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Author Feh, C.; Munkhtuya, B.
Title Male infanticide and paternity analyses in a socially natural herd of Przewalski`s horses: Sexual selection? Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.
Volume 78 Issue 3 Pages 335-339
Keywords DNA paternity analysis; Human disturbance; Male infanticide; Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii); Sexual selection
Abstract The sexual selection hypothesis explains infanticide by males in many mammals. In our 11-year study, we investigated this hypothesis in a herd of Przewalski's horses where we had witnessed infanticidal attacks. Infanticide was highly conditional and not simply linked to takeovers. Attacks occurred in only five of 39 cases following a takeover, and DNA paternity revealed that, although infanticidal stallions were not the genetic fathers in four cases out of five, stallions present at birth did not significantly attempt to kill unrelated foals. Infanticide did not reduce birth intervals; only in one case out of five was the infanticidal stallion, the father of the next foal; mothers whose foals were attacked subsequently avoided associating with infanticidal stallions. Therefore, evidence for the sexual selection hypothesis was weak. The “human disturbance” hypothesis received some support, as only zoo bred stallions which grew up in unnatural social groups attacked foals of mares which were pregnant during takeovers.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4632
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Author Arakawa, H.; Arakawa, K.; Blanchard, D.C.; Blanchard, R.J.
Title A new test paradigm for social recognition evidenced by urinary scent marking behavior in C57BL/6J mice Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Behavioural Brain Research Abbreviated Journal Behav. Brain. Res.
Volume 190 Issue 1 Pages 97-104
Keywords Social recognition; Urine marking; Familiarity; Context recognition; C57BL/6J mice
Abstract Olfaction is a major sensory element in intraspecies recognition and communication in mice. The present study investigated scent marking behaviors of males of the highly inbred C57BL/6J (C57) strain in order to evaluate the ability of these behaviors to provide clear and consistent measures of social familiarity and response to social signals. C57 males engage in scent marking when placed in a chamber with a wire mesh partition separating them from a conspecific. Male mice (C57 or outbred CD-1 mice) showed rapid habituation of scent marking (decreased marking over trials) with repeated exposure at 24-h intervals, to a stimulus animal of the C57 or CD-1 strains, or to an empty chamber. Subsequent exposure to a genetically different novel mouse (CD-1 after CD-1 exposure, or CD-1 after C57 exposure) or to a novel context (different shaped chamber) produced recovery of marking, while responses to a novel but genetically identical mouse (C57 after C57 exposure) or to the empty chamber did not. This finding demonstrated that male mice differentiate familiar and novel conspecifics as expressed by habituation and recovery of scent marking, but neither C57 or CD-1 mice can differentiate new vs. familiar C57 males; likely due to similarities in their odor patterns. The data also indicate that scent marking can differentiate novel from familiar contexts.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4639
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Author Smith, J.E.; Kolowski, J.M.; Graham, K.E.; Dawes, S.E.; Holekamp, K.E.
Title Social and ecological determinants of fission-fusion dynamics in the spotted hyaena Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 76 Issue 3 Pages 619-636
Keywords competition; conflict resolution; cooperative hunting; Crocuta crocuta; ecological constraints; group living; social rank
Abstract Theory predicts that individuals living in fission-fusion societies, in which group members frequently change subgroups, should modify grouping patterns in response to varying social and environmental conditions. Spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta, are long-lived carnivores that reside in permanent social groups called clans. Clans are complex, fission-fusion societies in which individual members travel, rest and forage in subgroups that frequently change composition. We studied two clans in Kenya to provide the first detailed description of fission-fusion dynamics in this species. Because social and ecological circumstances can influence the cohesiveness of animal societies, we evaluated the extent to which specific circumstances promote the formation of subgroups of various sizes. We found that cooperative defence of shared resources during interclan competition and protection from lions were cohesive forces that promoted formation of large subgroups. We also tested hypotheses suggesting factors limiting subgroup size. Mothers with small cubs avoided conspecifics, thereby reducing infanticide risk. Victims of aggression either reconciled fights or separated from former opponents to reduce the immediate costs of escalated aggression in the absence of food. As predicted by the ecological constraints hypothesis, hyaenas adjusted their grouping patterns over both short and long time scales in response to feeding competition. Crocuta were most gregarious during periods of abundant prey, joined clanmates at ephemeral kills in numbers that correlated with the energetic value of the prey and gained the most energy when foraging alone because cooperative hunting attracted numerous competitors. Overall, our findings indicate that resource limitation constrains grouping in this species.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4676
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Author Patris, B.; Perrier, G.; Schaal, B.; Coureaud, G.
