The role of different slug species in damage to oilseed rape bordering on sown wildflower strips

Damage caused by different slug species on above and below ground parts of young oilseed rape bordering on sown wildfower strips was studied. Slug densities and damage were recorded in the field and damage rates for each slug species were measured in the laboratory. Severe slug damage was observed in rape areas 1 m from the wildflower strips. Damage rates of slug species feeding above ground were distinctly higher than those feeding below ground. The estimated damage caused by above-ground feeding in all four study fields ranged between 72% and 89 % and was always distinctly higher than damage caused by below-ground feeding (11% to 28 %). The estimated damage caused by Arion lusitanicus above ground was between 54% and 69 %, followed by Deroceras reticulatum (3% to 26 %). Thus A. lusitanicus was responsible for the majority of damage in the rape crops studied.     

弄岗熊猴的活动节律和活动时间分配

2005年9月至2006年9月,采用瞬时扫描取样法,在弄岗国家级自然保护区对野生熊猴(Macaca assamensis)进行了连续跟踪观察,收集相关的活动节律和活动时间分配的数据,通过分析其与气候及食物组成的关系,从中探讨影响熊猴活动节律及活动时间分配的因素。研究结果发现:在熊猴的日活动节律中,觅食活动表现为逐渐增强的趋势,最高峰值出现在下午15:00,休息活动在中午出现一个小的高峰;其日活动节律表现出明显的季节性差异,主要表现为旱季大部分时间段的觅食强度均高于雨季,且早上7:00-10:00出现一段长时间的休息,而雨季里长时间的休息则发生在中午12:00-14:00;在活动时间分配上,熊猴平均花费39.6%时间用于休息,33.2%用于移动,18.3%用于摄食,5.1%用于理毛,2.4%用于玩耍,1.4%用于其他行为,其活动时间分配也表现出明显的季节性差异;与雨季相比,在旱季熊猴明显增加用于觅食的时间,而相应地减少用于休息的时间,活动时间分配的季节性变化明显与食物组成的变化有关;在不同年龄组个体间,青少年猴花费更多的时间用于玩耍,而用于休息和理毛的时间明显少于成年猴。     

Effects of plant extracts on the feeding behaviour of the slug Arion lusitanicus

Methanol extracts of the plants Geranium robertianum, Lepidium sativum, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, Salvia pratensis, Saponaha officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Trifolium repens and Valerianella locusta were produced and applied to cotyledons of 6–8 days old rape seedlings to investigate whether they can influence the feeding of the slug Arion lusitanicus on young rape. All plant extracts appeared to reduce slug feeding on rape to some extent, but only the extracts of Saponaria officinalis and V. locusta significantly deterred A. lusitanicus from feeding. The small effects of some extracts may be due to a poor extraction efficiency or an insufficient feeding inhibition capacity of these extracts.     

Entrainment of circadian rhythms of cholesterol‐LDL,corticosterone and motor activity by feeding schedules in rats

Abstract

The daily variations of locomotor activity, plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels and cholesterol‐LDL were studied in male Wistar rats with food ad libitum and feeding restricted to the first 4 hours of the light phase in LD 12:12..

Under LD 12:12 (light on from 9:00 to 21:00h) rats with food ad libitum were eating and moving during the dark period and the locomotor activity clearly showed a biphasic pattern with three harmonic components. Plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels increased during the light period and reached a maximum value just before the dark period whereas the acrophase of cholesterol‐LDL is found at the beginning of the light phase.

The acrophases of activity, plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels in the restricted feeding schedule rats occurred in the first three hours of lighting and the cholesterol‐LDL acrophase at the beginning of the dark phase.

These results confirm a previous report that the shift of feeding to the light phase seems to cause a concomitant phase‐shift in all the variables measured.     

