Ethanol, fruit ripening, and the historical origins of human alcoholism in primate frugivory
Ethanol, fruit ripening, and the historical origins of human alcoholism in primate frugivory
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DOI：
10.1093/icb/44.4.315
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发表时间：
2004-08-01
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Dudley, R
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dudley, R
乙醇是一种天然存在的物质，由水果糖的酵母发酵产生。酵母和被子植物之间的联系可以追溯到白垩纪，不同的食果类群通过饮食接触乙醇也同样古老。乙醇羽流可潜在地用于定位成熟的水果，并且消耗水果中的低浓度乙醇可以充当摄食兴奋剂。新热带棕榈 Astrocaryumstandleyanum 的成熟和过熟果实的果肉中含有平均浓度分别为 0.9% 和 4.5% 的乙醇。果实成熟与颜色、抗穿刺性、糖和乙醇含量的显着变化相关。对于任何动物分类单元，通过果食的乙醇自然消耗率和相关的血液水平尚不清楚。然而，对乙醇的行为反应可能是所有食果物种自然选择的目标，包括许多灵长类动物和现代人类祖先的类人猿谱系。将这种古老的精神活性化合物与营养奖励联系起来的预先存在的感官偏见可能因此成为当代酒精消费和滥用模式的基础。
Ethanol is a naturally occurring substance resulting from the fermentation by yeast of fruit sugars. The association between yeasts and angiosperms dates to the Cretaceous, and dietary exposure of diverse frugivorous taxa to ethanol is similarly ancient. Ethanol plumes can potentially be used to localize ripe fruit, and consumption of low-concentration ethanol within fruit may act as a feeding stimulant. Ripe and over-ripe fruits of the Neotropical palm Astrocaryum standleyanum contained ethanol within the pulp at concentrations averaging 0.9% and 4.5%, respectively. Fruit ripening was associated with significant changes in color, puncture resistance, sugar, and ethanol content. Natural consumption rates of ethanol via frugivory and associated blood levels are not known for any animal taxon. However, behavioral responses to ethanol may have been the target of natural selection for all frugivorous species, including many primates and the hominoid lineages ancestral to modern humans. Pre-existing sensory biases associating this ancient psychoactive compound with nutritional reward might accordingly underlie contemporary patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse.