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Author Lefebvre, L.
Title Ecological correlates of social learning: problems and solutions for the comparative method Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.
Volume 35 Issue 1-3 Pages 163-171
Keywords Adaptive specialization; Social learning; Comparative method
Abstract Interspecific variation in learning and cognition is often accounted for by adaptive specialization, an ecological framework where variation between species in the environmental problems they face is thought to select for quantitatively and/or qualitatively different abilities. Adaptive specialization theory relies on the comparative method for testing its hypotheses and assumes a naturally selected basis for the predicted differences. This review examines social learning as a specialization to group-living and scramble feeding competition. It points out one important problem with current studies in the area, the lack of quantitative controls for confounding variables that may cause type 1 or 2 error in comparative tests. A linear regression technique is proposed to measure and remove interspecific differences on control tests for which there is no predicted adaptive specialization; as in other areas of comparative biology, the adaptive prediction is then made on the residual deviation from the regression of these confounding variables. Examples are given from research on opportunistic Columbids, the group-living feral pigeon Columbia livia, and the territorial Zenaida dove, Zenaida aurita.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 843
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Author PITRA, C.H.; STREICH, W.J.; REINSCH, A.; FICKEL, J.
Title Die Population des Somali-Wildesels (Equus africanus somalicus Sclater) in menschlicher Obhut: Demographische und genetische Aspekte Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Zoologische Garten Abbreviated Journal Zool. Garten.
Volume N.F. 65 Issue 4 Pages 245-257
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Call Number Serial 1472
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Author Hoglund, J.; Alatalo, R.V.; Gibson, R.M.; Lundberg, A.
Title Mate-choice copying in black grouse Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 49 Issue 6 Pages 1627-1633
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Call Number Serial 1817
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Author Madigan, J.E.; Kortz, G.; Murphy, C.; Rodger, L.
Title Photic headshaking in the horse: 7 cases Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Equine Veterinary Journal Abbreviated Journal Equine Vet J
Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 306-311
Keywords Animals; Anti-Allergic Agents/therapeutic use; *Behavior, Animal; Cyproheptadine/therapeutic use; Female; *Head; Horse Diseases/drug therapy/*etiology; Horses; Light/*adverse effects; Male; Movement Disorders/drug therapy/etiology/*veterinary
Abstract Seven horses with headshaking are described. No physical abnormalities were detected in any of the cases. Six of these horses had onset of clinical signs in the spring. The role of light was assessed by application of a blindfold or dark grey lens to the eyes, covering the eyes with a face mask and observing the horse in total darkness outdoors. Cessation of headshaking was observed with blindfolding (5/5 horses), night darkness outdoors (4/4 horses) and use of grey lenses (2/3 horses). Outdoor behaviour suggested efforts to avoid light in 4/4 cases. The photic sneeze in man is suggested as a putative mechanism for equine headshaking. Five of 7 horses had improvement with cyproheptadine treatment (0.3 mg/kg bwt b.i.d.). Headshaking developed within 2 calendar weeks of the same date for 3 consecutive years in one horse. Neuropharmacological alterations associated with photoperiod mechanisms leading to optic trigeminal summation are suggested as possible reasons for spring onset of headshaking.
Address Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis 95616-8737, USA
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ISSN 0425-1644 ISBN Medium
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Notes PMID:8536668 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 1940
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Author Bateson, M.; Kacelnik, A.
Title Accuracy of memory for amount in the foraging starling,Sturnus vulgaris Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 50 Issue 2 Pages 431-443
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Abstract Attempts to include psychological constraints in models of foraging behaviour differ in their assumptions concerning the accuracy of estimation of environmental parameters. Psychologists model estimation error as increasing linearly with the magnitude of a stimulus (Weber's Law), whereas behavioural ecologists either ignore error or assume it to be independent of stimulus magnitude. Studies on the estimation of time intervals have confirmed Weber's Law, but there are few data on the accuracy of estimation of amounts of food. Since the currency of most foraging models is the amount of food acquired per unit of time spent foraging, information on estimation of amount is required. Here, a titration method was used in which starlings chose between two cues. One colour signalled a standard food reward, and the other a reward that adjusted in magnitude according to the birds' choices: it increased when the standard was preferred and decreased when the adjusting option was preferred. There were two standards of 3 and 9 units of food, each of which was delivered at two rates to control for possible effects of rate of reinforcement on discrimination. The observed value of the adjusting option oscillated around a mean value slightly larger than that of the standard. The amplitude and period of these oscillations were larger when the standard was larger, independent of the rate of reinforcement. Also, molecular analysis showed that the probability of choosing the currently larger alternative increased as the relative difference between the adjusting option and standard increased. These results are consistent with Weber's Law applying to starlings' memories for amounts of food.
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Call Number Serial 2110
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Author Templeton, J.J.; Giraldeau, L.-A.
