bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visual Same‐Different Learning, and Transfer of the Sameness Concept by Coatis (Nasua Storr, 1780)
Authors: Chausseil Monika
Published: May 2010

Four coatis were trained and tested on a relational concept of sameness‐difference involving two‐dimensional visual patterns. When exposed, after successful training, to a set of 18 novel stimuli all subjects showed significant above‐chance transfer. Performance with stimuli of distinctly different design from the training set was better than with stimuli of similar design. Responding correctly not only to “shape” but also to “color” the subjects applied the sameness concept to a further cue dimension as well. The results are discussed with respect to nonconceptual variables, and learning‐set formation.
Control of Winter Song and Territorial Aggression of Female Robins (Erithacus rubecula) by Testosterone
Authors: Kriner Eva , Schwabl Hubert
Published: May 2010

Female robins aggressively defend territories and sing during the non‐reproductive wintering phase. During this time plasma levels of testosterone are elevated in free‐living females. We investigated if testosterone activates aggression and song by application of the antiandrogen flutamide to captive females during the non‐reproductive wintering phase and of testosterone at the begin of the reproductive spring phase. Antiandrogen treatment during the winter phase did not inhibit aggressive behavior, and testosterone treatment during spring did not facilitate it. Although females were aggressive in winter they did not sing in the aviary. However, testosterone treatment in spring induced song. These results suggest that elevated winter levels of testosterone induce song but not defense of a territory in female robins.
Can Threespine Sticklebacks Learn when to Display?
Authors: Losey George S. , Sevenster Piet
Published: May 2010

Developmental studies have indicated that experience is frequently required to produce coordinated agonistic behavior. Learning when to show a threat display could be the proximate mechanism. This paper examines the effects of punishing threat displays with an electric shock. We predicted that shocked fish should decrease their use of threat, but the prediction was not borne out. If anything, the incidence of threat may have increased with punishment, apparently due to an inherent motivational conflict. Constraints against learning not to show threat displays could have been favored by: 1) selection for truthful communication, 2) complexity of aggressive contests, and 3) parallel use of the threat action pattern as a manœvre to deflect bites and minimize damage during painful attacks.
Competition and Energetic Constraints in the Courting Great Crested Newt, Triturus cristatus (Amphibia: Salamandridae)
Authors: Green Andy J.
Published: May 2010

The sexual behaviour of Triturus cristatus cristatus consists of a prolonged period of static display, with bouts containing the two different tail movements Lash and Fan, followed by spermatophore transfer. There is evidence that Fanning fatigues males and that its rate and duration are under energetic constraints. The frequency of Fanning (Hz) drops gradually during a bout, and bouts get shorter as time goes on while the intervals between bouts get longer. Males who use more bouts have longer intervals between them. As a male undergoes repeated sessions of static display, the maximum lengths of Fan bouts conducted in each session decrease over time. Hence there are trade‐offs between the rate and duration of display activities. These results are consistent with a role of viability‐indicator models of intersexual selection in the evolution of the courtship display. When males are courting in the presence of a rival male, they significantly increase the number of Fan beats in each bout and the number of bouts conducted before attempting a mating. They also decrease the duration of intervals between bouts. A solitary male is probably selected to give a shorter, less intense display to a female in order to save time and to prevent the fatigue that would reduce his capacity to display to the next female.
An Experimental Study of the Bases of Male Philopatry in the Cooperatively Breeding Superb Fairy‐Wren Malurus cyaneus
Authors: Ligon J. David , Ligon Sandra H. , Ford Hugh A.
Published: May 2010

Social units of the cooperatively breeding superb fairy‐wren Malurus cyaneus consist of either a simple male‐female pair or a pair plus one or more additional birds, usually males. Early work on this species led to the conclusion that females were less numerous than males in the population and that this sex ratio imbalance prevented some males from dispersing and breeding. Such males then obtained indirect fitness benefits by helping to rear close relatives. Recent studies have cast doubt on these interpretations. An alternative perspective of cooperative breeding suggests that natal philopatry does not necessarily reflect a response to a constraint on independent breeding; rather, under certain ecological conditions it is an optimal strategy. This paper describes the results of experimental manipulations designed to test between the constraints and benefits views of natal philopatry in M. cyaneus. (1) Females were removed from territories containing two or more males. All were soon replaced, indicating that females available for breeding were present in the vicinity of multimale territories. (2) Suitable critical habitat (piles of thorny brush) were placed near territories containing both male and female nonbreeding helpers. None was occupied. This, together with several lines of observational evidence, suggests that adequate breeding habitat was available. (3) All helpers (1—4) were removed from 14 experimental territories and reproductive success, persistence and survival on these territories were compared with 20 control territories originally holding only a simple pair. Significantly more young were produced on the experimental territories and significantly more control territories were vacated during the breeding season. The greater production of young and persistence of breeders on the experimental territories could not be attributed to helpers, because they had been removed, and probably was due to greater predation in control territories. These data support the idea that presence of helpers, which indicates breeding success in previous years, and current production of young both reflect territory quality. Specifically, our results suggest that in the population of M. cyaneus that we studied, some territories provide more security than others, and that this may in large part account for the natal philopatry of males.
The Role of Drive Conflicts as a Mechanism for Nest‐protection Behaviour in the Shorebird Pluvialis dominica
Authors: Byrkjedal Ingvar
Published: May 2010

