Picky generalists: nutrient selection influences slug foraging behavior

Nutrient regulation is an important driver of foraging behavior of herbivorous insects. Less is known about slug nutritional ecology, but mollusks are also capable of tasting their food and exhibit preferences for particular plant species. The aim of our research is to take advantage of slug nutritional preferences to establish management control practices. In lab experiments using artificial diets, we measured the extent to which two pest slug species (Deroceras reticulatum and D. laeve) regulated their protein and carbohydrate intake. We found that they preferably ingested a carbohydrate-biased intake of nutrients and that the two species differed in their intake targets. Our on-farm field research is now trying to translate these results into practical management tactics for slugs by testing the control benefits that can be derived from certain cover crop species.