bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reproductive behaviour in the neotropical foam-nesting frog Pleurodema diplolistris (Leptodactylidae)
Authors: Hödl Walter 
Published: April 2008

AbstractField observations and laboratory video studies were conducted on call production and foam-nest construction of the leptodactylid frog, Pleurodema diplolistris, in João Pessoa, Paraiba (Brazil). Males call during the night while floating on the water surface. Sound is generated by the inspiratory airstream during pulmonary respiration. Calls have a mean duration of 11.4 s and consist of a series oflow frequency notes given at a mean rate of 536 min-1. Pairs mate in axillary amplexus while floating on the water surface. Between 528 and 748 eggs are deposited in a foam nest. Nesting bouts can be divided into three consecutive phases: (1) female lordosis and egg extrusion and male basket formation; (2) foam beating, and (3) foam smoothing by the male. Bouts last up to 2.9 s and occur at a mean rate of 6.0 min-1. Fifty-one to 101 activity phases are needed to complete nest construction, which lasts between 6:48 and 17:04 min. Interconnected, communal nests outnumber single foam masses. Larvae hatch 22 to 26 h after oviposition at the external gill stage.
A laboratory experiment on interspecific competition between tadpoles of Geocrinia victoriana and Pseudophryne semimarmorata (Anura, Myobatrachinae)
Authors: Gollmann Birgit , Gollmann Günter 
Published: April 2008

AbstractLarval growth of Geocrinia victoriana and Pseudophryne semimarmorata was studied in tanks housing tadpoles of either species and mixed groups, providing the same density (individuals/water volume) in all containers. Tadpoles of P. semimarmorata were larger at hatching than G. victoriana, they reached metamorphic climax earlier and at larger sizes. In mixed groups, P. semimarmorata experienced relaxation of intraspecific competition; they metamorphosed at bigger sizes than controls kept only with conspecifics. In the presence of P. semimarmorata, G. victoriana showed slower growth initially; they metamorphosed later than the controls, but at similar sizes.
Comportement agonistique du gecko géant diurne Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis
Authors: Delheusy Véronique , Bels Vincent 
Published: April 2008

AbstractLes comportements agonistiques du Gekkonidae Phelsuma madagascariensis sont décrits et leurs séquences analysées. Treize comportements sont classés suivant les régions du corps mises en jeu: les contacts entre la tête d'un lézard et une partie du corps de l'autre lézard, les mouvements du corps, de la tête et de la langue. Un test de chi-carré montre que les suites observées entre ces classes de comportements ne sont pas aléatoires. L'ensemble des comportements et leurs suites sont analysés à partir des stimulations possibles apportées par et vers chaque mâle. Les mouvements de langue interviennent dans les suites de comportements les plus fréquentes; que ces suites soient calculées pour l'ensemble des individus ou soient des transitions entre comportement précédant et suivant au sein d'une séquence comportementale établie par un individu. Les oscillations de langue auraient deux rôles importants: ils interviendraient en tant que signal visuel et en tant que mouvement augmentant les possibilités olfactives ou vomérolfactives de ces Gekkonidae. Les mouvements de la tête sont latéraux comme chez de nombreux Geckos. La relation entre le nombre moyen de comportement et la distance entre les individus est utilisée pour estimer le rôle et le changement de rôle des comportements les plus fréquents au sein des parades agonistiques. Les contacts à courte distance (<8 cm) pourraient remplacer les mouvements de langue utilisés le plus fréquemment à plus grande distance.
A new species of Scolecoseps (Reptilia: Scincidae) from southeastern Tanzania
Authors: Broadley Donald G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA specimen of Scolecoseps from Litipo Forest in southeastern Tanzania is compared with previously recorded material and described as a new species, S. litipoensis, which shows affinities with the forest-dwelling genus Melanoseps. The type species of the genus, S. boulengeri, is considered to be a derived form which has moved into a savanna habitat. The status of S. acontias remains uncertain due to the inadequate description and destruction of the type specimen.
