bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence for Territorial Behavior in a Burrowing Wolf Spider
Authors: Marshall Samuel D.
Published: May 2010

Evidence is presented for territorial behavior in a burrowing wolf spider, Geolycosa xera archboldi McCrone (Araneae, Lycosidae). These spiders live in burrows in the scrub habitats of central Florida, USA. Mean nearest‐neighbor distances repeatedly approximate 30 cm. The constancy of this mean indicates that social spacing may be occurring. A test for perceptual range showed that G. xera can respond to potential prey at distances greater than 30 cm, indicating that the 30‐cm nearest‐neighbor distance does not represent a distance within which larger neighboring burrow‐holders treat smaller neighboring conspecifics as food. Dyadic encounters in field enclosures showed that the distance at which neighbors would not be tolerated was within the observed mean nearest‐neighbor distance. In these experimental tests for territorial behavior, smaller dyad members lost burrows significantly more often than larger dyad members.
Influence of Parasitism on Shoal Choice in the Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus, Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae)
Authors: Krause Jens , Godin Jean‐Guy J.
Published: May 2010

Banded killifish, Fundulus diaphanus, were presented individually with a choice of ‘shoaling’ with either of two conspecific stimulus shoals, one consisting of fish with externally visible black spots (indicating the presence of a parasitic trematode worm, Crassiphiala bulboglossa), the other consisting of fish without such spots. Both parasitized and unparasitized test fish significantly preferred to shoal with unparasitized stimulus shoals over parasitized ones. The relative preference of unparasitized killifish for unparasitized shoals increased with increasing degree of parasite load in parasitized stimulus fish. However, no significant preference by unparasitized fish for unparasitized shoals was observed if unparasitized shoals were presented versus mixed shoals consisting of parasitized and unparasitized fish. We conclude that killifish preferred unparasitized shoals over parasitized shoals only if all fish in the respective stimulus shoals were phenotypically uniform (either with or without black spots). A final experiment showed that killifish used black spots as an indicator of parasite presence to make their shoal choice. The significance of these results for the formation of parasite‐assorted shoals is discussed.
Social Status and Resistance to Disease in House Mice (Mus musculus): Status‐related Modulation of Hormonal Responses in Relation to Immunity Costs in Different Social and Physical Environments
Authors: Barnard C. J. , Behnke J. M. , Sewell J.
Published: May 2010

Unrelated and previously unfamiliar male mice were maintained in groups of six tor different periods and at different ambient temperatures. High‐ and low‐ranking males differed in hormone‐related resistance to a subsequent experimental infection with the blood protozoan Babesia microti and there were rank differences in the apparent modulation of immunodepressive hormones relative to an individual's internal, social and physical environment. Resistance to B. microti was influenced by serum concentrations of corticosterone and testosterone. Associations between aggressiveness and measures of immunocompetence and resistance were related to corticosterone concentration, but only among low rankers. Effects of testosterone on resistance were confined to high rankers but were not associated with aggressiveness, although high rankers maintained greater aggressiveness than low rankers in all experimental treatments. The effects of group duration and temperature on resistance can be interpreted in terms of changing hormone and antibody levels in relation to metabolic stress. The results emphasize the importance of interactions between underlying physiological changes in relationships between behaviour, immune function and disease.
Synergism Between Stress Responses Induced by Biting Flies and Predator Odours
Authors: Kavaliers Martin , Colwell Douglas D.
Published: May 2010

We have previously shown that endogenous opioid systems (i.e. endorphins, enkephalins) are involved in the mediation of the behavioural and physiological effects of biting‐fly exposure. Opioid mediated reductions in pain sensitivity, or, more appropriately, nociceptive sensitivity (latency of a foot‐lifting response to a 50°C thermal surface), are evident in laboratory mice,Mus musculus domesticus, exposed to biting flies. Similar opioid‐mediated reductions in pain sensitivity (opioid analgesia) are also seen after exposure to a variety of other natural stressors such as the threat of predation. Here, we demonstrate that brief (30‐min) exposure of male mice to stable flies,Stomoxys calcitrans, significantly and synergistically augments either the concurrent or subsequent (60 min after fly exposure) analgesic effects induced by exposure to a predator (cat odour). These results demonstrate that the analgesic, and probably other opioid mediated behavioural and physiological stress responses induced by exposure to a relatively low number of biting flies, are markedly increased by the presence of another natural aversive stimulus. In addition, they show that biting‐fly exposure significantly exacerbates the effects of a subsequent stressful stimulus. These findings raise a possible mechanism whereby exposure to a low number of biting flies, which by themselves may not appear to have a great impact, can have marked behavioural and physiological consequences.
Homing Behaviour in Polyergus rufescens Latr. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Authors: Grasso Donato Antonio , Ugolini Alberto , le Moli Francesco
Published: May 2010

