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Vidya, T. N. C., & Sukumar, R. (2005). Social and reproductive behaviour in elephants. Curr Sci, 89(7), 1200–1207.
Abstract: We present a review of studies on elephant social and reproductive behaviour. While the social organization of the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) has been intensively studied,that of the African forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) are poorly understood. Noninvasive molecular methods are useful in combination with behavioural data in understanding social organization and dispersal strategies. The ecological determinants of social organization, and the importance of matriarchal leadership to social groups, and relative importance of different forms of communication under various ecological conditions remain interesting topics that await investigation. Reproductive behaviour also has been examined in detail only in the African savannah elephant, although rigorous chemical analyses continue to be carried out using captive elephants of both species. Improved laboratory techniques may enable future work on reproductive signalling in free-ranging elephants, allowing for comprehensive studies of male-male interactions and mate choice by females.
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Tizo-Pedroso, E., & Del-Claro, K. (2005). Matriphagy In The Neotropical Pseudoscorpion Paratemnoides Nidificator (Balzan 1888) (Atemnidae). Journal of Arachnology, 33(3), 873–877.
Abstract: We studied the natural history and social behavior of Paratemnoides nidificator (Balzan 1888) in a tropical savanna system. Females were responsible for all nymphal care. We observed, for the first time in pseudoscorpions, the occurrence of matriphagy behavior by the offspring. During conditions of food deprivation, the mother went out of the nest and passively awaited the protonymphs' attack, not reacting to the capture nor to the nymphs feeding on her body. We suggest that this extreme form of parental care, matriphagy, can reduce cannibalism among protonymphs and facilitate the evolution of social behavior in pseudoscorpions. RESUMO Nos estudamos a historia natural e o comportamento social de Paratemnoides nidificator (Balzan 1888) na regiao dos cerrados. As femeas foram responsaveis por todo o cuidado as ninfas. Nos observamos, pela primeira vez em pseudoescorpioes, a ocorrencia de matrifagia pela prole. Em condicoes de fome, a mae deixa o ninho e passivamente espera que as protoninfas a ataquem, nao reagindo nem a captura, nem a alimentacao das ninfas sobre seu corpo. Nos sugerimos que esta forma extrema de cuidado parental, matrifagia, possa reduzir o canibalismo entre as protoninfas e assim facilitar a evolucao de comportamento social em pseudoescorpioes.
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Sol, D., Duncan, R. P., Blackburn, T. M., Cassey, P., & Lefebvre, L. (2005). Big brains, enhanced cognition, and response of birds to novel environments. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 102(15), 5460–5465.
Abstract: The widely held hypothesis that enlarged brains have evolved as an adaptation to cope with novel or altered environmental conditions lacks firm empirical support. Here, we test this hypothesis for a major animal group (birds) by examining whether large-brained species show higher survival than small-brained species when introduced to nonnative locations. Using a global database documenting the outcome of >600 introduction events, we confirm that avian species with larger brains, relative to their body mass, tend to be more successful at establishing themselves in novel environments. Moreover, we provide evidence that larger brains help birds respond to novel conditions by enhancing their innovation propensity rather than indirectly through noncognitive mechanisms. These findings provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that enlarged brains function, and hence may have evolved, to deal with changes in the environment.
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Mills, D. S., & McDonnell, S. M. (Eds.). (2005). The Domestic Horse. Camebridge: Cambridge University Press.
Abstract: Humans have had a profound influence on the horse since its domestication in the late Neolithic period. Used for transport, labour, food and recreation, horses have become important in many facets of our society. Daniel Mills and Sue McDonnell have produced an exceptional account of our current knowledge of the development and management of the behaviour of the horse, from its wild roots. The Domestic Horse brings together, for the first time, an unrivalled collection of international scientific authors to write on the latest findings concerning the behaviour and welfare of this beautiful animal. Illustrated throughout, The Domestic Horse will appeal to animal scientists, those working with horses in a professional capacity and the owner/enthusiast. It also provides sound complementary reading for animal/equine science courses and veterinary students.
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Landaeta-Hernández, A. J., Chenoweth, P. J., Randles, R., Littell, R., Rae, O., & Chase, C. C. (2005). Identifying the social dominance order in a mixed breed herd: a practical methodology. Revista Científica, 15(2), 148–154.