Allozyme variation in three closely related species of Caucasian rock lizards (Lacerta)
Authors: MacCulloch Ross D. , Jinzhong Fu  , Darevsky Ilya S. , Danielyan F.D. , Murphy Robert W. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Genetic diversity at 37 allozyme loci was surveyed from Lacerta valentini (4 populations), L. portschinskii and L. rudis (1 population each). The number of polymorphic loci ranged from 1 (L. valentini) to 11 (L. rudis). Mean heterozygosity (direct count) ranged from 0.003 (L. valentini) to 0.071 (L. rudis). Nei's (1978) genetic distance ranged from 0-0.03 among populations of L. valentini, 0.127-0.163 between L. valentini and L. rudis and 0.366-0.487 between L. portschinskii and the two other taxa. Indices of genetic variability for species having disjunct distributions were lower than in species with contiguous distributions, similar to the case of insular populations, which have lower values than do mainland populations.
Double-clutching by natterjack toads Bufo calamita at a site in Southern England
Authors: Denton Jonathan S. , Beebee Trevor J.C. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The breeding behaviour of female natterjack toads Bufo calamita at an isolated population in Hampshire, UK was investigated over a period of four years. In all four breeding seasons some (2-10) females laid two clutches of spawn, the first direct evidence of double-spawning by natterjacks in the wild. The mean period between clutch depositions was 63 days and the first clutches contained about twice as many eggs as the second ones. Double-clutching females were significantly larger than single-clutching ones, but not significantly larger than early spawners which were found in amplexus again late in the season but which did not spawn a second time. Late spawn, including second clutches, failed to produce toadlets in any of the four years of study.
Measuring snake activity patterns: The influence of habitat heterogeneity on catchability
Authors: Whiting Martin J. , Dixon James R. , Greene Brian D. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Activity patterns for two populations of the Concho water snake (Nerodia harteri paucimaculata) were studied in a large lake system in central Texas, USA, and compared to a river population. Trap data suggested different activity patterns for the two geographically proximate lake populations. Testing of the trap data using the program CAPTURE revealed differences in catchability rather than activity cycles. Based on these results, the apparent activity patterns for one of the lake sites was considered erroneous; and the differences in catchability were ascribed to habitat differences. It is suggested that future studies should incorporate a test of equal catchability when making interpopulational comparisons.
On two little known African water snakes (Crotaphopeltis degeni and C. barotseensis)
Authors: Rasmussen Jens Bødtker 
Published: April 2008

AbstractDegen's Water Snake (Crotaphopeltis degeni) and the Barotse Water Snake (C. barotseensis) are two little known members of the almost Pan-African snake genus, Crotaphopeltis. An examination of all available material deposited in museums provides records of C. degeni from Tanzania and Cameroon which are outside the previously known geographical range. Populations of C. degeni differ in respect to number of ventrals and caudals, the relative position of the heart and the ornamentation of the hemipenes. As the variation of the various characters is discordant, no nomenclatural conclusions have been reached. The few observations on the biology of these species have been accumulated.
Description of a second species of the genus Xenohyla (Anura: Hylidae)
Authors: Caramaschi Ulisses 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe second known species of the genus Xenohyla is described from the State of Bahia, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from X. truncata mainly by the retention of young color pattern in adults, and by inhabiting completely different environment, associated to disjunct distribution and distinct habitat.
