bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Spontaneous and Odor‐induced Chin Marking in Male and Female Domestic Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domestica)
Authors: Martínez‐Gómez Margarita , Guarneros Madai , Zempoalteca René , Hudson Robyn 
Published: May 2010

AbstractChin marking by the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is one of the classic but still little understood examples of mammalian chemical communication. To investigate whether the sexes differ in performance of this behavior, we compared the frequency of spontaneous chinning and chinning in response to the chin marks of conspecifics in 20 intact male and 20 intact female chinchilla‐breed rabbits, and in five gonadectomized animals of each sex. Contrary to the expectation of greater chinning activity in males, no significant sex differences were found. Frequencies of spontaneous chinning were similar in the two sexes, large and stable individual differences were observed in both, chinning increased in both when marks from unfamiliar conspecifics were present, and both directed chin marks to objects marked by conspecifics more than to unmarked objects. Individual chinning frequencies correlated positively with urination but not defecation in both sexes, and spontaneous and odor‐induced chinning were significantly reduced both in castrated and ovariectomized animals. The findings suggest that chinning is an equally significant part of the communication system of male and female rabbits and that its expression may be regulated by similar olfactory, hormonal, and social mechanisms.
Costs and Benefits of Maternal Care in a Subsocial Spider, Coelotes terrestris
Authors: Gundermann Jean‐Luc , Horel André , Roland Chantal 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe maternal social spider Coelotes terrestris demonstrates extended care towards its progeny: the mother guards its egg sac for 3–4 weeks, then stays with its young from the time of their emergence until their dispersal about 1 month later. The present investigation evaluates the adaptiveness of these maternal behaviours by comparing the fitness of females performing them with that of females separated from the egg sac or the spiderlings. By protecting their egg sacs from predation and parasites, and by pursuing this task while supplying the young with food, mothers enhance the survival rate and the development of many of their spiderlings. The costs linked with these activities, estimated by the ability to produce another clutch, appear variable according to the stage in the reproductive cycle. In such terms, the egg sac guarding appears to have a low cost in relation to the care given to the spiderlings.
Learning Influences Courtship Preferences of Male Threespine Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Authors: Jenkins Jennifer R. , Rowland William J. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMale threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) prefer to court the more gravid of a pair of dummy females (Rowland1982, 1989). In this study, males were trained to modify their courtship preferences. Males were given two pre‐punishment preference trials during which two dummy females—one approximating a normally gravid female and the other, a supergravid female, possessing an abnormally large abdomen — were simultaneously presented to males. After pre‐punishment trials, males were subjected to one of two punishment procedures: punishment with weak electric shock (Experiment I) or punishment by the removal of females to simulate female retreat (Experiment II). During punishment trials, males were punished each time they courted the supergravid dummy. Control males were subjected to identical trials, but were not punished for courting the supergravid dummy. Post‐punishment preference trials were given to all males (Experiments I and II). The results of Experiments I and II were similar. Punished and control males did not differ in their courtship preferences in pre‐punishment trials; they preferred to court the supergravid dummy. Punished males, however, spent a significantly lower proportion of time visiting and directed a smaller proportion of zigzags (a courtship display) toward the supergravid dummy than did control males during punishment training (Experiment I) and post‐punishment preference trials (Experiments I and II). These results suggest that courtship preferences of male threespine sticklebacks can be modified through learning. Such a mechanism could be important for adaptive mate choice under natural conditions.
Aimed Object‐throwing by a Wild African Elephant in an Interspecific Encounter
Authors: Wickler Wolfgang , Seibt Uta 
Published: May 2010

AbstractA wild and presumably female African elephant (Loxodonta africana) was observed when she threw with her trunk various materials ‐ mud, soil, vegetation ‐ to an interfering white rhino (Ceratotherium simum). Objectthrowing, a special type of animal tool‐behaviour, seems to be used by elephants not only in aggression but also for exploration
The Response to Novel Foods in Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): The Effects of Different Social Contexts
Authors: Vitale Augusto , Queyras Armelle 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe main aim of this study was to verify if the response to novel foods in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is influenced by different social settings. This question was tested in three tests involving four social groups. The data regarding the response to novel foods were collected from a total of eight food‐naive young. In particular, we explored if direct contacts between food‐naive and experienced individuals would have a different effect on the response to novel food by the first, in comparison with a situation in which only visual contacts were allowed. These two different social settings were then compared to a situation in which the response to novel food was not mediated by the experience of group‐mates. The results showed a significantly higher number of intervals in which naive young, in social settings, were observed feeding compared with a control test. However, this result was confirmed only in the case of novel foods, not in the case of familiar foods. Furthermore, in the tests in which direct social contacts were allowed, naive young obtained food from group‐mates significantly more often in the case of novel than familiar foods. This study suggests that although naive young, when left in pairs, responded quickly to novel foods without the need to observe or interact with experienced group‐mates, a process of social facilitation was evident. Such a process was not observed in the case of familiar foods, confirming the hypothesis that social facilitation operates in order to acquire novel foods in the diet of the group in the long term.