The hypothesis that conflicts between escape, aggressive, and brooding drives proximately govern distraction displays (e.g. “injury feigning”) in nesting shorebirds, is examined. The hypothesis predicts that a bird's direction of departure from the nest while displaying should be along the line predator‐nest, if the predator's search path is directed straight towards the nest at the moment the bird starts to act. Upon intrusions by the observer at 22 nests of American golden plovers Pluvialis dominica the birds departed from the nest, and displayed, more or less perpendicularly to the intruder's direction. As the intruder remained stationary near nests, some of the birds approached, and then departed in distraction display which increased in intensity in spite of increased distance from the stimulus. The study does not support the proximate motivational conflict hypothesis.
Signals for Parent‐Offspring Recognition: Strong Sib‐Sib Call Similarity in Cliff Swallows but not Barn Swallows
Authors: Medvin Mandy B. , Stoddard Philip K. , Beecher Michael D.
Published: May 2010

We tested the prediction that the calls of sibling cliff swallow (Hirundo pyrrhonota) chicks are more similar than those of sibling barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) chicks. This prediction was derived from the hypothesis that the call of the colonial cliff swallow, but not the call of the noncolonial barn swallow, has been selected for signature function (i.e., for individual distinctiveness). In Study 1 we examined the calls of 22 cliff swallow sibling pairs and 23 barn swallow sibling pairs. The intraclass correlations for 4 of the 5 cliff swallow variables were significantly different from zero, and each of the 4 was approximately 0.5. Only one of the 4 barn swallow call variables was significantly different from zero. In a discriminant‐function analysis of these data, cliff swallow chick calls were correctly identified as to sibship in 82 % of the cases, barn swallow chick calls in only 46 % of the cases. In Study 2 we cross‐fostered eggs between cliff swallow nests to create foster sibships (all chicks in a nest were unrelated). We found no similarities among foster sib calls, and thus no evidence for call imitation of the calls of sibs or parents, suggesting that genetic differences are the main source of variance in cliff swallow chick calls.
Different Duration of Memory for Conspecific and Heterospecific Fish in the Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis L.)
Authors: Miklósi Á. , Haller J. , Csányi V.
Published: May 2010

During an encounter with a conspecific male paradise fish memorize some features of their opponent. This is revealed by the shorter contest and significant changes in their behaviour at a second encounter with the same opponent. Memory of an opponent lasts for one day but is undetectable after a week. In contrast memorization of other species could easily be preserved for several months. A possible explanation of these different durations is discussed in relation to their functions in the life of the fish.
Reciprocal Allogrooming in Dam‐reared and Hand‐reared Impala Fawns
Authors: Mooring Michael S. , Hart Benjamin L.
Published: May 2010

Among adult females and males of African antelope impala are unique in their performance of reciprocal allogrooming. The occurrence of this behaviour in neonatal impala fawns was explored in a free‐ranging impala herd at the San Diego Wild Animal Park where 5 dam‐reared fawns were observed from birth through 10 weeks of age. One‐way maternal grooming and reciprocal allogrooming with the dam and non dam partners emerged as distinct behavioural systems. Maternal grooming, directed mostly to the anogenital area, was typical of that seen in other ungulates, and sharply declined over the first two weeks. Reciprocal allogrooming, characterized by alternate exchanges of grooming bouts with a partner in the same manner as in adults, was seen as early as 3–8 d after birth. All fawns were grooming with unrelated adult females by the end of the second week. By week 2 virtually every measure of reciprocal allogrooming by fawns (grooming delivered per hour, reciprocity, and percent of encounters initiated) was as high as for adults. The appearance of this reciprocal allogrooming pattern, especially at such an early age, appears to be unique among ungulates, and possibly mammals in general. Three hand‐reared impala fawns, deprived of the opportunity to interact with older herdmates, but having access to impala fawns and heterospecific fawns, were observed from 1–3 mo of age. The hand‐reared impala showed no alteration in the occurrence of reciprocal allogrooming behaviour compared with the dam‐reared control fawns, indicating that allogrooming experience with older animals was not required for the appearance of reciprocal allogrooming at an early age. Interestingly, hand‐reared fawns persisted in grooming heterospecific fawns despite the fact that heterospecifics rarely reciprocated grooming. We postulate that the strong predisposition for impala young to groom others may be related to the threat of tick infestation in the impala's ecotone habitat.
Sleeping Site Selection by Captive Tamarins (Saguinus labiatus)
Authors: Caine Nancy G. , Potter Margaret P. , Mayer K. Elizabeth
Published: May 2010

