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Author Amdam, G.V.; Csondes, A.; Fondrk, M.K.; Page, R.E.J. doi  openurl
  Title Complex social behaviour derived from maternal reproductive traits Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Nature Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 439 Issue 7072 Pages 76-78  
  Keywords Aging/physiology; Animals; Bees/*physiology; *Evolution; Feeding Behavior/*physiology; Female; Infertility, Female; Maternal Behavior/*physiology; Ovary/physiology; Pollen/metabolism; Reproduction/*physiology; *Social Behavior  
  Abstract A fundamental goal of sociobiology is to explain how complex social behaviour evolves, especially in social insects, the exemplars of social living. Although still the subject of much controversy, recent theoretical explanations have focused on the evolutionary origins of worker behaviour (assistance from daughters that remain in the nest and help their mother to reproduce) through expression of maternal care behaviour towards siblings. A key prediction of this evolutionary model is that traits involved in maternal care have been co-opted through heterochronous expression of maternal genes to result in sib-care, the hallmark of highly evolved social life in insects. A coupling of maternal behaviour to reproductive status evolved in solitary insects, and was a ready substrate for the evolution of worker-containing societies. Here we show that division of foraging labour among worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) is linked to the reproductive status of facultatively sterile females. We thereby identify the evolutionary origin of a widely expressed social-insect behavioural syndrome, and provide a direct demonstration of how variation in maternal reproductive traits gives rise to complex social behaviour in non-reproductive helpers.  
  Address Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA. Gro.Amdam@asu.edu  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1476-4687 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:16397498 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 531  
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Author Ben-Shahar, R doi  openurl
  Title Selectivity in large generalist herbivores: feeding patterns of African ungulates in a semi-arid habitat Type Journal Article
  Year 1991 Publication African Journal of Ecology Abbreviated Journal Afr. J. Ecol.  
  Volume 29 Issue 4 Pages 302-315  
  Keywords diet; forage production; grazing; wildebeest; zebra  
  Abstract Feeding habits of free-ranging wildebeest and zebra were monitored in a semi-arid nature reserve, bordering the southwestern part of Kruger National Park, South Africa. The purpose of study was to distinguish and define the feeding niches of two roughage grazers that occur in similar habitat types. The monthly compositions of diets were evaluated by direct observations of feeding bouts over a period of two years when rainfall patterns were average and animal populations were stable. Other analyses evaluated the standing biomass of grass species in the reserve during the wet summer and dry winter seasons.

A considerable overlap of grass species composition was found in the diets of wildebeest and zebra. Ordination of bi-monthly records of the diet composition showed greater variations in scores of grasses in zebra diet in comparison to wildebeest. Seasonal patterns were more apparent in the wildebeest diet. Preference ranking of grass species indicated that zebra diet remained constant in winter and summer. Wildebeest diet however, alternated with seasons, showing high preferences during the winter months for grass species which were rejected during summer.

The combined assessment of results from three separate statistical methods analysing temporal patterns and preferences in diet composition revealed contradictory trends. The solution, however, relied on the initial assumptions posed. Hence, wildebeest and zebra are essentially generalist feeders which show a limited amount of preference in their choice of diet.
 
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2226  
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Author Benard, J.; Stach, S.; Giurfa, M. doi  openurl
  Title Categorization of visual stimuli in the honeybee Apis mellifera Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 9 Issue 4 Pages 257-270  
  Keywords Animals; Bees/*physiology; Classification; Cognition/*physiology; Discrimination Learning/*physiology; Generalization, Stimulus/physiology; Pattern Recognition, Visual/*physiology; Photic Stimulation; Transfer (Psychology)/*physiology; Visual Perception/*physiology  
  Abstract Categorization refers to the classification of perceptual input into defined functional groups. We present and discuss evidence suggesting that stimulus categorization can also be found in an invertebrate, the honeybee Apis mellifera, thus underlining the generality across species of this cognitive process. Honeybees show positive transfer of appropriate responding from a trained to a novel set of visual stimuli. Such a transfer was demonstrated for specific isolated features such as symmetry or orientation, but also for assemblies (layouts) of features. Although transfer from training to novel stimuli can be achieved by stimulus generalization of the training stimuli, most of these transfer tests involved clearly distinguishable stimuli for which generalization would be reduced. Though in most cases specific experimental controls such as stimulus balance and discriminability are still required, it seems appropriate to characterize the performance of honeybees as reflecting categorization. Further experiments should address the issue of which categorization theory accounts better for the visual performances of honeybees.  