Title Public information cues affect the scrounging decisions of starlings Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume 49 Issue 6 Pages 1617-1626
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Abstract The foraging decisions that individuals make within groups should depend on the information available to them. An aviary experiment was conducted to examine whether a starling's, Sturnus vulgaris, decisions either to approach and feed from (scrounge) or to avoid the patches exploited by a partner bird are influenced by the information the partner provides. Both the type of information a subject could recognize and the point at which this information became available during the partner's exploitation of a patch were manipulaed. Information concerning the quality of a patch was available in the form of a concealed colour cue and from the behaviour of the partner bird. The foraging environment was manipulated such that colour cues were either present or absent, and provided either correct or incorrect information concerning the presence of food. When cues corresponded with past foraging experience, test subjects responded selectively and profitably to the patch exploitations of the partner; they scrounged from a higher proportion of profitable patches than control birds, which lacked the ability to recognize colour cues. Test subjects also arrived more quickly at profitable patches that the partner bird discovered than did control birds; and consequently, were able to obtain more food at each food patch scrounged. Finally, test subjects avoided scrounging when the partner discovered empty patches and thus saved foraging time. Responding selectively to public information, therefore, allows an individual to compete more effectively for resources within a foraging group.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2190
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Author Swaddle, J.P.; Witter, M.S.
Title Chest Plumage, Dominance and Fluctuating Asymmetry in Female Starlings Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci.
Volume 260 Issue 1358 Pages 219-223
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Abstract It has been proposed that levels of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) may be used in establishing and maintaining dominance hierarchies, as asymmetry reflects aspects of individual quality. However, previous manipulations of FA have failed to reveal that the level or outcome of agonistic intra-sexual interactions are affected by levels of FA. In female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), correlational data suggest that FA of the speckled chest plumage may be related to dominance status. These data are confounded, however, by total number of spots on the chest and the proportion of the chest that is white, both of which positively covary with chest asymmetry. Thus, we deconfounded the effects of these plumage traits on dominance by experimentally manipulating the number of spots and spot number asymmetry in a factorial design. The results indicated that dominance is influenced by the number of spots on the chest, but not by spot asymmetry. Birds with spottier chests were dominant over birds with experimentally decreased spot number. We suggest that female starlings' chests are exposed to extensive abrasion throughout the breeding season and so are susceptible to damage asymmetries that may mask the `true' fluctuating asymmetry of the trait. This may devalue the use of chest asymmetry as a quality indicator. Spottier chests may be costly to maintain, in part because of increased susceptibility to abrasion, and so may be a better indicator of quality than asymmetry.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2202
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Author Ben-Shahar, R.
Title Habitat classification in relation to movements and densities of ungulates in a semi-arid savanna Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication African Journal of Ecology Abbreviated Journal Afr. J. Ecol.
Volume 33 Issue Pages 50-63
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Abstract Habitat types were classified in a semi-arid nature reserve in South Africa in order to assess the spatial requirements of resident ungulates, namely zebra, wildebeest and impala. Multivariate analyses showed patterns of soil factors and plant species associations that corresponded with variations of local geological formations and the abundance of plants. The response of ungulates to habitats of different degrees of complexity in terms of soils and plant species associations was examined on the basis of annual occurrence. New habitat types were described through merging or subdividing the existing classification. New habitat categories which corresponded with high occurrences of ungulates provided better indications of the resource requirements for large herbivores. Wildebeest were restricted in their habitat requirements and were characterized by high seasonal densities in bottom lands, particularly during the late wet period. There was a considerable overlap in the preference of habitat types between wildebeest and zebra although zebra were aggregated during longer periods within the dolerite formation. Impala had a consistent annual preference for the granite formation where seepage lines and bottom lands were inhabited seasonally by large herd concentrations.

Résumé

On a classifié les types d'habitat dans une réserve naturelle semiaride d'Afrique du Sud, dans le but d'évaluer les exigences spatiales des ongulés qui y vivent, c'est à dire les zèbres, les gnous et les impalas. Des analyses multivariées ont révélé des schémas pour les facteurs du sol et pour les associations d'espèces végétales qui correspondent aux variations des formations géologiques locales et à l'abon-dance des plantes. On a examiné la réponse des ongulés à des habitats de complexité différente en termes de sols et d'associations d'espéces végétales, d'après leur présence annuelle. On a décrit de nouveaux types d'habitats en fusionnant ou en subdivisant la classification existante. Les nouvelles catégories d'habitats qui correspondaient à des présences abondantes d'ongulés ont fourni de meilleures indications sur les ressources exigées par les grands herbivores. Les gnous se limitaient aux endroits qui répondaient a leurs exigences et se caractérisaient par de hautes densités saisonnières dans les régions basses, spécialement pendant la dernière saison des pluies. Il y avait un recouvrement considérable des types d'habitats préferés par les gnous et les zébres, encore que les zébres se rassemblent plus longtemps dans la formation doléritique. Les impalas marquent une préférence annuelle constante pour la formation granitique où les sources et les terres basses sont occupées de façon saisonnière par des hardes très concentrées.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2227
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Author Saltz,D.; Rubenstein D.I.