We investigated the sleeping site preferences of three captive groups of red‐bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus), especially as those preferences might relate to protection and safety. The tamarins chose sleeping boxes that offered the most concealment, the greatest distance from the floor, and the greatest cover overhead. They did not, however, avoid sleeping boxes that were attached to the floor via vines. When the tamarins had no choice but to sleep in a box that offered little in the way of concealment, they increased their rates of vigilant scanning. Whereas a number of considerations other than those related to predation pressures must also affect sleeping site choices, we have demonstrated that, under controlled circumstances, these primates choose to sleep in locations in which they are hidden and inaccessible.
Effects of Prior Residence and Previous Cohabitation on the Polistes dominulus Christ Dominance Hierarchy
Authors: Pratte Michel , Gervet Jacques
Published: May 2010

We investigated the effects of prior residence and previous cohabitation on the hierarchical relationships established between two wasps which were placed together in hitherto unknown surroundings. When two wasps which were both previously of alpha rank are brought together on the nest already occupied by one of them, the prior resident is likely to become the alpha individual in the newly established hierarchy. Prior residence is not a decisive factor however when two beta‐ranked wasps come together. When two wasps which previously belonged to the same social hierarchy were separated for one week, during which time they both became alpha individuals before being reunited, they tended to revert to their original status. The low intensity level of their reactions suggests here that a persistent mnesic trace may have led them to adopt their previous respective attitudes.
A Novel Context for Bird Song: Predator Calls Prompt Male Singing in the Kleptogamous Superb Fairy‐wren, Malurus cyaneus
Authors: Langmore Naomi E. , Mulder Raoul A.
Published: May 2010

The cooperatively breeding superb fairy‐wren, Malurus cyaneus, sings two types of song; a variable, complex song sung by both sexes, and a relatively invariant, stereotyped song sung only by males. Field observations and playback experiments revealed that the male song could be triggered by a variety of loud avian and non‐avian vocalizations, but was triggered most frequently by the calls of predators or potential predators. The male song is sung both within the territory and in winter feeding flocks outside the territory. Acoustic properties of the song suggest that it is a long‐range signal. A possible explanation for this unusual phenomenon is that the male song has evolved through sexual selection as an honest signal to females of male quality, for the purpose of obtaining extra‐pair copulations.
Stability and Dynamics of Group Composition in a Herd of Captive Plains Zebras
Authors: Schilder Matthijs B. H.
Published: May 2010

Although the social structure in a safari park population of plains zebras is similar to that observed in the wild, a number of behavioural differences between the two situations were found. Unlike in the wild situation, stallions expelled their own offspring, generally directly after the birth of a sibling. Other individuals frequently joined the stallion in expulsion behaviour. Harems remained intact in spite of the absence of the stallion. Stallions did not abduct young females, as in the wild, but they did abduct adult females when these were in estrus. Stallions further expelled adult mares which hindered them. The prominent role of the stallion in regulating group size could mean that the competition experienced in the safari park is harder for stallions than it is for mares. Young females not expelled from their natal harem go through a “wandering phase”, visiting other groups. After that they exert female choice when they eventually join a group or an individual.
The Courtship Behavior of the Santeetlah Dusky Salamander, Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley (Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae)
Authors: Maksymovitch Esther , Verrell Paul
Published: May 2010

We provide the first description of courtship behavior in the North American salamander Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley from the Great Smoky Mountains. As appears typical for the genus, the courtship of D. santeetlah is comprised of three phases: orientation of the male to the female, persuasion of the female by the male (especially through tactile and olfactory stimulation) and indirect sperm transfer by means of a spermatophore. The female is more likely to remain with the male during the last phase (tail‐straddle walk resulting in spermatophore deposition) if the preceding persuasion phase is long in duration. Behavioral elements in the courtship of D. santeetlah are broadly similar to those described in other congeneric species of medium body size.
Reproductive Competition in Colonies of the Ant Leptothorax gredleri
Authors: Heinze Jürgen , Lipski Norbert , Hölldobler Bert
Published: May 2010

Colonies of the ant, Leptothorax (s. str.) gredleri may contain several inseminated female reproductives of which typically only one is laying eggs. Observations suggest that “functional monogyny” is caused by aggressive interactions among nestmate queens. Only the most dominant queen reproduces. Subordinate queens either leave the colony to found their own nests solitarily or by budding, or stay in the nest without reproducing, but may eventually replace the dominant queen. The interrelations of life history of L. gredleri, population structure and habitat characteristics are examined.
Trained Weakly‐electric Fishes Pollimyrus isidori and Gnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae, Teleostei) Discriminate between Waveforms of Electric Pulse Discharges
Authors: Graff Christian , Kramer Bernd
Published: May 2010

Fish of the family Mormyridae emit weak, pulse‐like electric organ discharges (EODs). The discharge rhythm is variable, but the waveform of the EOD is constant for each fish, with species‐ and individual characteristics. The ability of Pollimyrus isidori and Gnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae) to discriminate between different EOD waveforms was tested using a differential conditioning procedure.

