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Author Zucca, P.; Antonelli, F.; Vallortigara, G.
Title Detour behaviour in three species of birds: quails (Coturnix sp.), herring gulls (Larus cachinnans) and canaries (Serinus canaria) Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 122-128
Keywords Animals; *Avoidance Learning; *Birds; Canaries; Charadriiformes; Coturnix; *Discrimination Learning; Orientation; *Space Perception; *Spatial Behavior; Species Specificity
Abstract Detour behaviour is the ability of an animal to reach a goal stimulus by moving round any interposed obstacle. It has been widely studied and has been proposed as a test of insight learning in several species of mammals, but few data are available in birds. A comparative study in three species of birds, belonging to different eco-ethological niches, allows a better understanding of the cognitive mechanism of such detour behaviour. Young quails (Coturnix sp.), herring gulls (Larus cachinnans) and canaries (Serinus canaria), 1 month old, 10-25 days old and 4-6 months old, respectively, were tested in a detour situation requiring them to abandon a clear view of a biologically interesting object (their own reflection in a mirror) in order to approach that object. Birds were placed in a closed corridor, at one end of which was a barrier through which the object was visible. Four different types of barrier were used: vertical bar, horizontal bar, grid and transparent. Two symmetrical apertures placed midline in the corridor allowed the birds to adopt routes passing around the barrier. After entering the apertures, birds could turn either right or left to re-establish social contact with the object in the absence of any local sensory cues emanating from it. Quails appeared able to solve the task, though their performance depended on the type of barrier used, which appeared to modulate their relative interest in approaching the object or in exploring the surroundings. Young herring gulls also showed excellent abilities to locate spatially the out-of-view object, except when the transparent barrier was used. Canaries, on the other hand, appeared completely unable to solve the detour task, whatever barrier was in use. It is suggested that these species differences can be accounted for in terms of adaptation to a terrestrial or aerial environment.
Address (down) Laboratory of Animal Cognition and Comparative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Trieste, Via S. Anastasio 12, 34100, Trieste, Italy. zucca@units.it
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15449104 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2506
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Author Poti, P.
Title Chimpanzees' constructional praxis (Pan paniscus, P. troglodytes) Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Primates Abbreviated Journal Primates
Volume 46 Issue 2 Pages 103-113
Keywords Animals; *Cognition; *Discrimination Learning; Female; Male; Pan troglodytes/*physiology; Psychomotor Performance/*physiology; Spatial Behavior/*physiology; Species Specificity
Abstract This study investigated chimpanzees' spontaneous spatial constructions with objects and especially their ability to repeat inter-object spatial relations, which is basic to understanding spatial relations at a higher level than perception or recognition. Subjects were six chimpanzees-four chimpanzees and two bonobos-aged 6-21 years, all raised in a human environment from an early age. Only minor species differences, but considerable individual differences were found. The effect of different object samples was assessed through a comparison with a previous study. A common overall chimpanzee pattern was also found. Chimpanzees repeated different types of inter-object spatial relations such as insertion (I), or vertical (V), or next-to (H) relations. However chimpanzees repeated I or V relations with more advanced procedures than when repeating H relations. Moreover, chimpanzees never repeated combined HV relations. Compared with children, chimpanzees showed a specific difficulty in repeating H relations. Repeating H relations is crucial for representing and understanding multiple reciprocal spatial relations between detached elements and for coordinating independent positions in space. Therefore, the chimpanzees' difficulty indicates a fundamental difference in constructive space in comparison to humans. The findings are discussed in relation to issues of spatial cognition and tool use.
Address (down) Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, CNR, via U. Aldrovandi 16b, 00197, Rome, Italy. p.poti@istc.cnr.it
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0032-8332 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15378424 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2811
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Author Reboreda, J.C.; Clayton, N.S.; Kacelnik, A.