Homing mechanisms of the European slave‐making ant Polyergus rufescens Latr. are investigated by field experiments. The analysis of the behaviour and paths of both homing scouts and raiders after passive displacement showed that: i. Scouts probably home by using a path integration system based on celestial cues; and ii. Displaced raiders do not seem to adopt such a vectorial orientation mechanism. Moreover, we found that passively displaced scouts exhibit a systematic search strategy for the nest after a rectilinear path. By contrast, raiders perform a similar search pattern just after release. Similarities between Cataglyphis and Polyergus homing behaviour are discussed.
Reproductive Hierarchies Among Workers of the Slave‐making Ant, Chalepoxenus muellerianus
Authors: Heinze Jürgen
Published: May 2010

In queenright colonies of the slave‐making ant, Chalepoxenus muellerianus, workers formed dominance hierarchies through ritualized food begging and antennation bouts, but did not lay eggs. Within a few hours of the experimental removal of the queen, the frequency of dominance displays increased drastically and the interactions became considerably more violent. During the observation period, the dominant workers almost incessantly attacked subordinate slave‐makers and slaves by antennation and biting. The aggression rate decreased after approximately 3–4 wk. Within a single colony, several high‐ranking workers were observed laying eggs, although typically only one or a few top‐ranking individuals became fully fertile Directly after eclosion, young workers engaged in aggressive interactions with other young workers and high‐ranking old workers, but did not dominate the top‐ranking egg‐layers. Callows achieved ranks immediately below the top‐ranking worker.
Who is Responsible for Fission in a Free‐ranging Troop of Baboons?
Authors: Ron Tamar
Published: May 2010

The study troop of chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) at Mkuzi Game Reserve, Zululand, South‐Africa, comprised of about 76 members that split into two new troops. The events leading to this troop fission will be described and its possible causes will be discussed.

Troop fission among baboons is generally attributed to the withdrawal of low‐ranking females from the main group, as a result of the cost of food competition and its effect on their reproductive success. At Mkuzi, no evidence for food competition among females was recorded in terms of rank‐related time spent feeding or other time—budget components, feeding‐bout length, diet composition or context of female aggression. Moreover, no evidence for rank‐related differential reproductive success was found in terms of inter‐birth intervals or infant survival. Female mortality was, however, related to dominance rank, with circumstantial evidence suggesting that cause of mortality was predation by leopards. Rate of female disappearances, aggression levels among females, and the percentage of time they spent in proximity to other adult troop members increased after fission.

Relatively short inter‐birth intervals and extremely low infant mortality rate at Mkuzi resulted in a small number of receptive females at any one time, and therefore in high costs of male sexual competition as expressed in the high levels of male aggression and woundings, both reduced after fission.

It is suggested that this troop fission may have been initiated by the resident males, triggered by the high cost of sexual competition, and forced on the females, who were, consequently, subjected to higher risk of predation. The troop fission was preceded by a long process of increasing tendency for sub‐trooping. It was initiated by the four resident males who kept a large distance apart from each other, herded oestrous female associates away from others and were followed by other females. The females generally tended to stay close to associates, males and females. These parties were followed by the peripheral and immigrant males who had no female associates, and eventually two distinct daughter troops were formed.
Temperature‐limited Activity in the Garter Snake Thamnophis melanogaster (Colubridae)
Authors: Manjarrez Javier , Drummond Hugh
Published: May 2010

Many garter snakes, Thamnophis melanogaster, at a desert pond first started foraging for tadpoles when mean water surface temperature was about 20 °C (at 0945–1015 h), and the number of snakes tripled when water temperature reached about 24 °C (at 1100–1130 h). In two years, snakes foraged in April and May, but not in March when water never reached 23 °C and only exceeded 20 °C for a few hours after the usual foraging hours. Snakes in the laboratory dedicated increasing amounts of time to underwater foraging as air and water temperatures increased from 9 °C to 29 °C, and their rate of attacks on fish increased steeply and progressively above an apparent threshold lying between roughly 19 °C and 24 °C, up to at least 29 °C. Temperature may limit T. melanogaster's foraging at the pond to the hours after roughly 0900 h and to the period after roughly March, despite evidence that prey abundance is maximal in March.
Individual Distinctiveness in Brown Bears, Ursus arctos L
Authors: Fagen Robert , Fagen Johanna M.
Published: May 2010

Individual brown bears, Ursus arctos, behave differently from each other. Consistent behavioural differences suggest that each bear has its own distinct personality. On Admiralty Island in south‐eastern Alaska, we collected longitudinal data during three years of summer salmon runs on seven individual brown bears that could be recognized from year to year. Bears fed on vegetation and on salmon along a tidal creek. Ratings of individual bears by observers on different aspects of behaviour, comparisons of behavioural frequencies, and long‐term observations of individual activities served to assess personality differences. Individual bears varied in five ways: 1. Some bears were lively, animated and playful in social situations and during solitary activities such as travelling or fishing. Other bears' movements and general demeanour seemed dull and humourless; 2. Some bears were irascible, others socially uninvolved and unreactive; 3. Some bears were expert at fishing but others fished ineptly; 4. Some bears were confident with other bears but others lacked confidence in social situations; 5. Some bears were often active and alert. Others rested more frequently and for prolonged periods.
Mating Behaviour in a Hermaphroditic Flatworm with Reciprocal Insemination: Do They Assess Their Mates during Copulation?
Authors: Peters Anne , Streng Andrea , Michiels Nicolaas K.
Published: May 2010

In the freshwater planarian Dugesia polychroa (Tricladida, Paludicola), both animals fulfil the male and female role simultaneously in any given copulation. This study presents the first detailed account of the copulatory behaviour, timing and frequency in this species. We also describe an experimental set‐up that enables continuous, undisturbed observation of large numbers of animals.