Fish were first trained to respond to a reference signal in swimming to a dish to receive a bloodworm (food reward). The reference signal consisted of a 10‐Hz train of the digitally recorded EOD of a conspecific. Second, an alternative signal (10‐Hz train of a different EOD, either from another species, or from a conspecific of the other sex) was associated with air bubbles as punishment. The two signals were played at successive trials in random order. On each trial the latency was measured between the onset of the signal and the response.

7 out of the 8 P. isidori tested and both of the two G. petersii tested associated the reference EOD with food. Among these, five P. isidori and two G. petersii responded differentially (p < 0.01) to EODs of different species. P. isidori similarly discriminated between conspecific EODs of different sexes. The quantity of different alternative EODs which could be tested was limited when fish eventually habituated to the punishment.

Even when the amplitude of the EODs was randomly changed at each trial, two out of two G. petersii differentiated between EODs of the two species, and three out of three P. isidori tested differentiated between EODs within their own species.

Response latencies to the rewarded signal during the basic training and during discrimination (when it had to be distinguished from the S‐) were similar. G. petersii showed differential responses for S+ and S‐ also in the rhythm of discharge exhibited during playback, after five EOD pulses for one fish, and after a single pulse for the other.

Mormyrids may therefore distinguish between conspecifics and members of other species, and even between individual conspecifics, by their EOD waveform.
Male Competition in a Wandering Spider (Cupiennius getazi, Ctenidae)
Authors: Schmitt Alain , Schuster Martin , Barth Friedrich G.
Published: May 2010

We describe male‐male competition in a wandering spider living on plants (Cupiennius getazi, Ctenidae) and discuss it within the general context of the mating system.

1. Males produce vibratory courtship signals (duration about 20 s) and competition signals (2 s). Upon exposure to female silk, males produce almost exclusively courtship signals (98%) if alone or in the presence of a female. In the presence of a rival alone, an average of 25% of a male's vibratory signals are courtship signals and 75% competition signals. In the presence of both a rival and a female, an average of 50% are courtship and 50% competition signals. Females respond to both male courtship and/or competition signals with vibratory courtship whereas males react by vibratory competition. The intensity of the reaction of both males and females is independent of the signal type.

2. Males displaying vibratory signals move slowly over the plant and repel attacks from rivals and females with extended front legs. Pairs of males interact in three ways. (i) Both males produce vibratory signals; one of them leaves the plant (53% of 90 trials). (ii) Both males vibrate, approach and touch (20%) or pounce on each other (20%). (iii) A male approaches the signalling opponent without producing vibrations and attacks him (7%). This is a conditional vibrocryptic tactic. The presence of a female incites male competition. Males do not interact with the female but approach each other (in 24% of the 26 trials “vibrocryptically”) and escalate more often (88%) and more quickly to overt fight than in the absence of a female. The male remaining on the plant approaches the female.

3. Male‐male fights are ritualized. During 64 bodily contacts no male was injured. Males exposed to female silk and males using the vibrocryptic tactic were more often the winners of an interaction than males not exposed to female silk and than males vibrating while approaching their rival. The outcome of fights is not correlated with age, leg length, body weight and rate of signalling when no female is present. In contrast, body weight and leg length determine the outcome when a responding female is present, the larger male being the winner.

4. Intrasexual and intersexual interactions suggest that both male competition and female choice mechanisms may regulate sexual selection in this species.
Significance of Agonistic Vocalization in the Croaking Gourami (Trichopsis vittatus, Teleostei)
Authors: Ladich Friedrich , Brittinger Waltraud , Kratochvil Helmut
Published: May 2010

Trichopsis vittatus emits high amplitude sounds during agonistic encounters with conspecifics. The sound producing organ is derived from the structural components of the pectoral fins.

The study involved muting a sample of subjects by removing two pectoral fin tendons without any further restriction in movements and behaviour. Mute and unaltered males were then placed together in pairs and the following agonistic behavioural elements were determined: attacks, lateral displays, sound production and frontal displays.

Soniferous males had a higher probability of winning contests when size differences were small. In pairs with big size ratios, the larger males were more often successful. Besides visual and acoustical signals, lateral line stimuli seem to play no role in threatening displays.