Title Species and sex differences in hippocampus size in parasitic and non-parasitic cowbirds Type Journal Article
Year 1996 Publication Neuroreport Abbreviated Journal Neuroreport
Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages 505-508
Keywords Animals; Birds/*physiology; Female; Hippocampus/*anatomy & histology; Male; Nesting Behavior/*physiology; Sex Characteristics; Species Specificity; Telencephalon/anatomy & histology
Abstract To test the hypothesis that selection for spatial abilities which require birds to locate and to return accurately to host nests has produced an enlarged hippocampus in brood parasites, three species of cowbird were compared. In shiny cowbirds, females search for host nests without the assistance of the male; in screaming cowbirds, males and females inspect hosts' nests together; in bay-winged cowbirds, neither sex searches because this species is not a brood parasite. As predicted, the two parasitic species had a relatively larger hippocampus than the non-parasitic species. There were no sex differences in relative hippocampus size in screaming or bay-winged cowbirds, but female shiny cowbirds had a larger hippocampus than the male.
Address (down) Instituto de Biologia y Medicina Experimental-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0959-4965 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:8730816 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4798
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Author Mostl, E.; Rettenbacher, S.; Palme, R.
Title Measurement of corticosterone metabolites in birds' droppings: an analytical approach Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Abbreviated Journal Ann N Y Acad Sci
Volume 1046 Issue Pages 17-34
Keywords Animals; Birds/*metabolism; Corticosterone/*analysis/metabolism; Feces/*chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Immunoassay; Molecular Structure; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
Abstract Fecal steroid analyses are becoming increasingly popular among both field and laboratory scientists. The benefits associated with sampling procedures that do not require restraint, anesthesia, and blood collection include less risk to subject and investigator, as well as the potential to obtain endocrine profiles that are not influenced by the sampling procedure itself. In the feces, a species-specific pattern of metabolites is present, because glucocorticoids are extensively metabolized. Therefore, selection of adequate extraction procedures and immunoassays for measuring the relevant metabolites is a serious issue. In this review, emphasis is placed on the establishment and analytical validation of methods to measure glucocorticoid metabolites for a noninvasive evaluation of adrenocortical activity in droppings of birds.
Address (down) Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinarplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. erich.moestl@vu-wien.ac.at
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0077-8923 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:16055841 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4082
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Author Palme, R.; Rettenbacher, S.; Touma, C.; El-Bahr, S.M.; Mostl, E.
Title Stress hormones in mammals and birds: comparative aspects regarding metabolism, excretion, and noninvasive measurement in fecal samples Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Abbreviated Journal Ann N Y Acad Sci
Volume 1040 Issue Pages 162-171
Keywords Adrenal Glands/chemistry/metabolism; Animals; Birds; Catecholamines/analysis/chemistry/*metabolism; Feces/*chemistry; Glucocorticoids/analysis/chemistry/*metabolism; Hormones/analysis/metabolism; Mammals; Species Specificity; Stress/*metabolism
Abstract A multitude of endocrine mechanisms are involved in coping with challenges. Front-line hormones to overcome stressful situations are glucocorticoids (GCs) and catecholamines (CAs). These hormones are usually determined in plasma samples as parameters of adrenal activity and thus of disturbance. GCs (and CAs) are extensively metabolized and excreted afterwards. Therefore, the concentration of GCs (or their metabolites) can be measured in various body fluids or excreta. Above all, fecal samples offer the advantages of easy collection and a feedback-free sampling procedure. However, large differences exist among species regarding the route and time course of excretion, as well as the types of metabolites formed. Based on information gained from radiometabolism studies (reviewed in this paper), we recently developed and successfully validated different enzyme immunoassays that enable the noninvasive measurement of groups of cortisol or corticosterone metabolites in animal feces. The determination of these metabolites in fecal samples can be used as a powerful tool to monitor GC production in various species of domestic, wildlife, and laboratory animals.
Address (down) Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. rupert.palme@vu-wien.ac.at
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0077-8923 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15891021 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4083
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Author Blazyczek, I.; Hamann, H.; Deegen, E.; Distl, O.; Ohnesorge, B.
Title Retrospective analysis of 50 cases of guttural pouch tympany in foals Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication The Veterinary Record Abbreviated Journal Vet. Rec.
