Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs

We analysed the mechanisms underlying behavioural food aversion of a plant defence (tannins) by guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) under the hypothesis that they can avoid ingesting these phenols by (a) directly monitoring their presence in their diet (unlearned aversion), by (b) using associat...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Lichtenstein, G., Cassini, M.H.
Formato: JOUR
Materias:
Associative learning
Diet selection
Guinea pigs
Tannins
Unlearned avoidance
Cavia aperea
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_11303204_v9_n_p29_Lichtenstein
Aporte de:
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) de Universidad de Buenos Aires
id todo:paper_11303204_v9_n_p29_Lichtenstein
record_format dspace
spelling todo:paper_11303204_v9_n_p29_Lichtenstein2023-10-03T16:07:53Z Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs Lichtenstein, G. Cassini, M.H. Associative learning Diet selection Guinea pigs Tannins Unlearned avoidance Cavia aperea We analysed the mechanisms underlying behavioural food aversion of a plant defence (tannins) by guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) under the hypothesis that they can avoid ingesting these phenols by (a) directly monitoring their presence in their diet (unlearned aversion), by (b) using associative learning, or by (c) a combination of both mechanisms. Tannins were used as an aversive unconditional stimulus, and vanilla and wintergreen flavours were used as conditional stimuli. Tests consisted of simultaneous presentations of two bottles containing different water solutions. In the first test, subjects were offered a choice of the two flavoured water solutions in order to assess initial preferences. Unlearned avoidance was tested in two tests using different tannin concentrations. After a conditioning period in which subjects were offered their preferred flavour paired with tannins and their less preferred flavour in water solutions on alternate days, four tests were conducted using the two flavoured solutions without tannins in order to test for associative learning. Guinea pigs showed an unlearned avoidance towards tannins presenting a stronger response towards the solutions with the higher concentration. Flavours that had been paired with tannins during the conditioning period were avoided suggesting associative learning. We propose that the discriminatory abilities showed by C. aperea in the laboratory are involved in the development of simple 'rules of thumb' in the natural environment. Fil:Cassini, M.H. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_11303204_v9_n_p29_Lichtenstein
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Associative learning
Diet selection
Guinea pigs
Tannins
Unlearned avoidance
Cavia aperea
spellingShingle Associative learning
Diet selection
Guinea pigs
Tannins
Unlearned avoidance
Cavia aperea
Lichtenstein, G.
Cassini, M.H.
Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
topic_facet Associative learning
Diet selection
Guinea pigs
Tannins
Unlearned avoidance
Cavia aperea
description We analysed the mechanisms underlying behavioural food aversion of a plant defence (tannins) by guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) under the hypothesis that they can avoid ingesting these phenols by (a) directly monitoring their presence in their diet (unlearned aversion), by (b) using associative learning, or by (c) a combination of both mechanisms. Tannins were used as an aversive unconditional stimulus, and vanilla and wintergreen flavours were used as conditional stimuli. Tests consisted of simultaneous presentations of two bottles containing different water solutions. In the first test, subjects were offered a choice of the two flavoured water solutions in order to assess initial preferences. Unlearned avoidance was tested in two tests using different tannin concentrations. After a conditioning period in which subjects were offered their preferred flavour paired with tannins and their less preferred flavour in water solutions on alternate days, four tests were conducted using the two flavoured solutions without tannins in order to test for associative learning. Guinea pigs showed an unlearned avoidance towards tannins presenting a stronger response towards the solutions with the higher concentration. Flavours that had been paired with tannins during the conditioning period were avoided suggesting associative learning. We propose that the discriminatory abilities showed by C. aperea in the laboratory are involved in the development of simple 'rules of thumb' in the natural environment.
format JOUR
author Lichtenstein, G.
Cassini, M.H.
author_facet Lichtenstein, G.
Cassini, M.H.
author_sort Lichtenstein, G.
title Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
title_short Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
title_full Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
title_fullStr Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
title_full_unstemmed Behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
title_sort behavioural mechanisms underlaying food aversion in guinea pigs
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_11303204_v9_n_p29_Lichtenstein
work_keys_str_mv AT lichtensteing behaviouralmechanismsunderlayingfoodaversioninguineapigs
AT cassinimh behaviouralmechanismsunderlayingfoodaversioninguineapigs
_version_ 1807314549863350272

Ejemplares similares