bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Song Learning in the Anna Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Authors: Baptista Luis F. , Schuchmann Karl‐L. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractSongs of wild male Anna hummingbirds (Calypte anna) consist of syllables grouped into phrases. Nearest neighbors tend to share similar syllable types, rhythms and syntax. Songs from different localities contain different syllable types, syntax and repetition indices. A male raised by hand in isolation produced a song consisting of highly variable syllable types of a wide frequency range. The song was simple in structure, and syllables were not grouped into phrases. Three males raised by hand as a group sang songs containing two stereotyped syllable types sung in alternating sequence and without phrase structure. These three males shared syllable types and syntax. The data from our study indicate that despite its relatively simple syrinx the Anna hummingbird learns syllable types, frequency, rhythm and syntax (as do oscines with their more complex syringes) during the song development process.
Maternal Aggression and Litter Size in the Female House Mouse
Authors: Maestripieri Dario , Alleva Enrico 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIt has been commonly argued that, in house mice, female post‐partum fighting against a male intruder functions to protect the offspring from infanticide. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that maternal aggression is actually related to pup defence and, specifically, according to parental investment theory, that its intensity should increase with litter size. 60 nulliparous albino female mice were mated and randomly assigned to four experimental groups in which litters were culled at birth to 0, 4, 8, or 12 pups, respectively. On day 8 after delivery all females were tested for maternal aggression against a stranger adult male conspecific (5‐min exposure). No aggression occurred in the group in which all pups had been removed. In the other groups, the proportion of females displaying overt aggression increased with litter size. Several scores of female agonistic behaviour (proportion of females displaying overt aggression, total attacking time, frequency of tail rattling) were significantly higher for the females rearing 8 and 12 pups than for the females rearing 4 pups. Aggressive behaviour of females rearing 12 pups was not significantly higher than that of females rearing 8 pups. No male committed infanticide. These results support the hypothesis that rodent maternal aggression is strictly related to offspring defence and are consistent with the theoretical prediction that, the costs of the defence being equal and the gain in fitness increasing with litter size, the intensity of maternal defence of the young should increase with their number.
The Influence of Oestrus on the Vocalization of Female Gelada Baboons (Theropithecus gelada)
Authors: Moos‐Heilen Regina , Sossinka Roland 
Published: May 2010

AbstractFemale geladas draw the attention of males to their sexual state both by visual and vocal signals. In addition to visual cues our studies demonstrate that gelada females in oestrus use calls which are not uttered normally by anoestrous, pregnant or lactating females. A special call of the female indicates the climax of the copulation. Furthermore, individual recognition and the special meaning of these calls is indicated by playback experiments.
Broodcare or Egg Cannibalism by Parents and Helpers in Neolamprologus brichardi (Poll 1986) (Pisces: Cichlidae): a Study on Behavioural Mechanisms
Authors: von Siemens Michael 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIn the cichlid species N. brichardi the young are tended by parent animals and broodcare helpers. No qualitative differences in the care are apparent. The regulation of eggcare by nonreproductive helpers is of especial interest as it excludes an endogenous component found in the parental care of other cichlids, based on sex and the reproductive cycle.The importance of the factors dominance, territory, size (age) experience, model and the continuous presence of eggs for helper eggcare disposition was examined experimentally. It was shown that subdominant inexperienced young fish will clean clutches, whereas dominants feed on them. Subdominant eggcleaners can be transformed into dominant eggfeeders; the change can be delayed or prevented by the continuous presence of eggs. Subdominant fish in a territory are more inclined to clean clutches than those in an aggregation. With growing experience (or size) helpers orient broodcare behaviour increasingly by a dominant model. Dominance and experience play no part however in broodpairs; here there are sex‐dependent differences. In both sexes, eggcaring behaviour can be evoked only at the beginning of a breeding cycle. The disposition is bolstered by the presence of the clutch, and wanes after egg removal in females faster than in males. The tendency to continue eggcare can be strongly extended in both sexes by the continuous presence of eggs. Comparison with other cave‐breeding cichlids showed that parental eggcare in these and N. brichardi was similarly regulated. Helper broodcare, however, is very differently regulated. These differences are discussed, as well as possible conclusions on the influence of endogenous and exogenous regulatory factors.
Social Organization of Cataglyphis cursor Ant Colonies (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): Inter‐, and Intraspecific Comparisons
Authors: Retana Javier , Cerdá Xim 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe social organization of several colonies of the ant Cataglyphis cursor with different compositions has been studied by means of individual marking of workers and later treatment of data with correspondence analysis. There are always three main poles or groups of tasks: inactivity, unspecific tasks in the nest and outside activities. From them, three groups of workers are separated: inactives, which stay immobile in the nest a great part of their time; interiors, which perform various tasks in the nest; and foragers, that are engaged in activities outside the nest. Several factors, such as the presence of the queen, the colony size or the season of the year influence the social structure of C. cursor colonies and originate important inter‐, and intracolonial variations.