These results demonstrate that vocalization during agonistic encounters is important for becoming dominant in specific circumstances. Because of correlation between main frequencies and size, sound emission might be a very effective method of assessing the physical strength of an opponent.
Colony Integration in Honey Bees: Mechanisms of Behavioral Reversion
Authors: Robinson Gene E. , Page Robert E. , Strambi Colette , Strambi Alain
Published: May 2010

After confirming that worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) can revert from foraging to brood care, we determined whether juvenile hormone (JH) mediates this form of plasticity in behavioral development and whether worker age and genotype influence the probability of its expression. Measurements of JH titers support the hypothesis that plasticity in honey bee behavioral development is a consequence of modulation of JH by extrinsic factors. Observations of individually marked bees in a colony composed of two phenotypically distinguishable subfamilies revealed that the likelihood of undergoing behavioral reversion was influenced by worker age but not by worker genotype. The effect of worker age on reversion is consistent with a previously formulated model for the regulation of age polyethism in honey bees that predicts that workers of different ages have different response thresholds for task‐associated stimuli. The lack of a genotypic effect on reversion is in contrast to results for other forms of behavioral plasticity.
A Comparative Study of the Behaviour of Six Taxa of Male and Female Gerbils (Rodentia) in Intra‐ and Interspecific Encounters
Authors: Dempster Edith R. , Dempster R. , Perrin M. R.
Published: May 2010

Frequencies and sequences of visually‐identifiable acts were investigated in male‐female combinations of gerbils of the taxa Tatera brantsii, Gerbillurus paeba paeba, G. p. exilis, G. tytonis, G. setzeri, and G. vallinus. Sexual dimorphism of behaviour was most apparent in T. brantsii, G. setzeri, and G. vallinus, in which following, anogenital sniffing, and mounting were significantly more frequently performed by males than females. Females of all taxa presented and darted, while males did not perform these acts.

Analysis of first‐order transitions of acts in intraspecific encounters revealed remarkable similarity among species in the sequences identified as most significantly deviating from expected frequency.

Species‐specific patterns of behaviour were detected by discriminant analysis. G. p. paeba, G. p. exilis and G. vallinus were not clearly distinguished by discriminant analysis, and presented a behaviour pattern characterized by low levels of aggression and high levels of huddling behaviour. G. tytonis, G. setzeri and T. brantsii were characterized by low levels of huddling, G. tytonis performed the largest number of upright postures of all taxa, G. setzeri watched more than other taxa, and T. brantsii nasal sniffed less frequently than Gerbillurus taxa. Differences among taxa were more apparent in males than in females.

Interspecific encounters were staged between G. p. paeba and G. p. exilis, G. p. paeba and G. tytonis, G. setzeri and G. vallinus. Males showed more evidence of changed behaviour in interspecific encounters than females. More sexual and less agonistic behaviour was detected in intraspecific encounters than in interspecific encounters, but this was statistically significant in only 5 of 12 combinations.

Visual, tactile and olfactory communication during physical contact with another individual may complement auditory communication in promoting conspecific recognition in southern African gerbils.
Reproductive Coordination in a Nonseasonally Breeding Primate Species, Macaca silenus
Authors: Clarke A. S. , Harvey N. C. , Lindburg D. G.
Published: May 2010

Varying types of reproductive coordination among females have been described for several mammals. Among nonhuman primates, female reproductive coordination has usually been described as breeding seasonality, or in few cases, closer synchrony within the breeding or birth season. We examined birth records from a large captive colony of lion‐tailed macaques, Macaca silenus, a nonseasonally breeding species, in order to determine the degree of female reproductive synchrony in this population. Births were nonrandomly distributed over the 10‐year study period. Of the total of 28 births, the majority (21 or 75 %) of births occurred in cohorts, in spite of wide variations in interbirth intervals among cohort birth mothers. Cohorts consisted of two to five infants born within a 90‐d period or less. Of the remaining 7 “isolated” births, four were in the three years in which only one or two births occurred. The pattern of cohort births was nonrandomly distributed according to mother's parity: three of the isolated births were to primiparous mothers, whereas only one of the 21 cohort births was to a primiparous mother. Estrous synchrony results showed that females in the longer‐established of two groups exhibited greater synchrony, suggesting social facilitation of reproductive coordination. It is thus suggested that synchrony in this sample was the result of social rather than ecological mechanisms, as has been hypothesized for some other mammalian species.
Evidence of Chemical Signaling in the Sand Scorpion, Paruroctonus mesaensis (Scorpionida: Vaejovida)
Authors: Gaffin Douglas D. , Brownell Philip H.
Published: May 2010

This study presents evidence of intraspecific chemical communication in scorpions. The subject of our investigation was the nocturnal sand scorpion, Paruroctonus mesaensis. During the mating season, mature males show a sex‐specific wandering behavior ostensibly directed at locating conspecific females that remain in the vicinity of their home burrows. Searching behavior was stimulated in the laboratory by releasing males onto substrates that had previously been occupied by females. Receptive males exhibited changes in locomotory behavior that favored occupation of the female‐exposed area. Males occasionally displayed a precourtship behavior, called juddering, indicating the presence of a pheromone on the substrate. Juddering, and two newly described behavior patterns, tail‐wagging and pedipalp‐reaching, were also induced by solvent extracts of female cuticle. Most behavioral responses began vigorously within the first few s of stimulus contact and gradually adapted within 10 min. The potential importance of specialized sensory appendages, the pectines, for mediating chemosensitivity is discussed. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that mate identification and localization in sand scorpions are mediated in part by a contact sex pheromone.
Functional Polygyny, Agonistic Interactions and Reproductive Dominance in the Neotropical Ant Odontomachus chelifer (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae)
Authors: Medeiros Flavia N. S. , Lopes Luciano E. , Moutinho Paulo R. S. , Oliveira Paulo S. , Hölldobler Bert
Published: May 2010

