The behavior strategy of herbivorous rodents against plant secondary metabolites

The relationship between plant secondary metabolites(PSMs) and herbivores is one of the focuses of animal ecology. In this paper, we present three behavioral strategies (avoidance, diet regulation and dietary mixing) used by herbivorous rodents to avoid the negative effects produced by plant secondary metabolites. Avoidance behavior means conditioned learning (animals learn to avoid PSMs on the basis of negative postingestive effects) and food processing before ingestion to avoid the negative effects produced by plant secondary metabolites. Diet regulation focuses mainly on food intake (an herbivore presented with variable PSMs concentrations in its diet should maintain its PSMs dose below its critical threshold by adjusting food intake) and intermeal interval, with which rodents can survival in heterogeneous environment. Dietary mixing leads to greater diversity of ingested phytochemicals that may also lead to mutual toxin neutralization or inactivation, which in turn could reduce susceptibility to plant secondary metabolites.