Title Population Dynamics of a Reintroduced Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus) Herd Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Ecological Applications Abbreviated Journal Ecol Appl
Volume 5 Issue 2 Pages 327-335
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Abstract Reintroduction is the release of animals into an area where they were extirpated or have significantly declined. Little is known about the factors that determine the success of failure of ungulate reintroduction. We studied the dynamics of a reintroduced Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) population for 10 yr (1983-1993) following the first successful release into the wild. A total of 14 adult females and 14 adult males were released into a nature reserve in the Negev Desert of southern Israel. Over this 10-yr span the female population has grown to only 16 adults. Reproductive success of reintroduced females was low in the first 5 yr following release (0.0-0.8 foals@?female^-^1@?yr^-^1), but increased to 0.5-1.0 foals@?female^-^1@?yr^-^1 in the last 5 yr. Reproductive success of wild-born females @>3 yr old was higher than that of reintroduced females of similar ages, and ranged from 0.5-1.0 foals@?female@?^-^1yr^-^1. Our study and data from the E. hemionus studbook suggest that young nonprimiparous females produced primarily males, while primiparous and old females produced primarily females. We attribute the low reproductive success following reintroduction to the stress caused by capture, transport, and release procedures; we consider the age-dependent progeny sex ratio within the framework of Trivers and Willard's (1973) maternal allocation hypothesis. We conclude that the slow growth of the female population was due to: (a) low reproductive success of females in the early years following reintroduction, and (b) a male-skewed progeny sex ratio among prime-aged reintroduced females. A simple stochastic Leslie matrix model suggests that high survival and improved reproductive success of reintroduced females at later stages of the study, and the reproductive success of wild-born females, make the population relatively unsusceptible to extinction from random demographic processes. In-depth knowledge of the dynamics of reintroduced populations is vital for the correct assessment of their viability. We offer suggestions for increasing the efficacy of future wild ass reintroductions.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2230
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Author VanDierendonck, M.C., de Vries, H., Schilder, M.B.H.
Title An Analysis of Dominance, Its Behavioural Parameters and Possible Determinants in a Herd of Icelandic horses in captivity Type (up) Journal Article
Year 1995 Publication Netherlands Journal of Zoology Abbreviated Journal Netherl. J. Zool.
Volume 45 Issue 3-4 Pages 362-385
Keywords Dominance; rank order; horses; Icelandic horses.
Abstract Feral horses are social animals, which have to rely on survival strategies centered on the formation of cohesive social bonds within their bands. Many problems in the husbandry of social animals such as horses, are due to the fact that the limits of their adaptive abilities are exceeded. Evidence suggests that the fundamental social characteristics of domestic horses have remained relatively unchanged. The social structure, social strategies and social interactions were investigated (3 non-consecutive years, 24 hr per day for several weeks) in long term established groups of domestic horses (mares and geldings of all ages) and a few small introduced groups, kept in (semi)natural environments. The general aim was to investigate the social needs of domestic horses. The social life of domestic horses was characterised by long lasting bonds with preferred partners which were established and maintained by allogrooming, play, proximity and dominance behaviours. Bonding partners were mainly found within the same sex-age group, but adult geldings also bonded with sub-adult mares and geldings. Adult mares were clustered in a group, while the other animals formed a second group. Among the adult mares, subgroups according to reproductive state were formed. Individuals regulated their social network by interfering with interactions between other members of the herd, which in itself is complex. An intervention is a behavioural action of one animal that actively interferes with an ongoing interaction between a dyad with the apparent aim of altering that interaction. This was verified by post-hoc analyses of disturbed and undisturbed interactions. Interventions in allogrooming or play were performed significantly more often when at least one member of the initial dyad was a preferred partner of, or familiar to (within the small introduced bands) the intervener. The stronger the preferred association in allogrooming between the intervener and member(s) of the initial dyad, the higher the probability the intervener would displace one initial member and continue allogrooming with the other. Just five behaviours were extracted which reliably reflected the dominance relations among horses. Aggression with the hind quarters was used both offensively and defensively and therefore not suitable as a reliable parameter. Individual dominance relationships were related to social experience. The implications of these findings for horse husbandry were assessed. It is argued that the execution of affiliative behaviours may be rewarding in itself, and therefore always will be a highly motivated behaviour. It is shown that social positive physical interactions (allogrooming, play) with other horses is an ethological need and therefore indispensable in modern husbandry systems. Ethological needs are so important for the animal that husbandry systems that lack the possibilities to execute such behaviours will cause chronic stress. It is concluded that all horses need physical social contact, and that horses, which lack appropriate social learning experiences during ontogeny, may be hampered in their social functioning later in life. Solutions for problems, including dominance problems, in individual social housing and group housing are presented.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2368
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