D. polychroa pairs copulate repeatedly in the lab (up to eight times in 5 d). Animals that were kept in isolation for longer, were more likely to copulate. The mating behaviour lacks a behaviourally recognizable precopulatory courtship sequence, suggesting that precopulatory assessment is absent or only marginally important. Copulation duration ranged from a few minutes to 2.5 h and showed a distinct bimodal distribution. Two copulation types were recognized: short (<35min) and long (≥35min). Histological analysis showed that sperm transfer is rare during short copulations, but after long copulations all animals had received sperm and sperm transfer was reciprocal in all pairs where both partners could be investigated. Hence, only long copulations are ‘true’ copulations with sperm transfer. Pairs with short copulations (40 % of all pairs) had fewer long copulations, but a higher overall copulatory activity. Copulation rate is constant over 5 d for both copulation types. It does, however, fluctuate with the time of day: most (long) copulations take place at night. Pairs that copulated more often, also produced more cocoons. We argue mat in‐copula assessment during the first 30 min of the copulation determines whether copulations are sometimes interrupted before sperm are transferred and that this explains the occurrence of short and long copulations.
The Social Facilitation of Drinking: What is Facilitated, and Who is Affected?
Authors: Forkman Björn
Published: May 2010

The effect of a drinking companion on conspecifics was investigated using domestic hens (Callus gallus domesticus). The two aims of the investigation were firstly to see whether drinking is sensitive to social facilitation, and if so, to see whether it follows the same pattern as that of feeding, i.e. whether it acts primarily on the drinking behaviour rather than the amount ingested. The second aim was to see whether differences in how influenced the birds were by a drinking companion correlated with one or more social or non‐social traits. Social facilitation was measured by comparing the intake and number of ‘head‐ups’ (i.e. swallowing) of an individual in the presence of a thirsty or non‐thirsty companion. The traits measured were as follows: the rank within each pair, social dependence/fear, reaction to a novel object, reaction in a feeding‐inhibition test, and finally weight (as a possible index of the overall rank of the birds in the group). Social facilitation of drinking occurs but acts primarily on drinking behaviour (number of ‘head ups’); birds do not swallow as much per ‘head up’ as when they themselves are thirsty. The lightest (possibly most subdominant) birds were also the ones most influenced by the drinking conspecific. Furthermore, the heaviest (possibly most dominant) individuals were the ones with the shortest social distance and the longest latency in approaching a novel object. This meant that the birds that were most influenced by a drinking companion were also the individuals that were least fearful and showed the highest degree of exploration.
The Function of Embryonic Vocalization in the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)
Authors: Saino N. , Fasola M.
Published: May 2010

Various functional explanations can be proposed for the evolution of bird embryonic vocalizations during the pre‐hatching period, namely: 1. To elicit switching of parents from incubation to parental behaviour typical of the chick period; 2. To allow thermoregulation of embryos by soliciting parents to incubate; or 3. To establish parent—offspring individual recognition. In this paper, we present the results of field experiments designed to test hypotheses 1 and 3 in the colonial, ground‐nesting little tern. Parents that had their hatching eggs cross‐fostered with foreign eggs at the same hatching stage exhibited a parental behaviour similar to unmanipulated controls. Parents that incubated foreign eggs up to a stage in which embryos were not yet vocalizing, and were challenged with their own hatching eggs that had been incubated in foster nests, performed less efficient parental cares than unmanipulated control pairs and pairs that had cross‐fostered hatching eggs. The results do not support the hypothesis of early individual recognition and suggest that embryonic vocalizations in little terns have the function of promoting switching of parents from incubation to accepting and feeding hatchlings. Similar to other tern and gull species, the duration of incubation period in the little tern varies markedly among pairs and years. In these species, embryonic vocalizations can be adaptive since they provide parents a cue to switch at a proper time from incubation to parental cares typical of the chick period.
Sexual Selection and Information Content in Gibbon Song Bouts
Authors: Cowlishaw Guy
Published: May 2010

