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Author Raquel Monclús; Heiko G. Rödel
Title Influence of Different Individual Traits on Vigilance Behaviour in European Rabbits Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 8 Pages 758-766
Keywords
Abstract An animal's level of vigilance depends on various environmental factors such as predator presence or the proximity of conspecific competitors. In addition, several individual traits may influence vigilance. We investigated the effects of body condition, social rank and the state of pregnancy on individual vigilance (scanning) rates in individually marked European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) of a field enclosure population. We found lower rates in young rabbits than in adult females, but male and female juveniles did not differ. Vigilance of juveniles was positively correlated with their age-dependent body mass (used as a measure of body condition), i.e. young rabbits with lower body condition scanned less. We suggest that juveniles with low body condition were trading off vigilance against feeding to maximise their growth. In contrast, there was no significant correlation between body mass and vigilance in adult females. Adult females increased scanning rates during late pregnancy, which might constitute a behavioural compensation because of their lower capacity to escape predator attacks. In addition, adult females with low social ranks scanned more than high ranking individuals, likely because of their higher risk of attacks by conspecifics. In summary, our results highlight various individual characteristics that influence vigilance behaviour in European rabbits.
Address (down) Unidad de Zoologa, Dpto. Biologa, Universidad Autnoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4994
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Author Fedurek, P.; Dunbar, R. I. M.
Title What Does Mutual Grooming Tell Us About Why Chimpanzees Groom? Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 6 Pages 566 - 575
Keywords
Abstract Grooming might be a resource that is offered in exchange for some benefit (e.g. access to a feeding site or coalitionary support) or it might be a mechanism for building and servicing social relationships, whose function, in turn, is to facilitate the exchange of resources and services. Bi-directional (or simultaneous mutual) grooming is unusually common among chimpanzees (though rare in other primates) and we suggest that this might be because it is an especially strong indicator of social bonding. Because the bonding role of bi-directional grooming offers substantially different predictions from the interpretation offered by the models based on reciprocal altruism (RA), we use a critical tests methodology (i.e. tests that unequivocally support one hypothesis at the expense of the other) to differentiate between the bonding and RA hypotheses. We use data on the dynamics of grooming interactions from a captive group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to show that dominant individuals tolerated the individuals with whom they performed bi-directional grooming more than they did those who typically provided them unidirectional grooming. Dominants rejected and terminated grooming sessions more often with the individuals who provided them with mostly unidirectional grooming than with those with whom they groomed bi-directionally. In addition, animals engaged in bi-directional grooming more often with both relatives and those with whom they were often in proximity. These results support the bonding model of mutually reciprocated grooming at the expense of the RA model, and suggest that, at least in chimpanzees, simultaneous mutual grooming may play a particularly important role in social bonding.
Address (down) School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK DOI – 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01637.x
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4941
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Author Amandine Ramseyer; Bernard Thierry; Alain Boissy; Bertrand Dumont
Title Decision-making Processes in Group Departures of Cattle Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 10 Pages 948-957
Keywords
Abstract To keep social cohesiveness, group-living animals have to reach consensus decisions through recruitment processes. This implies that decision-making depends on the behaviours and social relationships of several group members at different stages of movements. We tested these assumptions in a group of fifteen 18-mo-old Charolais heifers (Bos taurus) at pasture, in which two observers continuously videotaped social interactions and group departures after resting periods. These departures were preceded by a phase of preparation characterized by an increase in activity. The number of heifers participating to a movement increased with the number of group members oriented in the direction of the movement before departure. The first moving animal also recruited a higher number of mates when it had a greater number of close neighbours, the first individuals to follow being mainly its preferential partners. Coercive interactions such as pressing behaviours were observed within the 5 min preceding or following departure. After departure, the numbers of walks and restarts of the first two movers were still operative in recruiting others. The frequency of pauses of the first mover was significantly higher when it was not followed, meaning that it adjusted its behaviour to that of other group members. Decision-making was distributed among group members, with any individual being liable to move first. The behaviour of cows and their spatial distribution before departure, at departure and after departure significantly affected the number of participants in the movement, demonstrating that decision-making was time-distributed in the studied cattle group.
Address (down) INRA, UR 1213 Herbivores, Saint-Gens-Champanelle, France; Dpartement Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, IPHC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universit de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
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ISSN ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4992
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Author Majolo, B.; Ventura, R.; Koyama, N. F.
