Functions of post ‐conflict affiliation with a bystander differ between aggressors and victims in Japanese macaques
In conclusion, aggressors benefited in stress reduction, whereas victims benefited in self‐protection through affiliation with bystanders with whom they have a good relationship. Our study indicated that monkeys cope with post‐conflict problems according to their roles or situations not only by reconciliation but also by bystander affiliation. (Source: Ethology)
Source: Ethology - November 1, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Noriko Katsu, Kazunori Yamada, Masayuki Nakamichi Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Melodic males and flashy females: Geographic variation in male and female reproductive behavior in red ‐eyed treefrogs (Agalychnis callidryas)
Abstract
Geographic variation in courtship behavior can affect reproductive success of divergent phenotypes via mate choice. Over time, this can lead to reproductive isolation and ultimately to speciation. The Neotropical red‐eyed treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) exhibits high levels of phenotypic variation among populations in Costa Rica and Panama, including differences in color pattern, body size, and skin peptides. To test the extent of behavioral premating isolation among differentiated populations, we quantified male advertisement calls from six sites and female responses to male stimuli (acoustic and visual signal...
Source: Ethology - November 1, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Maria Akopyan, Kristine Kaiser, Andres Vega, Neha G. Savant, Cassandra Y. Owen, Steven R. Dudgeon, Jeanne M. Robertson Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
A comparison of individual distinctiveness in three vocalizations of the dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula)
Abstract
Individual specificity can be found in the vocalizations of many avian and mammalian species. However, it is often difficult to determine whether these vocal cues to identity rise from “unselected” individual differences in vocal morphology or whether they have been accentuated by selection for the purposes of advertising caller identity. By comparing the level of acoustic individuality of different vocalizations within the repertoire of a single species, it is possible to ascertain whether selection for individual recognition has modified the vocal cues to identity in particular contexts. We used discriminant...
Source: Ethology - October 17, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Janneke Rubow, Michael I. Cherry, Lynda L. Sharpe Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Reconciliation and third ‐party affiliation in carrion crows
Abstract
Conflicts are costly because they can damage social relationships. To buffer conflicts, various species use post‐conflict behaviour, such as reconciliation or third‐party affiliation. Both behaviours have predominantly been studied in non‐human primates. However, recently, studies revealed post‐conflict behaviour in other mammalian and some bird species (e.g., corvids). While third‐party affiliation has been reported in several corvid species, reconciliation has only rarely been observed. The social structure of the studied groups has been postulated as a reason for the absence of reconciliation. Here, w...
Source: Ethology - October 17, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Miriam Jennifer Sima, Theresa Matzinger, Thomas Bugnyar, Simone Pika Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Behavioural response evoked by conspecific distress calls in two neotropical treefrogs
Abstract
Anurans emit distress calls when attacked by predators as a defensive mechanism. As distress calls may trigger antipredator behaviour even in individuals that are not under attack, we tested whether this defensive behaviour induced behavioural changes in neighbouring conspecifics. We compared the behavioural responses of two species of Neotropical hylid frogs (genus Boana) to conspecific distress calls and white noise. Individuals of both species interrupted their vocal activity and decreased call rate after hearing the distress call. Natural variation on signal intensity calibrated among the nearest neighbours di...
Source: Ethology - October 16, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Lucas Rodriguez Forti, Anna B árbara Bella Sanches Forti, Rafael Márquez, Luís Felipe Toledo Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Grooming behaviors of black ‐tailed prairie dogs are influenced by flea parasitism, conspecifics, and proximity to refuge
Abstract
Grooming is a common animal behavior that aids in ectoparasite defense. Ectoparasites can stimulate grooming, and natural selection can also favor endogenous mechanisms that evoke periodic bouts of “programmed” grooming to dislodge or kill ectoparasites before they bite or feed. Moreover, grooming can function as a displacement or communication behavior. We compared the grooming behaviors of adult female black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) on colonies with or without flea control via pulicide dust. Roughly 91% of the prairie dogs sampled on the non‐dusted colony carried at least one flea, wher...
Source: Ethology - October 13, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Samantha L. Eads Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Grunt to go —Vocal coordination of group movements in redfronted lemurs
This study thus contributes to a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms of group coordination and collective decision‐making. (Source: Ethology)
Source: Ethology - October 13, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Anna Lucia Sperber, Lynne M. Werner, Peter M. Kappeler, Claudia Fichtel Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Do birds differentiate between white noise and deterministic chaos?
