bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mate Choice and Reproductive Success in the American Kestrel: a Role for Blood Parasites?
Authors: Wiehn Jürgen , Korpimáki Erkki , Bildstein Keith L. , Sorjonen Jorma 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBlood parasites of breeding American kestrels,Falco sparverius(40 males and 27 females), were investigated to determine their connections to male showiness, mating success and host fitness. The only haematozoan found in the blood films wasHaemoproteus tinnunculi(overall prevalence of 74% for females and 53% for males). In adult (+ 1‐year‐old) males, the subterminal tail band (character apparently used in female mate choice) was wider in infected males than in non‐infected males. This was consistent with the Hamilton—Zuk hypothesis of parasite‐mediated sexual selection. Our results also suggest that reproductive effort may increase susceptibility to parasitism. In yearling males, the proportion of individuals infected withH. tinnunuliwas higher among those tending a large than a small brood at the time of fledging. Hunting effort (proportion of time spent in flight‐hunting and wind‐hovering) was also higher for males tending large broods than for those tending small broods, and it was higher for yearling than adult males on a given brood size. Reproductive effort may result in greater exposure and/or decreased ability to control chronic latent infections. Parasitic infections, in turn, may have detrimental effects on host fitness.
Prey Detection in Two Tit Species, Parus ater and P. cristatus
Authors: Kothbauer‐Hellmann Renate , Winkler Hans 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe studied the prey‐detection response of two related tit species (Parus ater, coal tit, and P. cristatus, crested tit) which occur in similar habitats and which are separated by microhabitat use and mode of locomotion. Specifically, we tested whether the two species differ in their ability to detect cryptic prey, with the hypothesis that coal tits perform better because of their longer stays in microhabitat patches. We expected that interspecific differences and the flexible responses within species to different levels of prey crypticity both depend on search intensity. In the experiments, tits had to forage in four different prey conditions: conspicuous + small, conspicuous + large, cryptic + small, and cryptic + large. Capture success, the time needed to detect prey, and stare duration were measured. Both species were less successful with cryptic than with conspicuous prey and did worst with small and cryptic prey. They also needed more time for detection and stared longer when prey was cryptic. When prey had been overlooked, preceding stare durations were shorter than those ending in successful searches. There were clear differences between the species in performance, with the crested tit doing worse. Coal tits, on average, were more successful in detecting prey, returned less frequently to already emptied patches, detected prey faster and yet they stared more briefly. The within‐species results support current notions on predator search, but the differences between species cannot be explained with the same mechanisms. We discuss these findings in the context of the foraging ecology of these species and conclude that crested tits use different cues to detect prey and/or search a larger area per unit time.
Does Male Badge Size Signal Status in Small Island Populations of House Sparrows, Passer domesticus?
Authors: Solberg Erling Johan , Ringsby Thor Harald 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe relationship between dominance and throat badge size, body size, and body condition was examined in three small island populations of house sparrows, Passer domesticus, on the coast of northern Norway. Individual dominance rank in males was determined by observation of agonistic interactions in an artificial observation cage (one replicate in Dec. and one in Mar. in two populations and one replicate in Mar. in the third population). Previous studies had indicated that badge size signals status in house sparrows. In this study, because of the small population sizes and stability in their membership, we expected that prior information about fighting ability would reduce the importance of badge size for the outcome of conflicts in favour of traits most directly associated with fighting ability. In two of five replicates, significant relationships were found between components of body size and dominance rank, but in opposite directions. The relationship between badge size and dominance rank was consistently positive, but non‐significant. In a pooled sample of the three independent replicates, badge size was the best predictor of dominance, and no other variable explained any variance in dominance. However, the coefficient of determination was low and linearity of dominance hierarchies was poor. We therefore suggest that individual recognition may influence the dominance relationships.
Wing‐flick Signals in the Courtship of the African Cave Cricket, Phaeophilacris spectrum
Authors: Heidelbach J. , Dambach M. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe male of the African cave cricket Phaeophilacris spectrum (Saltatoria: Grylloidea: Phalangopsidae) possesses tegmina without stridulatory organs, and both females and males lack tympanal organs. Therefore acoustic communication in the usual sense, which is typical for most crickets, is absent in this species. However, adaptations of the wing articulation allow the males to flick their wings forward over their heads. During courtship these movements are performed in series of 4–5 wing‐flicks at a rate of 8–12 Hz (called wing‐flick series = WFS) which elicit low‐frequency air movements. Such signals may have taken over the functional significance of an acoustic ‘courtship song’. A quantitative analysis of the cricket's behaviour showed that in terms of frequency and total duration, ‘wing‐flick series’ and ‘rocking’ behaviour are the most prominent signals of the male's courtship display. Moreover, analysis of the spatial relationships between male and female demonstrates that the wing‐flicking is directed towards the female. The response of a female to a wing‐flicking, courting male seems mainly to be calmed down and to reach a passive, receptive state, necessary for subsequent copulation. Females confronted with a male's courtship display exhibited a significantly higher threshold to disturbing stimuli than uncourted ones.