Some Aspects of the Foraging Behaviour of Bumble-Bees
Authors: Manning Aubrey 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBumble-bees foraging an Hound's-tongue return to the same plants again and again for a period of 10 days or more. When the plants are close together (6' or less apart), they visit them in a rather irregular fashion, and experiments show that, while they have some knowledge of the position of individual plants with respect to other landmarks, bees are responding largely to the general form of the plants. They become conditioned to the form very rapidly after a few visits to plants, when they are responding largely to the flowers. On the other hand, when bees are visiting more distant plants, more than (12') 4 m apart, they are reacting almost entirely to the site of each. This, it has been shown, they fix with great accuracy during one or more brief orientation flights upon leaving the plant after their first few visits to it. They often find distant and partly hidden plants during the course of rambling 'searching flights', which usually start from the central group of plants. After a short time they develop a distinct route among the distant plants, and their flight is usually very direct, in contrast to the wavering flight within the central group, where they frequently react to and search for flowers, on other flowerless plants which resemble Hound's-tongue in general form. It is suggested that much of this behaviour is a direct adaptation to the Hound's-tongue plant because its flowers, though yielding abundant nectar, are so small and inconspicuous. This is confirmed by a comparison with the behaviour of bees foraging on Foxglove, which has very large, conspicuous flowers. Here bees rely almost entirely on direct stimuli from the flowers and never become conditioned to the form of the plant or visit plants without flowers. They learn practically nothing of the positions of plants which are close together, but do learn the sites of individual plants when these are more than about 12 feet from the next nearest. Unlike bees visiting Hound's-tongue, Foxglove bees become firmly conditioned to the colour of the flowers, and do not visit paper models of any colour other than a purple, closely resembling that of the real flowers. These results show that the foraging behaviour of bumble-bees is most flexible and that they can adapt themselves to suit very different features of the plants they visit. Hound's-tongue and Foxglove probably represent two extremes, and between them there may be many plants where both the flowers and general form play a part in guiding bees. The evolutionary implications of the work are briefly discussed.
Notes On the Behavior of Some North American Gulls. Iii. Pairing Behavior
Authors: Moynihan M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper includes descriptions of the pair-formation and later pairing behavior of Franklin's Gull and the Ring-billed Gull ; and some notes on the pair-formation of the Laughing Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, and the american Herring Gull. The pairing of all these species is similar in many fundamental characters. Pair-formation begins with a selective response by unmated females to a series of hostile displays by unmated males. It is continued by a series of repeated mutual hostile performances between the sexes, gradually diminishing in strength. There are considerable differences in the form, frequency, and orientation of some of the homologous hostile displays used by different species during this phase. Sexual behavior, with its associated patterns, (many of which are still partly or completely hostile, but relatively weak), appears after the initial strong hostile reaction between the sexes has begun to decline. These sexual patterns and associated activities are almost identical in all gulls. The observed forms of pairing in the Laughing Gull and the Herring Gull were rather different from previously published descriptions of the process in these species; which would seem to indicate that some aspects of pairing (the social situation in which it occurs) may vary considerably within the same species.
A Theory of the Behavior of Paramecium Aurelia and Behavioral Effects of Feeding, Fission, and Ultraviolet Microbeam Irradiation
Authors: Jensen Donald D. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractParamecium aurelia is the subject of a theory of behavior composed of postulates describing the presence, action, and interaction of three pacemakers: a posterior pacemaker which produces ciliary beat backward along the kineties; a buccal pacemaker which produces ciliary beat toward the suture line and the buccal overture in the vestibulum ; and an anterior pacemaker which produces ciliary beat away from the suture line and the buccal overture in the vestibulum and forward along the kineties elsewhere. Commonly observed behaviors of paramecia are derived from the theory and six experiments relevant to the theory are described. In three experiments, the culture medium in which paramecia were observed was varied. Presence of bacteria and non-nutritive particulate matter decreased swimming scores and increased swimming turn rates. In one of these experiments prior as well as immediate presence of bacteria in culture fluid varied. Prior availability of food bacteria increased swimming scores and contact turn rates. These results are consistent with the theory if it is assumed that immediate presence of particulate matter increases buccal pacemaker activity and that prior availability of food bacteria increases posterior pacemaker activity. In another experiment animals were observed during and following binary fission. During fission swimming scores decreased, and following fission the proters had lower swimming scores and contact turn rates than opisthes. These results are consistent with the theory if it is assumed that periods in which all ciliary beat is absent occur in parent animals during fission, and in proters following fission. Such periods were observed in dividing animals. Opisthes had higher swimming turn rates following fission than prior to it; this result is consistent with the theory if it is assumed that newly organized buccal pacemakers are unusually active. In two other experiments, the anterior tips, buccal cavities, and posterior tips of paramecia were subjected to ultraviolet microbeam irradiation. Irradiated animals moved more during and immediately following irradiation than they moved prior to irradiation or than control animals did. Posteriorly irradiated animals moved forward, anteriorly irradiated animals moved backward. Irradiation also influenced behavior during a subsequent two-minute observation period. Anteriorly irradiated animals had higher swimming scores, lower contact turn rates, and a greater tendency to swim backward. Animals irradiated in the buccal cavity had lower swimming turn rates and higher swimming turn durations; posteriorly irradiated animals had lower swimming scores, contact turn rates, and swimming turn rates. These results are consistent with the theory if pacemakers near irradiated areas are temporarily activated by irradiation and are hyposensitive and hyperreactive following irradiation. A number of research problems were suggested.