Volume 154 Issue 9 Pages 261-264
Keywords Animals; Female; Germany/epidemiology; Horse Diseases/*surgery; Horses; Male; Pharyngeal Diseases/epidemiology/surgery/*veterinary; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Species Specificity
Abstract Between 1994 and 2001, guttural pouch tympany was diagnosed in 51 foals; there were approximately three times as many fillies as colts, of Arabian, different German warmblood breeds and Western horse breeds. There were significantly more Arabian and paint horse foals than expected in comparison with the breed distribution of the foals hospitalised at the Clinic for Horses. The foals' breed and sex did not influence the age of onset, the type and severity of the clinical signs or the recurrence rate. A surgical laser technique was used on 50 of the foals; in 35 cases only one surgical treatment was necessary, in seven cases a second operation was required during the foal's initial period of hospitalisation, and in eight cases a second operation was performed during a second period of hospitalisation. Long-term follow-up information was obtained for 44 of the 50 treated horses; 24 of them were under two years of age and 20 were over two years of age. In six horses, no follow-up information was available. Four horses were euthanased for reasons unrelated to the condition or its treatment. The horses over two years of age were in training or were being used for competitions in dressage or jumping or for breeding purposes, and in only one of them was an adventitious respiratory noise reported. All the horses up to two years of age were reported to be healthy.
Address (down) Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17p, D-30559 Hannover, Germany
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0042-4900 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15029964 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3719
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Author Wallner, B.; Brem, G.; Muller, M.; Achmann, R.
Title Fixed nucleotide differences on the Y chromosome indicate clear divergence between Equus przewalskii and Equus caballus Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Animal Genetics Abbreviated Journal Anim Genet
Volume 34 Issue 6 Pages 453-456
Keywords Animals; Base Sequence; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics; Genetic Variation/*genetics; Horses/classification/*genetics; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Probability; Species Specificity; Y Chromosome/*genetics
Abstract The phylogenetic relationship between Equus przewalskii and E. caballus is often a matter of debate. Although these taxa have different chromosome numbers, they do not form monophyletic clades in a phylogenetic tree based on mtDNA sequences. Here we report sequence variation from five newly identified Y chromosome regions of the horse. Two fixed nucleotide differences on the Y chromosome clearly display Przewalski's horse and domestic horse as sister taxa. At both positions the Przewalski's horse haplotype shows the ancestral state, in common with the members of the zebra/ass lineage. We discuss the factors that may have led to the differences in mtDNA and Y-chromosomal observations.
Address (down) Institut fur Tierzucht und Genetik, Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien, Veterinarplatz, Wien, Austria. wallner@i122server.vu-wien.ac.at
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0268-9146 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:14687077 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5038
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Author Lemasson, J.J.; Fontenille, D.; Lochouarn, L.; Dia, I.; Simard, F.; Ba, K.; Diop, A.; Diatta, M.; Molez, J.F.
Title Comparison of behavior and vector efficiency of Anopheles gambiae and An. arabiensis (Diptera:Culicidae) in Barkedji, a Sahelian area of Senegal Type Journal Article
Year 1997 Publication Journal of Medical Entomology Abbreviated Journal J Med Entomol
Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 396-403
Keywords Animals; Anopheles/*parasitology; *Behavior, Animal; Cattle; Desert Climate; Horses/parasitology; Humans; Insect Vectors/*parasitology; Longitudinal Studies; Malaria/*transmission; Malaria, Falciparum/transmission; Periodicity; Plasmodium malariae/isolation & purification; Protozoan Proteins/analysis; Rain; Seasons; Senegal; Sheep/parasitology; Species Specificity
Abstract The ecology, population dynamics, and malaria vector efficiency of Anopheles gambiae and An. arabiensis were studied for 2 yr in a Sahelian village of Senegal. Anophelines were captured at human bait and resting indoors by pyrethrum spray. Mosquitoes belonging to the An. gambiae complex were identified by polymerase chain reaction. Of 26,973 females, An. arabiensis represented 79% of the mosquitoes captured and remained in the study area longer than An. gambiae after the rains terminated. There were no differences in nocturnal biting cycles or endophagous rates between An. gambiae and An. arabiensis. Based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test of bloodmeals, the anthropophilic rate of these 2 vectors were both approximately 60%, when comparisons were made during the same period. Overall, 18% of the resting females had patent mixed bloodmeals, mainly human-bovine. The parity rates of An. gambiae and An. arabiensis varied temporally. Despite similar behavior, the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) rates were different between An. gambiae (4.1%) and An. arabiensis (1.3%). P. malariae and P. ovale only represented 4% of the total Plasmodium identified in mosquitoes. Transmission was seasonal, occurring mainly during 4 mo. The CSP entomological inoculation rates were 128 bites per human per year for the 1st yr and 100 for the 2nd yr. Because of the combination of a high human biting rate and a low CSP rate, An. arabiensis accounted for 63% of transmission. Possible origin of differences in CSP rate between An. gambiae and An. arabiensis is discussed in relation to the parity rate, blood feeding frequency, and the hypothesis of genetic factors.
