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Miler K, Czarnoleski M. Heat stress during development makes antlion larvae more responsive to vibrational cues. Curr Zool 2022; 68:345-350. [PMID: 35592350 PMCID: PMC9113387 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effects of heat stress on the responsiveness to vibrational cues, our measure of perceptual ability, in Myrmeleon bore antlion larvae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). We reared these trap-building predatory larvae under 2 heat stress regimes (mild, 30°C, and harsh, 36°C), and after they progressed from one instar stage to another, we tested their perceptual ability in common unchallenging conditions. We hypothesized that exposure to the harsh heat stress regime would impose costs resulting in handicapped vibration responsiveness. We found that the harsh heat stress regime generated more stressful conditions for the larvae, as evidenced by increased mortality and postponed molting, and the loss of body mass among larger larvae. Furthermore, among the individuals who remained alive, those originating from the harsh heat stress regime were characterized by higher vibration responsiveness. Our results suggest 2 not mutually exclusive scenarios. Costly heat stress conditions can sieve out individuals characterized by poor perceptual ability or surviving individuals can attempt to hunt more efficiently to compensate for the physiological imbalance caused by heat stress. Both of these mechanisms fit into the ongoing debate over how adaptation and plasticity contribute to shaping insect communities exposed to heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Miler
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, Kraków 31-016, Poland
| | - Marcin Czarnoleski
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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2
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Garnham LC, Boddington R, Løvlie H. Variation in inhibitory control does not influence social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking, in red junglefowl females. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:867-879. [PMID: 35122185 PMCID: PMC9334373 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01598-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individual variation in cognition, seen in many taxa, is not well understood, despite its potential evolutionary consequences. Inhibitory control is an aspect of cognition which differs between individuals. However, how selection could act on this variation remains unclear. First, individual consistency over time of behaviours affected by inhibitory control, and how these behaviours relate to each other, is not well understood. Second, consequences in ecologically relevant contexts of variation in behaviours affected by inhibitory control, are scarcely investigated. Therefore, we explored the temporal consistency and inter-relatedness of two behaviours influenced by inhibitory control (impulsive action and persistence) and how these link to social rank, foraging efficiency, and risk taking in adult female red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). We measured impulsive action in a detour test, and persistence in both a detour test and a foraging test. Impulsive action and persistence, measured in a detour test, were moderately consistent over time, and positively correlated. This implies that selection could act on inhibitory control via these behaviours, and selection on one behaviour could affect the other. However, we found no evidence of links between inhibitory control and social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking. This implies that selection may not act on inhibitory control via these measures, and that, in general, there may be a lack of strong selection on inhibitory control. This, in turn, could help explain individual variation in this aspect of cognition. Future research should explore the specificity of when inhibitory control has implications for individuals, and continue to investigate how variation in cognitive traits influences how individuals behave in contexts with potential evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Clare Garnham
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Robert Boddington
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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Karenina K, Giljov A. Lateralization in feeding is food type specific and impacts feeding success in wild birds. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8598. [PMID: 35154659 PMCID: PMC8820115 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Current research suggests that hemispheric lateralization has significant fitness consequences. Foraging, as a basic survival function, is a perfect research model to test the fitness impact of lateralization. However, our understanding of lateralized feeding behavior is based predominantly on laboratory studies, while the evidence from wild animals in natural settings is limited. Here we studied visual lateralization in yellow-footed green pigeons (Treron phoenicoptera) feeding in the wild. We aimed to test whether different types of food objects requiring different searching strategies elicit different eye/hemisphere biases. When feeding on relatively large, uniformly colored food objects (mahua flowers) which can be present or absent in the viewed patch, the majority of pigeons relied mostly on the left eye-right hemisphere. In contrast, when feeding on smaller and more abundant food objects, with color cues signaling its ripeness (sacred figs), right-eye (left-hemisphere) preference prevailed. Our results demonstrate that oppositely directed visual biases previously found in different experimental tasks occur in natural feeding situations in the form of lateralized viewing strategies specific for different types of food. The results suggest that pigeons rely on the hemisphere providing more advantages for the consumption of the particular type of food objects, implying the relevance of brain lateralization as a plastic adaptation to ecological demands. We assessed the success of food discrimination and consumption to examine the link between lateralization and cognitive performance. The use of the preferred eye resulted in better discrimination of food items. Discrimination accuracy and feeding efficiency were significantly higher in lateralized individuals. The results showed that visual lateralization impacted pigeons' feeding success, implicating important fitness benefits associated with lateralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Karenina
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg Russia
| | - Andrey Giljov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg Russia
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Convergent evolution of antlions and wormlions: similarities and differences in the behavioural ecology of unrelated trap-building predators. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03106-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Operant conditioning in antlion larvae and its impairment following exposure to elevated temperatures. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:509-518. [PMID: 34689302 PMCID: PMC9107435 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01570-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Although ambush predators were previously considered limited in their cognitive abilities compared to their widely foraging relatives, there is accumulating evidence it does not hold true. Pit-building antlions are already known to associate vibrations in the sand with the arrival of prey. We used a T-maze and successfully trained antlions to turn right or left against their initial turning bias, leading to a suitable substrate for digging traps. We present here the first evidence for operant conditioning and T-maze solving in antlions. Furthermore, we show that exposure of second instar larvae to an elevated temperature led to impaired retention of what was learned in a T-maze when tested after moulting into the third instar, compared to larvae raised under a more benign temperature. We suggest that climate change, involving an increase in mean temperatures as well as rare events (e.g., heatwaves) might negatively affect the retention of operant conditioning in antlions, alongside known, more frequently studied effects, such as changes in body size and distribution.
