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Author (up) Potts, R.
Title Variability selection in hominid evolution Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews Abbreviated Journal Evol. Anthropol.
Volume 7 Issue 3 Pages 81-96
Keywords variability selection; hominids; environment; adaptation; natural selection; evolution
Abstract Variability selection (abbreviated as VS) is a process considered to link adaptive change to large degrees of environment variability. Its application to hominid evolution is based, in part, on the pronounced rise in environmental remodeling that took place over the past several million years. The VS hypothesis differs from prior views of hominid evolution, which stress the consistent selective effects associated with specific habitats or directional trends (e.g., woodland, savanna expansion, cooling). According to the VS hypothesis, wide fluctuations over time created a growing disparity in adaptive conditions. Inconsistency in selection eventually caused habitat-specific adaptations to be replaced by structures and behaviors responsive to complex environmental change. Key hominid adaptations, in fact, emerged during times of heightened variability. Early bipedality, encephalized brains, and complex human sociality appear to signify a sequence of VS adaptations—i.e., a ratcheting up of versatility and responsiveness to novel environments experienced over the past 6 million years. The adaptive results of VS cannot be extrapolated from selection within a single environmental shift or relatively stable habitat. If some complex traits indeed require disparities in adaptive setting (and relative fitness) in order to evolve, the VS idea counters the prevailing view that adaptive change necessitates long-term, directional consistency in selection. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1520-6505 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5461
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Author (up) Purvis, A.
Title The h index: playing the numbers game Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution Abbreviated Journal Trends. Ecol. Evol
Volume 21 Issue 8 Pages 422-422
Keywords
Abstract Article Outline

References

The ‘h index’ was developed recently as a measure of research performance [1]: a researcher's h is the number of his or her papers that have been cited at least h times. In their thoughtful critique of the index, Kelly and Jennions [2] point out many ways in which h is no better than ‘traditional’ bibliometrics, such as total citation counts. However, there is one way in which, for researchers, it could be very much better, especially if (as Hirsch suggests [1]) it is to inform hiring and promotion decisions. The skewed nature of the distribution of citations among publications means that most researchers have several papers that nearly but not quite count. Consequently, h can be distorted much more easily than can total citation count just by finding a subtle way to cite one's own papers that are ‘bubbling under’. Incidentally, bats show broadly the same life-history allometries as other mammalian clades [3].
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5046
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Author (up) Pusey, A.E.
Title Sex-biased dispersal and inbreeding avoidance in birds and mammals Type Journal Article
Year 1987 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution Abbreviated Journal Trends. Ecol. Evol
Volume 2 Issue 10 Pages 295-299
Keywords
Abstract Sex differences in dispersal distance are widespread in birds and mammals, but the predominantly dispersing sex differs consistently between the classes. There has been persistent debate over the relative importance of two factors -- intrasexual competition and inbreeding avoidance -- in producing sex-biased dispersal, and over the sources of the difference in dispersal patterns between the two classes. Recent studies cast new light on these questions.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5326
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Author (up) Rands, S.A.; Cowlishaw, G.; Pettifor, R.A.; Rowcliffe, J.M.; Johnstone, R.A.
Title The emergence of leaders and followers in foraging pairs when the qualities of individuals differ Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication BMC Evolutionary Biology Abbreviated Journal BMC Evol Biol
Volume 8 Issue Pages 51
Keywords Animals; *Feeding Behavior; *Food Chain; *Models, Biological; *Social Dominance
Abstract BACKGROUND: Foraging in groups offers animals a number of advantages, such as increasing their likelihood of finding food or detecting and avoiding predators. In order for a group to remain together, there has to be some degree of coordination of behaviour and movement between its members (which may in some cases be initiated by a decision-making leader, and in other cases may emerge as an underlying property of the group). For example, behavioural synchronisation is a phenomenon where animals within a group initiate and then continue to conduct identical behaviours, and has been characterised for a wide range of species. We examine how a pair of animals should behave using a state-dependent approach, and ask what conditions are likely to lead to behavioural synchronisation occurring, and whether one of the individuals is more likely to act as a leader. RESULTS: The model we describe considers how the energetic gain, metabolic requirements and predation risks faced by the individuals affect measures of their energetic state and behaviour (such as the degree of behavioural synchronisation seen within the pair, and the value to an individual of knowing the energetic state of its colleague). We explore how predictable changes in these measures are in response to changes in physiological requirements and predation risk. We also consider how these measures should change when the members of the pair are not identical in their metabolic requirements or their susceptibility to predation. We find that many of the changes seen in these measures are complex, especially when asymmetries exist between the members of the pair. CONCLUSION: Analyses are presented that demonstrate that, although these general patterns are robust, care needs to be taken when considering the effects of individual differences, as the relationship between individual differences and the resulting qualitative changes in behaviour may be complex. We discuss how these results are related to experimental observations, and how the model and its predictions could be extended.
