Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Behavior Of Buff-Breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites Subruficollis) During Migratory Stopover In Agricultural Fields, John P. Mccarty, Joel G. Jorgensen, Lareesa Wolfenbarger

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Background: Understanding the behavior of birds in agricultural habitats can be the first step in evaluating the conservation implications of birds’ use of landscapes shaped by modern agriculture. The existence and magnitude of risk from agricultural practices and the quality of resources agricultural lands provide will be determined largely by how birds use these habitats. Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) are a species of conservation concern. During spring migration large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpipers stopover in row crop fields in the Rainwater Basin region of Nebraska. We used behavioral observations as a first step in evaluating how Buff-breasted Sandpipers …

The Development And Role Of Peripheral Auditory Structures In Otocinclus Affinis, Sri Kiran Kumar Reddy Botta

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Loricariidae is a very diverse family of catfishes found primarily in the Amazon River basin. These catfishes have a unique characteristic feature of having fenestrae (holes) in the skull region (compound pterotic bone) adjacent to their bi-lobed swim bladder. Since the swim bladders and the compound pterotic may act as an external ear for hearing in this taxon, I hypothesized that these swim bladders structures have an acoustical functional in the loricariid Otocinclus affinis. In order to understand the development of these structures in O. affinis, I first monitored the ontogeny of the compound pterotic bone by clearing …

The Effect Of Male-Male Competition And Its Underlying Regulatory Mechanisms On The Electric Signal Of The Gymnotiform Fish Brachyhypopomus Gauderio, Vielka Lineth Salazar

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexually-selected communication signals can be used by competing males to settle contests without incurring the costs of fighting. The ability to dynamically regulate the signal in a context-dependent manner can further minimize the costs of male aggressive interactions. Such is the case in the gymnotiform fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio, which, by coupling its electric organ discharge (EOD) waveform to endocrine systems with circadian, seasonal, and behavioral drivers, can regulate its signal to derive the greatest reproductive benefit. My dissertation research examined the functional role of the EOD plasticity observed in male B. gauderio and the physiological mechanisms that regulate the enhanced …

Octopus Insularis (Octopodidae), Evidences Of A Specialized Predator And A Time-Minimizing Hunter, Tatiana S. Leite, Manuel Haimovici, Jennifer A. Mather

Sentience Collection

Shallow-water octopuses have been reported as major predators of motile species in benthonic marine communities, capturing their prey by different foraging techniques. This study assessed for the first time the feeding ecology, foraging behavior, and defensive strategy during foraging, including the use of body patterns, to construct a general octopus foraging strategy in a shallow water-reef system. Octopus insularis was studied in situ using visual observations and video recordings. The diet included at least 55 species of crustaceans (70%), bivalves (17.5%), and gastropods (12.5%); however, only four species accounted for half of the occurrences: the small crabs Pitho sp. (26.8%) …

Effects Of Selection For Cooperation And Attention In Dogs, Márta Gácsi, Paul Mcgreevy, Edina Kara, Ádám Miklósi

Cooperative Behavior Collection

Background: It has been suggested that the functional similarities in the socio-cognitive behaviour of dogs and humans emerged as a consequence of comparable environmental selection pressures. Here we use a novel approach to account for the facilitating effect of domestication in dogs and reveal that selection for two factors under genetic influence (visual cooperation and focused attention) may have led independently to increased comprehension of human communicational cues.

Method: In Study 1, we observed the performance of three groups of dogs in utilizing the human pointing gesture in a two-way object choice test. We compared breeds selected to work while …

Habitat-Based Intraguild Predation By Caribbean Reef Octopus Octopus Briareus On Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jennifer A. Lear

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Intraguild predation occurs when species simultaneously compete for resources and interact as predator and prey, which describes the interaction between juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus and Caribbean reef octopus Octopus briareus in the Florida Keys, USA. Octopuses are notorious predators of decapod crustaceans, and their use of crevice shelters suggests that they may also compete for shelter with their lobster prey. Lobsters use mainly chemical cues to detect and avoid octopus, so we hypothesized that the negative association between these species may be as much the consequence of avoidance of a superior competitor as it is of direct predation. …

Pines And The Ecology Of Carnaby‘S Black-Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus Latirostris) In The Gnangara Sustainability Strategy Area, Hugh Finn, William Stock, Leonie Valentine

Research outputs pre 2011

This study examined the behavioural ecology of Carnaby‘s Black-Cockatoo in the Gnangara Sustainability Strategy study area, with a focus on habitat use of pine plantations. The study confirms that the pine is the main food source for Carnaby‘s Black-Cockatoos within the GSS area during the non-breeding season (January-June). The value of the Gnangara-Pinjar-Yanchep pine plantations as a food source for Carnaby‘s Black-Cockatoo should not be underestimated. Large congregations of birds (~3000) utilised the pine plantations for an extended period, mainly January-March but with birds continuing to feeding within the plantations through June. The pine plantations have provided an important and …