Male and female gibbons (Hylobates) produce sexually dimorphic song bouts which appear to serve to guard mates and defend territories respectively. On the basis of differences in both the familiarity and the costs of conflict between sender and receiver, males but not females are hypothesized to use high‐energy assessment signals to advertise resource‐holding potential. This hypothesis is tested by examining the evidence for differential energy constraints in the production of male and female song bouts across 21 gibbon populations. The results indicate that song performance is reduced when the availability of high‐energy foods is reduced and that this effect is greatest in males. Male song bout frequency also declines in populations where the energetic costs of thermoregulation are likely to be greater (i.e. in high‐latitude populations). Females do not show this pattern. Females appear to perform the minimum number of songs per bout required for signal transmission and may perform bouts less often when more songs are required. In contrast, males sing for longer periods the more frequently bouts are performed. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that the song bouts of males but not females act as assessment signals. Observational and experimental studies which would provide a more powerful test of this hypothesis are briefly outlined.
Courtship Behavior of the Cumberland Plateau Woodland Salamander, Plethodon kentucki (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), with a Review of Courtship in the Genus Plethodon
Authors: Marvin Glenn A. , Hutchison Victor H.
Published: May 2010

Complete catalogs of courtship behavior are available for only seven of the 42 currently recognized species of Plethodon. Additional detailed studies of courtship behavior in Plethodon species are needed to analyze the evolution of courtship behavior in this genus. We investigated the courtship behavior of the Cumberland Plateau woodland salamander (Plethodon kentucki) and compared it to previous accounts of courtship in other Plethodon species. In the laboratory, we videotaped the complete courtship of 30 different P. kentucki pairs, which included 46 tail‐straddling walks that resulted in spermatophore deposition. From a transition matrix of observed motor patterns, we constructed a flow diagram of significant motor‐pattern transitions during courtship. In general, the courtship behavior of this species is very similar to that of other large eastern Plethodon; however, there are some notable differences. Prior to the tail‐straddling walk, the male transfers courtship pheromone from his mental gland to the female's nasolabial grooves (via mental‐gland tapping and ‘chin‐to‐chin’ behavior patterns) more frequently than in other Plethodon. In most courtships, the female initiates contact leading to the tail‐straddling walk. Males exhibit a greater propensity to deposit multiple spermatophores per courtship (two deposited in 33% of courtships, three deposited in 10% of courtships, X = 1.53 spermatophores per courtship) than males of other plethodontids. Mean size of the spermatophore is smaller than in other large eastern Plethodon. Overall, the courtship behavior of this species is most similar to that of P. jordani.
Behavioral Tactics of Male Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) under Varying Operational Sex Ratios
Authors: Quinn Thomas P. , Adkison Milo D. , Ward Michael B.
Published: May 2010

Previous studies have demonstrated several reproductive‐behavior patterns in male salmon, including competitive and sneaking tactics, the formation of hierarchies, and non‐hierarchical aggregations around ripe females. Through behavioral observations at varying spatial and temporal scales, we examined the hypothesis that operational sex ratio (OSR) determines male sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) distribution and breeding tactics. Patterns of male distribution and behavior varied over both coarse and fine scales, associated with apparent shifts in reproductive opportunities, the physical characteristics of the breeding sites, and the deterioration of the fish as they approached death. Females spawned completely within a few days of arriving on the spawning grounds, whereas males courted the available ripe females from the date of their arrival on the spawning ground until their death. This difference in reproductive lifespans tended to elevate late‐season OSRs but was partially counterbalanced by male departures and the arrival of other ripe females. The proportion of males able to dominate access to ripe females decreased and the number of large courting groups increased over the course of the season, apparently related to both increasing OSR and the deteriorating physical condition of males. However, great variation in OSR was observed within the spawning sites on a given day. OSRs were generally higher in shallow than in deep water, perhaps because larger females or more desirable breeding sites were concentrated in shallow water. The aggregations of males courting females were not stable (i.e. many arrivals and departures took place) and male aggression varied with group size. Aggression was most frequent at low OSRs and in groups of intermediate size (2–4 males per female), and much less frequent in larger groups, consistent with the needs of maximizing reproductive opportunities while minimizing unproductive energy expenditure. These results indicate that, while OSR strongly influences male distribution and behavior, other factors such as physical condition, limited movement and habitat choice may also affect male reproductive opportunities.
Effect of Foraging Distance on the Thermal Behaviour of Honeybees during Dancing, Walking and Trophallaxis
Authors: Stabentheiner Anton
Published: May 2010

