework for understanding the evolution of different taste modalities among animal species. We turn to two complementary nutritional frameworks, biological stoichiometry theory and nutritional geometry, to develop hypotheses for the evolution of different taste modalities in animals. We describe how the attractive tastes of Na-, Ca-, P-, N-, and C-containing compounds are consistent with principles of both frameworks based on their shared focus on nutritional imbalances and consumer homeostasis. Specifically, we suggest that the evolution of multiple nutritive taste modalities can be predicted by identifying individual elements that are typically more concentrated in the tissues of animals than plants. Additionally, we discuss how consumer homeostasis can inform our understanding of why some taste compounds (i.e., Na, Ca, and P salts) can be either attractive or aversive depending on concentration. We also discuss how these complementary frameworks can help to explain the evolutionary history of different taste modalities and improve our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to loss of taste capabilities in some animal lineages. The ideas presented here will stimulate research that bridges the fields of evolutionary biology, sensory biology, and ecology.

KW - chemoreception

KW - gustation

KW - homeostasis

KW - nutritional ecology

KW - optimal foraging

U2 - 10.1002/ece3.7745

DO - 10.1002/ece3.7745

M3 - Review

C2 - 34257909

AN - SCOPUS:85107111152

VL - 11

SP - 8441

EP - 8455

JO - Ecology and Evolution

JF - Ecology and Evolution

SN - 2045-7758

IS - 13

ER -