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Ręk P, Magrath RD. Display structure size affects the production of and response to multimodal duets in magpie-larks. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Jiang AZ, Tribe A, Phillips CJC, Murray PJ. Insights from Koala–Cattle Interaction Experiments: Koalas and Cattle May See Each Other as a Disturbance. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070872. [PMID: 35405861 PMCID: PMC8996968 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Koalas have been listed as endangered because of their rapidly declining populations. As an iconic Australian animal, effective conservation is critical to reverse the decline, which requires a comprehensive understanding of threats to koalas, such as predation, disease and habitat loss. In the last decade, livestock were suspected to be a new potential threat to koalas, with anecdotal evidence of koalas being trampled to death by livestock, especially cattle. We investigated the significance of cattle being a threat to koalas in two experiments testing how koalas and cattle perceive and react to each other when sharing space. In the first experiment, we recorded the behaviour of free-ranging koalas prior to, during and after cattle grazing within the koalas’ home ranges. Koalas showed decreased moving distance and home range size when cattle grazed in their living environment. In the second experiment, we recorded the cattle reactions to a moving koala model on a vehicle, a dog model on the same vehicle and the vehicle alone. The koala and dog models elicited similar aggression and fear in cattle, both significantly more than the vehicle alone did. The results provide confirmatory evidence of negative koala–cattle interactions and indicate that cattle and koalas may see each other as a disturbance. Abstract Koalas are facing many threats and have now been officially listed as endangered. Recently, concerns were raised in anecdotal reports of koalas being killed by livestock, especially cattle. We investigated the significance of cattle as a threat to koala survival via two koala–cattle interaction experiments, from both the koala and cattle perspectives. In the first experiment, we recorded the ranging behaviour of free-ranging, radio-collared koalas prior to, during and after cattle grazed within their usual home range. Koalas decreased their distance travelled and the size of their home range when they shared space with cattle, compared with the period before cattle started grazing within their home range. In the second experiment, we recorded the reactions of cattle towards koalas that they encountered on the ground, using motorised animal models: a model koala mounted on a remote-controlled vehicle and a model dog mounted on the same vehicle, and the vehicle alone. The koala model elicited aggression and fear in cattle, similar to the dog model, whereas their reaction to the vehicle was significantly less aggressive. No actual attacks by the cattle were observed. The results provide experimental evidence that negative koala–livestock interactions occur and indicate that cattle and koalas may see each other as a disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Zijian Jiang
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, Australia;
| | - Andrew Tribe
- Turner Family Foundation, Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, 617 Grandchester Mount Mort Rd., Grandchester 4340, Australia;
| | - Clive J. C. Phillips
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Estonia University of Life Sciences, 51014 Tartu, Estonia;
- Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Perth 6845, Australia
| | - Peter J. Murray
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, Australia;
- School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Darling Heights 4350, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Stritih N, Žunič Kosi A. Olfactory signaling of aggressive intent in male-male contests of cave crickets (Troglophilus neglectus; Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187512. [PMID: 29112984 PMCID: PMC5675388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal contests, communicating aggressive motivation is most often mediated by visual or acoustic signals, while chemical signals are not expected to serve such a function since they are less able to be modulated by the sender during the changing behavioral context. We describe a rare example of ephemeral olfactory signals in terrestrial animals, signals that are emitted via protrusive scent glands in male cave crickets Troglophilus neglectus (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) to reflect the state of the signaler's aggression. We correlate the intensity of behaviorally expressed aggression of the individuals in dyadic contests with the frequency and extent of their gland tissue protrusion, the latter serving as an indication of the amount of released odor. We detected large amounts of odor release during brief gland protrusions, and the absence of its release during gland retraction. Males protruded the glands during and after encountering a rival, with the degree of protrusion increasing with the intensity of the signalers' aggression. During the encounters, the degree of gland protrusion increased most strongly with the occurrence of the elevated body posture, directly preceding the attack. This degree was significantly higher in encounter winners than in losers displaying such posture, suggesting the highly important role of the released odor for contest resolution. After the encounters, glands were protruded almost exclusively by winners, apparently announcing victory. We tested for the function of the olfactory signals also directly, by preventing gland tissue protrusion in symmetric and asymmetric treatments of the contestants. Treating only the dominant individuals decreased the percentage of encounters they won by over 60%, while treating both contestants elicited a significant increase in the frequency and duration of fights. During contests, the olfactory signals of T. neglectus apparently function as a highly effective threat, which prevents maximal contest escalation and decreases the conflict-related costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Stritih
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
| | - Alenka Žunič Kosi
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Halliday W, Paterson J, Patterson L, Cooke S, Blouin-Demers G. Testosterone, body size, and sexual signals predict parasite load in Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii). CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Parasite load significantly impacts host health and fitness and may vary substantially among individuals within a population. The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis posits that sexual signals are honest indicators of male quality because they are maintained by testosterone, an immunosuppressant that yields higher parasite loads. Additionally, testosterone may influence parasite load by increasing activity levels. We examined these two hypotheses in a wild population of Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii Cope, 1875) in Arizona. We (i) compared fecal testosterone levels to ectoparasite and haemoparasite loads, (ii) tested if sexual signals (total coloured area, aggression, and head size), locomotor activity, and body size correlated with testosterone levels, and (iii) compared sexual signals, locomotor activity, and body size to parasite load. Ectoparasite loads increased with total coloured area and tended to increase with testosterone, but this latter relationship was only nearly significant. Parasite loads increased with body size. Thus, we found some support for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis and none for the activity hypothesis. Our results are consistent with an alternative hypothesis that larger individuals have more parasites because they have more surface area and (or) have had longer to accumulate parasites. Future studies should examine the relative contributions of testosterone and glucocorticoids in driving variation in parasite loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- W.D. Halliday
