Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

The Development Of Social Interaction, Play, And Metacommunication In Mammals: An Ethological Perspective, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

Analysis of the dynamics of the ontogeny of social interaction is of critical importance in order that behavioral development may be comprehended in its own right, and the relationship between infant and adult behavior understood. In this review, general concepts of behavioral development in mammals are discussed and analyzed, and the many variables that are involved are considered. When it is impossible to control or observe the social interaction of the developing organism in its natural environment, captive subjects should be used. There is increasing evidence that results obtained with the latter are related to social organization observed in the …

Three-Configuration Matching-To-Sample In The Pigeon, Alan Kamil, Robert A. Sacks

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Pigeons were trained on a zero-delay matching-to-sample procedure during which only three of the four possible stimulus configurations were presented. Subsequently, all birds were exposed to all four configurations as a transfer test. A high degree of negative transfer from the three training configurations was obtained in Experiment 1. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that three-configuration training produced differential position-preference effects. During the transfer test, responding after one sample stimulus was apparently based on position, while responding after the other sample was based on color.

Effect On Bees Of Insecticides Used On Rape, A C. Kessell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Rapeseed could provide beekeepers in Western Australia with a valuable new honey crop—hut insecticidal spraying of rape at flowering time is a potentially serious threat to most commercial beekeepers.

There are indications that insect pollination may improve rapeseed yields, so both growers and beekeepers could gain from a co-operative approach to the problem. Spraying after sundown and preventing spray drift to nearby apiaries should avoid most losses.

Grooming Behavior And Competitive Dominance In The Albino Rat, Irwin M. Spigel, Susan Trivett, David Fraser

Social Behavior Collection

An experiment sought to compare dominance manifested in water competition under two levels of deprivation, with grooming activity in a non-deprived state. While competitive dominance was significantly related to motivational level, grooming emerged as a more stable indicator of social ascendance, and did not require prior manipulation of a biological state. The implications of this observation for broader aspects of social motivation arc discussed.

Annual Pasture And Weed Plant Ecology, B J. Quinlivan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The purpose of this article is to outline a few basic principles of pasture and weed ecology with particular reference to seed dormancy mechanisms.

These principles apply to many pasture plants and weeds, although their relative importance varies with the particular plants under study.

Anatomical And Behavioral Aspects Of Killing And Feeding By The Least Weasel, Mustela Nivalis L., Gary A. Heidt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a remarkably well adapted predator of mice and other small animals. Each kill is rather stereotyped, in that the weasel grabs the prey by the nape of the neck and bites through the base of the skull and/or throat, using its lithe body to "wrap up" and hold the prey. The least weasel will kill mice successively until it is too exhausted physically to kill more. Mice are always eaten from the head posteriorly until completely consumed.

A Taxonomic Study Of Two Nominal Subspecies Of Pikas (Ochotona Princeps) In The Cascade Mountains Of Oregon, Richard M. Coots

Dissertations and Theses

Pikas from four colonies in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon were examined. Two colonies were chosen from within the geographical distribution of two nominal subspecies. A discriminate analysis of morphological measurements taken from the specimens showed that each colony could be distinguished from each other. Each colony studied showed more intra-colony similarity than inter-colony similarity regardless of distance separating the colonies or subspecies designations. The results indicate that the validity of subspecies designations for this species can be questioned.

Operant Conditioning In The Garter Snake (Thamnophis), William A. Schmitz

Masters Theses

Ten garter snakes were tested for runway acquisition, correct turn response in a simple T-maze, or both, for food reinforcement. Seven of seven subjects met criterion for learning to run a 23 inch long alleyway. Mean latency times showed a general decrease over a 23 day period. Five of nine subjects met criterion for learning a correct turn response in a simple T-maze. Subjects mastering the task required from 14-157 trials. One of two subjects met criterion for learning the reverse response of the T-maze exercise, requiring 35 trials. Results are similar to those previously reported for reptiles and other …

A Comparison Of Nocturnal Restlessness Of Caged Thrushes And Migration Of Free Thrushes, Charles Goodwin Kjos

Masters Theses

Nocturnal activity (Zugunruhe) of eight caged, radio-tagged thrushes (Hylocichla spp.) was compared by signal analysis with the occurrence of migration in 16 free, radio-tagged thrushes over a 37-night period during the autumn of 1970 in central Illinois. The study was conducted to determine the extent of synchrony of Zugunruhe and migration in these nocturnal migrants in fall. Zugunruhe frequently occurred on nights when there was no migration, but migration occurred only on nights when at least 50 per cent of the caged birds were active. Except for one departure which was atypical in several respects, migration occurred …