bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intrasexual Competition and Mate Choice in Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Authors: Hogg John T. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractRocky Mountain bighorn (Ovis canadensis canadensis) rams employed three distinct mating tactics. When tending, rams defended single estrous ewes. In coursing, rams forced copulations with defended ewes, and, in blocking, rams sequestered ewes from more dominant rams. Ewes utilized a traditional area when tended, attempted to escape to this area when blocked, and resisted coursing ram attempts to force copulations. Between‐year variation in the dispersion of estrous ewes about the tending area strongly influenced the consort and probably mating success of dominant rams. Thus, ewe spatial predictability during estrus — achieved by clustering in tended estrus and resisting blocking rams — appears to be an important mechanism of mate choice in this species. Ewes apparently did not gain material or risk‐related benefits by mating dominant rams. That such males provide ewes with “good genes” is an attractive remaining possibility.
Horse Fly Harassment and the Social Behavior of Feral Ponies
Authors: Rutberg Allen T. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractHorse flies (Tabanidae) on and around feral ponies in harem groups were counted at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, U.S.A., between June and August 1985. Harem stallions attracted the most flies; adult mares showed intermediate fly numbers, while few flies landed on foals under any circumstances. The use of thermal and chemical cues by flies selecting a host may have helped create this disparity. When flies were abundant, ponies reduced spacing within the group. Ponies in larger groups suffered from fewer flies than ponies in smaller groups. There was, however, no evidence that ponies merged into larger groups in response to fly harassment, suggesting that biting flies play little role in structuring pony social organization.
Investigations on the Olfactory Discrimination Exhibited by the Females in the Male‐induced Implantation Failure (the Bruce Effect) in Laboratory Mice
Authors: Rajendren G. , Dominic C. J. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDirect contact with the alien male pheromone for 7 days before mating significantly decreased the rate of male‐induced implantation failure (the Bruce effect) in newly inseminated female mice. By contrast, females housed with alien males for 7 days before mating so that physical contact with the latter was prevented exhibited a high rate of implantation failure following exposure to alien males after mating. Exposure to an air‐borne pheromone produced by alien males induced oestrus (the Whitten effect) in a significant number of grouped females. The results do not support the suggestion that the inability of the stud male to block implantation is due to his original induction of oestrus. The results also do not support the view that the key factor in the induction of the Bruce effect is the ability of the female to identify the stud as an individual which prevents her from responding to him but allows her to react to a new male with hormonal changes leading to implantation failure and return to oestrus. It is suggested that the olfactory discrimination exhibited by the female in the Bruce effect is influenced by her overall olfactory experience before and after mating. The results are consistent with the view that the male‐originating pheromone involved in the Bruce effect is distinct from the one involved in the Whitten effect.
Age, Experience and the Development of Adaptive Variation in Anti‐predator Responses in Three‐spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Authors: Tulley J. J. , Huntingford F. A. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractStickleback fry (approx. 10 mm in length) were collected from two sites in Scotland, one with abundant predatory fish and birds and the other free of predation. The fry were reared in the laboratory until they reached a length of about 30 mm, at which time fry of the same length were caught from the two study sites. 10 fish from each size and rearing category (10 mm fry, 30 mm labreared fry and 30 mm wild‐caught fry) and from each population were exposed singly to a silhouette of an avian predator moved above the surface of the tank. On average 50% of the fish jumped away on sighting the model, and there were no differences between the groups in the proportion of fish giving this response. Other aspects of the anti‐predator repertoire of sticklebacks (in particular, remaining motionless after an encounter) were absent in 10 mm fry from both sites. Protective responses appeared (in fish from the predated but not the unpredated site) by the time they reached a length of 30 mm, regardless of whether they were laboratory‐reared or wild‐caught. Thus adaptive behavioural differences between these two populations arise as sticklebacks from the heavily predated site develop responses that fail to appear in those from the unpredated site and that are independent of direct experience of predatory attack.
Behavioral Correlates of Song Types of the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Authors: DERRICKSON KIM C. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe primary songs of four male northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) were recorded along with simultaneous descriptions of behavior. Individual song types were identified spectrographically and the more commonly occurring song types in their extensive repertoires investigated for behavioral correlates. For each male, song types were distributed non randomly between categories in two behavioral dichotomies; flight versus non‐flight and associating with mate versus not associating.In species in which individuals possess large song repertoires, it commonly is assumed that all song types provide the same information. This appears not to be the case in northern mockingbirds. The difficulties in documenting behavioral correlates of song types are discussed and the various ways male mockingbirds make information available are described. These various aspects of singing differ in the specificity of information they make available and should require different time investments by the recipient to comprehend.
