To control and observe first feeding experiences, pups were reared without access to food. At weaning age, individual pups received simultaneous access to a palatable, noncaloric diet and a similar diet containing starch. Each diet contained a flavor cue. Within 20 min of sampling both diets pups preferentially ingested the caloric alternative. Further tests indicated that pups learned a prefer...

The effect of long-term feeding on Bt-maize by collembolans in the laboratory is virtually unestablished. That is why the aim of the present study was to test whether the reproduction, fecal pellet production or food preference of the collembolan F. candida is affected when fed on Bt-maize for several consecutive generations. The collembolans were fed with Bt-maize for 0, 6, 16 and 22 months an...

There are two major theories that attempt to explain hand preference in non-human primates-the 'task complexity' theory and the 'postural origins' theory. In the present study, we proposed a third hypothesis to explain the evolutionary origin of hand preference in non-human primates, stating that it could have evolved owing to structural and functional adaptations to feeding, which we refer to ...

1. Epidemiological theory predicts that vector preference for hosts differing in infection status (i.e. healthy or infected) affects disease dynamics. 2. Numerous studies have documented strong vector preference for or discrimination against infected hosts. However, the significance of these behaviours for pathogen transmission and spread has been poorly described. 3. We conducted a series of c...

Much attention has been paid to ecology and evolution of damage-induced plant responses. Recently, it has been emphasized that phenotypic plasticity, such as induced plant responses, has the potential to lead to evolutionary changes of interacting partners. Here, we report that induced plant regrowth promotes a locally adaptive feeding preference of a leaf beetle, Plagiodera versicolora. We fou...

OBJECTIVE To identify racial/ethnic differences in prevalence and the factors that influence decisions to breastfeed among adolescent mothers. METHODS A total of 696 Mexican-American, African-American, and Caucasian adolescent mothers </=18 years of age were interviewed on the postpartum ward of university hospital within 48 hours of delivery. Self-reported factors associated with the decisio...