植食性哺乳动物食物选择的生态学意义及行为机制

综述了植食性哺乳动物食物选择行为机制的研究进展。植食性动物的食物选择是觅食生态学研究最为活跃的领域，动物食物选择对策主要有营养选择、植物次生化合物假设、营养平衡假设、最优觅食理论和条件性气味回避假设。动物学习食物选择的行为过程中，觅食个体能通过其认知过程和感知过程来处理食物信息、学习选择食物项目是一种可塑性行为方式，有利于动物获得适应栖息地的行为模式。幼体通过社会学习自母体学习的觅食经验，在幼体一生的食物选择中均具有重要的作用。在环境条件相对稳定条件下，幼体可模仿成体的食物选择模式；在环境剧烈变化的条件下，动物通过试错学习选择的食物项目可能较模仿成体所摄取的食物项目营养含量更丰富。

Ecological implication and behavior mechanism of food selection of mammalian herbivores

This paper is aimed to review the research progress in the behavior mechanism of food selection of mammalian herbivore. The study of food preference of mammalian herbivores is a prominent field of research in foraging ecology. It was put forth that nutritious hypotheses, plant secondary compounds hypotheses, nutrient balance hypotheses, optimal foraging theory, and conditioned flavor aversion hypotheses could explain the food preference of mammalian herbivores. Animals learn about foods through affective system and cognitive system. Social learning is a form of phenotype plasticity, and enable individuals to acquire adaptive behavior patterns suitable for local habitats. Early experience by the offspring mediated by social learning through the mother may play an important role in determination of food preference in the life. Where the environment is relatively stable, offspring may copy the food choices of older individuals, whereas in highly fluctuating environments, those individuals that select food on a trial and error basis are likely to obtain a more nutritious diet that those imitating the older adults.