By means of infrared thermography and without disturbing social interactions, the correlation between thoracic temperature in honeybees, Apis mellifera carnica, upon their return to the hive and their foraging distance was investigated. Thoracic temperature while dancing and walking and during trophallactic contact with hive bees decreased with increasing flight distance. In bees foraging 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 molar sucrose solutions from a distance of 120 m, dancing temperature amounted to 38.4, 40.1, 40.9 and 40.6 °C, respectively; while in bees foraging from a distance of 2950 m it amounted to 36.6, 38.4, 38.6 and 39.1 °C, respectively. The rate of decrease in dancing temperature per 1000 m increase in flight distance was 0.64, 0.47, 0.81 and 0.54 °C with a 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 molar sucrose solution, respectively. Both at short and at long flight distances, the relationship between thoracic temperature and sucrose concentration of the food followed a non‐linear curve, which flattened at concentrations higher than 1 mol/1. The experiments showed that inside the hive the foragers' level of thermoregulation depends not only on the energy (sugar) content of the food; but rather, the level of thermoregulation corresponds to the general quality of the food source, which includes both energy content and distance from the hive. Because the thermal behaviour of foragers correlates with several behavioural parameters indicating the bees' foraging tendency and their eagerness to dance, thoracic temperature seems to be a correlate of the profitability of foraging.
Stereotypies in Laboratory Mice — Quantitative and Qualitative Description of the Ontogeny of ‘Wire‐gnawing’ and ‘Jumping’ in Zur:ICR and Zur:ICR nu
Authors: Würbel Hanno , Stauffacher Markus , von Holst Dietrich
Published: May 2010

The ontogeny of two stereotypic patterns, wire‐gnawing and jumping, was studied in 24 laboratory mice: six males and six females each of two closely related outbred strains, kept under standard housing conditions, a conventional albino strain (ICR) and a nude, athymic mutant (ICR nu; hereafter: NU). All 24 individuals developed wire‐gnawing after weaning at 20 d of age. In ICR one female and in NU five males and three females additionally developed jumping. ICR developed wire‐gnawing between the age of 20 and 30 d, in NU jumping started at the age of 20 d, but intense jumping and wire‐gnawing comparable to that of ICR did not develop in NU before the age of 40–50 d. Within each strain there was no significant difference between males and females with respect to the development of stereotypic behaviour. By contrast, ICR showed significantly more wire‐gnawing but less jumping than NU.

Stereotypy level increased with age up to a mean of 10.7 % of total activity in ICR and up to 7.4 % in NU at 100 d of age. However, there was huge inter‐ and intra‐individual variability with respect to all parameters assessed in this study, i.e. total duration, number of bouts and bout length of the two stereotyped patterns.

Wire‐gnawing developed from outside‐directed explorative climbing at the cage lid, whereas the source behaviour pattern (Mason 1991 a, Anim. Behav. 41, 1015–1037) of jumping was outside‐directed explorative rearing at the cage wall. At 20 d of age, before the onset of stereotypy development, ICR showed significantly more climbing but less rearing than NU. Physical retardation of NU at weaning may account for decreased climbing ability during early ontogeny, and hence for the retarded development of wire‐gnawing. The difference in early experience with either of the two patterns rather than genetic effects may be responsible for the qualitative difference between the strains with respect to the form of later stereotypy.
Food Intake, Growth and Relatedness in the Subsocial Spider,Stegodyphus lineatus(Eresidae)
Authors: Schneider Jutta M.
Published: May 2010

One of the presumed benefits of sociality in spiders is an improved foraging success although it has been shown that group feeding is less efficient than feeding alone. In spiders, communal feeding only occurs amongst kin. The effects of relatedness on the consequences of group feeding were investigated in the subsocial spiderStegodyphus lineatus. A significant difference between short‐term intake rates and long‐term growth rates was shown in a comparison between groups of siblings and groups of non‐siblings. Groups of siblings extracted more out of a prey item in a given time and they had higher growth rates than groups of non‐siblings.
Frequency‐dependent Food Selection by Domestic Cats: A Comparative Study
Authors: Church Stuart C. , Allen John A. , Bradshaw John W. S.
Published: May 2010

Preferences for common food types (‘apostatic selection’) have been demonstrated in a wide variety of vertebrate predators, yet there are few examples of preferences for rare food types (‘anti‐apostatic selection’). Anti‐apostatic selection is predicted to occur when, among other things, there are nutritional benefits to be gained from the consumption of a mixed diet. We tested this hypothesis by examining the frequency‐dependent food preferences of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) with different nutritional histories. Subjects were classified as being either nutritionally ‘experienced’ (farm and rescue shelter cats, with a history of scavenging for nutritionally variable foods) or nutritionally ‘inexperienced’ (cats reared indoors on high‐quality, nutritionally complete diets). We tested for frequency dependence by allowing individuals and groups of cats from the two groups to select from high‐density mixtures of two types of artificial food pellet. In experiments on individual cats, nutritionally experienced subjects showed significant anti‐apostatic selection, whereas inexperienced cats produced only a weak anti‐apostatic trend. In experiments on groups of cats, both inexperienced and experienced groups showed significant anti‐apostatic selection. The apparent inconsistency between individual and group results could be explained in terms of the additional anti‐apostatic effects that result from variation among individuals in group foraging situations (i.e. when the effects of individuals are pooled). Because other behavioural explanations, such as perceptual contrast and sampling effects, were unlikely to have influenced our results, we conclude that the differences in selection between experienced and inexperienced individuals were probably due to the differing extent to which the consumption of a mixed diet was beneficial. These experiments may offer some insight into the success of the domestic cat in urban areas: although obligate carnivores, they appear to possess flexible feeding strategies which will tend to allow them to select a reasonably balanced diet from nutritionally variable resources in, for example, refuse bins.
Apparent Dear‐enemy Phenomenon and Environment‐based Recognition Cues in the Ant Leptothorax nylanderi
Authors: Heinze Jürgen , Foitzik Susanne , Hippert Andreas , Hölldobler Bert
Published: May 2010