Address Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. sean.rands@bristol.ac.uk
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1471-2148 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:18282297 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5126
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Author (up) Rankin, D.J.; Lopez-Sepulcre, A.; Foster, K.R.; Kokko, H.
Title Species-level selection reduces selfishness through competitive exclusion Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Journal of Evolutionary Biology Abbreviated Journal
Volume 20 Issue 4 Pages 1459-1468
Keywords
Abstract Abstract Adaptation does not necessarily lead to traits which are optimal for the population. This is because selection is often the strongest at the individual or gene level. The evolution of selfishness can lead to a .tragedy of the commons., where traits such as aggression or social cheating reduce population size and may lead to extinction. This suggests that species-level selection will result whenever species differ in the incentive to be selfish. We explore this idea in a simple model that combines individual-level selection with ecology in two interacting species. Our model is not influenced by kin or trait-group selection. We find that individual selection in combination with competitive exclusion greatly increases the likelihood that selfish species go extinct. A simple example of this would be a vertebrate species that invests heavily into squabbles over breeding sites, which is then excluded by a species that invests more into direct reproduction. A multispecies simulation shows that these extinctions result in communities containing species that are much less selfish. Our results suggest that species-level selection and community dynamics play an important role in regulating the intensity of conflicts in natural populations.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4225
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Author (up) Ratcliffe, J.M.; Fenton, M.B.; Shettleworth, S.J.
Title Behavioral flexibility positively correlated with relative brain volume in predatory bats Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Brain, behavior and evolution Abbreviated Journal Brain Behav Evol
Volume 67 Issue 3 Pages 165-176
Keywords Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; Brain/*anatomy & histology/physiology; Chiroptera/*anatomy & histology/*physiology; Organ Size; Predatory Behavior/*physiology
Abstract We investigated the potential relationships between foraging strategies and relative brain and brain region volumes in predatory (animal-eating) echolocating bats. The species we considered represent the ancestral state for the order and approximately 70% of living bat species. The two dominant foraging strategies used by echolocating predatory bats are substrate-gleaning (taking prey from surfaces) and aerial hawking (taking airborne prey). We used species-specific behavioral, morphological, and ecological data to classify each of 59 predatory species as one of the following: (1) ground gleaning, (2) behaviorally flexible (i.e., known to both glean and hawk prey), (3) clutter tolerant aerial hawking, or (4) open-space aerial hawking. In analyses using both species level data and phylogenetically independent contrasts, relative brain size was larger in behaviorally flexible species. Further, relative neocortex volume was significantly reduced in bats that aerially hawk prey primarily in open spaces. Conversely, our foraging behavior index did not account for variability in hippocampus and inferior colliculus volume and we discuss these results in the context of past research.
Address Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. jmr247@cornell.edu
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 0006-8977 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:16415571 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 358
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Author (up) Ricard, A.; Chanu, I.