Title Anxiety Level Predicts Post-Conflict Behaviour in Wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui) Type
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 10 Pages 986-995
Keywords
Abstract Reconciliation (i.e. the post-conflict exchange of friendly behaviour between former opponents) functions to control for the detrimental effects that aggression may have on social relationships. Studies conducted so far have investigated intra-individual sources of variation in post-conflict behaviour, showing that animals have a stronger increase in anxiety and are more likely to reconcile after conflicts with valuable partners, such as kin. Much less attention has been given to how differences between individuals in emotional profiles affect post-conflict behaviour. Our aim was to analyse whether inter-individual differences in baseline anxiety levels predicted the magnitude of the increase in anxiety following a conflict and the occurrence of reconciliation. We collected data on two groups of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui). Animals having a higher baseline level of anxiety had a more dramatic anxious response following a conflict while controlling for a series of factors (e.g. relationship quality between opponents). These more anxious animals were also less likely to reconcile than more relaxed individuals. Therefore, more anxious animals face some social costs by being less able to cope with the post-conflict condition. We propose that differences in anxiety levels may be interpreted as tradeoffs between benefits and costs across conditions. For example, more anxious animals, who are less able to reconcile conflicts, might also be less exploratory and thus face a lower risk to eat unknown, poisonous food.
Address (down) Department of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, UK; Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Social and Health Sciences Division of Psychology, University of Abertay Dundee, Dundee, UK; Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology & Palaeoecology, School of Natural Science & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK DOI – 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01685.x
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4996
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Author Giada Cordoni; Elisabetta Palagi
Title Reconciliation in Wolves (Canis lupus) – New Evidence for a Comparative Perspective Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 114 Issue Pages 298 - 308
Keywords
Abstract Social animals gain benefits from cooperative behaviours. However, social systems also imply competition and conflict of interest. To cope with dispersal forces, group-living animals use several peace-keeping tactics, which have been deeply investigated in primates. Other taxa, however, have been often neglected in this field research. Wolves (Canis lupus) with their high sociality and cooperative behaviour may be a good model species to investigate the reconciliation process. In this study, we provide the first evidence for the occurrence of reconciliation in a group of zoo-kept wolves. The conciliatory contacts were uniformly distributed across the different sex-class combinations. We found a linear dominance hierarchy in the colony under study, although the hierarchical relationships did not seem to affect the reconciliation dynamics. Moreover, both aggressors and victims initiated first post-conflict affinitive contact with comparable rates and both high- and low-intensity conflicts were reconciled with similar percentages. Finally, we found that coalitionary support may be a good predictor for high level of conciliatory contacts in this species.
Address (down) Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio, Universit di Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Giardino Zoologico di Pistoia, Pistoia, Italy DOI – 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01474.x
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2008 The Authors Editor
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4937
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Author Houpt, K.A.
Title Review of some research areas of applied and theoretical interest in domestic animal behavior Type Journal Article
Year 1980 Publication Applied Animal Ethology Abbreviated Journal Appl. Animal. Ethol.
Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 111-119
Keywords
Abstract There are numerous areas worthy of study in the field of domestic animal behavior or applied ethology. In this paper a few areas are offerred as particularly worthy of attention. These areas are worthwhile either because they have received little or no study and are of basic interest or because they have application to current problems of livestock production. The study of cat behavior falls in the former category. Neither the food and water sources, the reproductive success rate nor even the social interactions of cats in the large populations found in both rural and urban environments are known. Pigs as a species have already been the subjects of many behavior studies; nevertheless, there are still gaps in our knowledge of the underlying principles of swine behavior. The physiological basis of maternal behavior, for example, has not been studied in swine or in any domestic species. The sensory basis of udder location by the neonatal piglet deserves study also. Some aspects of olfactory and vocal communication of pigs have been studied, but only one of what may be a large number of pheromones of pigs has been chemically identified. The message conveyed by the vocal interactions between adult swine of the same sex is unknown, as is the role of facial and postural expressions in porcine communication. The two major problems of pig behavior under conditions of intensive livestock management are tail biting and reproductive failure. The application of behavioral techniques to these problems might help to attenuate those problems as well as broaden our understanding of normal pig behavior. Horse behavior has also been a relatively neglected field of study. Of particular interest is the significance of the flehmen gesture used by both mares and stallions in a variety of situations. Flehmen may be related to the function of the vomeronasal organ, but both observational and physiological studies should be performed to verify the hypothesis.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 508
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Author Houpt, K.A.; Law, K.; Martinisi, V.