The Effects of Male Dominance, Secondary Sexual Characteristics and Female Mate Choice on the Mating Success of Male Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar
Authors: Järvi Torbjörn 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe reproductive behaviour of male and female Salmo salar was studied in a specially constructed arena.The Results showed that body size, cardiac‐somatic index and relative kype size were all correlated with male dominance rank. Dominant males approached ripe females more frequently and ultimately mated more frequently than subordinates. Males repelled by females from the spawning beds had smaller adipose fins. No correlation was found between female aggression and male dominance, body size or cardiac‐somatic index. The results suggest that male salmon establish a dominance hierarchy during the spawning period and that intra‐sexual selection has favoured the evolution of a status signalling system, whereby males signal their dominance rank by their relative kype size. Dominant males having conspicuous secondary sexual characteristics are able to mate more frequently because they can occupy ripe females. As females seem to select their mates on grounds of the relative size of the adipose fin, inter‐sexual selection is also presumed to have affected the evolution of male secondary sexual characteristics.
A Cue‐Isolation Experiment to Determine if Caspian Tern Parents Learn Their Offspring's Down Color
Authors: Shugart Gary W. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractA ground‐nesting gull or tern (Laridae) parent will attack a foreign conspecific chick that is substituted for the parent's chick at about the time the parent's chick is mobile. Presumably, parents discriminate among chicks using some combination of vocal, morphologic, and behavior cues. It is not known which cues are used. Morphologic variation in chicks' down potentially provides discrimination cues in some species of Laridae, such as the Caspian tern (Sterna caspia). To test discrimination based on the down color of chicks, a parent's chick was replaced sequentially with foreign conspecific chicks that were similar and dissimilar to the down color of the parent's chick. This cue‐isolation experiment indicated that parents rejected dissimilar chicks more frequently. Thus, parents learn the down color of their chicks and then use this information as a basis for aggressive rejection of foreign chicks. A recognition system based on morphology allows parents to detect and reject foreign chicks with a probability greater than chance.
Vocalization during Agonistic Behaviour in Cottus gobio L. (Cottidae): An Acoustic Threat Display
Authors: Ladich Friedrich 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAgonistic behaviour in the river bullhead C. gobio consists of visual (raising gill covers and fins, lowering the head, darkening) and acoustic (single knock sounds and trains of knock sounds) threat displays, rarely followed by attacks and bites. This study investigates the relationship of vocalizations with size, dominance, territory dimensions and sex of the opponents. Four groups, each consisting of a big male, a small male and a female, were each investigated for three different days. The number of won contests of each individual, the numbers of each sound produced during these encounters and the tank part where encounters took place were determined.Subordinate fish emit fewer sounds but relatively far more trains of knock sounds than dominant ones. They produce relatively more sounds under shelters whereas dominants do this on uncovered areas. α‐fish produce more calls during agonistic encounters with β‐fish than Ω fish. In β‐individuals no such difference was noted. Basically no sex related behaviour could be observed. In each area of the tank one individual won most contests (= territory). Dimensions of territories differed significantly between individuals in each tank (α‐, β‐, Ω‐fish). In no case were all three individuals able to maintain territories.Relative sizes of fish correlate significantly with relative numbers of successful encounters and with territory dimensions. Furthermore, both parameters are positively correlated with the numbers of sounds emitted by an individual.Sound production in C. gobio functions as an acoustical threat display. Because of the high energy costs of sound emission underwater it might be a very effective method of assessing the fighting ability of an opponent.
Do Females Turn Males on and off in Barnacle Goose Social Display?
Authors: Hausberger Martine , Black Jeffrey M. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMale barnacle goose Branta leucopsis display duration is longest when females respond with loud repetitious calls, intermediate when females follow silently and shortest when females call softly. We argue that these encouraging and discouraging vocalizations and the associated posturing is an influential behaviour used during the mate choice, pair maintenance and aggressive interaction processes.
