Abstract
We report experimental results showing that, under both laboratory conditions as well as in outdoor enclosures, the fossorial vole Arvicola terrestris preferentially feeds on acyanogenic white clover (Trifolium repens) when offered the choice between two varieties (Ladino and Aran) differing highly in their content in cyanogenic glycosides. We also observed that the voles adapted their diet and reduced their relative consumption of the cyanogenic variety during experiments conducted for two to three weeks in outdoor enclosures as compared to shorter tests conducted for 48 hr in laboratory cages. In addition, we report a similar preference for the acyanogenic Ladino variety for the slugs Arion ater and A. subfuscus.
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Saucy, F., Studer, J., Aerni, V. et al. Preference for Acyanogenic White Clover (Trifolium repens) in the Vole Arvicola terrestris: I. Experiments with Two Varieties. J Chem Ecol 25, 1441–1454 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020943313142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020943313142