The Motivational Organisation Controlling the Mobbing Calls of the Blackbird (Turdus Mer Ula) Iv. a General Discussion of the Calls of the Blackbird and Certain Other Passerines
Authors: Andrew R.J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractI. All the main vocalisations of the Blackbird (excluding song) have as one of their causes the presence of a frightening object. The alarm call 'seee' may depend on the same action potential as the 'duck' group of calls. The causation of mobbing calls given in subsong is discussed. 2. The motivational organisation underlying the mobbing calls is such that they (or their variants) occur adaptively in a number of quite different contexts (e.,g. mobbing, fledgling location calls) and also in a context (reproductive fighting) where they are probably not adaptive. 3. Two Buntings (Emberiza spp.) have calls which are apparently motivated in the same way as the 'duck' group of calls. In one of them, the general threshold for calling appears to be permanently high in the adult. 4. The motivation of behaviour by a 'conflict of drives' is discussed. A simple behaviour pattern which genuinely depends on the interaction of two systems controlling groups of acts may be caused in two different ways. It may depend on the summation of positive effects from both systems. Alternatively it may depend on only one of the systems, but occur only when other systems are competing with it for control of effectors, so that the action potential for the behaviour pattern rises unusually high. The theoretical consequences of such competition (which can be represented by a variable of the general threshold type) are discussed; they appear not to have been fully recognised previously. Evidence is given that such interactions affect behaviour other than vocalisations.
The Following-Response and Imprinting in Wild and Domestic Ducklings of the Same Species (Anas Pla Tyrhynchos) 1)
Authors: Gottlieb Gilbert 
Published: April 2008

Abstract1. Both the wild and domestic ducklings showed response variation. Some ducklings followed the decoy(s), others avoided it, and some behaved neutrally (indifferent). 2. The most highly domesticated group (Peking) showed the least behavioral variation. Specifically, only 2/65 Pekings showed avoidance (fear, fleeing) behavior upon testing, whereas 19/65 and 26/65 of wild and semi-wild Mallards, respectively, evinced avoidance behavior. The reduction of fear behavior in the most highly domesticated group was interpreted as the result of selection against overactive or "nervous" animals under domestic circumstances. 3. The following-response was more prominent in the Peking group than in either Mallard group. This finding was interpreted as contrary to the hypothesis that the following-response is maladaptive under domestic (barnyard) conditions. 4. Imprinting was equally strong in each of the groups, i.e., if a duckling followed during testing, it followed the object to which it had been initially exposed (33/40 Pekings, 7/10 semi-wild Mallards, 15/20 wild Mallards). The incidence and vigor of imprinting in the Peking group was contrary to the hypothesis that imprinting is maladaptive under domestic conditions. 5. To explain the maintenance of following and imprinting under domestic circumstances, the role that this behavior is supposed to play in breeding was pointed out.
