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Larue B, Pelletier F, Festa-Bianchet M. A multivariate perspective of resource acquisition behaviours in bighorn sheep. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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2
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Nishikawa M, Suzuki M, Sprague DS. Activity synchrony and travel direction synchrony in wild female Japanese macaques. Behav Processes 2021; 191:104473. [PMID: 34363911 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The degree of behavioural synchrony of animals within a group can be considered a reflection of how individuals adjust their behaviours to manage the costs/benefits accompanying group-living. In this study, we focused on activity synchrony and travel direction synchrony as behavioural synchrony. We aimed to quantify the degree of behavioural synchrony and identify which factors can affect the synchrony in wild females of Japanese macaques. Japanese macaques live in female philopatric multi-female and multi-male groups and have a linear dominance hierarchy. The groups are characterized by changing spatio-temporal cohesiveness among group members. Two observers conducted simultaneous focal animal sampling on adult females using global positioning system devices to record locations. The overall degree of activity synchrony was positive compared with random, and the degree was highest when macaques were located within visual range of each other. Both activity synchrony and travel direction synchrony were influenced by spatial cohesion, i.e. interindividual distance, which shows that the probabilities of synchrony were higher with individuals located closer. Activity synchrony was also influenced by activity type, showing that the probabilities of synchrony were higher when individuals engaged in foraging. These results suggest that synchronized foraging may be caused by enhanced feeding with other group members when they are closer to each other. Our approach to quantitatively measure spatial dispersal while observing group members simultaneously revealed the roles of spatial cohesion and activity types for determining the degree of behavioral synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Nishikawa
- Kyoto University, Kitashirakawaoiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan; Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41-2, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
| | - Mariko Suzuki
- Amami Wildlife Conservation Center, Koshinohata 551, Ongachi, Yamato, Oshima, Kagoshima 894-3104, Japan
| | - David S Sprague
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Kannondai 3-1-3, Tsukuba, 305-8604, Japan
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3
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Liang YJ, Kuo H, Giordano AJ, Pei KJC. Seasonal variation in herd composition of the Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) in a forest-grassland mosaic habitat of southern Taiwan. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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4
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Katsis LKD, Linton DM, Macdonald DW. The effect of group size, reproductive condition and time period on sexual segregation patterns in three vespertilionid bat species. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. K. D. Katsis
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney UK
| | - D. M. Linton
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney UK
| | - D. W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney UK
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5
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Weckerly FW. Frequency and Density Associated Grouping Patterns of Male Roosevelt Elk. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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6
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Buñuel X, Alcoverro T, Pagès JF, Romero J, Ruiz JM, Arthur R. The dominant seagrass herbivore Sarpa salpa shifts its shoaling and feeding strategies as they grow. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10622. [PMID: 32606346 PMCID: PMC7327017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67498-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative benefits of group foraging change as animals grow. Metabolic requirements, competitive abilities and predation risk are often allometric and influenced by group size. How individuals optimise costs and benefits as they grow can strongly influence consumption patterns. The shoaling fish Sarpa salpa is the principal herbivore of temperate Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. We used in-situ observations to describe how ontogeny influenced S. salpa individual feeding behaviour, shoaling behaviour and group foraging strategies, and its potential consequences to seagrass meadows. Shoaling was strongly influenced by body length: shoals were highly length-assorted and there was a clear positive relationship between body length and shoal size. Foraging strategies changed dramatically with shoal size. Small shoals foraged simultaneously and scattered over large areas. In contrast, larger shoals (made of larger individuals) employed a potentially cooperative strategy where individuals fed rotationally and focused in smaller areas for longer times (spot feeding). Thus, as individuals grew, they increased their potential impact as well, not merely because they consumed more, but because they formed larger shoals capable of considerably concentrating their grazing within the landscape. Our results indicate that ontogenetic shifts in group foraging strategies can have large ecosystem-wide consequences when the species is an important ecosystem modifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Buñuel
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.,Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, Karnataka, 570 002, India
| | - Jordi F Pagès
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/Varadero, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Rohan Arthur
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.,Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, Karnataka, 570 002, India
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7
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Wang M, Blank D, Wang Y, Xu W, Yang W, Alves J. Seasonal changes in the sexual segregation patterns of Marco Polo sheep in Taxkorgan Nature Reserve. J ETHOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00590-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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8
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Raveh S, Langen K, Bakker TCM, Josephs C, Frommen JG. Oddity, predation risk and social decisions in aquatic invertebrates. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Raveh
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Kathrin Langen
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig; Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity; Bonn Germany
| | - Theo C. M. Bakker
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Christian Josephs
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