Electrocommunication and Social Behaviour in Marcusenius senegalensis (Mormyridae, Teleostei)
Authors: Scheffel Andreas , Kramer Bernd 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe electric organ discharges (EODs) of Marcusenius senegalensis, a West African freshwater fish, are bipolar pulses of short duration (220 ± SE 13 μs). In males (n = 10; 10.1–13.1 cm standard length — which is around the size of getting mature), the duration of EOD pulses was of significantly greater variance than in females (n = 9; 9.8–12.8 cm standard length). Male EODs also showed a tendency for a longer duration than female EODs.Groups of three as well as of 14 M. senegalensis formed temporary schools in a ‘naturally’ equipped 720‐1 tank. While swimming slowly in a loose school during their nocturnal active phase, fish discharged in irregular long‐short‐long inter‐EOD interval patterns. Near neighbours displayed a tendency to discharge in intervals of similar duration (nearest neighbour distance < 1/2 fish length).On removal of a plastic partition that had separated a pair of fish for at least 3 days, mutual threat displays followed by fighting were observed. During threatening, the fish alternated regularly between bursts of a high discharge rate and short discharge breaks; the rate of change was 4/s.The subdominant animal in a group of two was attacked frequently and often ceased discharging when the dominant fish approached. Courtship behaviour involving gonadally mature fish was accompanied by high‐discharge‐rate displays with intervals of constant duration in both fish, and the reciprocal display of ‘preferred’ EOD latencies in the 12 ms range.The results demonstrate electric communication by distinct inter‐discharge interval patterns in the social behaviour of this mormyrid fish.
Scent Counter‐marking by Male Meadow Voles: Females Prefer the Top‐scent Male
Authors: Johnston Robert E. , Sorokin Evan S. , Ferkin Michael H. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractScent counter‐marking, in which one individual deposits scent in close proximity to the scent of another individual, is a widespread but poorly understood aspect of olfactory communication. Recent work with golden hamsters suggests that animals may have specially evolved mechanisms for determining which individual has marked most recently, and this work emphasizes the need for studies with other species. In Experiment 1 it was shown for the first time that male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, scent mark with urine and anogenital scents and probably also counter‐mark with these scents. Female meadow voles, after investigation of an area marked by two males, preferred the whole‐body odours of the male that had marked the arena most recently (Experiment 2). After females investigated a male's home cage that had just been marked by another male, they again preferred the whole‐body odours of the male that had marked in the cage most recently (Experiment 3). These results demonstrate that female voles, like male hamsters, can distinguish the top or most recent individual's scent from the bottom or older scent in places marked by two males, and further indicate that female voles may prefer the individual that deposited the top scent. Taken together, the results suggest that counter‐marking by male voles may be a type of competitive advertising and that females may base mate‐choice decisions on information from the pattern of such counter‐marks.
Fighting in Males of the Autumn Spider, Metellina segmentata: Effects of Relative Body Size, Prior Residency and Female Value on Contest Outcome and Duration
Authors: Hack Mace A. , Thompson David J. , Fernandes Donna M. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractMales of the autumn spider, Metellina segmentata (***Araneac: Metidae), compete for access to mates by guarding the orb webs of mature females. We investigated the influences of relative male righting ability and resource value on fighting behaviour by staging interactions in the field on webs occupied by females. In these contests, the larger male nearly always defeated its opponent when it was at least 10% greater in size. For smaller size asymmetries between opponents, the male previously resident on the female's web usually won the contest. Contest duration decreased exponentially with increasing size asymmetry between opponents, as predicted if each male assessed its relative size and adjusted its fighting strategy according to its likelihood of winning. Contest duration was also greater when the prior resident was the lighter opponent, or when size and residency asymmetries favoured different opponents as winners. Prior residents fought longer over larger, more fecund females, indicating an adjustment of fighting effort according to assessments of resource value. In contrast, intruders did not increase their fighting effort over larger females, suggesting an inability to assess female size quickly and accurately. Assessment appears to reduce the costs of settling conflicts, but imperfect information can result in inaccurate assessments and unexpected outcomes. Assessment strategies are used by other types of spiders to resolve contests, but this appears to be the first evidence for such strategies among orb‐web‐building spiders.
