Abstract

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a highly successful mammal worldwide, in part due to its adaptive consumption of a wide range of seeds, especially those of the agricultural cereal crops. The present study examined the granivorous feeding behavior of mice in relation to wheat kernel texture (hardness), bran color, and the presence/absence of hulls. Three wheat taxa were examined: common bread wheat, spelt, and emmer. There was a particularly strong (5-fold) preference for soft white wheat kernels over hard red kernels. Using near-isogenic wheat lines, the preference was most highly associated with softer texture. This preference was also evidenced in spelt (soft) vs. emmer (very hard) comparisons. For spelt, hulls presented no deterrent to consumption, whereas in emmer, the hulls significantly reduced consumption. In a number of trials, a short lag in consumption patterns of new foods suggested that learning was involved. Regardless of the factor evaluated, all grains were consumed at some level. Soft white wheat was preferred over laboratory pellets by about 4 to 1. The results raise further questions about the ways mice evaluate individual grains and make consumption choices.