Title Genetic parameters of eventing horse competition in France Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication Genetics, Selection, Evolution. : GSE Abbreviated Journal Genet Sel Evol
Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 175-190
Keywords Animals; Behavior, Animal; Female; France; Genotype; Horses/*genetics; Male; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Selection (Genetics); *Sports; Stereotyped Behavior
Abstract Genetic parameters of eventing horse competitions were estimated. About 13 000 horses, 30 000 annual results during 17 years and 110 000 starts in eventing competitions during 8 years were recorded. The measures of performance were logarithmic transformations of annual earnings, annual earnings per start, and annual earnings per place, and underlying variables responsible for ranks in each competition. Heritabilities were low (0.11 / 0.17 for annual results, 0.07 for ranks). Genetic correlations between criteria were high (greater than 0.90) except between ranks and earnings per place (0.58) or per start (0.67). Genetic correlations between ages (from 5 to 10 years old) were also high (more than 0.85) and allow selection on early performances. The genetic correlation between the results in different levels of competition (high/international and low/amateur) was near 1. Genetic correlations of eventing with other disciplines, which included partial aptitude needed for eventing, were very low for steeplechase races (0.18) and moderate with sport: jumping (0.45), dressage (0.58). The results suggest that selection on jumping performance will lead to some positive correlated response for eventing performance, but much more response could be obtained if a specific breeding objective and selection criteria were developed for eventing.
Address Institut national de la recherche agronomique, Station de genetique quantitative et appliquee, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas Cedex, France. ugenata@dga.inra.fr
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0999-193X ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:11333833 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3728
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Author (up) Rubenstein, D. I.,
Title Ecology and sociality in horses and zebras Type Book Chapter
Year 1986 Publication Ecological Aspects of Social Evolution Abbreviated Journal Ecological Aspects of Social Evolution
Volume Issue Pages 282-302
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Abstract
Address
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Publisher Princeton University Press Place of Publication Princeton, NJ. Editor Rubenstein, D. I. ; Wrangham, R. W.
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Notes from Professor Hans Klingels Equine Reference List Approved no
Call Number Serial 1526
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Author (up) Rubenstein, D. I.; Hack, M. A.
Title Horse signals: The sounds and scents of fury Type Journal Article
Year 1992 Publication Evolutionary Ecology Abbreviated Journal Evol. Ecol.
Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 254-260
Keywords ommunication – combat – fighting ability – individual identity – signals – information – assessment – displays
Abstract During contests animals typically exchange information about fighting ability. Among feral horses these signals involve olfactory or acoustical elements and each type can effectively terminate contests before physical contact becomes necessary. Dung transplant experiments show that for stallions, irrespective of rank, olfactory signals such as dung sniffing encode information about familiarity suggesting that such signals can be used as signatures. As such they can provide indirect information about fighting ability as long as opponents associate identity with past performance. Play-back experiments, however, show that vocalizations, such as squeals, directly provide information about status regardless of stallion familiarity. Sonographs reveal that squeals of dominants are longer than those of subordinates and that only those of dominants have at their onset high-frequency components.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
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Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 506
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Author (up) Shettleworth, S.J.
Title Memory and hippocampal specialization in food-storing birds: challenges for research on comparative cognition Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Brain, behavior and evolution Abbreviated Journal Brain Behav Evol
Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 108-116
Keywords Animals; Birds/*physiology; Cognition/*physiology; Color Perception/physiology; Feeding Behavior/*physiology; Hippocampus/*physiology; Memory/*physiology; Species Specificity
Abstract The three-way association among food-storing behavior, spatial memory, and hippocampal enlargement in some species of birds is widely cited as an example of a new 'cognitive ecology' or 'neuroecology.' Whether this relationship is as strong as it first appears and whether it might be evidence for an adaptive specialization of memory and hippocampus in food-storers have recently been the subject of some controversy [Bolhuis and Macphail, 2001; Macphail and Bolhuis, 2001]. These critiques are based on misconceptions about the nature of adaptive specializations in cognition, misconceptions about the uniformity of results to be expected from applying the comparative method to data from a wide range of species, and a narrow view of what kinds of cognitive adaptations are theoretically interesting. New analyses of why food-storers (black-capped chickadees, Poecile Atricapilla) respond preferentially to spatial over color cues when both are relevant in a memory task show that this reflects a relative superiority of spatial memory as compared to memory for color rather than exceptional spatial attention or spatial discrimination ability. New studies of chickadees from more or less harsh winter climates also support the adaptive specialization hypothesis and suggest that within-species comparisons may be especially valuable for unraveling details of the relationships among ecology, memory, and brain in food-storing species.
Address Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., M5S 3G3, Canada. shettle@psych.utoronto.ca
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0006-8977 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12937349 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 367
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