Determinants of Variation in Antipredator Behavior of Territorial Male Threespine Stickleback in the Wild
Authors: Foster Susan , Ploch Stephen 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAlthough antipredator behavior of threespine stickleback has been extensively studied in the laboratory, interactions between stickleback and their predators in nature have never been described. This paper describes interactions between territorial male stickleback and four predators on males or on the young they guard. Two of the predators, cutthroat trout and a hemipteran nymph (Belostomatidae), prey on males but not on young. Another, the roughskin newt, is a potential predator of young but does not pose a threat to males. Prickly sculpin prey both on the males and on offspring that males guard. Differences in behavior toward the four predators indicate that males are capable of rapid discrimination among predators and the threats they pose. Males also discriminate among size classes of sculpin that present different predation risks, but not among size classes of trout large enough to pose a threat. The difference in response to these predators probably reflects the difference in risk to offspring and the amount of time each predator typically stays in the territory of a male. Trout pass through rapidly, whereas sculpin, which are ambush predators, can remain within a territory for a long period of time if not chased out. The presence of young in the nest had no apparent effect on the response of males to these predators. This could, however, be due to a masking effect of uncontrolled variation in natural encounters. Responses to newts were similar to those directed toward sculpin too small to attack the male. They involved rapid chases and bites, often directed at the head, a part of the body that was typically avoided in encounters with larger sculpin. Males watch and avoid the belostomatid nymphs, but do not attack them.
Variable Parental Care in a Labrid Fish: How Care Might Evolve
Authors: Berghe Eric P. van den 
Published: May 2010

AbstractHypotheses for the evolution of parental care suggest several intermediate stages between no care and full care. To shed light on how care might evolve, I describe intermediate stages within one species. These include spawning behavior ranging from out‐of‐nest spawning, (which involves no parental care) to algal nests and associated male parental care (plus intermediate stages between the two previous categories), all observed in the same individual males of the peacock wrasse, Symphodus tinca. About 20% of males go through transitional stages from no care to full care as the season progresses. These stages are: 1) following females over large areas, 2) focusing on an area about 10 × 10 m, 3) chasing other fish, (both con‐ and heterospecific) from this area, 4) focusing spawns into a 1–2 m2 area that he modifies by adding algae, and 5) remaining with the site day and night until the eggs hatch and the young disperse. This sequence of stages is similar to the evolutionary sequence suggested by previous theory, but differs in that site limitation is not necessary in order to lead to site attachment.
Brood Size, Male Fanning Effort and the Energetics of a Nonshareable Parental Investment in Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus (Teleostei: Centrarchidae)
Authors: Coleman Ronald M. , Fischer Robert U. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe present a model and an experimental test for a nonshareable parental‐investment behavior (fanning of eggs) using parental male bluegill sunfish. The model predicts that as brood size increases, nonshareable investment into the brood should increase if a parent is to maximize its remaining lifetime reproductive success. The experimental test manipulated the number of eggs in nests and quantified the frequency and tempo of fanning in the field using underwater video equipment. As predicted, male bluegill fanned larger broods more frequently than smaller broods. The fanning tempo (beats per min) did not change with changes in brood size. Parental males lost substantial amounts of body weight during the period of parental care, and lipid extractions revealed a loss in nonpolar lipids. The difference in fanning frequency between large and small broods did not result in differential weight loss for the parents, but parents that fanned more tended to lose more nonpolar lipids from the body tissue than males that fanned less.
Flexibility of Wild Chimpanzee Nut‐cracking Behavior Using Stone Hammers and Anvils: an Experimental Analysis
Authors: Sakura Osamu , Matsuzawa Tetsuro 
Published: May 2010

AbstractNut‐cracking behavior in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) using natural stone hammers and anvils was studied through transect survey and experimental analysis at Bossu, Guinea. Transect surveys revealed that hammers were significantly smaller than anvils, although the role division was not strict. Analysis of experiments such as separating nuts and stones found under palm trees revealed the chimbanzees' flexibility in tool use. The behavioral patterns of transportation, discrimination, and the substitution of tools were not stereotyped. This flexibility appears to stem from the chimpanzees' understanding of the relationship between tools and referents, i.e. the function of tools.
Sex Differences in Mate Choice in a Monogamous Biparental Fish, the Midas Cichlid (Cichlasoma citrinellum)
Authors: Rogers William , Barlow George W. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe Midas cichlid is strongly monogamous and requires biparental care in the wild to raise any young to independence. We predicted that male and female Midas cichlids would select mates with qualities correlating with good parental caretaking ability. Adults were given choices of prospective mates varying systematically in one of three qualities: size, aggressiveness and reproductive experience. The subject expressed its choice, if any, by the amount of courtship shown to the various alternatives. Females selected large males over small ones, aggressive males over unaggressive ones and experienced males over inexperienced ones. Large, aggressive and experienced males should enhance the likelihood of brood survival. In contrast, males showed no consistent choice among females of any level of the three variables. This lack of consistent choice by the males, coupled with earlier findings of greater overall parental investment by females, indicates that the breeding system in the Midas cichlid is driven by female choice and that males either may not have the option of being selective or may not benefit from choosing.
