Dietary acclimation affects dietary selection in the freshwater snail Planorbella trivolvis

Abstract

Animals should naturally select diets that provide the most benefit for the least cost. Many factors, however, can alter diet selection and may impact the ability to choose optimal diets. For example, dietary history may play a large role in how quickly an animal will switch to a novel and perhaps more optimal diet. The current study first aimed to evaluate diet quality using growth rate as a proxy in Planorbella trivolvis (Planorbidae) fed a range of common laboratory lettuce diets. Next, we sought to determine the extent to which diet acclimation influenced subsequent diet selection using the same laboratory lettuce diets. Snails fed cooked green romaine grew significantly more than snails fed cooked yellow romaine, uncooked green romaine or cooked kale. In a series of acclimation/selec