Address (down) Institut Francais de Recherche Scientifique pour le Developpement en cooperation (ORSTOM), Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-2585 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:9220672 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2655
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Author Hanggi, E.B.; Ingersoll, J.F.; Waggoner, T.L.
Title Color vision in horses (Equus caballus): deficiencies identified using a pseudoisochromatic plate test Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Journal of Comparative Psychology Abbreviated Journal J. Comp. Psychol.
Volume 121 Issue 1 Pages 65-72
Keywords Animals; Appetitive Behavior; *Color Perception; Color Perception Tests/veterinary; *Discrimination Learning; Female; Horses/*psychology; Male; Sensitivity and Specificity
Abstract In the past, equine color vision was tested with stimuli composed either of painted cards or photographic slides or through physiological testing using electroretinogram flicker photometry. Some studies produced similar results, but others did not, demonstrating that there was not yet a definitive answer regarding color vision in horses (Equus caballus). In this study, a pseudoisochromatic plate test--which is highly effective in testing color vision both in small children and in adult humans--was used for the first time on a nonhuman animal. Stimuli consisted of different colored dotted circles set against backgrounds of varying dots. The coloration of the circles corresponded to the visual capabilities of different types of color deficiencies (anomalous trichromacy and dichromacy). Four horses were tested on a 2-choice discrimination task. All horses successfully reached criterion for gray circles and demonstration circles. None of the horses were able to discriminate the protan-deutan plate or the individual protan or deutan plates. However, all were able to discriminate the tritan plate. The results suggest that horses are dichromats with color vision capabilities similar to those of humans with red-green color deficiencies.
Address (down) Equine Research Foundation, Aptos, CA 95001, USA. EquiResF@aol.com
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0735-7036 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:17324076 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ ; Equine Behaviour @ team @ room B 3.029 Serial 1972
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Author Barros, A.T.
Title Seasonality and relative abundance of Tabanidae (Diptera) captured on horses in the Pantanal, Brazil Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Abbreviated Journal Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz
Volume 96 Issue 7 Pages 917-923
Keywords Animals; Brazil; Climate; Diptera/classification/*physiology; Ecology; Horses/*parasitology; Population Dynamics; Seasons; Species Specificity
Abstract Once a month, from June 1992 to May 1993, collections of tabanids on horse were conducted in the Nhecolandia, Pantanal State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Tabanid catches using hand nets were conducted from sunrise to sunset at grassland and cerradao (dense savanna) habitats. A total of 3,442 tabanids from 21 species,12 genera, and 3 subfamilies were collected. Although species abundance varied seasonally depending on habitat, no habitat specificity was observed for the most abundant species. In the grassland, 1,625 (47.2%) tabanids belonging to 19 species were collected, while 1,817 (52.8%) tabanids from 17 species were caught in the cerradao. The number of tabanid species varied from 7 during winter (July/August) to 15 in the spring (October). Tabanus importunus (56%) was the most abundant species, followed by T. occidentalis (8.2%), and T. claripennis (8.1%). The tabanid peak, in October, coincided with the beginning of the rainy season. The population peak of most species, including those with higher vector potential, suggests that the rainy season can be considered as the period of potentially higher risk of mechanical transmission of pathogens by tabanids to horses in the region.
Address (down) Embrapa Pantanal, 79320-900 Corumba, MS, Brasil. thadeu@cpap.embrapa.br
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0074-0276 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:11685255 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2644
Permanent link to this record