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Author Amandine Ramseyer; Bernard Thierry; Alain Boissy; Bertrand Dumont
Title (up) Decision-making Processes in Group Departures of Cattle Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 10 Pages 948-957
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Abstract To keep social cohesiveness, group-living animals have to reach consensus decisions through recruitment processes. This implies that decision-making depends on the behaviours and social relationships of several group members at different stages of movements. We tested these assumptions in a group of fifteen 18-mo-old Charolais heifers (Bos taurus) at pasture, in which two observers continuously videotaped social interactions and group departures after resting periods. These departures were preceded by a phase of preparation characterized by an increase in activity. The number of heifers participating to a movement increased with the number of group members oriented in the direction of the movement before departure. The first moving animal also recruited a higher number of mates when it had a greater number of close neighbours, the first individuals to follow being mainly its preferential partners. Coercive interactions such as pressing behaviours were observed within the 5 min preceding or following departure. After departure, the numbers of walks and restarts of the first two movers were still operative in recruiting others. The frequency of pauses of the first mover was significantly higher when it was not followed, meaning that it adjusted its behaviour to that of other group members. Decision-making was distributed among group members, with any individual being liable to move first. The behaviour of cows and their spatial distribution before departure, at departure and after departure significantly affected the number of participants in the movement, demonstrating that decision-making was time-distributed in the studied cattle group.
Address INRA, UR 1213 Herbivores, Saint-Gens-Champanelle, France; Dpartement Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, IPHC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universit de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4992
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Author Clucas, B.; Marzluff, J.M.; Mackovjak, D.; Palmquist, I.
Title (up) Do American Crows Pay Attention to Human Gaze and Facial Expressions? Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 119 Issue 4 Pages 296-302
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Abstract Interactions between species can lead to the evolution of interspecific communication. Non-verbal communication by humans, both intentional and unintentional, can be interpreted by other species. We tested whether American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were sensitive to human facial features under field conditions by comparing flight initiation distances and urgency of escape behavior to human approaches varying in eye contact and facial expression. We first examined whether crows distinguish between an approaching human who is directly gazing at them and a human approaching them with an averted gaze. In a second experiment, we tested whether crows differentiate a smiling from scowling human approaching them with direct or averted gaze. In the first experiment, we found that crows fled sooner and more urgently when humans were directly gazing at them. Similarly, in the second experiment, crows responded sooner to a direct vs. averted gaze; however, they did not react differently to varying human facial expressions. We suggest that crows use human gaze as a reliable visual cue compared with facial expressions when making decisions about responding to approaching humans. This is the first study to show that a wild corvid species changes its behavior based on human gaze, possibly representing an adaptation to living in human-dominated urban areas and suggesting crows might perceive human intention by this visual cue.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5670
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Author Sakura O; Matsuzawa T
Title (up) Flexibility of wild chimpanzees nut-cracking behavior using stone hammers and anvils: an experimental analysis Type Journal Article
Year 1991 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 87 Issue Pages 237
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3038
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Author McPhee, M.E.; Segal, A.; Johnston, R.E.
Title (up) Hamsters Use Predator Odors as Indirect Cues of Predation Risk Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 116 Issue 6 Pages 517-523
Keywords
Abstract Abstract Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) use olfactory cues to assess traits of conspecifics such as kinship, individual identity, and reproductive status. The environment, however, is full of a wide variety of other olfactory information such as signals emitted by some of the hamster’s primary predators. Given this, we hypothesized that hamsters use odors from predators as an indirect sign of increased predation risk in the environment. In addition, based on data that show that wild hamsters are diurnal while laboratory hamsters are nocturnal, we hypothesized that if golden hamsters did respond to the predator odors, perceived predator risk might influence daily activity patterns in hamsters. We tested male and female hamsters over 5 d with scent gland secretion from domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) and compared their behavior to that observed when they were exposed to a clean arena. In response to the predator odor, subjects significantly decreased the amount of time active outside of their burrow, returned to their burrow more quickly, and spent less time near the predator odor than the clean control stimulus. These results strongly support our hypothesis that hamsters, like other species of small mammals, avoid predator odors. The results did not, however, support our second hypothesis that exposure to predator odors during the dark phase of the light cycle would elicit a switch to a more diurnal pattern of activity. More work is needed to understand how environmental cues and internal mechanisms interact to shape activity patterns.