Female Mate Preference for Males Having Long and Symmetric Fins in the Bower‐holding Cichlid Cyathopharynx furcifer
Authors: Karino Kenji 
Published: May 2010

AbstractFemale mate preference in a bower‐holding cichlid, Cyathopharynx furcifer, was studied in Lake Tanganyika. Most males held territories with crater‐shaped bowers in sand, but some males held territories without bowers. Territories were distributed adjacently and females visited them to spawn. After engaging in circling behaviour with the male, a female deposited eggs in the bower. Soon after spawning, the female picked the eggs up into her mouth and brooded them in places away from male territories. Female mate choice appeared to follow three steps: 1) females visited only bower‐holding male territories, and more frequently visited territories of males that performed courtship displays at a higher frequency and had longer pelvic fins; 2) females preferred to start circling with males having longer and more symmetrical pelvic fins; 3) females chose males with more symmetrical pelvic fins as their mates. Less than 7% of females that visited male territories spawned eggs in the bowers. In contrast to other bower‐holding species, bower size did not correlate with male reproductive success in C. furcifer. Bowers may therefore be essential as spawning sites or may function as a species recognition character for females. Female choice may be dependent instead on males having long and symmetrical pelvic fins apparent during the circling behaviour carried out in the bowers.
Predator‐induced Swarms in the Tadpoles of an African Savanna Frog, Phrynomantis microps
Authors: Rödel Mark‐Oliver , Linsenmair K. Eduard 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAggregations in tadpoles of the West African savanna frog Phrynomantis microps were often observed in their breeding ponds in our study area, situated in Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast. Experiments under seminatural conditions demonstrated that this behaviour was only shown while predators were present. The tadpoles reacted differently to different predators. Factors inducing swarm behaviour were optical (the predator) and/or chemical (liquid from injured tadpoles). Alarm substances are not species‐specific. Kinship seems not to play a role in swarm formation.
Aggressive Mimicry by the Characid Fish Erythrinus erythrinus
Authors: Brosset André 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe young Erythrinus erythrinus mimics the colour pattern of the female of its specific prey, the cyprinodont fish Rivulus agilae. The male Rivulus is attracted by the predator, and, when performing sexual display in front of it, is caught by the tail and swallowed. Various experiments in captivity confirm the constancy of this behavioural pattern.The morphological, ecological and behavioural specializations related to the aggressive mimicry by Erythrinus are described. The colour pattern of the young Erythrinus disappears completely when the fish becomes subadult and leaves the highly specialized habitat of the Rivulus, to settle in deeper water. Comparisons between the present case and other described cases of aggressive mimicry are made. The evolutionary processes involved in aggressive mimicry displayed by Erythrinus are examined: origin of the morphological adaptations in the predator, consequences for the population dynamics in the prey.
The Antipredator Vigilance of Adult and Juvenile Thirteen‐lined Ground Squirrels (Sciuridae: Spermophilus tridecemlineatus): Visual Obstruction and Simulated Hawk Attacks
Authors: Arenz Cody L. , Leger Daniel W. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractVisual antipredator vigilance was predicted to increase in the presence of visual obstructions that do not otherwise provide cover. This hypothesis was tested using 13‐lined ground squirrels as they fed in four Plexiglas boxes that varied in the extent and location of visual obstruction. Adults and juveniles of both sexes were studied. Adults reacted to long‐range lateral visual occlusion and total occlusion by withdrawing more often and assuming both more pronounced and lengthy alert postures relative to short‐range lateral occlusion and no occlusion. Juveniles were less vigilant than adults and did not behave differently in the four treatment conditions. There were no sex differences. Simulated hawk attacks on squirrels feeding in the boxes indicate that the greater vigilance of adults led to significantly reduced reaction times compared with juveniles.
Learning and Task Interference by Corpse‐removal Specialists in Honey Bee Colonies
Authors: Trumbo Stephen T. , Robinson Gene E. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractUndertakers are considered to be among the most specialized of pre‐foraging honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers. In this study we examined a possible benefit and a cost of the corpse‐rem oval specialty, the improvement in performance with experience, and interference by individuals attempting to perform the same task in the same location, respectively. Experienced bees removed corpses significantly faster than less experienced bees and also were less likely to drop corpses while exiting the hive (5.5% vs. 14.3% of attempts). Superior performance by experienced undertakers might occur as a consequence of learning, or by greater ability from the outset. Because active undertakers (≥ 3 corpse removals) did not improve with experience over their own careers, learning was not demonstrated. An extreme specialist, Yellow 54, removed a total of 114 corpses (33.8% of experimentally introduced dead bees) from the hive over a 13‐day period. This is the longest recorded tenure of undertaking to date and demonstrates how a few individuals can dominate this task in a honey bee colony‐Yellow 54 removed corpses significantly faster than other active bees, but she demonstrated no obvious improvement in performance over her undertaking career. This suggests the possibility that active undertakers were more talented than less active undertakers, irrespective of learning. When two undertakers worked together to remove a corpse from the hive, they took longer to complete the task than did single individuals. When multiple undertakers flew together from the hive, they were less likely to clear a nearby obstruction than single undertakers and were more likely to drop the corpse within 1 m of the hive. Thus, mutual interference exacted a measurable cost as a result of the undertaking specialization while learning provided few benefits.