Feeding deterrent effect of carvone, a compound from caraway seeds, on the slug Arion lusitanicus

The feeding deterrent effect of carvone on the slug Arion lusitanicus was investigated. Carvone, a natural compound from caraway seeds, was incorporated into mulch to reduce its inherent volatility. In a laboratory choice experiment, boxes were filled on one side with carvone‐treated mulch and on the other side with untreated mulch. At carvone concentrations ranging from 0.03–0.75 ml litre^?1 mulch, slugs ate significantly more lettuce on the untreated side. In a laboratory based no‐choice experiment, carvone concentrations of 0.25 and 0.75 ml litre^?1 mulch significantly reduced slug feeding in comparison with the untreated control. Moreover at the highest concentration of carvone (0.75 ml litre^?1 mulch) 50% mortality was recorded over a period of 5 days, indicating a clear molluscicidal effect. Due to its volatility carvone did not decrease plant defoliation by A. lusitanicus when applied directly onto lettuce. Subsequent field evaluation showed 0.75 ml litre^?1 mulch to partially reduce slug feeding damage. However, this effect was not sufficient to significantly increase lettuce yield. The incorporation of a higher carvone concentration into mulch is still to be tested to confirm whether carvone‐treated mulch can be recommended as an effective alternative approach to chemical slug control.     

Age-Sex Analysis of Activity Budget,Diet, and Positional Behavior in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta caraya</Emphasis> in an Orchard Forest

Howlers (Alouatta spp.) spend more than half of the daytime resting and their diet consists predominantly of leaves. Associated with a general strategy of energy conservation, their positional behavior is characterized by quadrupedalism as the major locomotor mode, and sitting as the most common resting and feeding posture. However, researchers have sparse information on the degree to which age-sex classes fit the generic trends and the influence of habitat structure on them. We compare the activity budget, dietary composition, and positional behavior by age-sex or age classes in a group of black-and-gold howlers (Alouatta caraya) in a small orchard forest. We collected 26,474 behavioral records via instantaneous scan sampling over 1 yr. The main activity was resting (56%) and the diet comprised mainly leaves (82%); sitting was the most adopted feeding (61%) and resting (52%) posture, and walking was the most prevalent locomotor mode (38%). There are age-sex differences for all major behaviors. Whereas resting tended to increase with body size, moving decreased. We observed no difference in the consumption of major plant parts. There were ontogenetic differences in most positional behaviors. Sitting increased from infants to adults during feeding, whereas the opposite occurred for bridging and hanging. During resting, infants curled more and lay less than the other classes did, whereas adults engaged in more sitting. Adults and subadults walked more than individuals of other ages did; infants climbed and bridged more than others did; and, there were opposing trends in leaping and descending. Habitat structure is a partial explanation of the locomotor behavior of black-and-gold howlers.     

THE EFFECTS OF STEADY AND CYCLING TEMPERATURES ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE SLUG DEROCERAS RETICULATUM

At constant temperatures, crawling activity in the slug Derocerasreticulatum has an optimum at 13°C in late winter, and 17°Cin early summer. The optimum for feeding remains at 14°C.Activity has anendogenous basis, but daytime activity increaseswith temperature and long daylengths. Cycling temperatures producemore locomotor activity and less feeding in 24 h than constanttemperatures, even when the temperature is higher at night.However, cooling stimulates and warming inhibits activity duringthe period of change and when cooling occurs at dusk, over halfthe 24 h activity occurs in the next three hours. Faster ratesof cooling produce greater responses, but can result in loweroverall activity because the slugs remain longer at low temperatures. (Received 25 May 1984;     

Diurnal Changes in Blood Metabolites and Their Relation to Plasma Growth Hormone and Time of Feeding in Mithun Heifers (Bos frontalis)

The aim of the present study was to investigate what, if any, diurnal changes occur in blood metabolites in relation to plasma growth hormone (GH) and feeding time among mithun (Bos frontalis), a semi‐wild ruminant. Blood samples were collected at hourly intervals during a 24 h span from 6 mithun heifers (averaging 2.5 yr of age and averaging 230 kg in weight) that were fed twice a day at 11:00 and 16:00 h. Samples were assayed for plasma GH and blood metabolites, non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose, and alpha‐amino nitrogen. The total sampling period was divided into a 1) postprandial (after meal) period (period I: 11:00 to 21:00 h) and 2) interprandial period (period II: 22:00 to 10:00 h) and also into night (20:00 to 05:00 h) and day (06:00 to 10:00 h) periods for statistical analysis. Plasma glucose and alpha‐amino nitrogen levels increased (p<0.01), and plasma NEFA and GH decreased (p<0.01) after each meal. No diurnal rhythmicity was detected in plasma glucose or alpha‐amino nitrogen levels. Interestingly, plasma NEFA and GH levels were higher (p<0.01) during the interprandial (period II) and night periods, indicating an energy deficit that occurred progressively during the interprandial period of nocturnal feed deprivation. In twice‐daily‐fed mithuns we conclude that: 1) plasma metabolites and GH exhibited a definite pattern of change with time of feeding; 2) concentrations of plasma NEFA were higher nocturnally due to an energy deficit and that GH levels were higher during the interprandial period after the second meal; 3) the interprandial period after the second feeding may be considered to constitute a short‐term food deprivation; 4) the longer interprandial period of 19 h in this study between the second and subsequent morning meal may be changed into equally divided feedings to minimize the short‐term energy deficit; and 5) blood sampling for blood metabolites in mithuns should be conducted at a fixed time of day with special emphasis on time of feeding.     

