João Gabriel Lacerda de Almeida, Gareth Arnott, Paulo Enrique Cardoso Peixoto
A recurrent question in animal contests is whether individuals adopt a self or mutual assessment rule to decide to withdraw from a contest. However, many empirical studies fail to find conclusive support for one of these two possibilities. A possible explanation is that assessment strategies vary between individuals. In the contests of the orb-web spider Trichonephila clavipes, males perform a vibrational display on webs that may escalate to physical contact. Since all individuals perform the vibrational phase and only some of them escalate, we proposed two hypotheses: 1) all individuals perform mutual assessment during the vibrational phase, or 2) some individuals that do not escalate adopt self-assessment, while individuals that escalated adopt mutual assessment. To evaluate these hypotheses, we investigated the relationship between the duration of the vibrational phase and frontal leg length (a proxy of male fight capacity) of loser and winner males in contests that escalated and did not escalate to the physical contact phase. We found a non-significant relationship between duration and losers leg length for both contests that escalate and did not escalate. While we found a positive relationship between duration and winners leg length, particularly in contests that did not escalate. These results do not provide support for mutual assessment or for a mix of different assessment rules among individuals. We suggest that in T. clavipes, the dynamics of the vibrational phase may be explained by two different contest strategies (opponent-only assessment or size-based aggressiveness) that are dependent on intruder motivation to escalate.
{"title":"Vibrating aggression: spider males perform an unusual assessment strategy during contest displays","authors":"João Gabriel Lacerda de Almeida, Gareth Arnott, Paulo Enrique Cardoso Peixoto","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae028","url":null,"abstract":"A recurrent question in animal contests is whether individuals adopt a self or mutual assessment rule to decide to withdraw from a contest. However, many empirical studies fail to find conclusive support for one of these two possibilities. A possible explanation is that assessment strategies vary between individuals. In the contests of the orb-web spider Trichonephila clavipes, males perform a vibrational display on webs that may escalate to physical contact. Since all individuals perform the vibrational phase and only some of them escalate, we proposed two hypotheses: 1) all individuals perform mutual assessment during the vibrational phase, or 2) some individuals that do not escalate adopt self-assessment, while individuals that escalated adopt mutual assessment. To evaluate these hypotheses, we investigated the relationship between the duration of the vibrational phase and frontal leg length (a proxy of male fight capacity) of loser and winner males in contests that escalated and did not escalate to the physical contact phase. We found a non-significant relationship between duration and losers leg length for both contests that escalate and did not escalate. While we found a positive relationship between duration and winners leg length, particularly in contests that did not escalate. These results do not provide support for mutual assessment or for a mix of different assessment rules among individuals. We suggest that in T. clavipes, the dynamics of the vibrational phase may be explained by two different contest strategies (opponent-only assessment or size-based aggressiveness) that are dependent on intruder motivation to escalate.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140583640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mating behaviour arises from interactions between males and females. The precopulatory stage includes various male and female mating behaviours that are potentially influenced (independently or jointly) by each sex, thereby shaping the dynamics of this stage. However, limited attention has been given to determining the relative contributions of males and females to the expression of precopulatory behaviours. Here, we adopted a variance-partitioning approach to assess which sex controls each precopulatory behaviour. This approach also enabled us to evaluate the existence of mate choice by assessing whether the expression of precopulatory behaviour depends on the identity of the opposite sex partner. In our study, using the bean bug Riptortus pedestris, we exposed individual males and females to different opposite-sex partners (i.e., mating assays) up to six times. During the mating assay, we measured multiple precopulatory behaviours (e.g., latency to mount, courtship rate, courtship duration, and duration of position change). Variance partitioning showed that the variation in each precopulatory behaviour could be attributed solely to either sex but not to both sexes. Hence, the precopulatory stage of R. pedestris comprises a combination of male-controlled and female-controlled behaviours. We also suggested that mate choice was absent in both sexes of R. pedestris in the postmounting and precopulatory stages. Our findings highlight the importance of the variance-partitioning approach in the study of mating behaviour, as it facilitates the investigation of whether mate choice occurs at specific mating stages and enhances our understanding of evolutionary dynamics during mating.