Richtungsbevorzugungen von Mönchsgrasmücken (Sylvia atricapilla) während der Herbstzugunruhe. Vergleich zweier Populationen mit verschiedenen Zugrichtungen
Authors: NEUSSER VERENA E. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDirectional Preferences of Autumnal Migratory Restlessness in Two Populations of Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) with Different Migratory DirectionsThe directional preferences in the orientation behavior of blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla, were investigated. Two populations on different sides of the migratory divide were studied; one which flies in a SE direction in autumn and one which flies in a SW direction. The populations were from Lake Constance in the F.R.G. and Lake Neusiedl in Austria. Directional preference during fall migratory restlessness was determined by using Emlen funnels. The birds were hand‐raised from the nestling phase on under identical conditions.The results demonstrated significant differences between the populations in the autumnal directional preferences. For SW migrants it was 240.7° and for SE migrants 185.0°. One can conclude from these results that there are population‐specific differences in the innate directional preferences of fall migratory restlessness.A number of possibilities are discussed as causes for the extreme westward orientation of the birds from Lake Constance:

The WSW orientation of the Alps could be genetically programmed into the pattern of migration.
It could have been the result of a compensation for the transport from Lake Constance to Lake Neusiedl and therefore explained by goal area navigation.
Recently, there have been many reports of German blackcaps wintering in Holland, England and Ireland. It is possible that a number of the experimental birds had already chosen this direction and with their WNW preference, the overall preference is shifted westward.
Male Cheetah Social Organization and Territoriality
Authors: CARO T. M. , COLLINS D. A. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPatterns of territory ownership in male cheetahs inhabiting the Serengeti Plains are described, and factors affecting territorial behaviour are examined. Body size and age were factors influencing whether males became territorial, and single males usually had to join up with others in order to oust residents. Both size of male coalition and body size of its members were associated with length of tenure on territories. Limited data suggest that territory owners were probably no more likely to encounter females than were non‐territorial males but there was a suggestion that they suffered lower survivorship costs than non‐territorial males.
Benefits and Costs of Social Foraging and Optimal Flock Size in Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis)
Authors: GLÜCK ERICH 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDuring the breeding season, the costs and benefits of social foraging of goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis L.) feeding in groups of different sizes was evaluated. With increasing flock size (up to six individuals) individuals became less alert: the individual head‐jerk rate decreased but the whole group vigilance level increased. The handling time for the consumption of a Rumex seed was simultaneously reduced. Compared with individuals feeding alone, in a group of six birds the consumption of corns amounts to 20 % more within the same period of time. However, with increasing group size, the individuals have to fly greater distances to reach another profitable plant, which consumes more time. Another cost of flocking may be that larger flocks are more easily spotted by predators. Thus, flocking involves benefits in shortening handling time of the consumed seeds but also causes costs in having a larger travelling time to the next plant stem. Besides plant density calculated optimal foraging group size depends on the number of seeds provided by one seed head.
Superiority and Inferiority: a Morphological Analysis of Free and Stimulus Bound Behaviour in Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) Interactions
Authors: YANIV YONA , GOLANI ILAN 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIn analyzing motor behaviour, we use a method of gestalt perception that relies less on intuition and more on rational processes. The elementary building blocks of behaviour in this study are single movements — distinct changes of relation between two adjacent parts of the body. The single movements are performed in groups around specific axes: whole body rotations around the vertical absolute axis, whole body rotations around the longitudinal axis of the body, and whole body rotations around the side‐to‐side axis of the body. In their full blown form these rotations amount, respectively, to pivoting, rolling and tumbling. During “ritualized fighting”, these rotations are incorporated into the behaviour of the badger in a fixed sequence, yielding a fugue of rotations. “Ritualized fighting” is comprised in the badgers of five higher level (whole body) building blocks: the three whole body rotations, squatting, and forward walking. These building blocks are termed in the present study component‐variables. At a still higher level of analysis we reveal the effect of the environment (the moving partner), on the performance of these component‐variables. We record continuously the parts of the bodies of the two partners that touch or almost touch each other. In this way, we specify the tactile and visual input which impinges on each of the partners at any one time in the course of the interaction. Then, we examine the effect of the very same input, on the types of response performed by the badgers. This method allows us to assess the freedom of movement, i.e. the number of different responses available to each of the partners when confronted with the same stimulus situation.The five component‐variables generate four composite profiles of actual behaviour (the “inferior” female, the “inferior” male, the “superior” female, and the “superior” male). They form a common denominator in all the profiles, but vary systematically in amount, amplitude, and frequency from one profile to the next, yielding a gradient.Part of the gradient was also described in “ritualized fighting” in wolves, and in other species and situations. In wolves and badgers it involves a gradual transition from relative immobility in the most inferior, to extensive mobility in the most superior partner. We show, that the same stimulus situations elicit in the inferior the most fixed response sequences, and in the superior, the most variable ones. Inferiority consists of relative immobility and stimulus bound behaviour; superiority consists of extensive mobility and relatively free behaviour. The difference between fixed response sequences and “voluntary” behaviour is of degree, not of principle.
