Innate response to first feeding in Octopus berrima hatchlings despite embryonic food imprinting - Dataset and R Script

<p>Abstract:</p> <p>Food imprinting has both ecological and evolutionary significance but the generality of these</p> <p>patterns for octopods remains unknown. We aim to determine the prey preference of Octopus</p> <p>berrima hatchlings and whether it may be modified through imprinting. Firstly, hatchlings were</p> <p>given isopods, amphipods and mussels to determine their prey preference ranking. In a separate</p> <p>experiment, embryos were exposed to the visual and chemical stimuli of either isopods, amphipods</p> <p>or mussels separately at least a week before hatching. A prey preference test on hatchlings using all</p> <p>three prey types was conducted. We found that O. berrima had a preference ranking of isopods ></p> <p>amphipods > mussels. However, they retained their isopod prey preference regardless of the prey</p> <p>type they were embryonically exposed to, indicating that it is likely pre-determined as a result of</p> <p>innate biological processes rather than from life experience, providing evidence that imprinting</p> <p>does not occur in O. berrima.</p>