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - J.E. Paterson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - L.D. Patterson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - S.J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - G. Blouin-Demers
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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Tibbetts EA. The evolution of honest communication: integrating social and physiological costs of ornamentation. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:578-90. [PMID: 24944118 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Much research on animal communication has addressed how costs such as social costs or physiological costs favor the accuracy of signals. Previous work has largely considered these costs separately, but we may be missing essential connections by studying costs in isolation. After all, social interactions produce rapid changes in hormone titers which can then affect individual behavior and physiology. As a result, social costs are likely to have widespread physiological consequences. Here, I present a new perspective on the factors that maintain honest signals by describing how the interplay between social costs and physiological costs may maintain an accurate link between an animal's abilities and ornament elaboration. I outline three specific mechanisms by which the interaction between social behavior and hormones could favor honest signals and present specific predictions for each of the three models. Then, I review how ornaments alter agonistic behavior, agonistic behavior influences hormones, and how these hormonal effects influence fitness. I also describe the few previous studies that have directly tested how ornaments influence hormones. Finally, opportunities for future work are discussed. Considering the interaction between social behavior and physiology may address some challenges associated with both social and physiological models of costs. Understanding the dynamic feedbacks between physiology and social costs has potential to transform our understanding of the stability of animals' communication systems.
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Tibbetts EA. The Function, Development, and Evolutionary Stability of Conventional Signals of Fighting Ability. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407186-5.00002-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Bywater CL, Wilson RS. Is honesty the best policy? Testing signal reliability in fiddler crabs when receiver-dependent costs are high. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02002.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Candice L. Bywater
- School of Biological Sciences; The University of Queensland; St Lucia; Queensland; 4072; Australia
| | - Robbie S. Wilson
- School of Biological Sciences; The University of Queensland; St Lucia; Queensland; 4072; Australia
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Barske J, Schlinger BA, Wikelski M, Fusani L. Female choice for male motor skills. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:3523-8. [PMID: 21508030 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection was proposed by Darwin to explain the evolution of male sexual traits such as ornaments and elaborate courtship displays. Empirical and theoretical studies have traditionally focused on ornaments; the reasons for the evolution of elaborate, acrobatic courtship displays remain unclear. We addressed the hypothesis that females choose males on the basis of subtle differences in display performance, indicating motor skills that facilitate survival. Male golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus) perform elaborate, acrobatic courtship displays. We used high-speed cameras to record the displays of wild males and analysed them in relation to male reproductive success. Females preferred males that performed specific display moves at greater speed, with differences of tens of milliseconds strongly impacting female preference. In additional males, we recorded telemetrically the heart rate during courtship using miniature transmitters and found that courtship is associated with profoundly elevated heart rates, revealing a large metabolic investment. Our study provides evidence that females choose their mates on the basis of subtle differences in motor performance during courtship. We propose that elaborate, acrobatic courtship dances evolve because they reflect motor skills and cardiovascular function of males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Barske
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Számadó S. How threat displays work: species-specific fighting techniques, weaponry and proximity risk. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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SULLIVAN BRIANK, KWIATKOWSKI MATTHEWA. Courtship displays in anurans and lizards: theoretical and empirical contributions to our understanding of costs and selection on males due to female choice. Funct Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01244.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Lappin AK, Brandt Y, Husak JF, Macedonia JM, Kemp DJ. Gaping displays reveal and amplify a mechanically based index of weapon performance. Am Nat 2006; 168:100-13. [PMID: 16874617 DOI: 10.1086/505161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2005] [Accepted: 04/12/2006] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Physical prowess, a key determinant of fight outcomes, is contingent on whole-organism performance traits. The advertisement of performance, via display, is poorly understood because it is unclear how information about performance is encoded into display characteristics. Previous studies have shown that weapon performance (i.e., bite force) predicts dominance and reproductive success in male lizards. We tested the hypothesis that gaping displays by adult male collared lizards (Crotaphytus) can provide an index of weapon performance by exposing the major jaw-adductor muscle complex and that white patches at the mouth corners amplify this index. For territorial adult males, the breadth of the muscle complex, which is not correlated with body size, was a strong predictor of bite force. For nonterritorial yearling males and females, however, measures of body and head size predicted bite force. The patches are highly conspicuous, exhibit UV-reflecting properties within the visual range of lizards, and provide size-independent information about bite force only in adult males. We conclude that exposure of the muscle complex during gaping displays can provide rival males with a reliable, body-size independent, biomechanically based index of weapon performance, an index that the mouth-corner patches amplify. Indexes that transmit information through mechanistic links to performance are expected to be widespread among animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kristopher Lappin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
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Borgia G. Preexisting Male Traits Are Important in the Evolution of Elaborated Male Sexual Display. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(06)36006-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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