{"title":"A variance partitioning approach for assessing mate choice and the sex controlling mating behaviour","authors":"Chang S. Han, Hyoseul Hyun","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae021","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Mating behaviour arises from interactions between males and females. The precopulatory stage includes various male and female mating behaviours that are potentially influenced (independently or jointly) by each sex, thereby shaping the dynamics of this stage. However, limited attention has been given to determining the relative contributions of males and females to the expression of precopulatory behaviours. Here, we adopted a variance-partitioning approach to assess which sex controls each precopulatory behaviour. This approach also enabled us to evaluate the existence of mate choice by assessing whether the expression of precopulatory behaviour depends on the identity of the opposite sex partner. In our study, using the bean bug Riptortus pedestris, we exposed individual males and females to different opposite-sex partners (i.e., mating assays) up to six times. During the mating assay, we measured multiple precopulatory behaviours (e.g., latency to mount, courtship rate, courtship duration, and duration of position change). Variance partitioning showed that the variation in each precopulatory behaviour could be attributed solely to either sex but not to both sexes. Hence, the precopulatory stage of R. pedestris comprises a combination of male-controlled and female-controlled behaviours. We also suggested that mate choice was absent in both sexes of R. pedestris in the postmounting and precopulatory stages. Our findings highlight the importance of the variance-partitioning approach in the study of mating behaviour, as it facilitates the investigation of whether mate choice occurs at specific mating stages and enhances our understanding of evolutionary dynamics during mating.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140368074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. M. Biondi, A. Medina, E. A. Bonetti, C. Paterlini, M. S. Bó
In this study, we analyzed the variation in cognitive flexibility in the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango), across areas with different levels of urbanization. To assess this, we utilized the reversal learning assay which measures the ability to adapt behavior in response to changes in environmental contingencies. We also investigated the impact of neophobia on this variation. All chimangos studied succeeded in acquiring a color-reward association and reverting this learned association when the contingencies changed. Urban chimangos were faster than their rural and suburban counterparts during the initial discrimination and reversal phases. The reversal phase proved to be the most challenging task. The analysis of the errors made during this phase revealed that acquiring a new association (i.e., regressive errors) was challenging for the individuals studied, in comparison to inhibiting a previously learned one (i.e., perseverative errors). Neophobia was found to be lower in urban individuals compared to suburban and rural raptors. Moreover, neophobia showed a correlation with regressive errors during the reversal phase among rural and suburban chimangos, while no such correlation was observed among city-dwelling chimangos. We suggest that neophobia acted as a regulating factor of cognitive flexibility, mainly for individuals expressing relatively high levels of this personality trait.
{"title":"Cognitive flexibility in a generalist raptor: a comparative analysis along an urbanization gradient","authors":"L. M. Biondi, A. Medina, E. A. Bonetti, C. Paterlini, M. S. Bó","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae025","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this study, we analyzed the variation in cognitive flexibility in the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango), across areas with different levels of urbanization. To assess this, we utilized the reversal learning assay which measures the ability to adapt behavior in response to changes in environmental contingencies. We also investigated the impact of neophobia on this variation. All chimangos studied succeeded in acquiring a color-reward association and reverting this learned association when the contingencies changed. Urban chimangos were faster than their rural and suburban counterparts during the initial discrimination and reversal phases. The reversal phase proved to be the most challenging task. The analysis of the errors made during this phase revealed that acquiring a new association (i.e., regressive errors) was challenging for the individuals studied, in comparison to inhibiting a previously learned one (i.e., perseverative errors). Neophobia was found to be lower in urban individuals compared to suburban and rural raptors. Moreover, neophobia showed a correlation with regressive errors during the reversal phase among rural and suburban chimangos, while no such correlation was observed among city-dwelling chimangos. We suggest that neophobia acted as a regulating factor of cognitive flexibility, mainly for individuals expressing relatively high levels of this personality trait.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140365093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The reasons why some individuals are solitary and others gregarious are the subject of ongoing debate as we seek to understand the emergence of sociality. Recent studies suggest that the expression of aggregation behaviors may be linked to the gut microbiota of the host. Here, we tested this hypothesis in females of the European earwig. This insect is ideal for addressing this question, as adults both naturally vary in the degree to which they live in groups and show inter-individual variation in their gut microbial communities. We video-tracked 320 field-sampled females to quantify their natural variation in aggregation and then tested whether the most and least gregarious females had different gut microbiota. We also compared the general activity, boldness, body size and body condition of these females and examined the association between each of these traits and the gut microbiota. Contrary to our predictions, we found no difference in the gut microbiota between the most and least gregarious females. There was also no difference in activity, boldness and body condition between these two types of females. Independent of aggregation, gut microbiota was overall associated with female body condition, but not with any of our other measurements. Overall, these results demonstrate that a host's gut microbiota is not necessarily a major driver or a consequence of aggregation behavior in species with inter-individual variation in group living and call for future studies to investigate the determinants and role of gut microbiota in earwigs.