Effect Of The Herbivorous Channel Clinging Crab (Mithrax Spinosissimus) On Patch Reef Algal Communities In The Florida Keys, Florida (Usa), Angela M. Mojica Osorio

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reefs worldwide are undergoing dramatic habitat modification from coral to macroalgal dominance due to water pollution, coral diseases, global. warming, and the loss of herbivores. This phase-shift bas been particularly severe on Caribbean reefs due in large measure to the decline of piscine and echinoderm grazers, whose presence appears crucial for stemming the decline of coral reefs and enhancing their resilience. Virtually unknown, however, is the role of other macrograzers in coral reef ecosystems. This is the first study to examine the feeding ecology and grazer effect of the herbivorous West Indian spider crab (Mithrax spinosissimus) on inshore patch …

Purple Martin, Progne Subis, In San Luis Obispo County Riparian Habitat: Presence, Persistence, Nesting, Brooding And Reproductive Success, Shannon Eileen Murphy

Biological Sciences

The State of California, as of 2002, identified the Purple Martin as a bird species of Special Concern (Airola et al., 2003). These migrants were historically found in a unique habitat in Central California; nesting in natural cavities of Western Sycamores within Riparian Habitats. I am proposing that Purple Martins still successfully nest and brood young in this unique habitat in San Luis Obispo County. The primary study site is in Atascadero where Highway 41 meets San Gabriel Road and San Gabriel Road crosses Atascadero creek. The secondary site is Highway 58 in Santa Margarita where the highway crosses the …

Loss Of Shoaling Preference For Familiar Individuals In Captive-Reared Crimson Spotted Rainbowfish Melanotaenia Duboulayi, Erin Kydd, Culum Brown

Sentience Collection

Captive-reared rainbowfish Melanotonia duboulayi showed no preference for familiar individuals in an experiment examining shoaling preferences. Fortnightly re-examination of the shoaling preferences of the captive-reared population showed that the lack of preference for familiar individuals did not alter over an 8 week period. The same experiment performed on laboratory-reared offspring raised in isolated groups for 8 months since hatching also showed no preference for shoals consisting of familiar individuals. In contrast, trials performed on a wild population of M. duboulayi found a strong preference for familiar shoalmates, a result that is consistent with previous studies. The lack of shoaling preferences …

Modeling Parasitism Rate And Parasitism Risk: An Illustration Using A Colonially Nesting Songbird, The Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius Phoeniceus, Max Post Van Der Burg, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew J. Tyre

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Ornithologists interested in the drivers of nest success and brood parasitism benefit from the development of new analytical approaches. One example is the development of so-called “log exposure” models for analyzing nest success. However, analyses of brood parasitism data have not kept pace with developments in nest success analyses. The standard approach uses logistic regression which does not account for multiple parasitism events, nor does it prevent bias from using observed proportions of parasitized nests. Likewise, logistic regression analyses do not capture fine scale temporal variation in parasitism. At first glance, it might be tempting to apply log exposure models …

Investigating Raptor Migration Behavior Using Orientation Cages And Wing Measurements: A Comparison Of The Flammulated Owl And Northern Saw-Whet Owl In Southwestern Idaho, Rhonda F. Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) are long-distance migrants, while Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) exhibit more variable migration tendencies. I investigated the migratory behavior of these species using orientation cages and tested hypotheses concerning (1) the presence of migratory restlessness and orientation, (2) inter-specific differences in migratory restlessness and orientation, and (3) correlates of migratory restlessness and orientation. Only four of 16 Flammulated Owls displayed activity consistent with migratory restlessness although all four owls exhibited significant directionality in their movements. Alternatively, 59 of 97 Northern Saw-whet Owls exhibited activity consistent with migratory restlessness with most of these 59 owls showing preferred …

Prey Capture By The Whip Spider Phrynus Marginemaculatus C.L. Koch, Roger D. Santer, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Whip spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi) are little-studied arachnids with enlarged spiny pedipalps and elongated ‘‘antenniform’’ forelegs. These antenniform legs contain at least seven giant sensory neurons with no known behavioral function. Here we use high-speed cinematography to describe the prey capture behavior of the whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus C.L. Koch 1840, in order to examine how these giant neurons might be involved. When presented with a prey item (a cricket), a whip spider first accurately aims one of its antenniform legs in the prey’s direction. Next, the whip spider orients its body to the prey item and approaches, placing one antenniform …

