Steinhoff, H. J., Schrader, J., & Schlitter, J. (1992). Temperature-jump studies and polarized absorption spectroscopy of methemoglobin-thiocyanate single crystals. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1121(3), 269–278.
Abstract: Association equilibria and association kinetics of the thiocyanate binding reaction to methemoglobin in single crystals and solution are studied using temperature-jump technique and polarized absorption spectroscopy. Different kinetic constants are found for the reaction in solution and crystal phase for the alpha- and beta-subunits of the methemoglobin tetramer. The reduction of the reactivity of the alpha- and beta-subunits in crystalline phase is 6-fold and 2.4-fold, respectively, compared to the values found in solution. The intramolecular binding reaction of the N epsilon of the distal histidine E7 which is observed in methemoglobin in solution cannot be detected in single crystals. Our results suggest that crystallization of hemoglobin has little influence on small-scale structural fluctuations which are necessary for ligands to get to the binding sites and large-scale structural motions are suppressed.
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Parish, A. R., & De Waal, F. B. (2000). The other “closest living relative”. How bonobos (Pan paniscus) challenge traditional assumptions about females, dominance, intra- and intersexual interactions, and hominid evolution. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 907, 97–113.
Abstract: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) societies are typically characterized as physically aggressive, male-bonded and male-dominated. Their close relatives, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), differ in startling and significant ways. For instance, female bonobos bond with one another, form coalitions, and dominate males. A pattern of reluctance to consider, let alone acknowledge, female dominance in bonobos exists, however. Because both species are equally “man's” closest relative, the bonobo social system complicates models of human evolution that have historically been based upon referents that are male and chimpanzee-like. The bonobo evidence suggests that models of human evolution must be reformulated such that they also accommodate: real and meaningful female bonds; the possibility of systematic female dominance over males; female mating strategies which encompass extra-group paternities; hunting and meat distribution by females; the importance of the sharing of plant foods; affinitive inter-community interactions; males that do not stalk and attack and are not territorial; and flexible social relationships in which philopatry does not necessarily predict bonding pattern.
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George, I., Cousillas, H., Richard, J. - P., & Hausberger, M. (2002). Song perception in the European starling: hemispheric specialisation and individual variations. Compt. Rend. Biol., 325(3), 197–204.
Abstract: Hemispheric specialisation for speech in humans has been well documented. The lateralisation for song production observed in songbirds is reminiscent of this hemispheric dominance. In order to investigate whether song perception is also lateralised, we made multiunit recordings of the neuronal activity in the field L of starlings during the presentation of species-specific and artificial non-specific sounds. We observed a systematic stronger activation in one hemisphere than in the other one during the playback of species-specific sounds, with inter-subject variability in the predominant hemisphere for song perception. Such an asymmetry was not observed for artificial non-specific sounds. Thus, our results suggest that, at least at the individual level, the two hemispheres of the starlings' brain perceive and process conspecific signals differently.
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Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L., & Gallese, V. (2006). Mirrors of the mind. Sci Am, 295(5), 54–61.
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de Waal, F. B. M. (2005). How animals do business. Sci Am, 292(4), 54–61.
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de Waal, F. B., Aureli, F., & Judge, P. G. (2000). Coping with crowding. Sci Am, 282(5), 76–81.
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Packer, C., & Heinsohn, R. (1996). Response:Lioness leadership. Science, 271(5253), 1215–1216.
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Gary C. Jahn, & Craig Packer, R. H. (1996). Lioness leadership. Science, 271(5253), 1216–1219.
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de Villiers, M. S., Richardson, P. R. K., & van Jaarsveld, A. S. (2003). Patterns of coalition formation and spatial association in a social carnivore, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). J Zool, 260(4), 377–389.
Abstract: In many social species, relationships within groups seem to be non-random but related to variables such as rank, kinship or sexual attractiveness. The endangered African wild dog Lycaon pictus is a social carnivore that lives in large, stable packs, and intra-pack associations might be expected to display similar patterns. We investigated patterns of coalition formation (support during dominance interactions, and partnership interactions) and resting associations between members of a captive pack of 19 wild dogs. The social organization of the captive pack was similar to that of free-ranging packs in many respects. Polyadic (group) incidents of coalition support were also observed in a free-ranging pack. Patterns of coalition formation in the captive pack were related to rank. Most aggressive interactions involved high-ranking individuals (particularly the alpha, beta and third-ranking males) and coalitionary support tended to reinforce the existing hierarchy. However, there was at least one example of support influencing a successful rank challenge. Support was affected by potential risks and benefits, the latter including dominance through association and revolutionary alliances. An even stronger pattern overlaid associations between pack members: coalitions and resting associations were strongest between members of the same age–sex cohort, and may have enabled the eventual dominance of younger pack members over adults. Among adults, coalitionary associations were sometimes overridden by intersexual relationships. The results from this captive pack suggest that wild dogs are sensitive to differences in competitive ability. This information, in conjunction with strong affiliative bonds between littermates, is used to manoeuvre for position in the social hierarchy. It may also be important during dispersal, in encounters with other dispersing groups of the same sex. Although most features of the social structure of the captive pack were comparable to those of free-ranging packs, aspects such as the influence of relatedness on coalition formation still need to be explored.
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Jankunis, E. S., & Whishaw, I. Q. (2013). Sucrose Bobs and Quinine Gapes: Horse (Equus caballus) responses to taste support phylogenetic similarity in taste reactivity. Behavioural Brain Research, 256, 284–290.
Abstract: Evidence suggests that behavioural affective reactions to sweet and bitter substances are homologous in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. The sweet taste of sucrose elicits facial responses that include rhythmic tongue protrusions whereas the bitter taste of quinine elicits facial responses that include gapes, featuring an opening of the mouth and protrusion of the tongue. The present study using the horse (Equus caballus) was undertaken for three reasons: (1) there is debate about the presence of a sweet receptor gene in the horse, (2) there is a need to expand the examination of facial reactions to taste in lineages other than the closely related lineages of rodents and primates, and (3) the horse provides an opportunity to test the hypothesis that some social signals derive from movements related to taste reaction. The horses were given oral infusions of either sucrose or quinine and their behaviour was examined using frame-by-frame video analysis. Control groups were exposed received water or syringe insertion only. Amongst the many responses made to the infusions, the distinctive response to sucrose was a bob coupled with a slight tongue protrusion and forward movement of the ears; the distinctive response to quinine was a head extension and mouth gape accompanied by a large tongue protrusion and backward movement of the ears. Sucrose Bobs and Quinine Gapes are discussed with respect to: (1) the relevance of facial reactions to both sucrose and quinine to taste receptors in horses, (2) the similarity of features of taste expression in horses to those documented in rodents and primates, and (3) the dissimilarity between facial reactions to taste and other social signals displayed by horses.
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