Dimorphic Males Display Alternative Reproductive Strategies in the Marine Amphipod Jassa marmorata Holmes (Corophioidea: Ischyroceridae)
Authors: Clark Rachel Ann 
Published: May 2010

AbstractDiscrete dimorphism of males within a species is often the result of selection for alternative reproductive strategies, and these strategies may be evolutionarily stable (ESS). An ESS may be either mixed (genetically fixed differences) or conditional (flexible differences related to varying environmental conditions) (PARKER 1984). Mature males of the marine amphipod Jassa marmorata are dimorphic. Large ‘major’ males have a greatly enlarged thumb (propodus) on their 2nd gnathopods, while small ‘minor’ males exhibit thumbs that are reduced, and CONIAN (1989) suggested that minors may exhibit a different mating strategy from majors. Ratios of males and females fluctuate seasonally (FRANZ 1989) and female body size is inversely correlated with temperature (FRANZ 1989) so male dimorphism could be a flexible response to varying environmental conditions. I sampled a natural population of J. marmorata over a 1‐yr period, quantified major and minor morphology, and measured male behaviour and mating success in experimental arenas that contained varying proportions of male morphs and females. Morphology of the two morphs is discrete; female body size varies with season with significantly smaller individuals in summer and fall; body size predicts morph type; and ratios of majors, minors and females fluctuate seasonally. Finally I showed that majors and minors use different mating tactics to gain access to receptive females, and that these behaviours depend on the male's own morphology and on the environmental setting that it finds itself in. Major males fight, display and attempt to evict other males to mate with receptive females. Minors never fight with, display to or attempt to evict majors, but they infrequently display to and attempt to evict other minor males. Furthermore, mating success of the two morphs was not significantly different and may depend on whether males are with a majority or minority of their own type. These data support the conclusion that major and minor male J. marmorata display evolutionarily stable alternative reproductive strategics, but more work should address the nature of this ESS.
Territorial Behaviour and Social Organization as a Function of the Level of Aggressiveness in Male Mice
Authors: Sandnabba N. Kenneth 
Published: May 2010

AbstractTerritoriality and social organization were examined in relation to different genetic dispositions for aggressive behaviour. The animals used in the study were male mice of the 51st and 52nd generation of selection for high (Turku Aggressive, TA) and low (Turku Non‐Aggressive, TNA) levels of aggressiveness. The level of aggressiveness of the animals was assessed by means of individual tests with non‐aggressive standard opponents, after which they were allowed to form individual territories in a 102 times 204 times 90 cm enclosure. TA and TNA males were placed in different enclosures. After 2 wk, when the partitions between individual pens were removed, the behaviour of the animals was observed for a 7‐d period. Excessive fighting between the highly aggressive TA males occurred, resulting in the formation of dominant‐subordinate relationships. A great number of attacks inflicted were found to be associated with dominance in the colony, and correlated with a high level of aggressiveness when the animals were individually tested for aggression after having been in colony environments. The level of aggressiveness of the TA males that had become subordinates had significantly decreased. The TNA males fought less and were more often found to stay in their original territory for the entire period of observation. The results suggest that different genotypes for aggression arc related to differences in territoriality and social organization in mice.
Nest Predation Avoidance: an Alternative Explanation for Male Incubation in Acrocephalus melanopogon
Authors: Kleindorfer S. , Hoi H. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractIn the monogamous moustached warbler, male incubation changes from predictably variable (it is dependent on ambient temperature and time of day in April) to high average levels across the day (with no predictor variables in May) as the season progresses. In contrast, females contribute the constant incubation component from April to May. This paper investigates possible explanations for the change in male incubation effort involving changing risks to either (1) embryonic survival within the egg, and/or (2) egg predation. Using egg temperature readouts, the probability of reaching the 25 °C thermal threshold (below which embryonic development ceases) across the season against the probability of predator sightings 0–15 m from the nest was calculated. The results show an inverse relationship between these two risks. During April, male incubation correlates with egg cold stress and changeovers between males and females occur prior to egg cooling below the thermal stress line. During May, the risk of predation increases. The results show increased predator encounter rates from April to May and active nest defense by the incubating parent. Furthermore, high male incubation reduces brood predation. Selection for reduction of the costs of laying replacement clutches (after predation) is suggested given high male incubation and infrequent male‐female changeovers during midday, when egg temperatures are highest, with direct benefits to females of increased foraging. Thus, the shift in male incubation across the season may be explained by minimization of changing risk to offspring survival.