Tactile Learning By A Whip Spider, Phrynus Marginemaculatus C. L. Koch (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Roger D. Santer, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

The ability of animals to learn and remember underpins many behavioral actions and can be crucial for survival in certain contexts, for example in finding and recognizing a habitual refuge. The sensory cues that an animal learns in such situations are to an extent determined by its own sensory specializations. Whip spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi) are nocturnal and possess uniquely specialized sensory systems that include elongated “antenniform” forelegs specialized for use as chemo- and mechanosensory feelers. We tested the tactile learning abilities of the whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus in a maze learning task with two tactile cues of different texture—one associated …

Adult-Young Ratio, A Major Factor Regulating Social Behaviour Of Young: A Horse Study, Alice De Boyer Des Roches, Martine Hausberger

Social Behavior Collection

Background: Adults play an important role in regulating the social behaviour of young individuals. However, a few pioneer studies suggest that, more than the mere presence of adults, their proportions in social groups affect the social development of young. Here, we hypothesized that aggression rates and social cohesion were correlated to adult-young ratios. Our biological model was naturally-formed groups of Przewalski horses, Equus f. przewalskii, varying in composition.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We investigated the social interactions and spatial relationships of 12 one- and two-yearold Przewalski horses belonging to five families with adult-young ratios (AYR) ranging from 0.67 to 1.33. We found …

Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of The Response Of Foals To The Presence Of An Unfamiliar Human, Michela Minero, Maria Vittoria Tosi, Elisabetta Canali, Françoise Wemelsfelder

Sentience Collection

This work aimed to apply a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to the interpretation of an on-farm behaviour test for horses, and to examine whether 1 month of handling would affect the response of yearlings to an unfamiliar stationary human in their home environment. Throughout a 1-month period, 14 Thoroughbred Yearlings (16 ± 0.22 months old) that had formerly experienced minimal contact with humans, were handled daily for about 45 min. The yearlings were tested twice, just before and just after the handling period. The behaviour of the horses during the tests was both video-recorded and directly recorded by the …

Evaluation Of Pre-Spawning Movements Of Anadromous Alewives In The Ipswich River Using Radiotelemetry, Holly J. Frank

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Conserving and restoring anadromous fish populations is an important research and management priority. For conservation to be effective, researchers must understand the behavior of the fish they seek to restore. Telemetry has allowed researchers to understand the upstream migrations of these fish in freshwater, how migration patterns vary, and if there is a relationship between behavior and environmental variables. In the northeastern United States, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), one of two species collectively referred to as river herring, has historically been an important component of coastal rivers. However, populations of these fish have experienced recent declines, and a commonly used method …

Courtship Effort Is A Better Predictor Of Mating Success Than Ornamentation For Male Wolf Spiders, Paul S. Shamble, Dustin J. Wilgers, Katharine A. Swoboda, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Female mate choice decisions are often based on a variety of male characteristics, some of which may reflect male quality via condition-dependent trait expression. Here, we explore the condition dependence of a male secondary sexual trait in a wolf spider and examine its influence on female mate choice. In the wolf spider Schizocosa uetzi, mature males possess a multimodal courtship display (visual + seismic) in which they slowly raise and lower their dark colored forelegs. Foreleg color is highly variable among S. uetzi males with respect to both total amount and darkness. Using diet manipulations in conjunction with color …

Condition-Dependent Alternative Mating Tactics In A Sexually Cannibalistic Wolf Spider, Dustin J. Wilgers, Amy C. Nicholas, David H. Reed, Gail E. Stratton, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Condition-dependent male mating tactics often involve high-quality males capitalizing on the outcome of intersexual selection, whereas low-quality males use behaviors that circumvent female choice to achieve copulation. In the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata, males display 2 distinct mating tactics: 1) “courtship”—consisting of visual and seismic components or 2) “direct mount”—consisting of males grappling/holding females until they assume a copulatory posture. We tested for condition-dependent tactic expression using both field-collected individuals (representing natural variation in body mass and condition) and individuals whose diet we manipulated in the laboratory (representing extreme divergences in body size and condition). Across both natural and …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Patrick C. Enstrom, Carissa A. Schoenick

Paul V. Switzer

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Welfare Assessment: Correlations And Integration Between A Qualitative Behavioural Assessment And A Clinical/Health Protocol Applied In Veal Calves Farms, Marta Brscic, Françoise Wemelsfelder, Elena Tessitore, Flaviana Gottardo, Giulio Cozzi, Cornelis G. Van Reenen