Title Early development of filial preferences in the rabbit: implications of nursing- and pheromone-induced odour learning? Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 305-314
Keywords learning; mammary pheromone; mother-young relationship; Oryctolagus cuniculus; rabbit; recognition
Abstract Newborn rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, discriminate between different categories of adult conspecifics on the basis of their abdominal odour cues. Whether these cues can support the development of filial preferences has not been adequately tested. Using a two-choice paradigm, we assessed the ability of 3-8-day-old pups to orient selectively to the mother versus an unfamiliar female, either spontaneously or after odour conditioning. In experiment 1, nonconditioned pups roamed indifferently over the mother and an unfamiliar female. In experiment 2, pups conditioned to a neutral odorant while nursing or with the mammary pheromone became attracted by the odorant. In experiment 3, pups that had learned the odorant while nursing oriented for longer to any female carrying it, but the unscented mother and a scented unfamiliar female were equally attractive. Finally, in experiment 4, pups that had learned the odorant paired with the mammary pheromone showed a preference for their scented mother, but not systematically for a scented unfamiliar female; furthermore, they were equally attracted by the unscented mother and a scented unfamiliar female. In sum, pups did not spontaneously evince an olfactory preference for the mother when opposed to an unfamiliar female, although they seemed able to detect individual maternal odours. In fact, they appeared to react to both species-specific cues and individual cues that they had learned, and their responses depended on their degree of familiarity with the cues and on the context. The mammary pheromone by itself might act as both a releasing and a reinforcing signal in these early socially oriented behaviours.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4646
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Author Scordato, E.S.; Drea, C.M.
Title Scents and sensibility: information content of olfactory signals in the ringtailed lemur, Lemur catta Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 73 Issue 2 Pages 301-314
Keywords chemical communication; female dominance; individual recognition; intrasexual competition; Lemur catta; mate choice; reproductive signalling; ringtailed lemur; scent marking; seasonality
Abstract The function of olfactory signalling in social species is less well understood than in asocial species. Consequently, we examined olfactory communication in the ringtailed lemur, a socially complex primate that retains a functional vomeronasal organ, has well-developed scent glands and shows a suite of scent-marking behaviour. To assess the information content of different types of scent gland secretions, we decoupled olfactory cues from the visual and behavioural modalities with which scent marking is normally associated. We presented male and female subjects (signal receivers) with a series of choice tests between odours derived from conspecific donors (signal senders) varying by sex, age, social status and reproductive condition. We additionally examined the influence of the receivers' reproductive state and familiarity with the signaller. The reproductive condition, social status and familiarity of senders and receivers affected signal transmission; specifically, male receivers attended most to the odours of conspecifics in breeding condition and to the odours of familiar, dominant animals. By contrast, females varied their responses according to both their own reproductive state and that of the sender. Based on male and female patterns of countermarking, we suggest that scent marking serves a function in intergroup spacing and intrasexual competition for both sexes, as might be expected in a female-dominant species. By contrast, minimal female interest in male odours counters a female mate choice function for scent marking in this species. Nevertheless, scent marks are critical to male-male competition and, therefore, may be subject to sexual selection.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4648
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Author King, S.R.B.
Title Home range and habitat use of free-ranging Przewalski horses at Hustai National Park, Mongolia Type Journal Article
Year 2002 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 78 Issue 2-4 Pages 103-113
Keywords Przewalski horse; Equus przewalskii; Takhi; Home range; Re-introduction; Habitat use
Abstract Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii), also known as takhi, were first re-introduced to the wild in Hustai National Park, Mongolia, in 1994. Since then the number of free harems increased to a maximum of seven; there are currently six (October 2000). The size of the home range of each of the harems changed among years and among seasons. The horses tended to settle in a home range close to where they were released although they explored the surrounding area. The use of the habitat within each home range changed through the day, with the horses grazing in the valleys during the morning and evening, and moving to higher places to stand rest and use as a refuge from heat and flies during the middle of the day. Range establishment and area, as well as habitat use are discussed.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4682
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Author Schulte, N.; Klingel, H.
Title Herd Structure, Leadership, Dominance and Site Attachment of the Camel, Camelus Dromedarius Type Journal Article
Year 1991 Publication Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Behaviour
Volume 118 Issue 1-2 Pages 103-114
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Abstract Social structure and relationships in a herd of captive camels were studied in Kenya. During day and night the herd split up irrespective of kinship. Partner preferences existed only in those camels who had previously been kept in a small group separated from the herd. Dominance relationships are anonymous with four levels: a) dominant breeding bulls, b) females and bachelors, c) subadults, and d) calves. No stable leadership was observed, but individual preferences in the walking order existed when the camels left and entered the enclosure. During the night most camels showed an amazing attachment to a particular resting site; in a new boma they used corresponding sites. During moon nights activity was greatly increased.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4683
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Author Altmann, J.