Increased Response of the Short‐Toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla in Sympatry to the Playback of the Song of the Common Treecreeper C. familiaris
Authors: Gil Diego 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThe two European species of treecreepers, the short‐toed treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla and the common treecreeper C. familiaris, occupy different habitats, but are sympatric to a certain extent. The response to specific and heterospecific song was studied both in a sympatric and in an allopatric population of short‐toed treecreeper in the Iberian Mountains (Burgos, Castilla‐León, Spain). Short‐toed treecreepers in sympatry showed a more aggressive response towards the song of the common treecreeper than those in allopatry. Although strict interspecific territoriality was not found, the experimental data suggest that the altitudinal distribution pattern of the two species may be a consequence of the increased aggression. This interspecific aggression may be advantageous for the short‐toed treecreeper, as it may achieve a loose interspecific territoriality resulting in some spacing. However, a non‐adaptive hypothesis for this behaviour cannot be rejected.
The Effect of Hunger on Shoal Choice in Golden Shiners (Pisces: Cyprinidae, Notemigonus crysoleucas)
Authors: Reebs Stephan G. , Saulnier Nancy 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWhen an animal has a choice of joining one group over another, its decision may depend on its relative vulnerabilities to predation and starvation. For example, a well‐fed animal may choose a large group of individuals with body size matching its own because this gives good protection against predators, but a hungry animal may prefer smaller groups made up of smaller individuals because this decreases food competition. To test this idea, a choice between various shoals was given to golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas, that were either well fed or deprived of food for 48 h. In a choice of 10 vs. 3 shoalmates, both well‐fed and hungry shiners spent more time near the shoal of 10. In a choice of 20 vs. 3 shoalmates, both well‐fed and hungry shiners again preferred the larger shoal, but in one replicate this preference was significantly weaker in the hungry fish. This reduced preference did not appear to be an artefact of increased mobility by hungry fish searching for food. In a choice between shoals of small vs. large conspecifics, small well‐fed shiners, small hungry shiners, and large well‐fed shiners preferred shoalmates with body size matching their own, but large hungry shiners preferred smaller individuals. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that hungry fish sacrifice safety from predation in their shoaling behaviour (by avoiding larger groups to a certain extent and by risking the oddity effect) so as to decrease food competition.
Reciprocal Allogrooming in Wild Impala Lambs
Authors: Mooring Michael S. , Hart Benjamin L. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAdult impala engage in a form of reciprocal allogrooming distinguished by a high degree of reciprocity and ***lack of influence of dominance or relatedness on partner preference or distribution of grooming between partners. A previous study on reciprocal allogrooming of captive newborn impala lambs in a zoological park found that the allogrooming emerged as early as the first week after birth and was identical in structure and reciprocity to allogrooming in adults. Because these findings of apparently unique allogrooming behavior of newborn impala could have been a reflection of the effects of being born and raised in a small, stable captive herd, it was necessary to investigate reciprocal allogrooming in newborn impala in the wild. The emergence, reciprocity, rate, and partner distribution of reciprocal allogrooming in wild newborn impala were observed at two study sites: a national park in Zimbabwe and a game farm in South Africa. Maternal one‐way grooming between mother and newborn emerged as distinct from reciprocal allogrooming and rapidly declined after week 1 postpartum. Reciprocal allogrooming by lambs was first seen between 5 and 8 d postpartum, and as soon as the behavior occurred it was the same basic pattern as seen in adult impala. The reciprocity index for lambs was near 0.5, indicating that lambs delivered as much grooming during an encounter as the partner. Lambs were grooming frequently with non‐mother adults and other lambs by week 1 or 2; by week 3 and onward the allogrooming rate of lambs was more than twice that of their mothers, as predicted by the body size principle of the programmed grooming model. The strong predisposition of neonatal impala lambs to deliver reciprocal allogrooming as early as the first or second week postpartum would appear to reflect a genetically acquired adaptation to the threat of tick infestation in their natural habitat.