Alarm Calling and Implications for Risk Perception in a Desert Baboon Population
Authors: Cowlishaw Guy 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPatterns of alarm calling and their implications for perceived predation risk were explored among adult baboons Papio cynocephalus ursinus in four social groups differing in both size and composition (22–55 members with one to six adult males) in a desert population. Data were collected in a field experiment where alarm calls were elicited from baboons under similar conditions of risk in response to the approach of a potential predator, a human observer. The results show that females call more frequently than males in most groups. In addition, the median calling rate of females shows an exponential increase in smaller groups. These patterns suggest that females in small groups may perceive the highest risk in this population. Nevertheless, there was no clear tendency for either sex to be the first to call. The observer approaches were also used to evaluate the influence of group size on the ease of detection of 1. the baboons by the observer; and 2. the observer by the baboons. Group size did not appear to affect detection distances for either subject, although the probability that baboons were more likely to perform alarm calls before the observer had detected them increased in smaller groups.
Social Organization and Foraging Behaviour of the Fishing Bat, Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera:Noctilionidae)
Authors: Brooke Anne P. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractFemale Noctilio leporinus roost in groups that remain together, associated with the same individuals and in the same location, for several years regardless of turnover in resident males and movements of the group to alternate roosts. Females scent marked themselves with the sub‐axial secretions of other females by rubbing their heads beneath other bats' wings. Males residing with female groups retain their tenure for two or more reproductive seasons. Bachelor males roost solitarily or in small groups apart from females. Together, these characteristics appear to form the basis of a polygynous social organization.Female N. leporinus foraged solitarily or in small groups with other females from the same roost group. Stable female roost groups forage together and return to the same foraging areas over long periods of time. Bats assembled into small groups outside of the roost and flew together to foraging areas. Females from one roost group were monitored using the same foraging area for over a year. Bats foraged close enough to each other to communicate the location of prey either passively or actively. Roosts were not used as information centres, as bats rarely followed each other from the roost to forage. Males foraged solitarily, utilizing areas that were different from, and larger than, those of the females.
Sponge Carrying by Dolphins (Delphinidae, Tursiops sp.): A Foraging Specialization Involving Tool Use?
Authors: Smolker Rachel , Richards Andrew , Connor Richard , Mann Janet , Berggren Per 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDuring long‐term research on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, several individuals were observed carrying sponges, Echinodictyum mesenterinum, on their rostra. Over multiple years, five regularly sighted individuals were usually carrying sponges when encountered (67–100% of encounters). Four additional regularly sighted individuals were observed with sponges just one time each. All five individuals that routinely carried sponges were female. Two of the anomalous, one‐time carriers were female, one was likely female, and one was male. Most observations of sponge carrying occurred within a restricted area, a relatively deep water channel (8–10 m deep). Surface observations of sponge carrying, including focal animal observations, revealed a stereotyped surfacing and diving pattern, and occasional indications of prey consumption. Three hypotheses are considered regarding the function of sponge carrying: 1. dolphins were playing with the sponges; 2. the sponges contain some compound of use to the dolphins (e.g. for medicinal purposes); and 3. the sponges were used as a tool to aid in foraging. The foraging tool hypothesis is best supported, but the exact manner in which sponges are used remains to be discovered. Sponge carrying is a behavioural specialization, probably involving foraging, and regularly engaged in by only a small proportion of female dolphins in Shark Bay.
Autonomous Learning in Maze Solution by Octopus
Authors: Moriyama Tohru , Gunji Yukio‐Pegio 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe tested seven octopuses, Octopus vulgaris, in maze‐learning experiments. They tried to reach the goal, so as to get a reward, by using various locomotory actions in the path, and sometimes encountered obstacles. They came to select efficient swimming actions in the path; afterwards less efficient tactile actions (crawling, staying put, and so on: these reduce the speed of movement) gradually increased, while time to detour around the obstacle was reduced. To investigate whether octopuses reduce time spent detouring around obstacles by estimating their actions in the path, we devised a trade‐off situation in which octopuses were obliged to use tactile actions even though the set‐up also encouraged them to use swimming actions. As a result, we could observe that they reduced the detouring time. In that way, we experimentally constituted a perspective as if octopuses looked around the whole maze and estimated their actions. Such a perspective appeared to be autonomous learning.
