Individuality in nutritional preferences: a multi-level approach in field crickets

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Nutritional ecology
• Evolutionary biology

Background:

• Individual variation in nutritional needs can be shaped by selection.
• Optimal diets may correlate with an organism's morphology or personality traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate repeatability and individual differences in macronutrient intake in Southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus).
• To determine if nutritional preference is linked to body weight or personality traits.

Main Methods:

• Crickets were provided with separate carbohydrate and protein food sources.
• Individual consumption rates of each macronutrient were quantified repeatedly.
• Intake rates, correlations between macronutrient intake, and short-term intake changes were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Intake rates for both carbohydrates and proteins were individually repeatable.
• Individuals exhibited distinct 'nutritional preferences' for carbohydrate-to-protein ratios.
• Body weight, but not personality, positively predicted nutritional preference; larger crickets consumed more carbohydrates relative to proteins.

Conclusions:

• Nutritional preference is an individually repeatable trait in field crickets.
• Body size is a significant predictor of macronutrient selection, influencing dietary ratios.
• Multivariate and multi-level approaches are valuable for understanding nutritional preference.