Inter‐ and intraspecific competition was investigated in ants of the myrmicine genus leptothorax in a deciduous woodland near Würzburg, Germany. The most common species, A. (Myrafant) nylanderi, lives in rotting pine, oak, and elder sticks and may locally reach densities of 10 nests per m2. In the studied sites, only a small fraction of colonies were polydomous, i.e. single colonies typically did not inhabit several nest sites. The home ranges of nylanderi colonies overlap the ranges of other conspecific colonies and colonies of other species, especially L. (s.str.) gredleri. Foragers from different colonies encountering one another in the field back off without exhibiting strong aggression, suggesting that colonies do not defend absolute foraging territories. In laboratory experiments, the frequency and severity of agonistic interactions among workers from different colonies, all living in pine sticks, increased significantly with the distance between their nests. Workers from colonies nesting in different types of wood exhibited significantly more aggression. Experiments in which we transferred colonies from pine sticks into artificial pine or oak nests corroborate the hypothesis that nesting material strongly influences colony odour in L. nylanderi. The evolutionary significance of this apparent dear‐enemy phenomenon is discussed.
Undirected Song Encourages the Breeding Female Zebra Finch to Remain in the Nest
Authors: Dunn A. M. , Zann R. A.
Published: May 2010

Wild zebra finches sing frequently during the breeding season, but the vast majority of song is of the undirected song type that is not directed at any individual, and the function of which is obscure — it appears to be ignored by all potential recipients. It is sung close to the nest‐site, has a peak in production during the egg‐laying period, and diminishes thereafter. The incidence of undirected song is positively correlated with extra‐pair courtship, a finding consistent with the hypothesis that it is a means of advertising availability for extra‐pair matings. Typically, undirected song occurred outside the nest when the female was inside, and a positive relationship was found between the amount of singing given by the male during the 5‐min interval immediately after the female entered the nest and the time she subsequently spent inside the nest. Keeping the partner inside the nest during her fertile period is an advantage to the male: it serves as a form of paternity protection against other males and it allows him opportunities to pursue his own extra‐pair matings. Occupancy of the nest during laying is also a means of guarding against intraspecific brood parasitism, which was high at this colony.
Territory Establishment and Antler Cycle in Male Roe Deer
Authors: Johansson Agneta
Published: May 2010

Territory establishment and antler cycle in male roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, were studied in two areas in south‐eastern Sweden during 1989–1993. Initial territorial behaviour was observed in early Mar., when overlap between male ranges decreased from 66 % to 0 % over a 3–6‐wk period, as determined from telemetry data. The decrease was associated with an increased number of agonistic interactions. Most territories were established at the end of Mar. to early Apr., with a tendency for males re‐establishing old territories to be first. In all years, territories were taken up 1–3 wk before males shed velvet from their antlers. The distance between geometric centres of neighbouring males in winter and after territory establishment increased from 164 to 364 m. Former territory holders moved the geometric centres of their winter range and subsequent territory a shorter distance than first‐year territorials, 129 and 267 m respectively. Territory defence ceased after the rut in late Aug., and the spatial relations between neighbours reverted to the situation before the territorial season. Neither velvet shedding nor antler casting was correlated with male age (yearlings excluded), which contradicts earlier statements. Neither were there any associations between timing of antler casting and subsequent velvet shedding, nor vice versa. Hence, a male casting antlers early one year derives no advantage by early shedding the next season. Furthermore, to be in hard antlers is not a prerequisite for territory take‐up, whereas antlers probably are necessary for maintaining the area throughout the season. Functional aspects on roe buck territoriality are also discussed.
Genetic Analysis of the Drifting of Drones in Apis mellifera Using Multilocus DNA Fingerprinting
Authors: Moritz Robin F. A. , Neumann Peter
Published: May 2010

The presence of non‐native drones in colonies of Apis mellifera was studied using multilocus DNA fingerprinting. Drones revealing a fingerprinting DNA banding pattern that did not correspond to the queen's genotype were classified as non‐native animals. As previously reported for the drifting of workers, the position of the hive in relation to neighbouring colonies and the orientation of the flight entrance towards the sun showed significant correlations to the number of drifted drones in a colony. The frequency of non‐native drones was low in central colonies (13 %) but high in marginal colonies (24 %). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation (r = 0.56) between the band‐sharing coefficient of the non‐native drones and the queen, and the number of drifted drones in the colony, which might indicate that genetically based nestmate recognition is involved in the drifting and/or acceptance of foreign drones in the colony.
Evidence for Resetting the Directional Component of Path Integration in the House Mouse (Mus musculus)
Authors: Alyan Sofyan H.
Published: May 2010