{"title":"With or without you: Gut microbiota does not predict aggregation behavior in European earwig females","authors":"M. Cheutin, Benjamin Leclerc, Joël Meunier","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae022","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The reasons why some individuals are solitary and others gregarious are the subject of ongoing debate as we seek to understand the emergence of sociality. Recent studies suggest that the expression of aggregation behaviors may be linked to the gut microbiota of the host. Here, we tested this hypothesis in females of the European earwig. This insect is ideal for addressing this question, as adults both naturally vary in the degree to which they live in groups and show inter-individual variation in their gut microbial communities. We video-tracked 320 field-sampled females to quantify their natural variation in aggregation and then tested whether the most and least gregarious females had different gut microbiota. We also compared the general activity, boldness, body size and body condition of these females and examined the association between each of these traits and the gut microbiota. Contrary to our predictions, we found no difference in the gut microbiota between the most and least gregarious females. There was also no difference in activity, boldness and body condition between these two types of females. Independent of aggregation, gut microbiota was overall associated with female body condition, but not with any of our other measurements. Overall, these results demonstrate that a host's gut microbiota is not necessarily a major driver or a consequence of aggregation behavior in species with inter-individual variation in group living and call for future studies to investigate the determinants and role of gut microbiota in earwigs.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140366363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Wells, B. Lyon, Caroline M Thow, Tez Stair, Melissa Jones, Mitch Hinton, J. Eadie
Sex allocation theory predicts that mothers should bias investment in offspring toward the sex that yields higher fitness returns; one such bias may be a skewed offspring sex ratio. Sex allocation is well-studied in birds with cooperative breeding systems, with theory on local resource enhancement and production of helpers at the nest, but little theoretical or empirical work has focused on birds with brood parasitic breeding systems. Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) are a conspecific brood parasite, and rates of parasitism appear to increase with density. Because female wood ducks show high natal philopatry and nest sites are often limiting, local resource competition (LRC) theory predicts that females should overproduce male offspring—the dispersing sex—when competition (density) is high. However, the unique features of conspecific brood parasitism generate alternative predictions from other sex allocation theory, which we develop and test here. We experimentally manipulated nesting density of female wood ducks in four populations from 2013-2016, and analyzed the resulting sex allocation of >2000 ducklings. In contrast to predictions we did not find overproduction of male offspring by females in high-density populations, females in better condition, or parasitic females; modest support for LRC was found in overproduction of only female parasitic offspring with higher nest box availability. The lack of evidence for sex ratio biases, as expected for LRC and some aspects of brood parasitism, could reflect conflicting selection pressures from nest competition and brood parasitism, or that mechanisms of adaptive sex ratio bias are not possible.
