Choosey in what they eat. Usually have a very specific diet.
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What are 'conditioned taste aversions'?
Form a response to certain foods. Learn to not eat certain foods due to consequences when eaten e.g. experienced nausea.
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What is social learning of food preferences?
Learn from each other of what to eat and what not to eat.
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Example of social learning of food preferences?
Rats - demonstrator rat allowed to eat food with particular odour. Allowed to interact with observer rat. Observer rat shows preference for same food with smell when allowed to decide between 2.
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What rats does social learning of food preferences occur in?
Lab rats 1st generation (not domesticated), food deprived and non-deprived, unfamiliar and familiar pairs, young and adult, fluid and solid foods.
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What is the proximate mechanism of rats and social learning?
Carbondisulphide found in rat breath. Prefer towards food paired with smell.
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What is the ultimate mechanism of rats and social learning?
Need to learn to obtain nutritionally balanced food/diet and avoid toxins.
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Why is the ability to form conditioned taste aversions an important adaptation?
Allows animals to learn what's safe.
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Assumptions about generalists and specialists and conditioned taste aversions?
Generalists - easily form them. Specialists should not.
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Example of specialists not forming taste aversions?
Vampire bats - blood paired with citrus acid taste, received injections to induce nausea. Normal bats formed taste aversion, vampire bats did not.
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What enhancer causes umani taste?
Monosodium Glutamate
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Proximate cause of loss of umani taste?
Loss of receptor gene (Tas1r1)
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Why can vampire bats not taste Umani?
Loss of receptor gene (Tas1r1) - do not need to be able to distinguish between foods as they're SPECIALISTS
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Ultimate cause of loss of Umani taste?
Extremely limited diet, ability to taste Umani rendered not important.
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How do vampire bats locate prey?
Olfactory cues (smell). Use infared sensors to locate warm blood flow.
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Example of another animal with no Tas1r1 gene?
Panda - doesn't need to distinguish between foods - SPECIALIST.
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