bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dominance and Mating in a Communal Polygynandrous Bird: Cooperation or Indifference towards Mating Competitors?
Authors: Jamieson Ian G. , Craig John L. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe effect of dominance on the mating behaviour of both females and males was investigated for the communally breeding pukeko (Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus). Pukeko are polygynandrous with most groups consisting of three to 7 breeding males and one or two breeding females that lay eggs in a single nest. Linear dominance hierarchies are well established within breeding groups.Alpha females were involved in more copulations than beta females, but this difference did not appear to be a result of dominance status. There was also no evidence of egg tossing or egg destruction by breeding females. There was no positive correspondence between dominance rank of males and their frequency of sexual activity or copulations during the prelaying or laying periods. Dominants did interrupt matings by subordinates, but both qualitative and quantitative analyses of behaviour found no evidence of mate guarding. Furthermore dominants were no more likely to interrupt a copulation involving a subordinate male than they were to passively observe it or not react at all. This led us to suggest that males tended to behave indifferently toward mating competitors. As a result, multiple paternity is predicted to be high in pukeko groups. We also question the standard interpretation that males are behaving cooperatively in communal groups rather than coactively.
Ethological Isolation, Sexual Behavior and Pheromones in the Fasciatus Species Group of the Lizard Genus Eumeces
Authors: Cooper William E. , Vitt Laurie J. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractEthological isolation was found among North American members of the fasciatus species group of Eumeces. Ethological isolation was investigated by staging a series of interspecific and intraspecific heterosexual encounters. No male E. laticeps or E. fasciatus courted heterospecific females. In both species, males courted and copulated with conspecific females in a significantly higher frequency of trials than with heterospecific females. However, male E. inexpectatus courted females of all three species, courting conspecific females and female E. laticeps at similar frequencies, but female E. fasciatus at a significantly lower frequency. No females of any of the three species were sexually receptive to heterospecific males, but forced copulation occurred in two of nine courtships of female E. fasciatus by male E. inexpectatus. Thus, ethological isolation in the fasciatus group appears to be complete with the possible exception of occasional forced copulation between male E. inexpectatus and female E. fasciatus. Preliminary evidence on the role of chemical stimuli in maintaining ethological isolation was obtained from experiments involving interspecific transfers of female odors. Male E. inexpectatus courted female E. fasciatus labelled with the odor of female E. inexpectatus in a significantly greater proportion of trials than they courted such females lacking the conspecific female odor. In a similar experiment, male E. fasciatus did not court female E. inexpectatus even if the females bore odors of female fasciatus.
Induction and Maintenance of Maternal Behaviour in the Domestic Hen: Influence of Testosterone and Oestradiol Treatments
Authors: Richard‐Yris M. A. , Leboucher G. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractConfining an adult hen with two newly‐hatched chicks induced a gradual emergence of maternal behaviour in the hen. The aim of the experiments presented here was to analyse the effects of testosterone or oestradiol treatments on the induction and maintenance of maternal behaviour in hens with no previous maternal experience. The ability of a hen to positively respond towards chicks was not altered by either testosterone or oestradiol injections. However, testosterone therapy prevented both the appearance and the maintenance of the most typical call, clucking. Testosterone injected hens responded to chicks with a contact‐type call, but oestradiol treated ones did not. These results indicate that some aspects of maternal behaviour can be modulated by peripheral levels of hormones.
Relationships between Mother and Infant Red‐necked Wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus banksianus)
Authors: JOHNSON C. N. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractYoung red‐necked wallabies first look out of the pouch at 6 months of age, and may begin to leave it for short periods a month later. Their mothers do not exclude them from the pouch until they are 9 or 10 months old, and in the intervening time they may spend quite long periods abroad, but return to the pouch when alarmed.During their first month after permanently emerging from the pouch, infant wallabies spend much of their time alone in dense vegetation, while their mothers feed and rest elsewhere. Over the subsequent four months to weaning the young spend most, but not all of their time with their mothers; infants use small home ranges and rarely accompany their mothers into open areas. Sons follow their mothers more closely, and spend more time with them, than daughters do. While together, mothers and offspring interact with a low frequency; suckling bouts are rare but quite long. Mothers and young usually flee in different directions if alarmed, and find one another again later.Other species of macropods as small as, or smaller than red‐necked wallabies also display behaviour comparable to the hiding of the newborn young of many species of ungulates, while the larger kangaroos of more open habitats have following young. This trend in the occurrence of hiding and following parallels the distribution of the same traits in ungulates, except that hiding is less strongly and less widely expressed in the macropods. This difference between the two groups is probably due to the marsupial mode of reproduction: young macropods of a developmental stage comparable to newborn ungulates can evade predation by entering the pouch, while the infant ungulates must either hide alone or follow their mothers.