{"title":"Limited evidence of biased offspring sex allocation in a cavity-nesting conspecific brood parasite","authors":"C. Wells, B. Lyon, Caroline M Thow, Tez Stair, Melissa Jones, Mitch Hinton, J. Eadie","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae024","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Sex allocation theory predicts that mothers should bias investment in offspring toward the sex that yields higher fitness returns; one such bias may be a skewed offspring sex ratio. Sex allocation is well-studied in birds with cooperative breeding systems, with theory on local resource enhancement and production of helpers at the nest, but little theoretical or empirical work has focused on birds with brood parasitic breeding systems. Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) are a conspecific brood parasite, and rates of parasitism appear to increase with density. Because female wood ducks show high natal philopatry and nest sites are often limiting, local resource competition (LRC) theory predicts that females should overproduce male offspring—the dispersing sex—when competition (density) is high. However, the unique features of conspecific brood parasitism generate alternative predictions from other sex allocation theory, which we develop and test here. We experimentally manipulated nesting density of female wood ducks in four populations from 2013-2016, and analyzed the resulting sex allocation of >2000 ducklings. In contrast to predictions we did not find overproduction of male offspring by females in high-density populations, females in better condition, or parasitic females; modest support for LRC was found in overproduction of only female parasitic offspring with higher nest box availability. The lack of evidence for sex ratio biases, as expected for LRC and some aspects of brood parasitism, could reflect conflicting selection pressures from nest competition and brood parasitism, or that mechanisms of adaptive sex ratio bias are not possible.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140366248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tamar Lok, Matthijs van der Geest, Petra de Goeij, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Theunis Piersma
In most colony-breeding species, biparental care during both egg incubation and chick-rearing is inevitable for successful reproduction, requiring parents to coordinate their nest attendance and foraging time. The extent to which the rhythm of nest attendance is adjusted to temporal and spatial variation in food availability is poorly understood. Here we investigate whether the rhythm of nest attendance interacts with the spatial and temporal availability of foraging habitats in Eurasian spoonbills Platalea leucorodia breeding on Schiermonnikoog, a Dutch Wadden Sea barrier island. Spoonbills are tactile foragers that forage during both day and night in habitats of varying salinity. GPS-tracking combined with acceleration-based behavioral classification of 9 female and 13 male adult spoonbills between 2013 and 2019 revealed that, despite nearby foraging opportunities following a tidal rhythm, nest attendance followed a sex-specific diel rhythm. During incubation and chick-rearing, females attended the nest at night and foraged during the day, while males showed the reverse rhythm. Females made more and shorter foraging trips to, almost exclusively, nearby marine habitats, whereas the larger males often made long trips to forage in more distant freshwater habitats. Before and after breeding, females as well as males foraged primarily at night, suggesting that this is the preferred period of foraging of both sexes. Nevertheless, foraging habitat use remained sex-specific, being most likely explained by size-dependent foraging techniques. To conclude, the sex-specific rhythm of nest attendance is not shaped by the spatial and temporal availability of foraging habitats.
{"title":"Sex-specific nest attendance rhythm and foraging habitat use in a colony-breeding waterbird","authors":"Tamar Lok, Matthijs van der Geest, Petra de Goeij, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Theunis Piersma","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae020","url":null,"abstract":"In most colony-breeding species, biparental care during both egg incubation and chick-rearing is inevitable for successful reproduction, requiring parents to coordinate their nest attendance and foraging time. The extent to which the rhythm of nest attendance is adjusted to temporal and spatial variation in food availability is poorly understood. Here we investigate whether the rhythm of nest attendance interacts with the spatial and temporal availability of foraging habitats in Eurasian spoonbills Platalea leucorodia breeding on Schiermonnikoog, a Dutch Wadden Sea barrier island. Spoonbills are tactile foragers that forage during both day and night in habitats of varying salinity. GPS-tracking combined with acceleration-based behavioral classification of 9 female and 13 male adult spoonbills between 2013 and 2019 revealed that, despite nearby foraging opportunities following a tidal rhythm, nest attendance followed a sex-specific diel rhythm. During incubation and chick-rearing, females attended the nest at night and foraged during the day, while males showed the reverse rhythm. Females made more and shorter foraging trips to, almost exclusively, nearby marine habitats, whereas the larger males often made long trips to forage in more distant freshwater habitats. Before and after breeding, females as well as males foraged primarily at night, suggesting that this is the preferred period of foraging of both sexes. Nevertheless, foraging habitat use remained sex-specific, being most likely explained by size-dependent foraging techniques. To conclude, the sex-specific rhythm of nest attendance is not shaped by the spatial and temporal availability of foraging habitats.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140198457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Warm-up and metrics of song performance: a commentary on Vazquez-Cardona et al","authors":"G. C. Cardoso","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140244714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliette J Rubin, Jorge L Medina-Madrid, Jay J Falk, Ummat Somjee
Large, conspicuous traits frequently evolve despite increased predator attention, but in some cases, specifically to attract attention. Sexually selected traits provide some of the clearest examples of elaboration, yet natural selection can also be a powerful driver. The matador bug, Anisoscelis alipes (Hemiptera: Coreidae), has large, colorful flags on its legs that, unlike many other coreid species, are not used in reproductive competition. We hypothesized that these flags either a) warn predators of chemical defense, or b) deflect predatory attack to the removable hindlegs. We pitted matador bugs with or without flags and crickets (Acheta domesticus) with or without bug flags experimentally attached to their legs, against live motmot bird predators (Momotus subrufescens and Electron platyrhynchum). Contrary to the deflection hypothesis, almost none of the predatory strikes were directed at hindleg flags. Instead, we found support for the aposematism hypothesis: matador bug flags reduced attacks on palatable crickets, but were unnecessary to prevent predator attack against matador bugs. Palatability studies with naïve chicks (Gallus gallus) further supported a chemical defense hypothesis. Thus, these elaborate hindleg flags serve an aposematic anti-predator function, but in their absence, birds use alternative cues. These findings add to our understanding of the role of predation in driving the evolution of elaborate morphological structures.