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Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5212
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Author Fucikova, E.; Drent, P. J.; Smits,N.; van Oers, K.
Title (up) Handling Stress as a Measurement of Personality in Great Tit Nestlings (Parus major) Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 4 Pages 366 - 374
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Abstract nterest in personality is growing in a wide range of disciplines, but only in a few systems it is possible to assess the survival value of personality. Field studies looking at the relationship between personality and survival value early in life are greatly hampered by the fact that personality can at present only be assessed after individuals become independent from their parents. In passerines, for example, this is often after a period of intensive selection for the survival on fledglings. The main aim of this study is therefore to develop a method to measure personality before this period of selection. For this purpose, we developed the handling stress (HS) test. We measured HS in 14-d-old great tit nestlings by counting the number of breast movements (breath rate) in four subsequent 15-s bouts for 1 min; before and after they were socially isolated from their siblings for 15 min. To calculate the repeatability of HS, we repeated the test 6 mo later. To assess the relationship between HS and exploratory behaviour, we correlated the outcome of both tests. We ran tests both on birds of lines selected for extreme personality and on wild birds from a natural population. We found that birds selected for fast exploration reacted more to HS compared with birds selected for slow exploration and that HS was repeatable in different life phases. We confirmed this by finding an increase in the HS with increasing exploratory scores in wild birds. These results show that we can use the HS test as a measurement of personality, making it a potential tool for studying the relationship between personality and survival value early in life.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5072
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Author Rutberg, A.T.
Title (up) Horse Fly Harassment and the Social Behavior of Feral Ponies Type Journal Article
Year 1987 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 75 Issue 2 Pages 145-154
Keywords
Abstract Abstract Horse flies (Tabanidae) on and around feral ponies in harem groups were counted at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, U.S.A., between June and August 1985. Harem stallions attracted the most flies; adult mares showed intermediate fly numbers, while few flies landed on foals under any circumstances. The use of thermal and chemical cues by flies selecting a host may have helped create this disparity. When flies were abundant, ponies reduced spacing within the group. Ponies in larger groups suffered from fewer flies than ponies in smaller groups. There was, however, no evidence that ponies merged into larger groups in response to fly harassment, suggesting that biting flies play little role in structuring pony social organization.
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Publisher Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111) Place of Publication Editor
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Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0179-1613 ISBN Medium
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Notes doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00648.x Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6417
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Author Raquel Monclús; Heiko G. Rödel
Title (up) Influence of Different Individual Traits on Vigilance Behaviour in European Rabbits Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 115 Issue 8 Pages 758-766
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Abstract An animal's level of vigilance depends on various environmental factors such as predator presence or the proximity of conspecific competitors. In addition, several individual traits may influence vigilance. We investigated the effects of body condition, social rank and the state of pregnancy on individual vigilance (scanning) rates in individually marked European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) of a field enclosure population. We found lower rates in young rabbits than in adult females, but male and female juveniles did not differ. Vigilance of juveniles was positively correlated with their age-dependent body mass (used as a measure of body condition), i.e. young rabbits with lower body condition scanned less. We suggest that juveniles with low body condition were trading off vigilance against feeding to maximise their growth. In contrast, there was no significant correlation between body mass and vigilance in adult females. Adult females increased scanning rates during late pregnancy, which might constitute a behavioural compensation because of their lower capacity to escape predator attacks. In addition, adult females with low social ranks scanned more than high ranking individuals, likely because of their higher risk of attacks by conspecifics. In summary, our results highlight various individual characteristics that influence vigilance behaviour in European rabbits.
Address Unidad de Zoologa, Dpto. Biologa, Universidad Autnoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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Publisher Place of Publication © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH Editor
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4994
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Author Collier, T.C.; Blumstein, D.T.; Girod, L.; Taylor, C.E.