Intracolony aggression among dealated queens of the ponerine ant Odontomachus chelifer leads to a dominance order within the colony. Behavioral domination between queens entails an array of stereotyped displays which may escalate from vigorous antennation bouts to full mandibular strikes. In extreme situations a dominant queen may also suspend her subordinate opponent, who remains in pupal posture while being lifted up. As a rule the individual initiating a contest normally wins it. Subordinate queens may assume a crouching posture at the approach of a dominant nestmate from behind, a fact suggesting that chemical cues may also play a role in the establishment of the dominance order. Behavioral performances during domination contests and the rank position of different dealated queens correlated well with the data on individual egg production, ovarian development and other parameters of division of labor within the colony. Therefore, highly‐ranked queens laid more eggs, had better developed ovaries and engaged less frequently in foraging activities outside the nest. Inseminated queens occupied the top positions in the dominance structure of the colony, and accounted for most of the aggressive interactions recorded within the nest tubes. Aggression toward egg‐laying queens and the destruction of newly‐laid eggs were conspicuous behavioral traits in the reproductive dominance of the O. chelifer colony. High ranking dealated queens were also the ones more frequently seen attacking alate females. The latter were observed to lay eggs, and some of them had developed ovaries. Our results with Odontomachus chelifer are in accordance with the data obtained elsewhere for other ponerine ants, and provide the first demonstration of a dominance structure linked to reproductive status among queens in a functionally polygynous ant colony.
Ethotypic Variation of Prey Recognition in Juvenile Anolis lineatopus (Reptilia: Iguanidae) Revisited
Authors: Curio Eberhard , von Brockhusen‐Holzer Friederike
Published: May 2010

A previous study (von Brockhusen‐Holzer & Curio 1990) had led to the major conclusion that prey‐naive Anolis lineatopus hatchlings differ in terms of a “hard‐wired” perceptual mechanism underlying the recognition of cricket prey. We reconsider here one result leading to that conclusion since it rested on negative evidence in one treatment group as compared to another. A newly applied discriminant analysis utilizing the complete prey rejection/acceptance data of individuals in the two treatment groups, i.e. cricket‐rejectors and prefed cricket‐acceptors, again permits the repudiation of a motivation‐based alternative hypothesis explaining the rejector‐acceptor dichotomy. Thereby we reconfirm the original hypothesis of a “hard‐wired”, preprogrammed polyethism underlying prey recognition.
Influence of Male Songs on Female Mating Behavior in the Grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
Authors: Kriegbaum Helmut , von Helversen Otto
Published: May 2010

In males of the grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus the relationship between song and mating success was investigated in three isolated field populations of individually marked animals within their natural habitat.

In a population with muted males (forewings removed), females mated on average 1.7 days later than in a population with intact males. But approximately 14 days after the imaginal moult, roughly corresponding with the time of the first oviposition, 100% of females in both populations had mated.

In a further test population, females with a choice between singing and mute males mated almost exclusively (16 from 17 observed copulations) with the intact, singing males.

The chance encounter frequency of a male and female was equally high for all populations (on average one encounter every 1.2 h). Different encounter probabilities cannot therefore have caused either mating delay in the population with muted males or preferential selection of intact partners.
The Evening Chorus of the Desert Clicker, Ligurotettix coquilletti (Orthoptera: Acrididae): Mating Investment with Delayed Returns
Authors: Greenfield Michael D.
Published: May 2010

The diel periodicities of male signaling and long‐range female orientation to male signals were studied in Ligurotettix coquilletti, a territorial grasshopper in which singing males defend individual host plants (Larrea tridentata bushes) as mating territories. Systematic observations revealed that both male and female activity schedules were markedly bimodal. Each consisted of a midday plateau and a sharp crepuscular peak. Curiously, neither courtship nor mating followed the intense signaling activity at dusk.