大而显眼的特征经常是在捕食者越来越关注的情况下进化而来的，但在某些情况下，是专门为了吸引注意力而进化而来的。性选择特征提供了一些最明显的例子，但自然选择也可能是一个强大的驱动力。斗牛士蝽（Anisoscelis alipes）（半翅目：核心科）的腿上有五颜六色的大旗，与许多其他核心科物种不同的是，这些旗帜并不用于生殖竞争。我们假设，这些旗帜要么是 a) 警告捕食者注意化学防御，要么是 b) 将捕食者的攻击转移到可移动的后腿上。我们将有或没有虫旗的斗牛士蝽和腿上实验性地挂有或没有虫旗的蟋蟀（Acheta domesticus）与活的鸻鸟类捕食者（Momotus subrufescens和Electron platyrhynchum）进行了对比。与偏转假说相反，几乎没有捕食性攻击是针对后腿旗帜的。相反，我们发现了捕食性假说的支持：斗牛士虫的旗帜减少了对适口蟋蟀的攻击，但却没有必要阻止捕食者对斗牛士虫的攻击。对天真雏鸡（Gallus gallus）的适口性研究进一步支持了化学防御假说。因此，这些精心制作的后腿旗具有抗捕食者的启示功能，但如果没有这些后腿旗，鸟类就会使用其他线索。这些发现加深了我们对捕食在驱动复杂形态结构进化中的作用的理解。
{"title":"The matador bug’s elaborate flags deter avian predators","authors":"Juliette J Rubin, Jorge L Medina-Madrid, Jay J Falk, Ummat Somjee","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae019","url":null,"abstract":"Large, conspicuous traits frequently evolve despite increased predator attention, but in some cases, specifically to attract attention. Sexually selected traits provide some of the clearest examples of elaboration, yet natural selection can also be a powerful driver. The matador bug, Anisoscelis alipes (Hemiptera: Coreidae), has large, colorful flags on its legs that, unlike many other coreid species, are not used in reproductive competition. We hypothesized that these flags either a) warn predators of chemical defense, or b) deflect predatory attack to the removable hindlegs. We pitted matador bugs with or without flags and crickets (Acheta domesticus) with or without bug flags experimentally attached to their legs, against live motmot bird predators (Momotus subrufescens and Electron platyrhynchum). Contrary to the deflection hypothesis, almost none of the predatory strikes were directed at hindleg flags. Instead, we found support for the aposematism hypothesis: matador bug flags reduced attacks on palatable crickets, but were unnecessary to prevent predator attack against matador bugs. Palatability studies with naïve chicks (Gallus gallus) further supported a chemical defense hypothesis. Thus, these elaborate hindleg flags serve an aposematic anti-predator function, but in their absence, birds use alternative cues. These findings add to our understanding of the role of predation in driving the evolution of elaborate morphological structures.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140150521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beatriz C Saldanha, Patrícia Beltrão, Ana Cristina R Gomes, Marta C Soares, Gonçalo C Cardoso, Sandra Trigo
The amino acid tryptophan (Trp) is precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Trp supplementation or other forms of serotonergic enhancement generally promote pro-social behavior, decreasing aggression and also feeding in different animals. However, past research has been conducted in confined spaces, and there is little work in naturalistic conditions where animals move and associate more freely. We gave a Trp-enriched diet to a free-flying flock of common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) in semi-natural conditions, and monitored group foraging, aggressions during feeding and the social network. Contrary to expectations, aggressiveness and feeding increased during Trp supplementation. Consistent with the prediction of increased social associations, foraging groups became larger and individuals joined more foraging groups, but these changes appear driven by increased appetite during Trp treatment. Also, the mean strength of associations in the social network did not change. Overall, Trp supplementation affected group behavior in this free-flying flock, but mostly in directions unanticipated based on research conducted in small spaces. To harmonize our results with those found in small confined spaces, we hypothesise that free-flying birds have energetic requirements not experienced in lab-housed individuals, which may impact social behaviour and responses to Trp.
