Records |
Author |
Grosenick, L.; Clement, T.S.; Fernald, R.D. |
Title |
Fish can infer social rank by observation alone |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
445 |
Issue |
7126 |
Pages |
429-432 |
Keywords |
Aggression/physiology; Animals; Cognition/*physiology; Female; Fishes/*physiology; Learning/*physiology; Male; Models, Biological; *Social Dominance; Territoriality |
Abstract |
Transitive inference (TI) involves using known relationships to deduce unknown ones (for example, using A > B and B > C to infer A > C), and is thus essential to logical reasoning. First described as a developmental milestone in children, TI has since been reported in nonhuman primates, rats and birds. Still, how animals acquire and represent transitive relationships and why such abilities might have evolved remain open problems. Here we show that male fish (Astatotilapia burtoni) can successfully make inferences on a hierarchy implied by pairwise fights between rival males. These fish learned the implied hierarchy vicariously (as 'bystanders'), by watching fights between rivals arranged around them in separate tank units. Our findings show that fish use TI when trained on socially relevant stimuli, and that they can make such inferences by using indirect information alone. Further, these bystanders seem to have both spatial and featural representations related to rival abilities, which they can use to make correct inferences depending on what kind of information is available to them. Beyond extending TI to fish and experimentally demonstrating indirect TI learning in animals, these results indicate that a universal mechanism underlying TI is unlikely. Rather, animals probably use multiple domain-specific representations adapted to different social and ecological pressures that they encounter during the course of their natural lives. |
Address |
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA. logang@stanford.edu |
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English |
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1476-4687 |
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PMID:17251980 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
600 |
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Author |
Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
Title |
Grooming, alliances and reciprocal altruism in vervet monkeys |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1984 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
308 |
Issue |
5959 |
Pages |
541-543 |
Keywords |
*Altruism; Animals; Cercopithecus/*physiology; Cercopithecus aethiops/*physiology; *Grooming; *Social Behavior; Vocalization, Animal |
Abstract |
Reciprocal altruism refers to the exchange of beneficial acts between individuals, in which the benefits to the recipient exceed the cost to the altruist. Theory predicts that cooperation among unrelated animals can occur whenever individuals encounter each other regularly and are capable of adjusting their cooperative behaviour according to experience. Although the potential for reciprocal altruism exists in many animal societies, most interactions occur between closely related individuals, and examples of reciprocity among non-kin are rare. The field experiments on vervet monkeys which we present here demonstrate that grooming between unrelated individuals increases the probability that they will subsequently attend to each others' solicitations for aid. Vervets appear to be more willing to aid unrelated individuals if those individuals have behaved affinitively toward them in the recent past. In contrast, recent grooming between close genetic relatives appears to have no effect on their willingness to respond to each other's solicitations for aid. |
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0028-0836 |
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PMID:6709060 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
704 |
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Author |
Bouman, I. |
Title |
The reintroduction of Przewalski horses in the Hustain Nuruu Mountain Forest Steppe Reserve in Mongolia |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1998 |
Publication |
Mededelingen: Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection |
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Volume |
32 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2241 |
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Author |
Wilson, A.M.; McGuigan, M.P.; Su, A.; van Den Bogert, A.J. |
Title |
Horses damp the spring in their step |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
414 |
Issue |
6866 |
Pages |
895-899 |
Keywords |
Animals; Biomechanics; Elasticity; Forelimb; Gait; Horses/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Leg Bones/*physiology; Locomotion; Models, Biological; Muscle Fibers/physiology; Muscle, Skeletal/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Tendons/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Vibration |
Abstract |
The muscular work of galloping in horses is halved by storing and returning elastic strain energy in spring-like muscle-tendon units.These make the legs act like a child's pogo stick that is tuned to stretch and recoil at 2.5 strides per second. This mechanism is optimized by unique musculoskeletal adaptations: the digital flexor muscles have extremely short fibres and significant passive properties, whereas the tendons are very long and span several joints. Length change occurs by a stretching of the spring-like digital flexor tendons rather than through energetically expensive length changes in the muscle. Despite being apparently redundant for such a mechanism, the muscle fibres in the digital flexors are well developed. Here we show that the mechanical arrangement of the elastic leg permits it to vibrate at a higher frequency of 30-40 Hz that could cause fatigue damage to tendon and bone. Furthermore, we show that the digital flexor muscles have minimal ability to contribute to or regulate significantly the 2.5-Hz cycle of movement, but are ideally arranged to damp these high-frequency oscillations in the limb. |
Address |
Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK. awilson@rvc.ac.uk |
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English |
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0028-0836 |
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Notes |
PMID:11780059 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2300 |
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Author |
Marean, C.W.; Gifford-Gonzalez, D. |
Title |
Late Quaternary extinct ungulates of East Africa and palaeoenvironmental implications |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1991 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
350 |
Issue |
6317 |
Pages |
418-420 |
Keywords |
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Abstract |
UNGULATE communities of two East African savannas, the Serengeti and Athi-Kapiti Plains, are dominated by wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) supplemented by zebra (Equus burchelli), topi (Damaliscus lunatus), hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer) eland (Taurotragus oryx) and gazelles (Gazella grand and G. thomsoni)1-3. Before this research, little was known of East African large mammal communities in the Late Pleistocene and early to middle Holocene. We document an extinct impala-sized alcelaphine antelope that is numerically dominant in Late Pleistocene archaeofaunal assemblages from the Athi-Kapiti Plains. The extinct giant buffalo Pelorovis antiquus is present, and a number of arid-adapted regionally extinct species are common. The small alcelaphine is rare in northern Tanzania, but regionally extinct arid-adapted species are present in Late Pleistocene deposits. These data indicate that as recently as 12,000 years ago, the large mammal community structure of East African savannas was very different and dry grasslands and arid-adapted ungulates expanded at least as far south as northern Tanzania during the Last Glacial Maximum. |