Title (up) Is Alarm Calling Risky? Marmots Avoid Calling from Risky Places Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume Issue Pages no-no
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Abstract Abstract Alarm calling is common in many species. A prevalent assumption is that calling puts the vocalizing individual at increased risk of predation. If calling is indeed costly, we need special explanations for its evolution and maintenance. In some, but not all species, callers vocalize away from safety and thus may be exposed to an increased risk of predation. However, for species that emit bouts with one or a few calls, it is often difficult to identify the caller and find the precise location where a call was produced. We analyzed the spatial dynamics of yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) alarm calling using an acoustic localization system to determine the location from where calls were emitted. Marmots almost always called from positions close to the safety of their burrows, and, if they produced more than one alarm call, tended to end their calling bouts closer to safety than they started them. These results suggest that for this species, potential increased predation risk from alarm calling is greatly mitigated and indeed calling may have limited predation costs.
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Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5181
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Author Ceacero, F.; Landete-Castillejos, T.; Garcia, A.J.; Estevez, J.A.; Gallego, L.
Title (up) Kinship Discrimination and Effects on Social Rank and Aggressiveness Levels in Iberian Red Deer Hinds Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume 113 Issue 12 Pages 1133-1140
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Abstract Abstract Kin recognition is a widespread phenomenon that allows individuals to benefit by enhancing their inclusive fitness, and one of its most common forms is reducing aggressiveness towards relatives. We carried out an experiment with Iberian red deer hinds (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) in order to examine kin biases in dominance behaviour and its consequences on social rank. Three enclosed groups (n = 36, 23 and 21, respectively) were monitored during two lactation seasons and social rank hierarchies were assessed by analysing aggressive interactions matrices with Matman 1.1 software. Aggressive interactions between related hinds was significantly smaller than expected (chi2 = 5.02, df = 1, p = 0.025), not only between mother and daughter but also in second and third kinship degrees. Although rates of aggressiveness were similar to data published relating free-ranging C. e. scoticus, aggressive interactions with relatives were significantly smaller (chi2 = 39.0, df = 1, p < 0.001). This reduction of aggressiveness between related hinds was not the result of these hinds having a lower social rank: social rank was only related to age and weight, but not to kinship degree, calf sex or calving date. The decrease of aggressiveness towards first-, second- and third-degree relatives shows a complex kin recognition system in deer. Possible nepotistic roles in lactation include preventing milk thefts by non-kin and disturbing feeding of unrelated hinds.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4311
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Author Martín, J.; López, P.; Bonati, B.; Csermely, D.
Title (up) Lateralization When Monitoring Predators in the Wild: A Left Eye Control in the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology
Volume Issue Pages no-no
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Abstract Abstract Lateralization is the function specialization between left and right brain hemispheres. It is now ascertained in ectotherms too, where bias in eye use for different tasks, i.e., visual lateralization, is widespread. The lateral eye position on the head of ectotherm animals, in fact, allows them to observe left/right stimuli independently and allows lateralized individuals to carry out left and right perceived tasks at the same time. A recent study conducted on common wall lizards, Podarcis muralis, showed that lizards predominantly monitor a predator with the left eye while escaping. However, this work was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting owing to the difficulty of carrying out lateralization experiments under natural conditions. Nevertheless, field studies could provide important information to support what was previously found in the laboratory and demonstrate that these traits occur in nature. In this study, we conducted a field study on the antipredatory behavior of P. muralis lizards. We simulated predatory attacks on lizards in their natural environment. We found no lateralization in the measure of eye used by the lizard to monitor the predator before escaping from it, but the eye used was probably determined by the relative position of the lizard and the predator just before the attack. This first eye used did not affect escape decisions; lizards chose to escape toward the nearest refuge irrespective of whether it was located to the lizard’s left or right side. However, once they had escaped to a refuge, lizards had a left eye–mediated bias to monitor the predator when first emerging from the refuge, and this bias was likely independent of other environmental variables. Hence, these field findings support a left eye–mediated observation of the predator in P. muralis lizards, which confirms previous findings in this and other species.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Blackwell Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1439-0310 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5182
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