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Wang M, Alves J, Tucker M, Yang W, Ruckstuhl KE. Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on ruminating, grazing, and bedding time in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206664. [PMID: 30372495 PMCID: PMC6205656 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Rumination is the repeated process of regurgitation of a food bolus, followed by chewing, swallowing, and regurgitation, which enhance nutrient assimilation. Time spent in lateral recumbency (i.e., bedded, lying) has often been used as a proxy for time spent ruminating due to difficulties of observing detailed rumination behavior in the field. The actual proportion of time spent ruminating, or other activities, will in turn be affected by the age and sex of an individual but also with changes in food quality. We studied the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on time spent ruminating, bedding, proportion of bedding time spent ruminating, and grazing of individually marked bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Our results show that bighorn sheep spent more time ruminating and less time grazing in summer and autumn. Overall, females spent less time ruminating, and more time grazing than males. Bighorn sheep decreased their time spent ruminating with increasing acid detergent fiber (ADF) content in the forage. Age influenced the time spent grazing, bedded and proportion of bedded time spent ruminating. Older sheep not only increased their bedding time but also their time spent bedded without ruminating compared to younger individuals. The proportion of time spent grazing was also affected by age, with a decrease in the proportion of time spent grazing with increasing age. Our results suggest that these four behaviors are plastic and variable. We thus conclude that bedding time does not reflect time spent ruminating but that the latter is affected by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muyang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresources in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Urumqi, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Joana Alves
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Meghan Tucker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Weikang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresources in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Urumqi, China
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St-Louis A, Côté SD. Activity budgets and behavioural synchrony in a wild equid living in a fission-fusion social system. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Variation in activity budgets among individuals of different age-sex classes and reproductive status may lead to decreases in behavioural synchrony (i.e., individuals performing the same behaviour at the same time in the same group) in social species. Here, we assessed the costs of behavioural synchrony in terms of time allocated to feeding behaviour among individuals of different age-sex classes and reproductive status in the kiang (Equus kiang), a poorly known wild equid that inhabits the Tibetan Plateau. Our study was conducted in Eastern Ladakh (India), during summer and fall. Our results showed that groups were highly synchronized, and that individuals in groups were particularly synchronized when feeding. Despite a slight sexual dimorphism, males and females had similar activity budgets. Males in groups, however, spent less time feeding than solitary males, and females in groups with foals spent less time feeding and more time standing than females in groups without foals. We suggest that group formation in males and the presence of foals for females incur behavioural costs by lowering their time spent feeding. Because these costs occur at a predictable time of the year, it could be profitable for adult kiangs not to form permanent groups year-round. Individuals with divergent needs might benefit from the loose social system observed in kiangs, which could be a key feature of their adaptation to a highly seasonal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine St-Louis
- Département de biologie et Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Steeve D. Côté
- Département de biologie et Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada G1V 0A6
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11
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Flury R, Gygax L. Daily patterns of synchrony in lying and feeding of cows: Quasi-natural state and (anti-) synchrony factors. Behav Processes 2016; 133:56-61. [PMID: 27836737 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Revised: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Synchrony is thought to provide fitness advantages to group-living animals, but little is known how animals maintain synchrony. We investigated intensity of synchrony factors (milking, feed-provision) in cattle herds. Intensity decreased from dairy cows milked in a parlour to cows milked by a robot to suckler cows raising calves. On 30 farms, 10 of each type, we recorded synchrony in lying and feeding. Peaks in lying synchronously were visible in the early morning, around noon, and late at night. These peaks decreased from the suckler cows to the cows milked in a parlour and to the cows milked by a robot. Complementary peaks were found for synchronous feeding. The asynchronous milking times with the milking robot decreased synchrony. Unexpectedly, the suckler cows with the weakest synchrony factors also showed a high level of synchrony. These results indicate that internal motivations for synchrony may be present in addition to external synchrony factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka Flury
- Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope, Tänikon, CH-8356, Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Ethology and Animal Welfare Unit, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lorenz Gygax
- Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope, Tänikon, CH-8356, Ettenhausen, Switzerland.
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12
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Morris DW. Spatial scale in games of habitat selection, patch use, and sympatric speciation. Isr J Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/15659801.2016.1232683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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13
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Zanardo N, Bilgmann K, Parra GJ, Möller LM. Socio-genetic structure of short-beaked common dolphins in southern Australia. J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. Zanardo
- Cetacean Ecology; Behaviour and Evolution Lab; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
| | - K. Bilgmann
- Cetacean Ecology; Behaviour and Evolution Lab; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
| | - G. J. Parra
- Cetacean Ecology; Behaviour and Evolution Lab; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
| | - L. M. Möller
- Cetacean Ecology; Behaviour and Evolution Lab; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory; School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide SA Australia
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14
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Kimbell HS, Morrell LJ. Turbidity weakens selection for assortment in body size in groups. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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15
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Rodgers GM, Downing B, Morrell LJ. Prey body size mediates the predation risk associated with being "odd". Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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16
