Behavioural response in paired food choice experiments with Oniscus asellus (Crustacea, Isopoda) as an indicator of different food quality.
This paper describes a study of behavioural response in terrestrial isopod Oniscus asellus when offered two food pellets of different quality. One group had a choice of sterilised food and food pellets covered with mould. The other group had a choice of uncontaminated and cadmium-dosed food. During the behavioural test, the animals were monitored by a video camera and each visit to food pellets and time spent around it was counted. The results show that animals spent significantly less time near sterilised and cadmium-dosed food than with uncontaminated or mould-covered food. Discrimination between offered food pellets showed that avoidance behaviour can be used as an indicator of different food quality.
Zidar
Primoz
P
Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. primoz.zidar@uni-lj.si
Kaschl
Ulf Iskender
UI
Drobne
Damjana
D
Bozic
Janko
J
Strus
Jasna
J
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005506:Food Contamination; D005658:Fungi; D033321:Isopoda; D018675:Toxicity Tests
D002104:Cadmium