The onset of midday activity was advanced by warmer temperatures, whereas the crepuscular peak appeared to be fixed at 15–40 min post‐sunset. Crepuscular singing was louder and typically involved a higher percentage of the population than midday signaling. Singing rates in the evening equalled or exceeded those during the day. Male singing and female relocation movements (toward Larrea bushes) were synchronized remarkably, but each occurred with or without the presence of the other. It is proposed that some females relocate at dusk because this is the last opportunity for these visually orienting insects to move onto their host plant until the following day and that males which sing intensely at this time would tend to attract such females for future mating opportunities.
Cooperative Nesting in the Multivoltine Large Carpenter Bee Xylocopa sulcatipes Maa (Apoidea: Anthophoridae): Do Helpers Gain or Lose to Solitary Females?
Authors: Stark Roland E.
Published: May 2010

Whether an individual strives to breed or restrains from reproducing directly but increases the fitness of another individual through its help, may be viewed as a result of a trade‐off between fitness costs and benefits arising from this decision. A population of the large carpenter bee Xylocopa sulcatipes Maa was studied in southeast Israel over a two year period. Female reproductive success, in terms of genetic representation in the gene pool (genetic gain), was calculated using coefficients of relatedness and the number of offspring produced by solitary, reproductively dominant and helper bees of social nests. In one year helper females, that shared a nest with a related female accrued a higher genetic gain than did solitary females. In the subsequent year solitary females did better than the helper bees. In nests founded by unrelated females a helper bee accrued only little genetic gain. However, evidence is presented to show that subordinate behaviour can have an adaptive value and can ultimately be beneficial through nest inheritance by the subordinate bee.
Vocal and Escape Responses of Columbian Ground Squirrels to Simulated Terrestrial and Aerial Predator Attacks
Authors: MacWhirter R. Bruce
Published: May 2010

Most ground‐dwelling sciurids emit nonrepetitive and repetitive calls in response to predators. In this study, I simulated terrestrial (badger Taxidea taxus) and aerial (flying disc) predator attacks to elicit escape and vocal responses in Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus). In response to the badger, ground squirrels often ran, but rarely to a burrow, and were most likely to give nonrepetitive calls before running or without running; rarely did they enter burrows. Ground squirrels in direct line of the flying disc (i.e., “target” squirrels under “attack”), ran to, and into, the nearest escape burrow and rarely gave a nonrepetitive call. Squirrels distant from the flying disc often called, usually while running or after assuming an upright posture at the nearest burrow. These results suggest that ground squirrels incur little cost when calling in response to aerial predators. Nonrepetitive and repetitive calling in response to the badger and flying disc did not differ significantly among age‐sex classes; however, parous females were more likely than nonparous females to give both types of calls in response to the badger. Nonparous females either with or without close nondescendant kin rarely called in response to the badger. Thus, there was no indication that females exposed to the badger behaved nepotistically toward close kin other than their juvenile offspring. Nonrepetitive calling in response to the badger apparently functions primarily to warn vulnerable offspring and, hence, is a component of maternal investment. Although the occurrence of antipredator calling in response to the flying disc did not vary significantly among parity‐kin classes, there was evidence that adult and yearling females were more likely to emit repetitive, and to a lesser extent, nonrepetitive calls, if close nondescendant kin were in the colony. I conclude that indirect fitness benefits, that is, kin selection, probably contributes to the maintenance of antipredator calling in response to aerial predators.
Acoustical and Behavioral Correlates of Profitability of Food Sources in Honey Bee Round Dances
Authors: Waddington Keith D. , Kirchner Wolfgang H.
Published: May 2010

The effects of the profitability of food sources on round dance behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera) were studied by varying the concentration of sucrose solution imbibed at an artificial flower. The probability of dancing and the rate of reversals in the dance increased with concentration, as did several aspects of the dance sounds: mean carrier frequency, duration of the sound bursts, pulse repetition rate, number of sound bursts per dance, and amplitude. Significant variation among bees was detected in rate of reversals, but not for the other variables. The question of how bees communicate profitability in the round dance is discussed and further work is suggested.
Methodological and Evolutionary Aspects of Reconciliation among Primates
Authors: Kappeler Peter M. , van Schaik Carel P.
Published: May 2010

Affinitive contact between former opponents soon after a conflict has been demonstrated in a growing number of primate species. Several recent studies show that such contact reduces the probability of future conflicts, allows the recipient of aggression to reduce its anxiety, and restores tolerance between former opponents. Hence, these contacts can be termed reconciliation. In this paper, we critically discuss common methodological problems of studying reconciliation, examine functional aspects, and evaluate the existing variation in primate reconciliation in light of predictions derived from four untested hypotheses about its evolutionary origins. We find that the occurrence of reconciliation in primates is not limited to anthropoids. Neither is it limited to species with formalized dominance relations. Reconciliation is also not a prerequisite for life in permanent social groups. Instead, several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that reconciliation serves to maintain valuable social relationships between individuals. We suggest several more specific versions of this hypothesis and discuss reconciliation between kin, mates, and alliance partners, as well as a number of open questions pertaining to the mechanisms, functions and origins of reconciliation among primates.
Agonistic Behaviour in Female New Zealand Fur Seals, Arctocephalus forsteri
Authors: Carey Peter W.
Published: May 2010