Size-specific susceptibility of the pest slugs Deroceras reticulatum and Arion lusitanicus to the nematode biocontrol agent Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita

The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is a commercially available biocontrol agent against slugs. This product is especially interesting for use in organic farming, where products containing metaldehyde or carbamates cannot be used for controlling pest slugs. We investigated the potential of P. hermaphrodita for the control of the pest slugs Deroceras reticulatum and Arion lusitanicus. These two species are the most harmful slug pests in Switzerland. At different times of the year, we collected slug specimens of different weight and assessed their susceptibility to P. hermaphrodita in the laboratory. Batches of five slugs were subjected to five different doses of nematodes plus an untreated control and replicated three times. During six weeks, feeding and survival of the slugs were recorded. D. reticulatum was strongly affected by increasing nematode doses, irrespective of the slugs' body weight. In small specimens of A. lusitanicus, feeding and survival were strongly affected by the nematodes, while larger specimens remained almost unaffected. Because A. lusitanicus has an asynchronous development in Switzerland, it seems difficult to control the entire population with a single nematode application. To what extent nematodes will be used in practice for slug control depends on their effectivity against the pest slugs of major importance, on the longevity of the molluscicidal effect and on the price of nematodes.     

Predation by the Carabid Beetles Pterostichus melanarius and Poecilus cupreus on Slugs and Slug Eggs

Predation on slugs, Arion lusitanicus (Mabille) and Deroceras reticulatum (Müller), and their eggs by the carabid beetles Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) and Poecilus cupreus (L.) was investigated in the laboratory. Slugs of different size and slug eggs were offered to the beetles in petri dishes with and without several alternative prey. Pterostichus melanarius destroyed eggs of D. reticulatum and A. lusitanicus, with a clear preference for D. reticulatum eggs. The availability of some alternative prey types adversely affected feeding on D. reticulatum eggs by P. cupreus and feeding on A. lusitanicus eggs by P. melanarius. Yet consumption of D. reticulatum eggs by P. melanarius was not significantly influenced by any alternative prey. Only P. melanarius killed small D. reticulatum in the presence of alternative prey. This suggests that P. melanarius and P. cupreus may have the potential to reduce slug populations in the field by destroying slug eggs and, in the case of P. melanarius, killing freshly hatched slugs.     

Time-dependent effects of leptin on food intake and locomotor activity in goldfish

The present study investigates the possible circadian dependence of leptin effects on food intake, locomotor activity, glycemia and plasma cortisol levels in goldfish (Carassius auratus). Fish were maintained under 12L:12D photoperiod and subjected to two different feeding schedules, one group fed during photophase (10:00) and the other one during scotophase (22:00). Leptin or saline were intraperitoneally injected at two different times (10:00 or 22:00), coincident or not with the meal time. To eliminate the entraining effect of the light/dark cycle, goldfish maintained under 24 h light (LL) were fed and leptin-injected at 10:00. A reduction in food intake and locomotor activity and an increase in glycemia were found in goldfish fed and leptin-injected at 10:00. No significant changes in circulating cortisol were observed. Those effects were not observed when leptin was administered during the scotophase, regardless the feeding schedule; neither in fish maintained under LL, suggesting that a day/night cycle would be necessary to observe the actions of leptin administered during the photophase. Changes in locomotor activity and glycemia were only observed in goldfish when leptin was injected at daytime, coincident with the feeding schedule, suggesting that these leptin actions could be dependent on the feeding time as zeitgeber. In view of these results it appears that the circadian dependence of leptin actions in goldfish can be determined by the combination of both zeitgebers, light/dark cycle and food. Our results point out the relevance of the administration time when investigating regulatory functions of hormones.     