Foraging vs. Territorial Vigilance: the Selection of Feeding Sites by Male Great Tits (Parus major L.)
Authors: YDENBERG R. C. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractCaptive male great tits (Parus major L.) were given a choice of feeding on a branch from which the site of a recent simulated intrusion could be monitored, or feeding from a branch with a higher prey density but from which surveillance was impossible. The males spent more time on the unprofitable surveillance branch after an intrusion had been simulated compared to trials with no simulated intrusion. This resulted in a lower feeding rate. Males of many songbird species shift to different feeding sites during the period of territorial defense, and this experiment supports the interpretation that these shifts are made to accommodate territorial vigilance.
Sex Ratio Adjustment in a Seasonally Breeding Primate Species: Evidence from the Barbary Macaque Population at Affenberg Salem
Authors: PAUL ANDREAS , KUESTER JUTTA 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPresented are data on secondary sex ratio in a large population of semifree‐ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) at Affenberg Salem. Examined were 569 births in five social groups with regard to demographic parameters, maternal age and rank. Significant differences were found between the secondary sex ratios of high ranking and low ranking females. A higher proportion of male offspring was born in the high ranking class, while both groups did not differ in fecundity rates. A detailed analysis of the reproductive cycles of 73 females showed a significant shorter interval between the end of conceptional estrus and birth in male infants and also a significantly earlier onset of deturgescence of anogenital swelling when males were conceived. These results strongly suggest that the differences in the secondary sex ratio are not due to differential abortions but rather to pre‐conceptional control of sex via timing of mating in relation to ovulation.
Soil Consumption of Two Groups of Semi‐free‐ranging Lemurs {Lemur catta and Lemur fulvus)
Authors: GANZHORN JÖRG U. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractSoil consumption of two Malagasy lemurs, Lemur catta and Lemur fulvus was observed in an enclosure simulating a natural habitat at Duke University Primate Center (Durham, USA). Soil eaten by L. catta contained more Na than random soil samples. Concentrations of the four major minerals in soil eaten by L. fulvus did not differ from random samples. L. fulvus stopped soil ingestion in summer when they ate large amounts of foliage rich in K and Mg, also in winters after being fed with MgCl2. It is suggested that, in this study, soil was consumed in relation to its mineral content and not for physical properties related to its structure. Some non physiological factors that might influence food selection are discussed.
Individual Variation in Anti‐predator Responses in the Three‐spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.)
Authors: HUNTINGFORD FELICITY , GILES NICK 
Published: May 2010

AbstractInter‐population differences in stickleback anti‐predator behaviour in responses to predation risks are now well established (HUNTINGFORD 1982; GILES & HUNTINGFORD 1984). This paper reanalyses this data in search of individual behavioural differences in the exploration of a novel environment and escape strategy shown by sticklebacks when stalked by a hunting pike (Esox lucius). 8 factors (accounting for 70% of the variance in the original data) emerge from the analysis and significant sex and population effects are described. Factors 1 and 2 correspond to predator investigation and the level of boldness shown towards pike. Factors 3, 4 and 5 separate the escape response into three distinct tactics adopted by sticklebacks when being stalked by the pike. These behaviour groupings are independent of the activity of the stickleback before the presence of the pike is detected. Factors 6, 7 and 8 were comprised of activities (use of open water, of weed beds and of the cover provided by the bottom of the tank) which load heavily for both the periods before and after the sticklebacks reacted to the predator. These groupings may represent different anti‐predator tactics adopted by individual sticklebacks.
The Modulation of Worker Activity by the Vibration Dance of the Honeybee, Apis mellifera
Authors: SCHNEIDER STANLEY S. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe influence of the vibration dance of the honeybee on the behaviour of non‐foraging‐age workers was examined. Compared to controls, vibrated non‐foraging‐age workers spent more time active during 15‐min observation intervals. This increased activity resulted primarily from increased time spent in the tasks associated with brood cells and cell inspecting, although the time spent performing other tasks, such as those associated with food cells and cell capping, was also enhanced. The dance also increased the number of different tasks performed. The vibration dance may therefore play an important role in regulating the activity of non‐foraging‐age bees.
Song Repertoires of American Warblers (Parulinae): Honest Advertising or Assessment?
Authors: LEMON R. E. , MONETTE S. , ROFF D. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe consider a number of hypotheses explaining the social use of song repertoires by territory‐holding of male American warblers (Parulinae). Males vary by species in having from one to several songs that are used in station singing. In the latter case the songs are clustered into subsets or modes. The songs (= modes) vary in use by season and territorial position. Much of the organization appears to reflect a duality of function relative to mate attraction on the one hand and to interaction between males on the other. We focus especially on two hypotheses of male interaction that appear to make opposite and testable predictions, these being whether the males use the songs to honestly advertise their claims on the territory, or whether they are assessing their relative resource‐holding potentials.