New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, breed in densely packed colonies where males hold exclusive territories. Both sexes overheat while on land and use shade and pools of water for cooling. In addition, females are aggressive towards one another and rarely tolerate neighbours closer than 1 m away. At a New Zealand colony of this species, agonistic interactions among females occurred most often in areas used for thermoregulation: shaded rock substrate and pools of water. Fewest interactions occurred in sunny, dry areas. These findings suggest that females are competing for a limited resource, which could limit harem size.
Essay on Contemporary Issues in Ethology: On the Problems Studied in Ethology, Comparative Psychology, and Animal Behavior
Authors: Dewsbury Donald A.
Published: May 2010

I review Tinbergen's “four problems of biology,” their antecedents, and their subsequent development in the hands of other writers. As they have been developed from writer to writer the “problems” have been transformed and altered in subtle ways, some of which appear counterproductive. I suggest that the divisions of the problems in terms of “proximate‐ultimate” and “how‐why” have had unfortunate consequences and I suggest a modest revision so that problems are considered in relation to the genesis, control, and consequences of behavior.
Nest Localization and Recognition in a Solitary Bee, Lasioglossum (Dialictus) figueresi Wcislo (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), in Relation to Sociality
Authors: Wcislo William T.
Published: May 2010

Sweat bees [Lasioglossum (Dialictus) figueresi] returning to their nests were not disturbed if small‐scale landmarks were added near nests before bees made orientation flights. Landmarks added after orientation flights delayed bees in locating nests when they returned. Spatially displacing landmarks had no effects on bees returning to their nests. Nest entrances usually had conspicuous turrets, but these were not required for nest recognition. Turrets provided some cues concerning nest identity since searching bees preferentially contacted their own turrets over alien ones. Swabbing the inner lining of a nest tunnel with hexane significantly delayed the bee's entry into the nest, but distilled water or an equal amount of hexane applied to the outside of the nest had no effect. The delay induced by a hexane wash was reduced significantly by placing the bee's unwashed turret on the nest entrance. Adding whole‐body hexane extracts from probably unrelated females to nest entrances significantly delayed bees' entering nests.

A review of mechanisms for nest recognition within Apoidea shows that to date olfactory mechanisms are more prevalent among bees (Apiformes) than wasps (Spheciformes). This pattern may be an artifact of the little information available on wasps. If substantiated, then known cases of olfactory nest recognition generally co‐occur with a tendency toward social evolution within Apoidea, supporting a hypothesis proposed by Hölldobler & Michener (1980).
Infant‐care Behavior of Non‐reproductive Helpers in a Communal‐care Primate, the Cotton‐top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
Authors: Tardif Suzette D. , Carson Robert L. , Gangaware Barbara L.
Published: May 2010

Infant‐care behavior patterns of captive cotton‐top tamarins were examined to assess factors defining participation by non‐reproductive helpers. The time spent carrying infants and characteristics of infant transfers were examined for 47 helpers in a total of 18 groups. We predicted that age, previous experience, and carrying opportunity would all affect participation of non‐reproductive helpers. Our results confirm that carrying by non‐reproductive helpers was related to age, with older helpers carrying more often. However, this difference declined with increasing infant age, suggesting that body size of the carrier was not the only factor determining participation in carrying. When observations were classified relative to type of interaction with infants, older juveniles were found to both investigate and harass infants more often than subadults or younger juveniles. There was no effect of gender on carrying. The carrying behavior of subadults was not affected by their previous experience; that is, subadults with no previous exposure to infants carried as often as those with previous experience. Inter‐individual variation among helpers was high; within 11 twin litters of helpers, one animal usually carried significantly more than the other.
Electrolocation of Capacitive Objects in Four Species of Pulse‐type Weakly Electric Fish
Authors: von der Emde Gerhard
Published: May 2010

In four species of mormyrid weakly electric fish (Pollimyrus isidori, Gnathonemus petersii, Mormyrus rume, and M. caschive) the electric signalling and motor behaviour during the solution of a conditioned electrolocation task was investigated. All fish had to discriminate between two objects of different electric properties which were identical otherwise. The behaviour of the fish before, during, and after electrolocation of the objects was recorded and analysed. The same types of stereotyped motor behaviours (‘probing motor acts’, PMAs) were observed in all fish during probing of the objects. Independent of the occurrence of PMAs, ‘probing’ was accompanied by a regular pattern (regularization) of electric organ discharges (EODs). Interval durations between successive discharges were kept constant on an individual specific level which was maintained in successive tests under the same conditions. This level was negatively correlated with the spectral frequency of peak power of a single EOD but was also influenced by additional parameters such as motivation. It did not depend, however, on the type of electrolocation target. Before and after investigation of the objects, the discharge rhythm was variable with inter‐pulse intervals spanning a wider range than during ‘probing’. In contrast to discharge rhythm, there was no change in waveform or spectral composition of single EODs of a fish, regardless of behavioural context. In conclusion I suggest that regularization of electric signalling is an important factor during electrolocation in all mormyrids but its level is not critical. No special behavioural strategies exist which might explain different electrolocation abilities of the four mormyrid species.