Path integration is the animal's running computation of its position relative to a starting point based on recording all displacements. This process is known to be prone to cumulative errors and hence must somehow be corrected with the help of local spatial cues. In the reported experiments, the relative role of local spatial cues at two target locations was appraised. These two targets were the peripheral box of a female house mouse (Mus musculus) and a central box from where she retrieved her pups over a distance of 50 cm. The experimental conditions required the mouse to navigate between the two targets solely by means of path integration. To find out whether the mice continued integrating at the two target locations, directional misinformation was fed into their path integrating system. Hence, passive rotation of 90° proved to be sufficient to decide unambiguously whether the mice were misdirected. Such experimental interference consistently documented ongoing path integration at the target location outside the residential nest. In contrast, the same interference when the mouse was in the residential nest documented discontinuation of path integration in most cases. It is inferred that mice, when departing from residential nests, initially direct themselves by means of local guiding stimuli.
Influence of Nest Deprivation on Behaviour, Hormonal Concentrations and on the Ability to Resume Incubation in Domestic Hens (Gallus domesticus)
Authors: Leboucher Gérard , Richard‐Yris Marie‐Annick , Chadwick Arthur , Guéméné Daniel
Published: May 2010

In this study, we investigated the influence of the length of nest deprivation period (3 vs. 6 d) on the ability to renest of incubating hens. We focused on the hens' behaviour, particularly on nesting and calls, on their prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH) and oestradiol concentrations. Nest deprivation induced a drop of prolactin and an increase of LH plasmatic concentrations in hens. These changes in circulating pituitary hormones were followed by changes in ovarian function: the persistent rise of plasmatic oestradiol gave evidence of the resumption of ovarian activity. After nest deprivation, the number of clucks increased significantly and food calls appeared; these results demonstrate that ‘maternal’ calls can be emitted outside the maternal context. Our results suggest that the onset of typical maternal calling is strongly controlled by internal state such as plasmatic hormonal concentrations, independently of social stimulation. None of the 10 hens deprived for 6 d resumed incubation when given the opportunity, whereas, after a 3 d deprivation period, three out of 10 hens renested and two hens incubated sporadically and then gradually abandoned their nests. Long periods of nest deprivation appear to disrupt the habits of sitting and nesting. Before nest reopening, all the hens presented low levels of plasmatic prolactin. Plasma prolactin concentrations of the renesting hens increased after nest boxes were reopened and returned to levels found in incubating hens. We suggest that pituitary prolactin rather than plasmatic prolactin is responsible for the maintenance of incubating potential in hens deprived of their nests.
Ectoparasites, Fitness, and Social Behaviour of Yellow‐Bellied Marmots
Authors: Van Vuren Dirk
Published: May 2010

Parasites can cause a loss of fitness for their hosts, potentially influencing social behaviour patterns of the host that promote or hinder parasite transmission. I studied yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) and their ectoparasites to determine if ectoparasites reduce the fitness of marmots and to test whether ectoparasite loads differ according to social behaviour. Three taxa of ectoparasites were identified, fleas (Oropsylla Stanfordi), lice (Linognathoides marmotae), and mites (family Dermanyssidae). High ectoparasite loads were related to slower growth, lower overwinter survival, and reduced reproduction, suggesting that ectoparasites are a fitness cost for marmots. Ectoparasite loads were not higher in colonial than in noncolonial marmots, nor in polygynous than in monogamous adult males. There was a trend, however, toward higher ectoparasite loads in marmots that were dispersing rather than philopatric. Further, ectoparasite loads differed among groups of marmots that nested or hibernated communally, indicating that spatial scale is important in understanding the relationships between parasites and social behaviour.
Playback Interactions with Great Crested Flycatchers, Myiarchus crinitus (Aves, Tyrannidae)
Authors: Smith W. John , Smith Anne Marie
Published: May 2010

Interactive playback was used to test observational findings that different vocalizations uttered by singing great crested flycatchers, Myiarchus crinitus (Aves, Tyrannidae), each provide distinctive information about behavior. We present the results of these tests and interpret their significance in combination with the observations. The following predictions were confirmed: 1. Few weep or weeuh songs, and no thrr, were uttered by subjects that approached playback; 2. Churr, common during observations of more active and changing behavior, often predominated during subjects' initial approaches and searches for simulated intruders; 3. Churr was succeeded by wit, which had been found during confrontational behavior, and weihp, which came with movement near opponents or playback; and 4. Quick answers to vocalizations of mates, opponents, and playback were with rreet, also uttered during attack behavior. Functionally, birds uttering the unassertive vocalizations (weep, weeuh, and thrr) may have been taking only minimal initiative to interact, and simply advertising their presence and potential responsiveness. With increasing numbers of churr, subjects maintained social contact with mates or opponents or probed for responses from quieter birds. Wit and weihp may strongly provoke opponents to respond. Further escalation involved met, weed, and wi. In contrast, ch‐ee was a defensive threat. This species sings with more vocalizations than do other tyrannids we have studied. Its vocalizations correlate with relatively fine distinctions among behavioral categories. Yet the vocalizations, like those of the other species, provide information about different extents of initiative that a singer will show in interacting. Such information could be fundamentally important in shaping and stabilizing social relationships, not just of tyrannids but also of many other kinds of animals that use singing to interact with one another while at a distance.
The Adaptive Significance of Batesian Mimicry in the Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio polytes (Insecta, Papilionidae): Associative Learning in a Predator
Authors: Uésugi Kenji
Published: May 2010