Agribusiness Collection

This study is aimed at finding correlations and possible integration among Qualitative Behavioural assessment (QBA) and a specific protocol of clinical/health evaluation. Both welfare assessment methods were based on direct animal observation and were applied in 24 Italian veal calves farms at 3 weeks (wks) of rearing. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarized 20 QBA descriptors on two main components (PC1 and PC2) with eigenvalues above 4 and explaining 29.6 and 20.3% of the variation respectively. PCA on residuals obtained after correcting for housing condition yielded highly similar results, indicating that the rearing environment of the calves was not an important …

Distress Or Suffering: What Should Be Measured To Determine Animal Well-Being?, Ian J. H. Duncan

Sentience Collection

It is generally accepted that all the vertebrates and some of the invertebrates (those with large neural ganglia such as the cephalopods) are capable of subjective experiences. Amongst those experiences are the subjective, affective states, sometimes called 'feelings' or 'emotions'. The strong negative feelings are often lumped together as 'suffering' and the positive feelings as 'pleasure'. I have argued for many years that animal welfare/well-being is completely dependent on what the animal feels (Duncan, 1993, 1996, 2002). An animal's well-being is decreased by experiencing suffering and increased by experiencing pleasure. It's as simple as that.

Distress In Animals: Its Recognition And A Hypothesis For Its Assessment, David B. Morton

Sentience Collection

This essay deals with the recognition of non-painful emotional experiences in animals, how they relate to animal wellbeing and animal welfare, and how they can be assessed, monitored and mitigated. While it is written often from a mammalian perspective, the general principles will apply to all animals that are sentient.

Resources, Not Kinship, Determine Social Patterning In The Territorial Gunnison’S Prairie Dog (Cynomys Gunnisoni), J. L. Verdolin, C. N. Slobodchikoff

Sentience Collection

In this study, we describe patterns of relatedness in Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) social groups. Kin selection is often cited as a mechanism for the evolution and maintenance of social groups, and Gunnison’s prairie dog females are occasionally described as being strongly philopatric. Overall, randomization tests revealed that females within territorial groups were not more closely related to each other than expected at random. A similar pattern was found among males and between males and females, indicating that there was no sex-biased dispersal occurring in these populations. Ecological variables measured in this study, such as food abundance and food …

Predatory Senescence In Ageing Wolves, Daniel R. Macnulty, Douglas W. Smith, John A. Vucetich, L. David Mech, Craig Packer

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of …

Long Daily Movements Of Wolves, Canis Lupus, During Pup Rearing, L. David Mech, H. Dean Cluff

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Wolves, Canis lupus, on Ellesmere Island traveled a daily round-trip distance of 40.2 km from their den to a landfill during July 2008, plus an undetermined distance hunting after leaving the landfill. Although long travels by Wolves are well known, this appears to be the first documentation of long daily movements by Wolves rearing pups.

Problems With The Claim Of Ecotype And Taxon Status Of The Wolf In The Great Lakes Region, Matthew A. Cronin, L. David Mech

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Koblmuller et al. (2009) analyzed molecular genetic data of the wolf in the Great Lakes (GL) region of the USA and concluded that the animal was a unique ecotype of grey wolf and that genetic data supported the population as a discrete wolf taxon. However, some of the literature that the researchers used to support their position actually did not, and additional confusion arises from indefinite use of terminology. Herein, we discuss the problems with designation of a wolf population as a taxon or ecotype without proper definition and assessment of criteria.

Koblmuller et al. (2009) wrote ‘The GL …

Hamadryas Visual Identification Guide, David W. Markman

David W Markman

No abstract provided.

The Natural History Of Cave-Associated Populations Of Eurycea L. Longicauda With Notes On Sympatric Amphibian Species, Kevin Wayne Saunders

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to collect data on the natural history of the Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea l. longicauda) in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. The objectives of this research included characterization of epigean and hypogean habitat for this species, recording distances moved by individuals in populations associated with caves, and collection of data on courtship, oviposition, and larval development. The primary study site was Carter Caves State Park in Olive Hill, Kentucky. This area was visited from October 2007 to December 2008. Salamanders were photographed for identification based on unique pattern aberrancies and distances were measured between the …

The Effect Of Female Ornamentation On Aggressive Male-Male Interactions In The Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus Virgatus), Matt E. Dubin

Summer Research

Theoretical and empirical studies have shown that the intensity of male-male competition is greatly influenced by the quality of the contested resource. To date few studies have focused on whether the quality of a contested female will have the same effect. Within a number of species, the quality of the female may be signaled with sexually selected female ornamentation. In the striped plateau lizard (Sceloporus virgatus), females develop ornamental orange throat patches before ovulation, and previous research has shown that females with larger ornaments are of higher phenotypic quality and also produce offspring with higher phenotypic quality, while …