Aversions of Starlings and Sparrows to Unfamiliar, Unexpected or Unusual Flavours and Colours in Food
Authors: GREIG‐SMITH PETER W. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractCaptive starlings Sturnus vulgaris and house sparrows Passer domesticus were studied to explore the effects of previous experience on birds' aversions to quinine sulphate in blue‐coloured food. Daily food consumption and feeding behaviour were monitored for four groups of birds: (1) Control—birds trained to associate blue with quinine; (2) Unfamiliar—never having previously encountered blue or quinine; (3) Unexpected—trained to regard blue as palatable; (4) Anomalous—familiar with quinine in red, but not in blue food.Comparisons of these groups are discussed in relation to the way in which aversions are established, their implications for understanding birds' food selection behaviour, and the use of chemicals as bird deterrents in crop protection.
Bower Building and Decoration by the Bowerbird Amblyornis inornatus
Authors: DIAMOND JARED 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBowers of the little‐known bowerbird Amblyornis inornatus are the most elaborately decorated structures erected by an animal other than humans. I studied populations in two mountain ranges. South Kumawa bowers consisted of a tower of sticks glued together, up to 2.6 m high, resting on an almost perfectly circular mat of black moss. Decorations were black, brown, or grey: leaves, snail shells, acorns, sticks, stones, and elytrae. The mat, decorative sticks, and elytrae were painted shiny black, possibly with an oily material in excrement. Another group of bowers 8 km distant differed in also using colored fruits as decorations. Wandamen bowers differed drastically in the much lower stick tower, woven but not glued, covered with a stick hut up to 2 m in diameter, resting on an unpainted green moss mat, and decorated with colored fruits, flowers, fungi, butterfly wings, and leaves. Objects tended to be grouped by color, with certain types of objects at specific locations. Within either mountain range there was individual and age‐related variation among bowers. Many or most decorations were objects commonly available in the forest. Decorations turned over from day to day.Wandamen birds were tame. The diverse vocalizations included vocal mimicry. Males raided each others' bowers and chased off other bird species. Bowerbirds may modify their environment by dispersing fresh fruits used as decorations, dispersing seeds of fruit eaten, and caching fruit.Colors of objects used as decorations are not a passive sample of locally available objects, nor do they necessarily match the plumage of females or of rival males, nor are they necessarily rare or habitat‐specific. Instead, color preference and many other features of bower design appear to be arbitrary characteristics of species or populations. I suggest that bower style is partly learned, and that geographic variation in bower style may depend upon culturally transmitted behavior, analogous to geographic variation in bird song dialects.
Measures of Relatedness
Authors: BENNETT BETH 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMeasures of genetic relatedness are essential to models of evolution by kin selection and determinations of inclusive fitness. Under a kin selection paradigm, individuals are expected to distribute actions influencing the fitness of relatives based on the relatedness of these relatives. In addition, it is necessary to have an accurate measure of relatedness to estimate heritability (h2) of phenotypic characters and to predict the efficacy of selection. Relatedness is often defined as the genotypic correlation between individuals. Assessed on the basis of common ancestry, relatedness can only be determined sensu strictu from pedigree analysis. Recent methodological and statistical advances allow the estimation of relatedness from allele frequency data. Many coefficients of relatedness can be found in the literature; I review and evaluate these, with emphasis on situations for which each is appropriate.