Experiments were conducted to examine the adaptive significance of Batesian mimicry in the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polytes, with its model, Pacbliopta aristolochiae, an alkaloidal butterfly. The female of Pap. polytes is polymorphic, whereas the male is monomorphic. Two forms of the female, f. polytes mimic and f. cyrus non‐mimic, were used in these experiments. Naive birds, brown‐eared bulbuls Hypsipetes amaurotis pryeri, were trained to take food from two feeders in captivity, and then were offered Pach. aristolochiae in one of the feeders. After experiencing an uncomfortable encounter with this species, the birds reduced the frequency of taking regular food from the feeder where the butterfly had been placed. This result suggests that the birds can learn not only the model itself but also the place where they have experienced it. Thereafter, the birds also came to avoid the mimetic form of f. polytes. It is suspected that wild predators behave in the same way. These findings imply that it is adaptive for the mimic to overlap its habitats and daily activity with those of the model species.
Foraging Trade‐offs in Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas, Osteichthyes, Cyprinidae): Acquired Predator Recognition in the Absence of an Alarm Response
Authors: Brown Grant E. , Smith R. Jan F.
Published: May 2010

Pike‐naive fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were fed ad libitum or deprived of food for 12, 24, or 48 h and then exposed to either conspecific alarm pheromone or distilled water and the odour of a predatory northern pike (Esox lucius). Minnows fed ad libitum or deprived for 12 h showed a stereotypic alarm response to the alarm pheromone (increased time under cover objects and increased occurrence of dashing and freezing behaviour); those deprived of food for 24 h showed a significantly reduced alarm response, while those deprived of food for 48 h did not differ significantly from the minnows exposed to a distilled water control. Upon subsequent testing in an Opto‐Varimex activity meter, all groups initially exposed to alarm pheromone and pike odour exhibited an alarm response when exposed to pike odour alone. Those initially conditioned with distilled water and pike odour did nor show an alarm response to pike odour alone. These results demonstrate that there exists a significant trade‐off between hunger level and predator‐avoidance behaviour in fathead minnows and that minnows can learn the chemical cues of a predatory northern pike through association with alarm pheromone even in the absence of an observable alarm response.
Pre‐oviposition Ejaculation in Externally Fertilizing Fish: How Sneaker Male Rose Bitterlings Contrive to Mate
Authors: Kanoh Yoshihiko
Published: May 2010

Pre‐oviposition ejaculation as a mating tactic of sneaker males in the rose bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus, was studied under natural and artificial conditions. In a small pond in Yao city, Osaka, Japan, the operational sex ratio of males and females was found to be approximately 3.5:1 and the proportion of males to the mussels, which serve as spawning beds for the rose bitterling, was approximately 2:1. Competitively subordinate rose bitterling males which spawned into the mussels participated in mating by sneaking, because not all males could occupy territories around the mussels. The sneaker males often released sperm not only after but also before egg‐laying (this ejaculation movement by the male before egg‐laying is termed ‘pre‐oviposition ejaculation’). In pair spawning with sneaker, the sneakers frequently performed pre‐oviposition ejaculations, which territorial males never performed. In the field, pre‐oviposition ejaculations by sneakers coincided with the leading of females by territorial males. Under artificial conditions, I demonstrated by using electrophoretic paternal analyses that the pre‐oviposition ejaculations by the sneakers were more effective than the post‐oviposition ejaculations by the territorial males. In addition, there were negative size‐dependences in ejaculation achievement rate and fertilization success of the sneaker males.
Behavioral and Ecological Determinants of Home Range Size in Juvenile Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus)
Authors: Coleman Kristine , Wilson David Sloan
Published: May 2010

Numerous species of freshwater fish are known to be site specific, yet the ecological and behavioral factors influencing home range size have rarely been examined. In this study we examine aggression, predator avoidance and feeding rate in juvenile pumpkinseed sunfish as a function of location within their home range. We also compare the behavior of individuals within their home range with individuals that were displaced from their home range by being transplanted from one pond to another. Juvenile pumpkinseeds had a higher feeding rate in the center of their home range than on the periphery. Transplanted juveniles did not adopt a restricted home range over a 3‐wk period and had a lower feeding rate than residents in the same pond. Aggression and predator avoidance do not appear to be important determinants of home range size in our study.