Oral Fertilization in a Mouthbrooding Cichlid Fish
Authors: MROWKA WOLFGANG 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIt has been hypothesized that in maternal mouthbrooding cichlids the conspicuous markings on the male's anal fin function as “egg‐dummies” by fooling the female into snapping at them, thereby inhaling sperm and assuring fertilization of the eggs in the mouth. I show experimentally in Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, an East African maternal mouthbrooder, that indeed oral fertilization takes place. Nevertheless, external fertilization plays a significant role, too.
Sperm Number, Spermatophore Weight and Remating in the Bushcricket Poecilimon veluchianus
Authors: Reinhold Klaus , Von Helversen Dagmar 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe influence of the intermating interval on sperm number and spermatophore mass was examined in the bushcricket Poecilimon veluchianus. Males that remated after 1 d transferred about 50% of the sperm, but significantly more than 50% of the weight of spermatophores than males that remated after 2 d. Assuming a constant rate of replenishment of sperm and spermatophore material we concluded that available spermatophore material but not available sperm number influences remating interval in P. veluchianus males.
Behavioral Interactions of Two Solitary, Halictine Bees with Comparisons among Solitary, Communal and Eusocial Species
Authors: McConnell‐Garner Janice , Kukuk Penelope F. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractLaboratory behavioral experiments were conducted with two solitary, halictine bee species, in the genus Lasioglossum, to examine the nature of behavioral interactions between non‐nestmate females. The experimental design of this study was identical to previous work on both a communal (Kukuk 1992) and a eusocial Lasioglossum species (Breed et al. 1978), thereby providing data for comparison of female‐female interactions in species within a single, very large genus that exhibit different sociality. Both solitary species exhibited low levels of aggressive behavior yet nearly all females were reproductively active, as determined by subsequent dissections. Neither ovarian width nor size was associated with aggression in either species. Interspecific comparisons reveal large differences in cooperation and aggression among the four congeneric species. The communal species exhibits significantly more cooperative and less aggressive behavior than all other species suggesting that communal social behavior in Lasioglossum is not phenetically intermediate between the behavior of solitary and eusocial species.
The Influence of Chemical Stimuli from Predators on Precopulatory Pairing by the Amphipod, Gammarus pseudolimnaeus
Authors: Mathis Alicia , Hoback W. Wyatt 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMany amphipod crustaceans exhibit precopulatory mate guarding. Field samples of the amphipod Gammarus pseudolimnaeus indicated that pairs were positively size assortative. Receptive individuals readily formed pairs in the laboratory and the latency to formation of precopulatory pairs was decreased under threat of predation. In addition, females and, under conditions of extreme danger, males that formed pairs were significantly smaller when under the threat of predation. Amphipods distinguished between chemical stimuli (aquarium water) from predatory and nonpredatory fishes and between chemical cues from fish predators (trout) that had recently eaten conspecific amphipods vs. those fed a control diet of pelleted commercial fish food. These data indicate that chemical stimuli associated with predators can influence reproductive behavior of amphipods. The results also suggest the hypotheses that: 1. search time may be costly in terms of probability of predation; and 2. small pairs may be safer from predation than larger pairs.
Crypsis and Behaviour in Sandhoppers: Antipredator Effectiveness in the Water
Authors: Ugolini Alberto 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPredation experiments in tanks with the two‐banded bream fish Diplodus vulgaris and the sandhopper Talitrus saltator demonstrated that: 1. some specific behaviours; and 2. crypsis of the back have an antipredator function. They reduced by one‐half the predatory attacks in the water, under artificial conditions.
Species Differences in Spatial Memory Performance on a Three‐dimensional Task
Authors: Balda Russell P. , Kamil Alan C. , Bednekoff Peter A. , Hile Arla G. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThree species of seed‐caching corvids were tested in a spatial, three‐dimensional analog of the radial maze. The apparatus consisted of five artificial trees, each with six branches. A wooden feeder could be attached to each branch. Each feeder contained a hole that could hold a pine seed. During the first 40 trials of acquisition testing, all three species improved rapidly with nutcrackers and pinyon jays performing at higher levels than scrub jays. Testing was then interrupted for 31 d. After the interruption, the two species of jays continued to improve but the nutcrackers did not. This species performed with only modest accuracy through the remainder of the experiment. Mixed‐interval testing was done at 10, 60, 180, and 300 min. All species declined in accuracy with increased retention interval. However, at 10 and 180 min, pinyon jays performed significantly better than scrub jays. This is the fourth spatial memory task in which pinyon jays have out‐performed scrub jays. The difference in performance between these two species provides more evidence for divergence in spatial cognition as a function of dependence on cached food.