Song Switching in Mate Attraction and Territory Defense by Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta)
Authors: Horn Andrew G. , Falls J. Bruce 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMany passerines have a repertoire of song types that appear to be functionally equivalent. Previous work suggested that in such species the act of switching between song types in itself might be a territorial signal, a sexual signal, or both. If switches are frequent enough, they may also serve to advertise a male's repertoire size, which is thought to signal male quality. We studied variation in song switching by western meadowlarks through the season and during interactions with conspecifics. Males repeat each song, to form a bout, before switching to the next song type. Males repeat each song type fewer times during mate attraction and when their female goes out of sight. They also switch song types at the onset of two types of territorial interactions and sexual interactions. Thus song switches are apparently used in both mate attraction and territory defense. However, males switch through their entire repertoire only in certain situations. At other times, the timing of a male's song switches, and what songs he sings, might be more important than repertoire size itself in determining his success in intra‐ and intersexual interactions.
Behavioural Castes, Dominance and Division of Labour in a Primitively Eusocial Wasp
Authors: Chandrashekara K. , Gadagkar Raghavendra 
Published: May 2010

AbstractFemale wasps of the primitively eusocial species Ropalidia marginata may be classified, by a statistical analysis of their time‐activity budgets, into three behavioural castes namely Sitters, Fighters and Foragers. We show that Foragers are primarily responsible for the risky task of foraging for food and have very poorly developed ovaries. Sitters and Fighters forage rarely if at all but share the bulk of the intra‐nidal tasks such as feeding larvae and building the nest. Both Sitters and Fighters have better developed ovaries than Foragers. Queens of most colonies belong to the Sitter caste. There are no obvious morphological differences between queens and workers or between the behavioural castes. Queens are not necessarily the most dominant individuals in their colonies. Instead, most dominance behaviour is performed by a group of workers (the Fighters). Division of labour and social organization are achieved through behavioural caste differentiation and not, as in many other species studied, through a dominance hierarchy led by a despotic queen suppressing all her nestmates into worker roles. This suggests that behaviour patterns in such primitively eusocial insects are likely to be moulded by a complex interaction between selection at the individual and colony levels.
Age Polyethism for Hive Duties in Honey Bees — Illusion or Reality?
Authors: Seeley Thomas D. , Kolmes Steven A. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractRecently Seeley (1982) claimed that bees working inside the hive exhibit three age castes: cell cleaning, brood care, and food storage. In a subsequent paper, Kolmes (1985) stated that “honey bees do not appear to pass through a temporal sequence of tasks while performing hive duties” and that previous findings of this age polyethism are due to subjective interpretations of data. Here we report new behavioral data and statistical analyses substantiating the claim that age polyethism exists in bees working inside the hive. We followed a cohort of bees until they were 15 days old; they underwent two behavioral transitions. The first took place when the bees were approximately 3–4 d old and was associated with a switch from cell cleaning to other activities, mainly in the broodnest. The second occurred when the bees were approximately 10–12 d old and was associated with a switch from brood care to food‐storage activities and foraging. Thus we present strong statistical evidence of a cell‐cleaning age caste and a brood‐care age caste for bees, but further evidence is needed to demonstrate fully that bees also pass through a distinct food‐storage age caste before starting to work outside the hive. In addition, we demonstrate that Kolmes‘s previous denial of age polyethism in hive workers was caused neither by unusual behavior of his bees nor by weakness of his Kolmogorov‐Smirnov statistical test, but by sampling errors due to a small but critical flaw in his method of labelling bees.
Chemosensory Kin‐communication Systems and Kin Recognition in Honey Bees
Authors: Getz Wayne M. , Page Robert E. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractOrganisms use chemicals to communicate various kinds of information. Here we discuss chemical‐information systems that permit organisms either to identify other organisms as particular individuals or to be classified as a member of a particular kinship group. The material is presented from an integrated‐systems perspective, a level of analysis that has been neglected in the study of kin‐communication systems. After presenting a number of general concepts, we use honey bees as an exemplar for discussing encoding and decoding aspects of chemical recognition in the context of kin discrimination. We present new results on the variability of the cuticular signature in honey bee workers.
Density‐dependent Extra‐pair Copulations in the Swallow Hirundo rustica
Authors: Møller Anders Pape 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDensity‐dependence of extra‐pair copulation rates and mate guarding intensity in the monogamous swallow Hirundo rustica was studied from 1983 to 1988 in N. Jutland, Denmark. Changes in local population size paralleled changes in national population size from 1976 to 1988. Median and mean colony size increased and minimum, mean and median nearest neighbour distance decreased with increasing population density. The percentage of female swallows involved in extra‐pair copulations increased significantly with increasing population density between years and with increasing colony size within years in spite of the fact that male mate guarding intensity changed similarly. Mate guarding did reduce the probability of the female being involved in extra‐pair copulations, but not to the extent that it compensated for the density‐dependent increase in extra‐pair copulation attempt rates. Natural and sexual selection arising from extra‐pair copulations is frequency‐dependent and varies spatially and temporally in relation to population density.