Activity rhythms and use of space of a group ofAotus azarae in Bolivia during the rainy season

A group ofAotus azarae living in an island forest in the Beni region of Bolivia was observed for ten nights during the rainy season of 1985. The three members of the group, an adult male, an adult female, and the young of the year, spent 49.4% of their time resting, 31.7% feeding and 19.8% locomoting. Activity started with low intensity vocalizations about 10–15 min after sunset, the animals returning to the sleeping site in the morning, 10 to 20 min before dawn. Feeding occurred mainly during the early hours of the night, and from 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. they spent most of their time at rest. The average distance travelled per night was 337.4 m, the monkeys locomoting mainly in the first half of the night. Of the whole of the island forest (0.33 ha), our monkeys used mainly an area of 0.18 ha.     

圈养马来熊行为节律和时间分配的季节变化

2009年3－12月,分春、夏、秋、冬4个季节,采用人工观察和红外摄像记录观察2种方式,对上海动物园的圈养马来熊进行行为学研究。建立的行为谱包括休息、走动、踱步、乞食、采食、爬树、探寻、擦痒、玩耍、追逐、嗅闻、示警、打斗、爬跨、舔阴、交配和排泄,将相关行为合并后归纳成6类,即休息、运动、乞食、刻板、社群和其他行为。马来熊用于休息的时间最多,其次是运动和乞食行为。各行为具有不同程度的季节性差异,运动行为（F=62.748,P<0.001）和社群行为（F=26.041,P<0.001）季节性差异极显著,刻板行为（F=4.667,P<0.05）差异显著,休息行为（F=1.857,P>0.05）和乞食行为（F=1.180,P>0.05）差异不显著。圈养马来熊具有明显的日活动节律,00:00－5:00和20:00－24:00是马来熊的休息高峰,6:00开始活动量增大,8:00－9:00是马来熊的正常进食高峰,同时,运动、乞食、社群等行为逐渐增多,乞食行为集中在运动场10:00－15:00游客多的时段。18:00之后运动逐渐减少,进入休息状态。春夏昼间行为比较,运动和刻板行为（P<0.05）差异显著。年龄因素,春季对休息、运动和刻板行为影响特别显著（P<0.001）,社群和乞食行为的影响显著（P<0.05）,夏季对乞食行为影响特别显著（P<0.001）,运动、刻板和社群行为影响显著（P<0.05）。性别因素,春季对社群行为影响极显著（P<0.001）,休息、乞食和其他行为影响显著（P<0.05）,夏季只对社群行为影响显著（P<0.05）。秋冬间各行为差异不显著,室内和运动场的行为对比表明,刻板和休息多在室内,运动行为多在运动场,室内和运动场秋季的运动行为和社群行为差异显著（P<0.05）,冬季的刻板行为差异极显著（P<0.001）。     

Chronotype,gender, and time for sex

The study aimed at testing chronotype and gender differences in the time of day when humans feel the greatest need for sex and the time of day they actually undertake sexual activity. A Polish sample of 565 participants aged between 18 and 57 was tested. In females, regardless of chronotype, the greatest need for sex occurred between 18:00 and 24:00, but a secondary peak appeared only in morning types at 6:00–9:00. In males, the greatest need for sex occurred either in the morning or evening hours: in evening types at 9:00–12:00 and 18:00–3:00; in neither types at 6:00–9:00 and 18:00–24:00; in morning types at 6:00–12:00 and 18:00–24:00. Considering time of day when subjects were undertaking sexual activity most frequently, this appeared between 18:00 and 24:00 for all the participants, and prolonged until 3:00 at night in evening type males. Morningness preference was more strongly related to the timing of need for sex than to the timing of actual sexual activity (r?=??0.275 vs. r?=??0.174), while the timing of desire and the timing of sexual activity were positively, but moderately related (r?=?0.320).     