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Miler K, Czarnoleski M. Past thermal conditions affect hunting behaviour in larval antlions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210163. [PMID: 34168890 PMCID: PMC8220275 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Some sit-and-wait predators, such as antlion larvae, construct traps to capture passing prey. The location of these traps depends on many abiotic and biotic factors, including temperature and the presence of conspecifics, which probably stimulate behaviours that minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of trap building. Here, we exposed second instar antlion larvae to elevated temperatures of 25°C (mild treatment) or 31°C (harsh treatment) for one month and then transferred them to common conditions (20°C) to examine the effects of previous thermal treatment on aggregation tendency and trap size. We predicted that antlions that experienced harsh conditions would subsequently increase the neighbouring distance and trap diameter to reduce competition with conspecifics and improve prey capture success, compensating for past conditions. In contrast with these predictions, antlions exposed to harsh conditions displayed a trend in the opposite direction, towards the decreased neighbouring distance. Furthermore, some of these antlions also built smaller traps. We discuss possible reasons for our results. The effects of previous thermal exposure have rarely been considered in terms of trap construction in antlions. Described effects may possibly apply to other sit-and-wait predators and are significant considering that many of these predators are long-lived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Miler
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Czarnoleski
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Leaver LA, Ford S, Miller CW, Yeo MK, Fawcett TW. Learning is negatively associated with strength of left/right paw preference in wild grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Learn Behav 2020; 48:96-103. [PMID: 31965461 PMCID: PMC7082376 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-019-00408-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral laterality, via hemispheric specialisation, has been evidenced across the animal kingdom and linked to cognitive performance in a number of species. Previously it has been suggested that cognitive processing is more efficient in brains with stronger hemispheric differences in processing, which may be the key fitness benefit driving the evolution of laterality. However, evidence supporting a positive association between cognitive performance and lateralization is mixed: data from studies of fish and birds show a positive relationship whereas more limited data from studies of mammals suggest a weak or even negative relationship, suggesting the intriguing possibility of a mammal/non-mammal divide in the nature of this relationship. Here, we report an empirical test examining the relationship between lateralization and cognitive performance in wild grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) by measuring left/right paw preference as a behavioural assay of cerebral lateralization and learning speed as an assay of cognitive efficiency. We carried out a motor-based laterality test using a reaching paradigm and measured learning speed on a problem-solving task. In accordance with the suggestion of a mammal/non-mammal divide, we found a negative relationship between strength of paw preference and performance on the learning task. We discuss this finding in light of niche-specific adaptations, task-specific demands and cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Leaver
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
| | - Steph Ford
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Christopher W Miller
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Matilda K Yeo
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Tim W Fawcett
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK
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Vallortigara G, Rogers LJ. A function for the bicameral mind. Cortex 2019; 124:274-285. [PMID: 32058074 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Why do the left and right sides of the brain have different functions? Having a lateralized brain, in which each hemisphere processes sensory inputs differently and carries out different functions, is common in vertebrates, and it has now been reported for invertebrates too. Experiments with several animal species have shown that having a lateralized brain can enhance the capacity to perform two tasks at the same time. Thus, the different specializations of the left and right sides of the brain seem to increase brain efficiency. Other advantages may involve control of action that, in Bilateria, may be confounded by separate and independent sensory processing and motor outputs on the left and right sides. Also, the opportunity for increased perceptual training associated with preferential use of only one sensory or motoric organ may result in a time advantage for the dominant side. Although brain efficiency of individuals can be achieved without the need for alignment of lateralization in the population, lateral biases (such as preferences in the use of a laterally-placed eye) usually occur at the population level, with most individuals showing a similar direction of bias. Why is this the case? Not only humans, but also most non-human animals, show a similar pattern of population bias (i.e., directional asymmetry). For instance, in several vertebrate species (from fish to mammals) most individuals react faster when a predator approaches from their left side, although some individuals (a minority usually ranging from 10 to 35%) escape faster from predators arriving from their right side. Invoking individual efficiency (lateralization may increase fitness), evolutionary chance or simply genetic inheritance cannot explain this widespread pattern. Using mathematical theory of games, it has been argued that the population structure of lateralization (with either antisymmetry or directional asymmetry) may result from the type of interactions asymmetric organisms face with each other.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lesley J Rogers
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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Kuszewska K, Miler K, Rojek W, Ostap‐Chęć M, Woyciechowski M. Rebel honeybee workers have a tendency to become intraspecific reproductive parasites. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11914-11920. [PMID: 30598786 PMCID: PMC6303741 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Worker honeybees may reproduce in either their own or foreign colonies; the latter situation is termed intraspecific reproductive parasitism (IRP). In this study, we compared the tendency for IRP between normal honeybee workers, which are characterized by a relatively low reproductive potential, and "rebel workers", a recently discovered subcaste of honeybee workers characterized by a high reproductive potential that develops when the colony is without a queen. We expected that the high reproductive potential of the rebel workers would influence their reproductive strategy and that these individuals would drift to other colonies to lay eggs more often than normal workers. The results confirm our expectations and show that rebel workers are more likely than normal workers to drift to foreign colonies. The rebel workers also preferred to drift to queenless colonies than to queenright colonies, while the normal workers did not show this preference. This study indicates that rebel workers have a tendency for IRP, which may be responsible for the maintenance of the rebel worker strategy in bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Krzysztof Miler
- Institute of Environmental SciencesJagiellonian UniversityKrakowPoland
| | - Wiktoria Rojek
- Institute of Environmental SciencesJagiellonian UniversityKrakowPoland
| | - Monika Ostap‐Chęć
- Institute of Environmental SciencesJagiellonian UniversityKrakowPoland
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