{"title":"Dietary tryptophan affects group behavior in a social bird","authors":"Beatriz C Saldanha, Patrícia Beltrão, Ana Cristina R Gomes, Marta C Soares, Gonçalo C Cardoso, Sandra Trigo","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae018","url":null,"abstract":"The amino acid tryptophan (Trp) is precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Trp supplementation or other forms of serotonergic enhancement generally promote pro-social behavior, decreasing aggression and also feeding in different animals. However, past research has been conducted in confined spaces, and there is little work in naturalistic conditions where animals move and associate more freely. We gave a Trp-enriched diet to a free-flying flock of common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) in semi-natural conditions, and monitored group foraging, aggressions during feeding and the social network. Contrary to expectations, aggressiveness and feeding increased during Trp supplementation. Consistent with the prediction of increased social associations, foraging groups became larger and individuals joined more foraging groups, but these changes appear driven by increased appetite during Trp treatment. Also, the mean strength of associations in the social network did not change. Overall, Trp supplementation affected group behavior in this free-flying flock, but mostly in directions unanticipated based on research conducted in small spaces. To harmonize our results with those found in small confined spaces, we hypothesise that free-flying birds have energetic requirements not experienced in lab-housed individuals, which may impact social behaviour and responses to Trp.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140150647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natalia Tepox-Vivar, Guadalupe Lopez-Nava, Juan H García-Chávez, Palestina Guevara-Fiore
The presence of bystanders can influence the behaviour of a forager, which has mainly been studied in primates and birds. We tested the effect of the absence and presence of an unfamiliar audience (females, males, and their combination) near or far from a food patch, on the foraging behaviour of guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Our investigation includes both males and females, recognising that different social dynamics and reproductive strategies between the sexes could lead to varied responses to audience effects. For each focal fish, we measured the latency to start feeding, bite frequency, time spent near the audience, and overall mobility. Both males and females started feeding faster when food was close to any audience type. Specifically, females exhibited a faster feeding response in the presence of a female audience. Males reduced their feeding rate in the presence of male and mixed audiences, while both sexes increased their consumption when food was close to the audience. Focal fish, irrespective of their sex, spent more time in the vicinity of the audience zone when the audience was present but, surprisingly, females spent less time with a female audience compared to others. Only females increased their mobility when the food patch was far from any audience. Here we show that guppies adjust their foraging behaviour in the presence of an audience. The specific responses observed varied between the sexes, reflecting the distinct social trade-offs faced by each sex.
{"title":"Sex-dependent audience effect in foraging guppies","authors":"Natalia Tepox-Vivar, Guadalupe Lopez-Nava, Juan H García-Chávez, Palestina Guevara-Fiore","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arae017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae017","url":null,"abstract":"The presence of bystanders can influence the behaviour of a forager, which has mainly been studied in primates and birds. We tested the effect of the absence and presence of an unfamiliar audience (females, males, and their combination) near or far from a food patch, on the foraging behaviour of guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Our investigation includes both males and females, recognising that different social dynamics and reproductive strategies between the sexes could lead to varied responses to audience effects. For each focal fish, we measured the latency to start feeding, bite frequency, time spent near the audience, and overall mobility. Both males and females started feeding faster when food was close to any audience type. Specifically, females exhibited a faster feeding response in the presence of a female audience. Males reduced their feeding rate in the presence of male and mixed audiences, while both sexes increased their consumption when food was close to the audience. Focal fish, irrespective of their sex, spent more time in the vicinity of the audience zone when the audience was present but, surprisingly, females spent less time with a female audience compared to others. Only females increased their mobility when the food patch was far from any audience. Here we show that guppies adjust their foraging behaviour in the presence of an audience. The specific responses observed varied between the sexes, reflecting the distinct social trade-offs faced by each sex.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140150336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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