Induction of conditioned taste aversion to Korean pine nuts (Pinus koraiensis) treated with Lithium Chloride in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris)

초록

We investigated the responses of red squirrels to pine nuts (Pinus koraiensis) treated with Lithium Chloride (LiCI) and the potential of the chemical for inducing conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in red squirrels. In red squirrels, nut feeding declined dramatically during the first 4 days after feeding with LiCI-treated nuts. The ratio of LiCI-treated nuts eaten to total nuts eaten declined from the 1st day in LC-1 and the 2nd day in LC-2, along with a general reduction in quantity eaten. Thus, feeding with LiCI-treated nuts induced CTA from the 2nd day after feeding, and CTA remained constant until the 4th day, but disappeared on the 5 th day. The squirrels ate an average of 757.0 ±106.1 mg (n=2, range 682.0∼832.0) of LiCI before dying on the 16lh day of the study. The lethal dose of LiCI was 2.32 mg LiCI/g body weight, and the average amount of LiCI needed to induce CTA was 23.0 ±4.24 mg (20 mg in LC-1 and 26 mg in LC-2).

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