Gossypol, a secondary plant compound found in cotton (Gossypium spp.), is known to be toxic to a variety of animals, particularly monogastric mammals and birds. Because ruminants are resistant to gossypol, whole cottonseed and cottonseed meal have been used as a feed supplement for many decades. Concerns over gossypol toxicity arise because of its presence in cottonseed products, particularly livestock and wildlife feed. The concentration of cottonseed in the environment near livestock and wildlife feeding stations presents the possibility that it may be ingested in significant amounts by non-target wild animals, resulting in inadvertent gossypol dosing. A species of significant economic and cultural value is the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). However, there are no published data regarding if Northern Bobwhites would consume cottonseed meal given the opportunity. We assessed selection for or against cottonseed meal by performing a dietary preference study. Birds (n =120) were given the choice between commercial game bird feed, scratch grains, and cottonseed meal containing 0.74% total gossypol. We measured feed consumption for five days. The birds’ diet consisted of 51.74% game bird feed, 37.72% scratch grains, and 10.54% cottonseed meal, and percentages varied significantly among all feed types (P≤0.001, n =360). We concluded that Northern Bobwhites selected against the cottonseed meal in favour of the game bird feed first and the scratch grains second. Our results suggest that given the choice, Northern Bobwhites will select against cottonseed meal if other feed choices are available.

中文翻译：

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圈养Northern Bobwhites对棉籽粕的膳食选择

棉酚是一种在棉花 (Gossypium spp.) 中发现的次生植物化合物，已知对多种动物有毒，尤其是单胃哺乳动物和鸟类。由于反刍动物对棉酚具有抗性，因此全棉籽和棉籽粕几十年来一直被用作饲料添加剂。由于棉籽产品中存在棉酚，尤其是牲畜和野生动物饲料，因此对棉酚的毒性引起了担忧。家畜和野生动物饲养站附近环境中棉籽的浓度可能会被非目标野生动物大量摄入，从而导致棉酚的无意给药。一种具有重要经济和文化价值的物种是北鲍白（Colinus virginianus）。然而，没有公布的数据表明如果有机会，Northern Bobwhites 是否会食用棉籽粕。我们通过进行饮食偏好研究来评估是否选择棉籽粕。鸟类 (n = 120) 可以在商业猎鸟饲料、粗粮和含有 0.74% 总棉酚的棉籽粕之间进行选择。我们测量了五天的饲料消耗。鸟类的饮食由 51.74% 的野鸟饲料、37.72% 的杂粮和 10.54% 的棉籽粕组成，所有饲料类型之间的百分比差异显着（P≤0.001，n = 360）。我们得出的结论是，Northern Bobwhites 选择反对棉籽粉，优先选择野鸟饲料，其次是粗粮。我们的结果表明，如果有其他饲料可供选择，那么如果有选择的话，Northern Bobwhites 将不选择棉籽粕。