Dietary mixing in grasshoppers: switching induced by nutritional imbalances in foods

Dietary mixing by nymphs of Schistocerca americana was studied in the laboratory using artificial diet cakes. Individuals were given either two different inadequate but complementary diet cakes or two adequate and identical ones. When unique flavors (coumarin or NHT) were added to the diet cakes, insects given the inadequate diet treatment switched between cakes more than insects exposed to the adequate diets. This was not the case when no identifying flavors were added.