Fred Provenza, a professor in the Department of Rangeland Resources at Utah State University, discusses how postingestive feedback influences food preference and intake in ruminants. Ruminants select diets that meet their nutritional needs and avoid toxic foods, using feedback from the senses (taste and smell) and the visceral system. This feedback helps them sense the consequences of food ingestion, affecting food selection and hedonic value. Satiety occurs when animals ingest adequate nutritious foods, while malaise results from nutrient or toxin excesses or deficits. Ruminants develop preferences for foods that cause satiety and aversions to those causing malaise. These responses depend on the animal's morphology, physiology, and nutritional requirements. Ruminants can learn from their environment and peers, which plays a critical role in transmitting nutritional wisdom. Studies show that ruminants select diets higher in nutrients and lower in toxins than average, even when their requirements vary. Postingestive feedback, involving interactions between the senses and the visceral system, is crucial for food selection. This feedback helps ruminants adjust their diets to meet nutritional needs and avoid toxins. Excess toxins cause malaise, leading ruminants to reduce intake of affected foods. Conversely, nutrient excesses can cause aversion, prompting ruminants to increase diet breadth. Ruminants can also limit intake of toxic foods to minimize toxicity. Feedback mechanisms allow ruminants to adjust their diets based on nutrient and toxin levels, even when they are not directly sensing them. Nutrient and toxin levels in food affect ruminant intake and selection. Excess energy or nutrients can cause malaise, leading to reduced intake. Ruminants may increase diet breadth to compensate. Similarly, nutrient deficits cause malaise, prompting ruminants to seek foods that rectify the deficit. Feedback from nutrients and toxins helps ruminants select nutritious foods and avoid toxic ones. Ruminants also respond to mineral concentrations in food, adjusting intake based on feedback. Deficits in energy or nutrients can cause malaise, leading ruminants to seek foods that rectify the deficit. Ruminants may eat foods containing toxins if they are not harmful, but they generally limit intake based on toxin concentration. Feedback mechanisms, including postingestive feedback, help ruminants adjust their diets to meet nutritional needs. These mechanisms involve interactions between the senses and the visceral system, allowing ruminants to sense the consequences of food ingestion. This feedback is essential for ruminants to select nutritious foods and avoid toxic ones, even when they cannot directly sense nutrients or toxins. Ruminants can also learn from their environment and peers, which plays a critical role in transmitting nutritional wisdom. Studies show that ruminants select diets higher in nutrients and lower in toxins than average, even when their requirements vary. Postingestive feedback, involving interactions between the senses and the visceral system, is crucial for food selection. This feedback helps ruminants adjust theirFred Provenza, a professor in the Department of Rangeland Resources at Utah State University, discusses how postingestive feedback influences food preference and intake in ruminants. Ruminants select diets that meet their nutritional needs and avoid toxic foods, using feedback from the senses (taste and smell) and the visceral system. This feedback helps them sense the consequences of food ingestion, affecting food selection and hedonic value. Satiety occurs when animals ingest adequate nutritious foods, while malaise results from nutrient or toxin excesses or deficits. Ruminants develop preferences for foods that cause satiety and aversions to those causing malaise. These responses depend on the animal's morphology, physiology, and nutritional requirements. Ruminants can learn from their environment and peers, which plays a critical role in transmitting nutritional wisdom. Studies show that ruminants select diets higher in nutrients and lower in toxins than average, even when their requirements vary. Postingestive feedback, involving interactions between the senses and the visceral system, is crucial for food selection. This feedback helps ruminants adjust their diets to meet nutritional needs and avoid toxins. Excess toxins cause malaise, leading ruminants to reduce intake of affected foods. Conversely, nutrient excesses can cause aversion, prompting ruminants to increase diet breadth. Ruminants can also limit intake of toxic foods to minimize toxicity. Feedback mechanisms allow ruminants to adjust their diets based on nutrient and toxin levels, even when they are not directly sensing them. Nutrient and toxin levels in food affect ruminant intake and selection. Excess energy or nutrients can cause malaise, leading to reduced intake. Ruminants may increase diet breadth to compensate. Similarly, nutrient deficits cause malaise, prompting ruminants to seek foods that rectify the deficit. Feedback from nutrients and toxins helps ruminants select nutritious foods and avoid toxic ones. Ruminants also respond to mineral concentrations in food, adjusting intake based on feedback. Deficits in energy or nutrients can cause malaise, leading ruminants to seek foods that rectify the deficit. Ruminants may eat foods containing toxins if they are not harmful, but they generally limit intake based on toxin concentration. Feedback mechanisms, including postingestive feedback, help ruminants adjust their diets to meet nutritional needs. These mechanisms involve interactions between the senses and the visceral system, allowing ruminants to sense the consequences of food ingestion. This feedback is essential for ruminants to select nutritious foods and avoid toxic ones, even when they cannot directly sense nutrients or toxins. Ruminants can also learn from their environment and peers, which plays a critical role in transmitting nutritional wisdom. Studies show that ruminants select diets higher in nutrients and lower in toxins than average, even when their requirements vary. Postingestive feedback, involving interactions between the senses and the visceral system, is crucial for food selection. This feedback helps ruminants adjust their