Zur Strukturanalyse Des Kampfverhaltens Bei Vulpes
Authors: Tembrock G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA film of a serious fight between two adult male foxes is analized. 16 behaviour patterns could be discriminated. The course of the fight was divided into two phases: a) The initialphase and (b) the main phase. The behaviour during the initialphase determines the course of the main phase (serious fight, commentfight, flight). Time analyses were made for the most frequent behaviour pattern during the main phase. Two groups of behaviour are discriminated: a) the alternative behaviour, always shown alternately by one of the two partners. The meaning of alternative, in this case, is: bite-combat-behaviour, or defensive behaviour. b) simultaneous behaviour; i.e. both partners do the same. Time decision was accomplished for both behaviour-syndromes. In a quantitative analysis total SAP for each of both combat partners was measured. The numbers of the activated behaviour patterns for each period are put in relation to this SAP. In the qualitative analysis the SAP was taken for neck-bite (HB) and the antiparallel-position I (APS I). Both are put in relation to each other. Finally the principal results are discussed: I. During the initialphase of the fight two tendencies are activated: aggression and defence. One results in turning towards, the other in withdrawal from the adversary. According to the strength of both tendencies, a more or less marked cross-position results. The reactions of the attacked fox, a stranger in the territory, decides the further course of the fight. The integration between both partners is illustrated by a feedback-model. 2. In the main phase of the fight, two behaviour complexes are found, one of which is always activated. They are called: "principal coordinations" to which can be added "frame coordinations" in changeable proportions. Furthermore first and second order frame coordinations can be distinguished. The frame coordination implies the activation of a pincipal coordination. 3. The problem of shifting from one principal coordination to another is discussed. It is assumed that a phase-shifting between both combat-partners takes place, that the activation of a principal coordination is drive-reducing and that phase-discordances give the partner the possibility to change over from defence to aggression. Phase-concordance shows simultaneous behaviour (principal coordination APS I). 4. Reference is made to the individual differences between both combat-partners. 5. It is presumed, that through dropping of the SAP in one partner (inferiority), phase-changes may, occur, so that the "Regelkreis "collapses and a change of behaviour (i.e. flight) may arise.
Central Mechanisms of Frog Calling
Authors: Schmidt Robert S. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractRelease calling and warning crying in Rana pipiens are described and compared with breathing. Vokalizations consist of a vocal phase, which is merely a modification of the expiratory phase of breathing, followed by an inspiratory phase, which is identical to inspiratory phase of breathing. Electrical and mechanical stimulation of the brain and brain lesions are used to locate some of the central mechanisms controlling release calling and warning crying in Rana pipiens, and mating calling in Rana pipiens and a number of hylids (mainly Hyla cinerea). It is concluded that the main control mechanisms are in the trigeminoisthmic tegmentum (below the nucleus isthmi). Mating calling requires, in addition, input transmitted through the ventral thalamus from hormone receptors in the preoptic area. Mating calling can be evoked in hylids by presenting them with recordings of specific calls. The mechanisms for responding to an acoustic stimulus are probably located in the anterior medulla and midbrain tegmentum (below the nucleus isthmi). Mating calling was evoked in two Hyla cinerea females after replacing the ovaries with Rana testes and injecting Rana pituitaries. It is suggested that release calling evolved from breathing, and that warning crying and mating calling may then have evolved from release calling.
Tests of Behavioural Characteristics for Rhesus Monkeys
Authors: Spencer-Booth Y. , Hinde R.A. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA series of tests were designed to assess differences in behavioural characteristics between immature rhesus monkeys. The tests mostly involved responses to strange objects or behaviour in mildly disturbing or frustrating situations. They were administered when the infants were 6, 12, 18 and 30 months of age. Rank order correlations between the same measure in replicated tests, between different measures in one test, between measures from different tests, and between measures from the tests and data from routine observations on mother-infant interaction and on infant activity, were calculated: these were used to assess the reliability and relations between the measures used. The tests were used to assess differences between groups of monkeys differing in previous experience such as presence or not of companions other than the mother, or having been separated from their mother or not. Despite the small group sizes, some significant differences appeared.