Feeding diversity in deer mice.

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Abstract
The foraging behaviors of 2 geographically isolated subspecies of deer mice were compared. Laboratory-reared Peromyscus maniculatus borealis from the prairies of Alberta [Canada] and P. m. blandus from the deserts of Arizona [USA] were studied in 3 independent tests emphasizing different aspects of foraging: approach, acquisition and consumption. Two measures were used to compare feeding: diversity (an index of the breadth of the diet) and preference (an index of what the mice ate most). A consistent difference between the 2 subspecies in individuals'' feeding diversity suggests that this subspecific effect is due to genetic differences, as predicted by evolutionary theory. At the same time that individuals of each subspecies had roughly the same diversity, they had different preferences. Although these mice may be constrained by natural selection in the breadth of their diet, they are more variable or opportunistic in their foraging choices than predicted by theories of optimal foraging.

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