  Address Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR 5169), CNRS – Universite Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse cedex 4, France  
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  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:16909238 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2446  
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Author Cheng, K. doi  openurl
  Title Generalisation: mechanistic and functional explanations Type Journal Article
  Year 2002 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 33-40  
  Keywords Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Bees/*physiology; Cognition; Evolution; Models, Psychological  
  Abstract An overview of mechanistic and functional accounts of stimulus generalisation is given. Mechanistic accounts rely on the process of spreading activation across units representing stimuli. Different models implement the spread in different ways, ranging from diffusion to connectionist networks. A functional account proposed by Shepard analyses the probabilistic structure of the world for invariants. A universal law based on one such invariant claims that under a suitable scaling of the stimulus dimension, generalisation gradients should be approximately exponential in shape. Data from both vertebrates and invertebrates so far uphold Shepard's law. Some data on spatial generalisation in honeybees are presented to illustrate how Shepard's law can be used to determine the metric for combining discrepancies in different stimulus dimensions. The phenomenon of peak shift is discussed. Comments on mechanistic and functional approaches to generalisation are given.  
  Address Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. kcheng@axon.bhs.mq.edu.au  
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  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:11957400 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2612  
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Author Cheng, K.; Wignall, A.E. doi  openurl
  Title Honeybees (Apis mellifera) holding on to memories: response competition causes retroactive interference effects Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 141-150  
  Keywords Animals; Bees/*physiology; Choice Behavior/physiology; *Cues; Memory/*physiology; Perceptual Masking/physiology; Space Perception/*physiology; Spatial Behavior/*physiology  
  Abstract Five experiments on honeybees examined how the learning of a second task interferes with what was previously learned. Free flying bees were tested for landmark-based memory in variations on a paradigm of retroactive interference. Bees first learned Task 1, were tested on Task 1 (Test 1), then learned Task 2, and were tested again on Task 1 (Test 2). A 60-min delay (waiting in a box) before Test 2 caused no performance decrements. If the two tasks had conflicting response requirements, (e.g., target right of a green landmark in Task 1 and left of a blue landmark in Task 2), then a strong decrement on Test 2 was found (retroactive interference effect). When response competition was minimised during training or testing, however, the decrement on Test 2 was small or nonexistent. The results implicate response competition as a major contributor to the retroactive interference effect. The honeybee seems to hold on to memories; new memories do not wipe out old ones.  
  Address Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour and Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. ken@galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au  
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  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:16374626 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2477  
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Author Church, D.L.; Plowright, C.M.S. doi  openurl
  Title Spatial encoding by bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) of a reward within an artificial flower array Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 131-140  
  Keywords Animals; Appetitive Behavior/physiology; Association Learning/*physiology; Bees/*physiology; Chi-Square Distribution; *Cues; Female; Memory/physiology; Reward; Space Perception/*physiology; Spatial Behavior/*physiology  
  Abstract We presented bumblebees a spatial memory task similar to that used with other species (e.g., cats, dogs, and pigeons). In some conditions we allowed for presence of scent marks in addition to placing local and global spatial cues in conflict. Bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) were presented an array of artificial flowers within a flight cage, one flower offering reward (S+), while the others were empty (S-). Bees were tested with empty flowers. In Experiment 1, flowers were either moved at the time of testing or not. Bees returned to the flower in the same absolute position of the S+ (the flower-array-independent (FAI) position), even if it was in the wrong position relative to the S- and even when new flower covers prevented the use of possible scent marks. New flower covers (i.e., without possible scent marks) had the effect of lowering the frequency of probing behavior. In Experiment 2, the colony was moved between training and testing. Again, bees chose the flower in the FAI position of the S+, and not the flower that would be chosen using strictly memory for a flight vector. Together, these experiments show that to locate the S+ bees did not rely on scent marks nor the positions of the S-, though the S- were prominent objects close to the goal. Also, bees selected environmental features to remember the position of the S+ instead of relying upon a purely egocentric point of view. Similarities with honeybees and vertebrates are discussed, as well as possible encoding mechanisms.  