Male Competition, Mating Success and Female Choice in a Seasonally Breeding Primate (Erythrocebus patas)
Authors: Chism Janice , Rogers William 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMammals with restricted breeding seasons often show brief but intense bouts of male competition for mates and male reproductive success has been attributed to male competitive abilities, with the most aggressively successful males able to control access to fertile females, or with females choosing to mate with such males. We studied male competition, mating behaviour and female mate selection in patas monkeys, a primate with a restricted breeding period. We observed two habituated patas groups in Laikipia District, Kenya, during Jun.‐Aug. 1983. During the study, one group had a single resident male while the other group had multiple adult males. Within the multimale group, experienced adult males were no more successful than the subadult male. The sole resident male had a significantly higher rate of fights won (p < 0.02) although he did not differ from the multimale group males in rate of aggression or initiation of fights. We found no significant differences in either mating success or female preference based on males' experience or residency. The rates at which males copulated with and were solicited by females were not significantly correlated. We found no evidence of stable dominance ranks among males in the multimale group and aggressive success was not significantly correlated with copulation rate for males in the multimale group. Subadult males were responsible for the majority of copulations observed during the final third of the breeding season. Our observations of this patas population showed a fluid number of males in groups, with the same groups able to shift rapidly from single to multimale structure. This fluidity may result from the large fluctuations in numbers of breeding‐age males and females observed over 4 yr of studying this population.
Mother — Offspring Conflict in the Saharan Arrui, Ammotragus lervia sahariensis: Relation to Weaning and Mother's Sexual Activity
Authors: Cassinello Jorge 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBehavioural conflict between mother and offspring was investigated in a captive population of the Saharan arrui (Ammotragus lervia sahariensis, Artiodactyla: Bovidae). The frequency of agonistic behaviours (mother's aggressiveness and calf's retreats) and unsuccessful suckling attempts, Hinde's proximity index and the distances between mother and calf have been analysed in relation to weaning and sexual activity of the mother. Mothers that conceive in the following mating season accelerate the weaning process of their current offspring; furthermore, high‐ranking females wean their male calves earlier. Behavioural conflict occurs during the resumption of the mother's sexual activity; however, no conflict appears to happen during weaning.
Opportunistic Egg Feeding in the Kleptoparasitic Spider Argyrodes gibbosus
Authors: Pasquet Alain , Leborgne Raymond , Cantarella Theresa 
Published: May 2010

AbstractArgyrodes gibbosus is a kleptoparasitic spider in the web of spiders. It generally steals freshly captured prey from the web of its host. In Sicily, Argyrodes gibbosus parasitizes webs of the spider Cyrtophora citricola, a facultative colonial species.When a C. citricola female was present in its web, Argyrodes caught small prey in the web or tried to rob prey captured by the host; in that case, we never observed successful attacks on host egg‐sacs. When the host disappeared from its web, the kleptoparasite modified its foraging strategies and attacked the host egg‐sacs and ate the eggs. The exploitation of this new resource could ensure rapid development for the kleptoparasite which was characterized by the presence of larger females and a higher mating rate.
Antipredator Behaviour and Suppressed Aggression by Convict Cichlids in response to Injury‐released Chemical Cues of Conspecifics but not to those of an Allopatric Heterospecific
Authors: Wisenden Brian D. , Sargent R. Craig 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIn aquatic environments, chemical cues serve as an important source of information for the detection of predation risk. Here, we investigate the response of convict cichlids, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, to injury‐released chemical cues. We exposed pairs of juvenile convict cichlids first to dechlorinated tap water (control), then later to one of two test stimuli: 1. chemical cues from injured convict cichlids; or 2. chemical cues from injured mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis. Gambusia are allopatric and phylogenetically unrelated to convict cichlids. Gambusia skin was used to control for a general response to injured fish. In response to conspecific cues, convict cichlids significantly increased time spent near the bottom of test aquaria and time under a shelter object. In response to Gambusia skin, convict cichlids tended to increase time spent near the tank bottom but did not increase use of the shelter object. There was a trade‐off between antipredator and agonistic behaviours. In response to convict cichlid cues, there was a significant reduction in the frequency of approaches and bites. Gambusia skin extract had no significant effect on aggressive behaviour. These data suggest a species‐specific antipredator response to conspecific alarm pheromones in a New World cichlid fish and demonstrate a trade‐off between predator avoidance and intraspecific aggression. Further, the presence of an alarm response in this model species sets the stage for the use of chemical cues as a research tool to manipulate predation risk in studies of the interaction between predation risk and reproductive behaviour.