Structure and Function of Hindquarter Presentations in Yellow Baboons (Papio cynocephalus)
Authors: HAUSFATER GLENN , TAKACS DAVID 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThis paper summarizes analyses of the structure and function of 775 presentation sequences obtained during 603 h of observation on two groups of Amboseli baboons (Papio cynocephalus). Hindquarter presentations among Amboseli baboons could in most cases be unambiguously assigned to one of six categories—Submissive, Sexual, Mixed Sexual‐Submissive, Affiliative, Abbreviated and Grooming—based on accompanying behavior elements, posture, context and response. Nearly half of all presentations were categorized as Submissive and in these sequences the presenter was generally subordinate to the recipient.Nearly one‐third of all presentations were categorized as Sexual or Mixed Sexual‐Submissive and the presenter in these sequences was a sexually‐cycling adult female proportionately more often than expected from the number of such females in the study groups. Additionally, pregnant females directed proportionately more Submissive presentations than expected both toward adult males and toward other adult females, and lactating females received proportionately more Affiliative presentations than expected from other adult females. The response of adult males to Sexual presentations by adult females was influenced most strongly by the reproductive history of those females (nulliparous vs. multiparous), but was also influenced by both male and female rank.These findings suggest that over the course of primate evolution the primary function of hindquarter presentation has been modified from that of copulation solicitation to that of preemption of aggression. Additionally, for individuals between whom rank relations are both highly discrepant and clear‐cut (e.g., adult male/adult female; adult male/subadult male, etc.), hindquarter presentation appears to play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of social bonds.
Reproductive Synchrony and Extra‐pair Copulation in Birds
Authors: BIRKHEAD T. R. , BIGGINS J. D. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe present a model which explores the idea that females may reduce their risk of suffering a forced extra‐pair copulation, by breeding synchronously with other females in the population. Information from three bird species with contrasting ecology and behaviour shows that synchrony does not automatically confer an advantage on females: synchrony is only advantageous to females if certain conditions pertain. We identify three main factors which influence female extra‐pair copulation risk, these are: (i) whether or not males can identify fertile females, (ii) male and female ‘availability’ (e.g. in some seabirds copulation and extra‐pair copulations occur only at the colony: females may be absent for long periods and hence are unavailable for extra‐pair copulations), (iii) the timing of extra‐pair copulations by males, relative to when their partners lay.
The Degree of Mutual Resemblance and its Effect on Predation in Young Birds
Authors: EVANS DAVID L. , CASTORIADES NELLY , BADRUDDINE HANA 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe presented sets of naive common quails with 6 different sequences of three species of aposematic insects: Cercopis intermedia, Caenocoris nerii, and Eurydema decoratum. All three species had a similar body plan but different marking patterns. Our goal was to determine whether naive predators initially form a sharpely defined image which would stimulate an aversive reaction only in the presence of that signal. In contrast to the discrimination shown by adults of another avian species (SILLÉN‐TULLBERG et al. 1982), these birds usually generalized the warning signals and rejected later, somewhat different, noxious prey after an unpleasant experience. The likelihood of attack declined from 100% with the initial offering of the first species to 37.5% at the first presentation of the second species to 20.8% with the initial offering of the third prey type. We found that overall contact with the aposematic prey decreased significantly (chi‐square test, p < .005) and that eating the test prey ceased completely. Young predators and different predatory species may be less discerning within certain limits or may require a longer time to learn to make fine distinctions than other classes of predators. The processes of generalization may involve stimulus filtration and aides memoires.
Does Nest Defence Deter or Facilitate Cowbird Parasitism? A Test of the Nesting‐cue Hypothesis
Authors: Gill Sharon A. , Grieef Paula M. , Staib Lisa M. , Sealy Spencer G. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe nesting‐cue hypothesis poses that avian brood parasites use nest‐defence responses directed toward them by hosts as cues to locate nests to parasitize. Hosts that respond more intensely to brood parasites should provide more cues about nest location than those hosts giving lower intensity responses. Thus, the nesting‐cue hypothesis predicts that within a species parasitized nest owners should respond more intensely than unparasitized nest owners to cowbirds perched near and away from nests. This assumes that hosts respond to cowbirds when they are encountered away from the nest and that host responses gradually increase in intensity as the cowbird nears the nest. The nesting‐cue hypothesis, its assumptions and prediction were tested using six host species of the brown‐headed cowbird (Molothrus ater, Icterinae). We presented a female cowbird model at three distances from host nests and compared the responses elicited. All species responded to the cowbird at all distances, which supports the first assumption. Some of the rarely elicited responses (e.g. contacts) and the proximity of the host to the model varied significantly with distance, which suggests that cowbirds could use nest defence by the host as cues to the location of an active nest. However, parasitized nest owners did not respond more intensely than unparasitized nest owners to the cowbird positioned at any of the distances from the nest, which does not support the nesting‐cue hypothesis itself. Further considerations are discussed that suggest that nest defence is not likely to be used as a nest‐location cue.