Diet Overlap and Polyspecific Associations of Red Colobus and Diana Monkeys in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast
Authors: Wachter Bettina , Schabel Maria , Noë Ronald 
Published: May 2010

AbstractOne possible explanation for the occurrence of the frequent associations between red colobus monkeys and Diana monkeys we observed in Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, is that the two species meet by chance at commonly used food patches. An analysis of the overlap of diets showed, however, that foraging in the same trees could only explain a fraction of the total time in association. Therefore two functional explanations are considered: improvement of foraging efficiency and reduction of mortality due to predation. We did not find any evidence for an improved access to food sources. We conclude that, by default, the predation hypothesis provides the most plausible explanation.
Size‐dependent Mating Behaviours of Male Sand‐bubbler Crab, Scopimera globosa: Alternative Tactics in the Life History
Authors: Koga Tsunenori , Murai Minoru 
Published: May 2010

AbstractFactors leading to the separation of mating behaviours were investigated in the sand‐bubbler crab, Scopimera globosa. The crabs mated on the surface (surface copulation, SC) and underground (UC). UC males were large (old) whilst SC males were small (young). Burrowless females bred in the UC males' burrows. These females accepted UC in exchange for access to a burrow. UC occurred much more frequently than SC in the burrow area in which females oviposited. Most SC occurred in the water‐saturated area affording a rich diet. SC was accepted by most large and small females in both areas and most UC by small females in the burrow area. SC was an alternative to UC for males in that there was a size dependence between types of copulation. These two mating behaviours involved different degrees of interaction with neighbouring males. Males attempting to carry a female to their burrows for UC were more often disturbed by other males than were males attempting SC. In the interaction for both UC and SC, larger males were likely to resist the disturbances. UC males needed their own burrows, but these burrows were not enlarged before mating. UC males have a higher paternity of eggs than SC males, because SC males' sperm is often displaced by other males. Thus, UC was a behaviour with relatively higher costs and benefits for male crabs than SC behaviour. Alternative mating behaviours in male S. globosa are conditional, and explained by intrasexual interactions and a male life history strategy with a trade‐off between growth and reproduction. It is not likely that the size dependence of male mating behaviour is caused by mate preference of females for UC males in the burrow area.
Sexual Strategies of a North American ‘Tarantula’ (Araneae: Theraphosidae)
Authors: Shillington Cara , Verrell Paul 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDespite their general notoriety and popularity as pets, little is known of the behavioural ecology of ‘tarantulas’ or theraphosid spiders. We studied a theraphosid of the Arizona deserts,Aphonopelmasp., to determine behavioural events crucial to successful courtship and mating. Males search for spatially scattered females and, at short range, may detect females by substrate‐borne cues. When two males are present with a single female, no direct competition such as aggression is observed. Both males may mate with a single female in rapid succession, with no evidence of post‐copulatory mate guarding. Despite the potential for sexual cannibalism, courtship and mating behaviour patterns exhibit few aggressive elements and males nearly always survive sexual encounters with females. The mating system of thisAphonopelmaspecies may best be described as a type of scramble‐competition polygyny, in which the ability of males to locate receptive females is an important determinant of mating success in males. Multiple mating by females renders predictions concerning fertilization success uncertain, due to the possibility of sperm competition and ‘cryptic’ female mate choice.
Chemical Alarm Signalling in Terrestrial Salamanders: Intra‐ and Interspecific Responses
Authors: Chivers Douglas P. , Kiesecker Joseph M. , Wildy Erica L. , Anderson Michael T. , Blaustein Andrew R. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractChemical alarm cues are known to be important in mediating predator avoidance in a variety of taxonomic groups. The purpose of this study was to test whether three species of salamanders that co‐occur in the coastal mountains of Oregon utilize chemical alarm cues in predator avoidance. In laboratory experiments, Western redback salamanders, Plethodon vehiculum, and Southern torrent salamanders, Rhyacotriton variegatus, exhibited an avoidance response to stimuli from injured conspecifics, while Dunn's salamanders, Plethodon dunni did not. Additional experiments demonstrated interspecific alarm responses. P. vehiculum and R. variegatus responded to each other's alarm cues but did not respond to the alarm cues of allotopic long‐toed salamanders, Ambystoma macrodactylum. For R. variegatus, this is despite the fact that they are more closely related to the allotopic species (A. macrodactylum) than to the syntopic species (P. vehiculum). Thus phylogeny alone may not explain patterns of cross‐species alarm responses. Instead, interspecific alarm responses may occur between syntopic species that belong to the same prey guild (i.e. those species that co‐occur spatially and temporally and are exposed to the same suite of predators).