Title Observational Study of Behavior: Sampling Methods Type Journal Article
Year 1974 Publication Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Behaviour
Volume 49 Issue 3-4 Pages 227-266
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Abstract Seven major types of sampling for observational studies of social behavior have been found in the literature. These methods differ considerably in their suitability for providing unbiased data of various kinds. Below is a summary of the major recommended uses of each technique: In this paper, I have tried to point out the major strengths and weaknesses of each sampling method. Some methods are intrinsically biased with respect to many variables, others to fewer. In choosing a sampling method the main question is whether the procedure results in a biased sample of the variables under study. A method can produce a biased sample directly, as a result of intrinsic bias with respect to a study variable, or secondarily due to some degree of dependence (correlation) between the study variable and a directly-biased variable. In order to choose a sampling technique, the observer needs to consider carefully the characteristics of behavior and social interactions that are relevant to the study population and the research questions at hand. In most studies one will not have adequate empirical knowledge of the dependencies between relevant variables. Under the circumstances, the observer should avoid intrinsic biases to whatever extent possible, in particular those that direcly affect the variables under study. Finally, it will often be possible to use more than one sampling method in a study. Such samples can be taken successively or, under favorable conditions, even concurrently. For example, we have found it possible to take Instantaneous Samples of the identities and distances of nearest neighbors of a focal individual at five or ten minute intervals during Focal-Animal (behavior) Samples on that individual. Often during Focal-Animal Sampling one can also record All Occurrences of Some Behaviors, for the whole social group, for categories of conspicuous behavior, such as predation, intergroup contact, drinking, and so on. The extent to which concurrent multiple sampling is feasible will depend very much on the behavior categories and rate of occurrence, the observational conditions, etc. Where feasible, such multiple sampling can greatly aid in the efficient use of research time.
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4684
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Author Wey, T.; Blumstein, D.T.; Shen, W.; Jordán, F.
Title Social network analysis of animal behaviour: a promising tool for the study of sociality Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 75 Issue 2 Pages 333-344
Keywords animal behaviour; quantifying sociality; social network analysis; social structure
Abstract Social animals live and interact together, forming complex relationships and social structure. These relationships can have important fitness consequences, but most studies do not explicitly measure those relationships. An approach that explicitly measures relationships will further our understanding of social complexity and the consequences of both direct and indirect interactions. Social network analysis is the study of social groups as networks of nodes connected by social ties. This approach examines individuals and groups in the context of relationships between group members. Application of social network analysis to animal behaviour can advance the field by identifying and quantifying specific attributes of social relationships, many of which are not captured by more common measures of sociality, such as group size. Sophisticated methods for network construction and analysis exist in other fields, but until recently, have seen relatively little application to animal systems. We present a brief history of social network analysis, a description of basic concepts and previous applications to animal behaviour. We then highlight relevance and constraints of some network measures, including results from an original study of the effect of sampling on network parameter estimates, and we end with promising directions for research. By doing so, we provide a prospective overview of social network analysis' general utility for the study of animal social behaviour.
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ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4691
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Author Whitehead, H.
Title Precision and power in the analysis of social structure using associations Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 75 Issue 3 Pages 1093-1099
Keywords association; precision; social structure; statistical power
Abstract I develop guidelines for assessing the precision and power of statistical techniques that are frequently used to study nonhuman social systems using observed dyadic associations. Association indexes estimate the proportion of time that two individuals are associated. Binomial approximation and nonparametric bootstrap methods produce similar estimates of the precision of association indexes. For a mid-range (0.4-0.9) association index to have a standard error of less than 0.1 requires about 15 observations of the pair associated, and for it to be less than 0.05, this rises to 50 observations. The coefficient of variation among dyads of the proportion of time that pairs of individuals are actually associated describes social differentiation (S), and this may be estimated from association data using maximum likelihood. With a poorly differentiated population (S~0.2), a data set needs about five observed associations per dyad to achieve a correlation between true and estimated association indexes of r=~0.4. It requires about 10 times as much data to achieve a representation with r=~0.8. Permutation tests usually reject the null hypothesis that individuals have no preferred associates when S2H>5, where H is the mean number of observed associations per individual. Thus most situations require substantial numbers of observations of associations to give useful portrayals of social systems, and sparse association data inform only when social differentiation is high.
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ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
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Call Number (up) Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4692
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