林睡鼠幼鼠的活动规律和行为初步观察

本文通过红外线照相的方法,对发育期的林睡鼠幼鼠进行室内活动规律及行为观察,为充分了解林睡鼠越冬前的能量储备形式提供饲养参考。将鼠密度监测仪固定在饲养笼具上方,24h连续拍照,采集和分析6-9月年龄在10周内的幼鼠各种活动数据。结果显示：幼鼠一天中超过70%的时间都在窝内度过,大部分时间都蜷缩成一团少有动作;在窝外活动时间多在玩耍,如攀爬笼架。用于进食和饮水的时间不超过全天的2%。林睡鼠幼鼠主要活动时间在21:00-07:00,活动高峰在21:00-03:00之间。幼鼠出生3周后开始出窝活动,哺乳期30d后开始采食,5周后幼鼠有交配玩耍行为。随着日龄的增长,活动高峰从23：00提前到21：00,活动时间也逐渐延长,但9周龄后活动时间逐渐缩短,幼鼠的饮水进食时间与其活动的时间长短较为一致。10周体重可达成年体重的70%。研究表明,林睡鼠在夏秋季节基本是昼伏夜出动物。光照是影响其在外活动的重要因素之一。幼鼠6周后所需的饲料和水量大于成年林睡鼠,在此期间要注意饲料和水的补充。     

丰容对圈养雌性岩羊活动时间分配的影响

为了探究环境丰容和食物丰容对岩羊行为和活动节律的影响,于2017年3月—7月,以上海动物园的5只雌性岩羊(Pseudois nayaur)为研究对象,设计环境丰容和食物丰容试验,利用瞬时扫描法对岩羊进行行为学观察,分析岩羊丰容前后昼间行为的变化。结果表明:经过环境丰容,岩羊的运动行为和反刍行为显著增加,卧息行为和其他行为显著减少,取食行为无明显变化。在环境丰容基础上,开展食物丰容后,运动行为明显减少,取食行为明显增加。卧息行为有所减少、反刍行为和其他行为有所增加,但变化均不明显。丰容后岩羊的昼间活动节律也发生了变化。取食行为呈现2个高峰期(8:00—11:00和15:00—18:00),取食行为普遍提高;运动行为在13:30—17:30时段较丰容前提前一个小时左右发生;卧息行为有相似的波动规律,但丰容后其昼间发生频次在16:00之前均降低;反刍行为波动最大,呈现出明显的2个高峰期(6:00—9:00和10:00—15:00)。试验表明,在进行环境和食物丰容后,岩羊的活动增加,优化了时间分配,福利状况得到了有效改善。     

Effects of Three‐Hour Restricted Food Access during the Light Period on Circadian Rhythms of Temperature,Locomotor Activity,and Heart Rate in Rats

The effects of food on biological rhythms may influence the findings of chronopharmacological studies. The present study evaluated the influence of a restricted food access during the rest (light) span of nocturnally active Wistar rats on the 24 h time organization of biological functions in terms of the circadian rhythms of temperature (T), heart rate (HR), and locomotor activity (LA) in preparation for subsequent studies aimed at evaluating the influence of timed food access on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications. Ten‐wk‐old male Wistar rats were housed under controlled 12:12 h light:dark (LD) environmental conditions. Food and water were available ad libitum, excepted during a 3 wk period of restriction. Radiotelemetry transmitters were implanted to record daily rhythms in T, HR, and LA. The study lasted 7 wk and began after a 21‐d recovery span following surgery. Control baseline data were collected during the first wk (W1). The second span of 3 wk duration (W2 to W4) consisted of the restricted feeding regimen (only 3 h access to food between 11:00 and 14:00 h daily) during the L (rest span) under 12:12 h LD conditions. The third period of 3 wk duration (W5 to W7) consisted of the recovery span with ad libitium normal feeding. Weight loss in the amount of 5% of baseline was observed during W1 with stabilization of body weight thereafter during the remaining 2 wk of food restriction. The 3 h restricted food access during the L rest span induced a partial loss of circadian rhythmicity and the emergence of 12 h rhythms in T, HR, and LA. Return to ad libitum feeding conditions restored circadian rhythmicity in the manner evidenced during the baseline control span. Moreover, the MESORS and amplitudes of the T, HR, and LA 24 h patterns were significantly attenuated during food restriction (p<0.001) and then returned to initial values during recovery. These changes may be interpreted as a masking effect, since T, HR, and LA are known to directly react to food intake. The consequences of such findings on the methods used to conduct chronokinetic studies, such as the fasting of animals the day before testing, are important since they may alter the temporal structure of the organism receiving the drug and thereby compromise findings.     

