Abstract
For omnivores to determine whether an unfamiliar item is an appropriate food, they could rely on personal information from sampling it themselves or rely on less risky observation of whether other individuals eat the item. Availability of information about food from social companions in group-living species is one of the benefits of group life. Adults of solitary-living species, however, seem typically less likely to rely on social information about food choice. If an individual faced a nutritional deficit, it would seem to increase the value of public information. This study addresses whether dietary restriction from certain nutrients (sodium, potassium, protein, carbohydrates) affects reliance on information about food from conspecifics. Without nutrient restriction, group-living Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) preferred the diet that they smelled on the breath of a conspecific demonstrator, but solitary-living Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) avoided it. Protein restriction yielded similar results as measured one hour into a diet choice test. Potassium restriction, however, reversed the pattern: rats avoided the demonstrator’s diet but hamsters preferred it. Clearly, the valence of social information depended on the nutrient from which individuals were restricted and the species under study. This could be related to the contrasting social organization that members of each species generate. Neither species relied on social information about the availability of a nutrient from which they were restricted if they could taste that nutrient for themselves (sodium, carbohydrates).
Highlights
When animals select among habitats, among mates, or among food items, they risk making decisions without complete information about the relative value of the options available
Public information and evolution of social learning [3] lead to the same prediction regarding when social information should be used: organisms should rely on public information when it’s the less costly or the less difficult way to learn as compared to personal information from first-hand learning
Food Consumed after One Hour by Animals with Nutrient Restriction Proportion of the demonstrator’s diet consumed one hour into the choice test depended on species and on nutrient restriction (ANOVA three-way interaction of species, orosensory cues, and postingestive effects: F1, 35 = 6.05, p = 0.02)
Summary
When animals select among habitats, among mates, or among food items, they risk making decisions without complete information about the relative value of the options available. Unlike dietary specialists who can eat only a few foods, omnivores have the advantage of being able to subsist on a variety of foods. With this advantage comes risk when determining whether an unfamiliar item is a suitable food. An omnivore may assess directly a new food’s suitability and safety by sampling a small piece. That omnivore may assess a new food indirectly through information inadvertently provided by others. Following from theoretical work on use of public information [1] [2], evidence of consumption by a conspecific could be sufficient to indicate a new food’s suitability. Available information lowers risk when ingesting unfamiliar food. Public information and evolution of social learning [3] lead to the same prediction regarding when social information should be used: organisms should rely on public information when it’s the less costly or the less difficult way to learn as compared to personal information from first-hand learning
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