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Notes |
10.1038/350418a0 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2345 |
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Author |
Novacek, M.J. |
Title |
Mammalian phylogeny: shaking the tree |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1992 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
356 |
Issue |
6365 |
Pages |
121-125 |
Keywords |
Animals; Evolution; Fossils; Mammals/classification/*genetics; *Phylogeny |
Abstract |
Recent palaeontological discoveries and the correspondence between molecular and morphological results provide fresh insight on the deep structure of mammalian phylogeny. This new wave of research, however, has yet to resolve some important issues. |
Address |
American Museum of Natural History, New York 10024 |
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English |
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0028-0836 |
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Notes |
PMID:1545862 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
3546 |
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Author |
Wolf, M.; van Doorn, G.S.; Leimar, O.; Weissing, F.J. |
Title |
Life-history trade-offs favour the evolution of animal personalities |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
447 |
Issue |
7144 |
Pages |
581-584 |
Keywords |
Aggression/physiology/psychology; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; *Evolution; Exploratory Behavior/physiology; Models, Biological; Personality/*physiology; Predatory Behavior/physiology; Reproduction/physiology; Risk-Taking; Selection (Genetics) |
Abstract |
In recent years evidence has been accumulating that personalities are not only found in humans but also in a wide range of other animal species. Individuals differ consistently in their behavioural tendencies and the behaviour in one context is correlated with the behaviour in multiple other contexts. From an adaptive perspective, the evolution of animal personalities is still a mystery, because a more flexible structure of behaviour should provide a selective advantage. Accordingly, many researchers view personalities as resulting from constraints imposed by the architecture of behaviour (but see ref. 12). In contrast, we show here that animal personalities can be given an adaptive explanation. Our argument is based on the insight that the trade-off between current and future reproduction often results in polymorphic populations in which some individuals put more emphasis on future fitness returns than others. Life-history theory predicts that such differences in fitness expectations should result in systematic differences in risk-taking behaviour. Individuals with high future expectations (who have much to lose) should be more risk-averse than individuals with low expectations. This applies to all kinds of risky situations, so individuals should consistently differ in their behaviour. By means of an evolutionary model we demonstrate that this basic principle results in the evolution of animal personalities. It simultaneously explains the coexistence of behavioural types, the consistency of behaviour through time and the structure of behavioural correlations across contexts. Moreover, it explains the common finding that explorative behaviour and risk-related traits like boldness and aggressiveness are common characteristics of animal personalities. |
Address |
Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands |
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1476-4687 |
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PMID:17538618 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4098 |
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Author |
Bell, A.M. |
Title |
Evolutionary biology: animal personalities |
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Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
447 |
Issue |
7144 |
Pages |
539-540 |
Keywords |
Aggression/physiology/psychology; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; *Evolution; Humans; *Models, Biological; Personality/genetics/*physiology; Reproduction/genetics/physiology; Risk-Taking; Selection (Genetics) |
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1476-4687 |
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Notes |
PMID:17538607 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4099 |
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Author |
Berger, J. |
Title |
Induced abortion and social factors in wild horses |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1983 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
303 |
Issue |
5912 |
Pages |
59-61 |
Keywords |
Abortion, Induced/*veterinary; Abortion, Veterinary/*etiology; Aggression/physiology; Animals; Evolution; Female; Horses/*physiology; Humans; Pregnancy; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology |
Abstract |
Much evidence now suggests that the postnatal killing of young in primates and carnivores, and induced abortions in some rodents, are evolved traits exerting strong selective pressures on adult male and female behaviour. Among ungulates it is perplexing that either no species have developed convergent tactics or that these behaviours are not reported, especially as ungulates have social systems similar to those of members of the above groups. Only in captive horses (Equus caballus) has infant killing been reported. It has been estimated that 40,000 wild horses live in remote areas of the Great Basin Desert of North America (US Department of Interior (Bureau of Land Management), unpublished report), where they occur in harems (females and young) defended by males. Here I present evidence that, rather than killing infants directly, invading males induce abortions in females unprotected by their resident stallions and these females are then inseminated by the new males. |
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English |
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0028-0836 |
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Notes |
PMID:6682487 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4365 |
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Author |
Franks, N.R.; Richardson, T. |
Title |
Teaching in tandem-running ants |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
Volume |
439 |
Issue |
7073 |
Pages |
153 |
Keywords |
*Animal Communication; Animals; Ants/*physiology; Feedback/physiology; Learning/*physiology; *Teaching |
Abstract |
The ant Temnothorax albipennis uses a technique known as tandem running to lead another ant from the nest to food--with signals between the two ants controlling both the speed and course of the run. Here we analyse the results of this communication and show that tandem running is an example of teaching, to our knowledge the first in a non-human animal, that involves bidirectional feedback between teacher and pupil. This behaviour indicates that it could be the value of information, rather than the constraint of brain size, that has influenced the evolution of teaching. |
Address |
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 IUG, UK. nigel.franks@bristol.ac.uk |
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1476-4687 |
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PMID:16407943 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4651 |
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