Abstract
Noisy, unpredictable sounds are often present in the vocalizations of fearful and stressed animals across many taxa. A variety of structural characteristics, called nonlinear acoustic phenomena, that include subharmonics, rapid frequency modulations, and deterministic chaos are responsible for the harsh sound quality of these vocalizations. Exposure to nonlinear sound can elicit increased arousal in birds and mammals. Past experiments have used white noise to test for effects of deterministic chaos on perceivers. However, deterministic chaos differs structurally from white noise (i.e., random signal with equal ene...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Daniel T. Blumstein, Jessica Whitaker, Judith Kennen, Gregory A. Bryant Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Mangrove crab uses victory display to “browbeat” losers from re‐initiating a new fight
Abstract
Signalling behaviour is integral to animal contests. However, post‐contest signals, such as victory displays, have received relatively little attention. One hypothesised function of victory displays is to ensure a more lasting dominance by reducing the risk of losers re‐initiating a new contest with winners. Despite several theoretical studies using game theory that support this hypothesis, empirical support for the understanding of when and why victory displays are used with respect to browbeating is lacking. We use a common South‐East Asian mangrove crab, Perisesarma eumolpe, to examine whether the perform...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Paul Z. Chen, Roman L. Carrasco, Peter K. L. Ng Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Mating plugs and sexual cannibalism in the Colombian orb ‐web spider Leucauge mariana
Abstract
In Leucauge orb‐web spiders, females form mating plugs, which play a part in cryptic female choice after they evaluate male performance during courtship and mating. Our aim was to assess sexual behavior and mating plug formation of Leucauge mariana from Colombia (CO). We carried out mating trials to describe in detail courtship and mating behavior of sexual pairs from the CO population, and then compared the results to previously collected data from a Costa Rican population (CR). In addition, we assessed the amount of sperm transferred during mating predict plug formation in CO pairs. All CO virgin females mated...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Linda Hern ández, Anita Aisenberg, Jorge Molina Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Habitat complexity dampens selection on prey activity level
Abstract
Conspecific prey individuals often exhibit persistent differences in behavior (i.e., animal personality) and consequently vary in their susceptibility to predation. How this form of selection varies across environmental contexts is essential to predicting ecological and evolutionary dynamics, yet remains currently unresolved. Here, we use three separate predator–prey systems (sea star–snail, wolf spider–cricket, and jumping spider–cricket) to independently examine how habitat structural complexity influences the selection that predators impose on prey behavioral types. Prior to conducting staged predator...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Carl N. Keiser, Spencer J. Ingley, Benjamin J. Toscano, Inon Scharf, Jonathan N. Pruitt Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Olfactory eavesdropping: The odor of feathers is detectable to mammalian predators and competitors
Abstract
The role of olfactory eavesdropping in interactions between mammalian predator and prey species is well established. Bird plumage can be odorous and consequently nest predators could use odor to identify and locate avian prey, and nest competitors could use odor to assess occupancy of nest cavities by birds. However, despite extensive research on avian nest predation and competition, the costs of olfactory eavesdropping on plumage odor by nest predators or competitors remain largely unknown. We used two experiments to investigate whether feather odor is detected by marsupial species which are competitors for nest ...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Milla Mihailova, Mathew L. Berg, Katherine L. Buchanan, Andrew T. D. Bennett Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Importance of wing movements for information transfer during honey bee waggle dance
Abstract
There is growing evidence indicating that dancing honeybees can transfer some information about the found food source by means of wing movements. However, the available data are limited and inconclusive in the case of the frequency of wing beats. Therefore, in this study, the hypothesis that the wing beats convey information about the foraging distance was re‐examined. Honeybee dances were recorded using a high‐speed camera, and foraging distances were decoded from the duration of waggle phases. Dancing honeybees moved their wings for almost half (47%) of the duration of waggle phases. The number of wing‐bea...
Source: Ethology - October 12, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Sylwia Łopuch, Adam Tofilski Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
Interspecific association of brown trout (Salmo trutta) with non ‐native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) at the fry stage
In this study, we therefore assess whether juvenile brown trout associate with non‐native juvenile brook trout to the same extent as with conspecifics by setting up two experiments: (i) a binomial choice test allowing visual and chemical cues to estimate the species specificity of group preference, and (ii) an association test without physical barriers to estimate the degree of association of a focal brown trout with a group of either conspecifics or heterospecifics. In experiment (1), we found that focal juvenile brown trout preferred to associate with the stimuli groups and did not discriminate either against conspecif...
Source: Ethology - October 11, 2017 Category: Zoology Authors: Magnus Lov én Wallerius, Joacim Näslund, Barbara Koeck, Jörgen I. Johnsson Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research
White ‐fronted Bee‐eaters (Merops bullockoides) nest in small colonies averaging 200 individuals, digging holes in cliffs or earthen banks. Their diet primarily comprises bees, but they also take other flying insects (such as Ichneumon wasps) depending on season and related prey availability. They hun t either by making quick hawking flights from lower branches of shrubs and trees, or glide slowly down from their perch and hover briefly to catch insects. Photograph taken in Zimanga Private Game Reserve (South Africa) and reproduced by permission of Emmanuel Do Linh San.
(Source: Ethology)
Source: Ethology - October 11, 2017 Category: Zoology Tags: FRONT COVER Source Type: research
