Cyanogenic insects release cyanide and other breakdown products that are thought to make them unpalatable to predators. Cyanogenic lepidopterans such as Heliconius butterflies and Zygaena moths are rejected by vertebrate predators, but the role played by these compounds in predator deterrence is poorly explored. Here I report tests undertook with captive domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) to evaluate the effect of cyanoglucosides, linamarin and prunasin and their breakdown products. In insects as well as plants, cyanoglucosides are enzymatically broken down when the tissue is disrupted as in the case of a predator attack. The aliphatic linamarin releases cyanide and acetone upon breakdown, while prunasin is an aromatic cyanoglucoside that releases cyanide and benzaldehyde. Using concentrations that mimicked the concentration of Heliconius butterflies, I ran trials with naïve chicks by offering palatable prey laced with chemicals resulting from cyanoglucoside breakdown. I categorized prey acceptance and compared the behavior of the predators towards test and control prey. Prey coated with cyanide and benzaldehyde were rejected by the birds, while acetone elicited some avoidance behavior. Intact cyanoglucosides were not rejected by the predators presumably because of fast ingestion time or lack of enzymes to break it down. Rejection of cyanide-laced prey confirms the protective nature of cyanoglucosides against a vertebrate predator. The rejection of the pungent but not toxic benzaldehyde and the potential effect of acetone suggest that cyanoglucosides could be detected via smell as well by taste. These results provide support for cyanoglucosides as defensive chemicals of aposematic lepidopterans and related arthropods.

中文翻译：

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氰化葡萄糖苷及其分解产物对家禽的捕食作用

蓝绿色昆虫释放出氰化物和其他分解产物，这使它们难以被捕食者捕食。蓝绿色的鳞翅类动物，例如Heliconius蝴蝶和Zygaena蛾被脊椎动物的捕食者排斥，但是这些化合物在捕食者威慑中所起的作用却很少。在这里，我报告了对圈养的家禽（鸡鸡）进行的测试），以评估氰基葡萄糖苷，亚麻苦素和李宁和其分解产物的作用。在昆虫以及植物中，当组织被破坏时，如在掠食者攻击的情况下，氰基葡萄糖苷都被酶分解。脂肪族亚麻苦素在分解时会释放出氰化物和丙酮，而李子醇是一种芳香族氰基葡萄糖苷，会释放出氰化物和苯甲醛。使用模仿Heliconius浓度的浓度蝴蝶，我通过提供可口的猎物和氰基葡萄糖苷分解产生的化学物质，对幼稚的小鸡进行了试验。我对猎物的接受程度进行了分类，并比较了捕食者对测试和控制猎物的行为。鸟类拒绝了涂有氰化物和苯甲醛的猎物，而丙酮引起了一些回避行为。捕食者并未拒绝完整的氰基葡萄糖苷，这可能是因为摄取时间过长或缺乏分解它的酶。拒绝氰化物捕获的猎物证实了氰基葡糖苷对脊椎动物捕食者的保护性。辛辣但无毒的苯甲醛的排除和丙酮的潜在作用表明，可以通过气味和味道来检测氰基葡萄糖苷。