Title Dominance hierarchies in domestic horses Type Journal Article
Year 1978 Publication Applied Animal Ethology Abbreviated Journal Appl. Animal. Ethol.
Volume 4 Issue 3 Pages 273-283
Keywords
Abstract Dominance hierarchies were studied in 11 herds of domestic horses and ponies (Equus caballus). A paired feeding test was utilized to establish the dominance--subordination relationship between each pair of animals in a herd. Aggressive actions, threats, bites, kicks and chases were also recorded. In small herds linear hierarchies were formed, but in large herds triangular relationships were observed. Aggression was correlated with dominance rank. Body weight, but not age, appear to affect rank in the equine hierarchy. Juvenile horses were more likely to share feed with each other than were adult horses and were usually subordinate to adult horses. The daughters of a dominant mare were dominant within their own herds.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 682
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Author Ellis, L.
Title Dominance and reproductive success among nonhuman animals: A cross-species comparison Type Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Ethology and Sociobiology Abbreviated Journal Ethol. a. Sociob.
Volume 16 Issue 4 Pages 257-333
Keywords
Abstract This paper updates and extends Dewsbury's (1982) review of the literature on dominance and reproductive success (RS). The findings from approximately 700 studies are included, over two thirds of which were unavailable to Dewsbury. In order to give a highly condensed and yet meaningful overview, the main findings are represented in four tables, one for male nonprimates, one for female nonprimates, one for male primates, and one for female primates. In the tables for males, findings are analyzed in terms of six different indicators of RS, and in the tables for females, in terms of eight RS indicators. Outside the primate order, evidence largely supported the hypothesis that high-ranking males enjoy greater RS than do subordinate males. For females, studies are more evenly divided between those supporting the hypothesis that high rank and RS are positively correlated and those indicating no significant rank-RS relationship. This may reflect both the lower saliency of hierarchical relationships among females, as well as the lower variability in RS among females, relative to males. Among primates, a complex picture has emerged, especially in the case of males. Much of the complexity appears due to the importance of age and seniority in affecting dominance rank. Also, in some primate species, female preferences for sex partners seem to have little to do with the male's dominance rank, at least at the time mating takes place. Nevertheless, the majority of studies suggest that high- to middle-ranking males have at least a slight lifetime reproductive advantage over the lowest ranking males.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 722
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Author Baer, K.L.; Potter, G.D.; Friend, T.H.; Beaver, B.V.
Title Observation effects on learning in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1983 Publication Applied Animal Ethology Abbreviated Journal Appl. Animal. Ethol.
Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 123-129
Keywords
Abstract Sixteen horses, divided into 2 groups of 8, were used to study observational learning in horses. One group served as controls while the other group served as the treated group (observers). Observers were allowed to watch a correctly performed discrimination task for 5 days prior to testing their learning response using the same task. Discrimination testing was conducted on all horses daily for 14 days, with criterion set at 7 out of 8 responses correct with the last 5 consecutively correct. The maximum number of trials performed without reaching criterion was limited to 20 per day. Mean trials to criteria (MT) by group were: control, 11.25; observer, 10.70. Mean error (ME) scores were: control, 2.37; observer, 2.02. Average initial discrimination error scores were 11.13 for control and 10.38 for observers (P < 0.10). Asymptote was reached by Day 8 for both control and observer groups. Analysis of variance with repeated measures showed an extreme-day effect indicative of learning (P < 0.01), with non-significant differences in learning rate between experimental groups. Whether the initial ability of the horses to perform a discrimination learning task was enhanced by observation of other horses' performance of that task was not obvious from these data.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 726
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Author Shi, J.; Dunbar, R.
Title Feeding competition within a feral goat population on the Isle of Rum, NW Scotland Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Journal of Ethology Abbreviated Journal J. Ethol.
Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 117-124
Keywords
Abstract This study investigated feeding competition within and between different age-sex classes of feral goats (Capra hircus) on the Isle of Rum (northwest Scotland) from August to November 2000 (inclusive). Although contests in a feeding context were common, most were relatively passive: little overt agonistic behaviour was observed between opponents and the distance between feeding animals involved did not change significantly after an interaction. Month (but not sex or habitat type) had a significant effect on feeding interaction rates, and the proportion of interactions involving more intense forms of conflict was highest in November when forage availability was beginning to decline. The results show that the initiator won most feeding encounters, with adult males being dominant over females. The ability to win conflicts increased with age for both males and females. However, it decreased sharply for adult males older than 5 years, which may, in part, explain the reduced overwinter survival of these individuals.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 805
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