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Author 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
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ISSN 0006-8977 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:16415571 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 358
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Author List, C.
Title Democracy in animal groups: a political science perspective Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Personal Edition) Abbreviated Journal Trends Ecol Evol
Volume 19 Issue 4 Pages 168-169
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ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:16701250 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5137
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Author Dall, S.R.X.; Giraldeau, L.-A.; Olsson, O.; McNamara, J.M.; Stephens, D.W.
Title Information and its use by animals in evolutionary ecology Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Personal Edition) Abbreviated Journal Trends Ecol Evol
Volume 20 Issue 4 Pages 187-193
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Abstract Information is a crucial currency for animals from both a behavioural and evolutionary perspective. Adaptive behaviour relies upon accurate estimation of relevant ecological parameters; the better informed an individual, the better it can develop and adjust its behaviour to meet the demands of a variable world. Here, we focus on the burgeoning interest in the impact of ecological uncertainty on adaptation, and the means by which it can be reduced by gathering information, from both 'passive' and 'responsive' sources. Our overview demonstrates the value of adopting an explicitly informational approach, and highlights the components that one needs to develop useful approaches to studying information use by animals. We propose a quantitative framework, based on statistical decision theory, for analysing animal information use in evolutionary ecology. Our purpose is to promote an integrative approach to studying information use by animals, which is itself integral to adaptive animal behaviour and organismal biology.
Address Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter in Cornwall, Tremough Campus, Penryn, UK, TR10 9EZ. sashadall@iname.com
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ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:16701367 Approved no
Call Number Serial 2128
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Author Conradt, L.; Roper, T.J.
Title Consensus decision making in animals Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Personal Edition) Abbreviated Journal Trends Ecol Evol
Volume 20 Issue 8 Pages 449-456
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Abstract Individual animals routinely face decisions that are crucial to their fitness. In social species, however, many of these decisions need to be made jointly with other group members because the group will split apart unless a consensus is reached. Here, we review empirical and theoretical studies of consensus decision making, and place them in a coherent framework. In particular, we classify consensus decisions according to the degree to which they involve conflict of interest between group members, and whether they involve either local or global communication; we ask, for different categories of consensus decision, who makes the decision, what are the underlying mechanisms, and what are the functional consequences. We conclude that consensus decision making is common in non-human animals, and that cooperation between group members in the decision-making process is likely to be the norm, even when the decision involves significant conflict of interest.
Address Department of Biology and Environmental Science, John Maynard Smith Building, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, BN1 9QG. L.Conradt@sussex.ac.uk
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ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:16701416 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4802
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Author 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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ISSN 1471-2148 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:18282297 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5126
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Author Connor, R.C.
Title Altruism among non-relatives: alternatives to the 'Prisoner's Dilemma' Type Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Trends in Ecology & Evolution Abbreviated Journal Trends Ecol Evol
Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 84-86
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Abstract Triver's model of reciprocal altruism, and its descendants based on the Prisoner's Dilemma model, have dominated thinking about cooperation and altruism between non-relatives. However, there are three alternative models of altruism directed to non-relatives. These models, which are not based on the Prisoner's Dilemma, may explain a variety of phenomena, from allogrooming among impala to helping by non-relatives in cooperatively breeding birds and mammals.
Address Division of Biological Sciences and The Michigan Society of Fellows, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, 48109, USA
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ISSN 0169-5347 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:21236964 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5407
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Author Ishida, N.; Oyunsuren, T.; Mashima, S.; Mukoyama, H.; Saitou, N.
Title Mitochondrial DNA sequences of various species of the genus Equus with special reference to the phylogenetic relationship between Przewalskii's wild horse and domestic horse Type Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Journal of Molecular Evolution Abbreviated Journal J Mol Evol
Volume 41 Issue 2 Pages 180-188
Keywords Animals; Base Sequence; Chromosomes; Conserved Sequence/genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial/*genetics; Evolution; Genetic Variation/*genetics; Horses/*genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; *Phylogeny; RNA, Transfer, Pro/genetics; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA
Abstract The noncoding region between tRNAPro and the large conserved sequence block is the most variable region in the mammalian mitochondrial DNA D-loop region. This variable region (ca. 270 bp) of four species of Equus, including Mongolian and Japanese native domestic horses as well as Przewalskii's (or Mongolian) wild horse, were sequenced. These data were compared with our recently published Thoroughbred horse mitochondrial DNA sequences. The evolutionary rate of this region among the four species of Equus was estimated to be 2-4 x 10(-8) per site per year. Phylogenetic trees of Equus species demonstrate that Przewalskii's wild horse is within the genetic variation among the domestic horse. This suggests that the chromosome number change (probably increase) of the Przewalskii's wild horse occurred rather recently.
Address Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Japan Racing Association, Tokyo
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ISSN 0022-2844 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:7666447 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5042
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Author Hampton, R.R.; Sherry, D.F.; Shettleworth, S.J.; Khurgel, M.; Ivy, G.
Title Hippocampal volume and food-storing behavior are related in parids Type Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Brain, behavior and evolution Abbreviated Journal Brain Behav Evol
Volume 45 Issue 1 Pages 54-61
Keywords Animals; Appetitive Behavior/*physiology; Birds/*anatomy & histology; Brain Mapping; Evolution; Food Preferences/physiology; Hippocampus/*anatomy & histology; Mental Recall/*physiology; Orientation/*physiology; Predatory Behavior/physiology; Social Environment; Species Specificity
Abstract The size of the hippocampus has been previously shown to reflect species differences and sex differences in reliance on spatial memory to locate ecologically important resources, such as food and mates. Black-capped chickadees (Parus atricapillus) cached more food than did either Mexican chickadees (P. sclateri) or bridled titmice (P. wollweberi) in two tests of food storing, one conducted in an aviary and another in smaller home cages. Black-capped chickadees were also found to have a larger hippocampus, relative to the size of the telencephalon, than the other two species. Differences in the frequency of food storing behavior among the three species have probably produced differences in the use of hippocampus-dependent memory and spatial information processing to recover stored food, resulting in graded selection for size of the hippocampus.
Address Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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ISSN 0006-8977 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) PMID:7866771 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 379
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Author Dunbar, Robin I. M.
Title The social brain hypothesis Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews Abbreviated Journal Evol. Anthropol.
Volume 6 Issue 5 Pages 178-190
Keywords brain size – neocortex – social brain hypothesis – social skills – mind reading – primates
Abstract Conventional wisdom over the past 160 years in the cognitive and neurosciences has assumed that brains evolved to process factual information about the world. Most attention has therefore been focused on such features as pattern recognition, color vision, and speech perception. By extension, it was assumed that brains evolved to deal with essentially ecological problem-solving tasks. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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Notes (up) Robin Dunbar is Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology at the University of Liverpool, England. His research primarily focuses on the behavioral ecology of ungulates and human and nonhuman primates, and on the cognitive mechanisms and brain components that underpin the decisions that animals make. He runs a large research group, with graduate students working on many different species on four continents. Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4371
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