Food limitation and starvation independently affect predator macronutrient selection.

Predators are often food limited in their habitat, and some are limited by specific macronutrients (protein, lipid or carbohydrate). It is unresolved, however, to what extent and in what way food and macronutrient limitation are connected. Using a carabid beetle (), we compared macronutrient self-selection of the animals three times: immediately after collection in the field, after being fed to satiation and nutritional balance and after a subsequent period of starvation.