  Address Psychology Department, Bag Service #45444, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 6E4, Canada. dchurchl@unb.ca  
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  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:16416106 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2474  
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Author Dyer, F.C. doi  openurl
  Title Animal behaviour: when it pays to waggle Type
  Year 2002 Publication Nature Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 419 Issue 6910 Pages 885-886  
  Keywords *Animal Communication; Animals; Bees/*physiology; California; Dancing/physiology; Environment; Evolution; Female; Flowers/chemistry; *Food; Gravitation; Lighting; Motor Activity/*physiology; Odors; Seasons; Sunlight  
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  ISSN 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:12410290 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 769  
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Author Naug, D.; Arathi, H.S. doi  openurl
  Title Sampling and decision rules used by honey bees in a foraging arena Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 117-124  
  Keywords Animals; Bees/*physiology; *Choice Behavior; Cooperative Behavior; *Feeding Behavior; Flight, Animal  
  Abstract Animals must continuously choose among various available options to exploit the most profitable resource. They also need to keep themselves updated about the values of all available options, since their relative values can change quickly due to depletion or exploitation by competitors. While the sampling and decision rules by which foragers profitably exploit a flower patch have attracted a great deal of attention in theory and experiments with bumble bees, similar rules for honey bee foragers, which face similar foraging challenges, are not as well studied. By presenting foragers of the honey bee Apis cerana with choice tests in a foraging arena and recording their behavior, we investigate possible sampling and decision rules that the foragers use to choose one option over another and to track other options. We show that a large part of the sampling and decision-making process of a foraging honey bee can be explained by decomposing the choice behavior into dichotomous decision points and incorporating the cost of sampling. The results suggest that a honey bee forager, by using a few simple rules as part of a Bayesian inference process, is able to effectively deal with the complex task of successfully exploiting foraging patches that consist of dynamic and multiple options.  
  Address Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. dhruba@lamar.colostate.edu  
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  Notes PMID:16941157 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2441  
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Author Real, L.A. openurl 
  Title Animal choice behavior and the evolution of cognitive architecture Type Journal Article
  Year 1991 Publication Science (New York, N.Y.) Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 253 Issue 5023 Pages 980-986  
  Keywords Animals; Bees/genetics/*physiology; Biomechanics; *Choice Behavior; *Cognition; *Evolution; Mathematics; Models, Genetic; Probability  
  Abstract Animals process sensory information according to specific computational rules and, subsequently, form representations of their environments that form the basis for decisions and choices. The specific computational rules used by organisms will often be evolutionarily adaptive by generating higher probabilities of survival, reproduction, and resource acquisition. Experiments with enclosed colonies of bumblebees constrained to foraging on artificial flowers suggest that the bumblebee's cognitive architecture is designed to efficiently exploit floral resources from spatially structured environments given limits on memory and the neuronal processing of information. A non-linear relationship between the biomechanics of nectar extraction and rates of net energetic gain by individual bees may account for sensitivities to both the arithmetic mean and variance in reward distributions in flowers. Heuristic rules that lead to efficient resource exploitation may also lead to subjective misperception of likelihoods. Subjective probability formation may then be viewed as a problem in pattern recognition subject to specific sampling schemes and memory constraints.  
  Address Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3280  
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  ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:1887231 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2846  
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Author Turner, K.K.; Nielsen, B.D.; O'Connor, C.I.; Burton, J.L. doi  openurl
  Title Bee pollen product supplementation to horses in training seems to improve feed intake: A pilot study Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition Abbreviated Journal J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl)  
  Volume 90 Issue 9-10 Pages 414-420  
  Keywords *Animal Nutrition Physiology; Animals; Antibody Formation; Bees; Detergents; Dietary Fiber/metabolism; Dietary Supplements; *Digestion; Eating/*drug effects; Exercise Test/veterinary; Female; Heart Rate/drug effects/physiology; Horses/blood/immunology/*physiology; Leukocyte Count/*veterinary; Male; Oxygen Consumption/drug effects/physiology; Physical Conditioning, Animal/*physiology; Pilot Projects; *Pollen; Random Allocation  
  Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of supplementation of Dynamic Trio 50/50, a bee pollen-based product, to improve physical fitness, blood leukocyte profiles, and nutritional variables in exercised horses. Ten Arabian horses underwent a standardised exercise test (SET), then were pair-matched by sex and fitness and randomly assigned to BP (receiving 118 g of Dynamic Trio 50/50 daily) or CO (receiving 73 g of a placebo) for a period of 42 days. A total collection was conducted from days 18 to 21 on six geldings to determine nutrient retention and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) digestibility. Horses were exercise conditioned and completed another SET on day 42. V160 and V200 were calculated from SET heart rates (HR). Lactate, glucose, haematocrit (HT) and haemoglobin (HB) concentrations were determined from SET blood samples. Total leukocyte count, and circulating numbers of various leukocytes and IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations were determined in rest and recovery blood samples from both SETs. Geldings on BP (n = 3) ate more feed than CO. BP had less phosphorus excretion, and tended to retain more nitrogen. BP tended to digest more NDF and ADF while having lower NDF digestibility and tending to have lower ADF digestibility. No treatment differences existed for V160 and V200, HR, lactate, HT and HB. There was a trend for lymphocyte counts to be lower in BP than CO on day 42. Dynamic Trio 50/50 supplementation may have a positive effect on performance by helping horses in training meet their potentially increased nutrient demands by increasing feed intake and thus nutrient retention.  
  Address Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. kturner@uga.edu  
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  ISSN 0931-2439 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:16958799 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4237  
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