Daily rhythms of locomotor and demand-feeding activities in Schizothorax pelzami (Kessler, 1870)

A study was carried out to investigate the daily rhythms of locomotor and feeding activity of Khajoo, Schizothorax pelzami, a candidate species for freshwater aquaculture. Using self-feeder juvenile Khajoo were exposed to a 12/12 LD cycle to determine the rhythms of locomotor and feeding activity. The effects of feeding on locomotor and feeding activity of fish were also examined. Finally, the endogenous rhythmicity under different lighting condition tested. Fish displayed a strictly diurnal feeding and locomotor activities with 98% and 84% of the total activity occurred in the photophase, respectively. In scheduled feeding, both the L-group (fed in light) and the D-group (fed in the dark) showed a diurnal locomotor activity pattern. However, the L-group had a peak of locomotor activity near the feeding time, but the D-group had a scarce locomotor activity in the scatophase with no significant change at the mealtime. Most of the individuals display free-running rhythms when exposed to different lighting condition including, constant darkness, ultradian 45:45 min LD cycle and reversed DL photo cycle. Taken together the results of this study showed that both locomotor and feeding activity have diurnal rhythms in Khajoo S. pelzami, even fish feeding had taken place at night. Additionally, the free-running locomotor activity of the fish in the absence of external light stimuli, suggests the existence of an endogenous timing mechanism in this fish species.     

Diurnal changes of behavior and respiration of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) in captivity

A preliminary study was carried out to investigate diurnal changes of behavior of three, one adult male, one adult female, and one juvenile female, Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) in captivity. The respiration and behavior of the porpoises were recorded for 222 hr across 42 days. Behavioral data were recorded for eight general categories: aerial display and fast swimming, begging for fish, playing, nonsexual socializing, sexual behavior, resting, rubbing, and miscellaneous (i.e., other behaviors not included in the above categories). Each behavioral category was scored using one‐zero sampling with 10‐min intervals. The adult male showed shorter mean respiratory intervals at night (19:00–7:00 h), whereas the mean respiratory intervals of the females were shorter during the day (7:00–19:00 h). Begging for fish of all individuals, playing of the juvenile female, nonsexual socializing, and miscellaneous behavior of the adult female and resting of the male were observed more easily in the day, and aerial display and fast swimming of the adults and resting of the females were observed more easily at night. No significant diurnal difference was found, however, in the remaining categories of each individual. Each of the three porpoises therefore showed a distinct diurnal pattern, but none was obviously more active in the daytime than during the nighttime. Results suggest that daytime‐only feeding schedules may be insufficient to meet the energetic needs of marine mammals that show a 24‐hr activity cycle, and that nighttime feeding may be a worthwhile addition to husbandry routines. Zoo Biol 0:1–11, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A method to study slug predation on seedlings in the field

Dandelion is a common Asteraceae species that populates disturbed sites and gaps within swards where it becomes an important competitor of grasses. The natural control against dandelion includes seedling predation, with slugs, particularly Arion lusitanicus, being the most important in the Czech Republic. However, the study of slug seedling consumption is difficult because naturally established seedlings are not always available. Therefore, we developed a method of exposing laboratory‐grown seedlings as bait for slug predation. Dandelion seeds were sown in plastic cups containing a bottom layer of moist substrate. The emerged seedlings were thinned to 20 and displayed in an open area. During 2008–2010, the seedling baits were placed at 15 sites at 1 month intervals throughout the dandelion vegetative season, in parallel with plasticine baits that monitored slug feeding activity. For each 1 month interval, seedling survival was observed for a period of 8 days, and the estimated time to death was calculated; the percentage of surviving seedlings was then recorded. This method of seedling presentation demonstrated that local and temporal variation in seedling survival is correlated with slug feeding activity. The advantage of this technique is that the seedlings in baits may be presented at any place and time, as required by the experimental design; however, we found that the estimated time to seedling death was shorter for the exposed baits than for the naturally established seedlings. The method is suitable for the study of plant species other than dandelion, and also for aims other than the study of spatiotemporal trends in seedling consumption by slugs.