Abstract: The major objective of this study was to identify a simple and accurate method of assessing differences in female social status. Three methods of estimating dominance value (DV) were compared in beef cows of three breed-types; Angus (A; n=10), Brahman (B; n=10), and Senepol (S; n=10). Cows were equitably assigned to two groups of fifteen each, allocated into separate pastures and containing equal number of animals by breed. Agonistic interactions were recorded for 45 d of study, in two 1 h periods during concentrate feeding using the method of competitive orders winner/loser. Methods of estimating DV included: I) Ratio between individuals dominated and total encountered, II) Ratio between encounters won to total encounters, III) Proportion of individuals dominated to total herdmates. Due to the different level of interactivity evidenced among animals as well as between and within social orders, method III with subsequent arc-sin transformation was considered as the most practical and accurate method for estimating DV and subsequent allocation of cows into a social dominance order. In addition, a breed effect was found on social dominance. Senepol cows obtained greater DV`s (1.24 ± 0.08) than Angus (0.97 ± 0.08; P<0.03) and Brahman cows (0.76 ± 0.08; P<0.005).
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Conradt, L., & Roper, T. J. (2005). Consensus decision making in animals. Trends Ecol Evol, 20(8), 449–456.
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.
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Hausberger, M., & Richard-Yris, M. - A. (2005). Individual differences in the domestic horse, origins, development and stability. In D. S. Mills, & McDonnell (Eds.), The domestic horse : the origins, development, and management of its behaviour (pp. 33–52). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2005.
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Couzin, I. D., Krause, J., Franks, N. R., & Levin, S. A. (2005). Effective leadership and decision-making in animal groups on the move. Nature, 433(7025), 513–516.
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Cooper, J. J., & Albentosa, M. J. (2005). Behavioural adaptation in the domestic horse: potential role of apparently abnormal responses including stereotypic behaviour. Livest. Prod. Sci., 92(2), 177–182.
Abstract: Classically, biologists have considered adaptation of behavioural characteristics in terms of long-term functional benefits to the individual, such as survival or reproductive fitness. In captive species, including the domestic horse, this level of explanation is limited, as for the most part, horses are housed in conditions that differ markedly from those in which they evolved. In addition, an individual horse's reproductive fitness is largely determined by man rather than its own behavioural strategies. Perhaps for reasons of this kind, explanations of behavioural adaptation to environmental challenges by domestic animals, including the capacity to learn new responses to these challenges, tend to concentrate on the proximate causes of behaviour. However, understanding the original function of these adaptive responses can help us explain why animals perform apparently novel or functionless activities in certain housing conditions and may help us to appreciate what the animal welfare implications might be. This paper reviews the behavioural adaptation of the domestic horse to captivity and discusses how apparently abnormal behaviour may not only provide a useful practical indicator of specific environmental deficiencies but may also serve the animal as an adaptive response to these deficiencies in an “abnormal” environment.
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Gácsi, M., Györi, B., Miklósi, Á., Virányi, Z., Kubinyi, E., Topál, J., et al. (2005). Species-specific differences and similarities in the behavior of hand-raised dog and wolf pups in social situations with humans. Dev Psychobiol, 47(2), 111–122.
Abstract: In order to reveal early species-specific differences, we observed the behavior of dog puppies (n = 11) and wolf pups (n = 13) hand raised and intensively socialized in an identical way. The pups were studied in two object-preference tests at age 3, 4, and 5 weeks. After a short isolation, we observed the subjects' behavior in the presence of a pair of objects, one was always the subject's human foster parent (caregiver) and the other was varied; nursing bottle (3 weeks), unfamiliar adult dog (3 and 5 weeks), unfamiliar experimenter (4 and 5 weeks), and familiar conspecific age mate (4 weeks). Dogs and wolves did not differ in their general activity level during the tests. Wolf pups showed preference for the proximity of the caregiver in two of the tests; Bottle-Caregiver at the age of 3 weeks and Experimenter-Caregiver at the age of 5 weeks, while dogs showed preference to the caregiver in three tests; conspecific Pup-Caregiver and Experimenter-Caregiver at the age of 4 weeks and dog-caregiver at the age of 5. Compared to wolves, dogs tended to display more communicative signals that could potentially facilitate social interactions, such as distress vocalization, tail wagging, and gazing at the humans' face. In contrast to dog puppies, wolf pups showed aggressive behavior toward a familiar experimenter and also seemed to be more prone to avoidance. Our results demonstrate that already at this early age - despite unprecedented intensity of socialization and the comparable social (human) environment during early development - there are specific behavioral differences between wolves and dogs mostly with regard to their interactions with humans. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 47 – 111-122, 2005.
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