Data from: Flying stimulates the antioxidant system and protects against oxidative damage in a migratory songbird, yet diet quality has little effect

Ecologically-relevant factors such as exercise and diet quality can
directly influence how multifaceted physiological systems work; however,
little is known about how such factors directly and interactively affect
key components of the antioxidant system in multiple tissues of migratory
songbirds. We tested 3 main hypotheses across three tissues in European
Starlings fed diets with more or less antioxidants (anthocyanins) and
long-chain omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (18:2n6) while being
flight-trained in a wind tunnel. Stimulatory effect of flight:
Flight-training stimulated the antioxidant system in that a) plasma
oxidative damage (dROMs) was reduced during a given acute flight, and
contrary to our predictions, b) antioxidant capacity (OXY or ORAC) and
oxidative damage in plasma (dROMs), flight-muscle, and liver (LPO) of
flight-trained birds were similar to that of untrained birds (i.e., not
flown in a wind tunnel). Flight-trained birds that expended more energy
per unit time (kJ/min) during their longest, final flight decreased
antioxidant capacity (OXY) the most during the final flight. Dietary fat
quality effect: Contrary to our predictions, dietary 18:2n-6 did not
influence oxidative status even after flight training. Dietary antioxidant
effect: Flight-trained birds supplemented with dietary anthocyanins did
not have higher antioxidant capacity in plasma (OXY), or liver and
flight-muscle (ORAC) compared to untrained birds. Counterintuitively,
oxidative damage (dROMs) was higher in flight-trained supplemented birds
compared to unsupplemented birds after an acute flight. In sum, the
antioxidant system of songbirds flexibly responded to changes in
availability of dietary antioxidants as well as increased flight time and
effort, and such condition-dependent, individual-level, tissue-specific
responses to the oxidative costs of long-duration flights apparently
requires recovery periods for maintaining oxidative balance during
migration.