Radio Tracer Demonstration of Isopod Herbivory

Abstract

Some food resources of Armadillidium vulgare were investigated by tagging plants in the field with 3 2 P. Uptake of radionuclide by isopods in plots in which different plants had been tagged indicated that the animals utilized Silybum marianum and Vicia sativa as food. It was demonstrated that Armadillidium is a grazer as well as a scavenger in grassland. A broad adaptability in resource utilization probably contributes to the isopod's ubiquitousness and success as an invading species.