Development of feeding diversity in deer mice.

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Abstract
The development of feeding diversity was examined in several subspecies of deer mice. The feeding diversities of laboratory-reared Peromyscus [P. leucopus noveboracensis, P. maniculatus blandus, P. m. borealis and P. m. sonoriensis] were calculated from their choices among peanuts, sunflower seeds, millet and wheat germ over 6 days in laboratory cages. Age, subspecific differences and early experience affected feeding diversity. Juvenile mice had more diverse diets than adults. Genetically different mice differed in feeding diversity. Two species differed in whether their feeding diversities were changed by different rearing conditions. In 1 sp. early experience with fluctuating diets led to diverse feeding, but stable experience led to specialized diets. The data agree with 4 fundamental theories: a psychological theory of perceptual development indicating that responses become more specialized with age; an evolutionary theory, indicating that genetic differences arising from natural selection in different environments contribute to differences in feeding behaviors; an ethological theory indicating that behaviors in some species are more susceptible to developmental changes than those same behaviors in other species; and an ecological theory indicating that generalist feeders are adapted to fluctuating conditions and specialists to stable ones.

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