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Powolny T, Bretagnolle V, Aguilar A, Eraud C. Sex-related differences in the trade-off between foraging and vigilance in a granivorous forager. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101598. [PMID: 24984028 PMCID: PMC4077796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between intake rate and food density can provide the foundation for models that predict the spatiotemporal distribution of organisms across a range of resource densities. The functional response, describing the relationship between resource density and intake rate is often interpreted mechanistically as the relationships between times spend searching and handling. While several functional response models incorporate anti-predator vigilance (defined here as an interruption of feeding or some other activity to visually scan the environment, directed mainly towards detecting potential predators), the impacts of environmental factors influencing directly anti-predator vigilance remains unclear. We examined the combined effects of different scenarios of predation risk and food density on time allocation between foraging and anti-predator vigilance in a granivorous species. We experimentally exposed Skylarks to various cover heights and seed densities, and measured individual time budget and pecking and intake rates. Our results indicated that time devoted to different activities varied as a function of both seed density and cover height. Foraging time increased with seed density for all cover heights. Conversely, an increased cover height resulted in a decreased foraging time. Contrary to males, the decreased proportion of time spent foraging did not translate into a foraging disadvantage for females. When vegetation height was higher, females maintained similar pecking and intake rates compared to intermediate levels, while males consistently decreased their energy gain. This difference in anti-predator responses suggests a sexually mediated strategy in the food-safety trade-off: when resource density is high a females would adopt a camouflage strategy while an escape strategy would be adopted by males. In other words, males would leave risky-areas, whereas females would stay when resource density is high. Our results suggest that increased predation risk might generate sexually mediated behavioural responses that functional response models should perhaps better consider in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Powolny
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Villiers en bois, France
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villiers en bois, France
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villiers en bois, France
| | - Astrid Aguilar
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villiers en bois, France
| | - Cyril Eraud
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Villiers en bois, France
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Lutermann H, Bennett NC, Speakman JR, Scantlebury M. Energetic benefits of sociality offset the costs of parasitism in a cooperative mammal. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57969. [PMID: 23451285 PMCID: PMC3581474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2012] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sociality and particularly advanced forms of sociality such as cooperative breeding (living in permanent groups with reproductive division of labour) is relatively rare among vertebrates. A suggested constraint on the evolution of sociality is the elevated transmission rate of parasites between group members. Despite such apparent costs, sociality has evolved independently in a number of vertebrate taxa including humans. However, how the costs of parasitism are overcome in such cases remains uncertain. We evaluated the potential role of parasites in the evolution of sociality in a member of the African mole-rats, the only mammal family that exhibits the entire range of social systems from solitary to eusocial. Here we show that resting metabolic rates decrease whilst daily energy expenditure and energy stores (i.e. body fat) increase with group size in social Natal mole rats (Cryptomys hottentotus natalensis). Critically, larger groups also had reduced parasite abundance and infested individuals only showed measurable increases in energy metabolism at high parasite abundance. Thus, in some circumstances, sociality appears to provide energetic benefits that may be diverted into parasite defence. This mechanism is likely to be self-reinforcing and an important factor in the evolution of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Lutermann
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
- * E-mail: (HL); (MS)
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael Scantlebury
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (HL); (MS)
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Hansen I, Jørgensen GHM, Lind V, Uhlig C. Woodchip bedding for sheep in Northern Norway. ACTA AGR SCAND A-AN 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/09064702.2012.740503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Does a temperate ungulate that breeds in summer exhibit rut-induced hypophagia? Analysis of time budgets of male takin (Budorcas taxicolor) in Sichuan, China. Behav Processes 2012; 89:286-91. [PMID: 22248568 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2011.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2011] [Revised: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Mammals maximize fitness by optimizing time and energy allocation between reproduction and survival. Describing time budgets is a way to understand a species' constraints in energy allocation. We describe a time budget for male takin (Budorcas taxicolor) in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, China, to better understand rut-induced hypophagia, which is frequently observed in temperate ungulates that breed in autumn or in winter. Observations generally occurred at two elevations (1200-1600m and 2600-3200m), using 20-min focal animal scan sampling from 2007 to 2009. Feeding behaviors accounted for the majority in takin's time budget (61.1%) during daylight hours, relative to the other observed behaviors, such as rest (14.1%), alert behavior (10.2%) and locomotion (6.8%). We found a negative correlation between feeding behavior and rutting behavior during the rutting season. A ratio of feeding time to resting time increased from pre-rut to rut, while resting behavior did not change significantly across seasons. These results suggest the "energy saving" hypothesis could explain reduced foraging in male takin during the rut, but aspects of the species biology suggest that hypotheses for rut-induced hypophagia developed for other temperate ungulates do not apply to takin. We suggest that the unusual summer rutting season of takin releases males from the energy constraints encountered by temperate ungulates that breed in the autumn and has other benefits for offspring survival. Further research should be conducted on ungulates that exhibit rut during the summer and tropical ungulates that might not experience limited food availability following the mating season to improve our understanding on rut-induced hypophagia.
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Teichroeb JA, Sicotte P. Cost-free vigilance during feeding in folivorous primates? Examining the effect of predation risk, scramble competition, and infanticide threat on vigilance in ursine colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1292-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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21
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Jørgensen GHM, Andersen IL, Holand Ø, Bøe KE. Differences in the Spacing Behaviour of Two Breeds of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) - Influence of Artificial Selection? Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01908.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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Effect of sexual segregation on host-parasite interaction: model simulation for abomasal parasite dynamics in alpine ibex (Capraibex). Int J Parasitol 2010; 40:1285-93. [PMID: 20430029 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2010.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2009] [Revised: 03/08/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We investigated whether sexual segregation might affect parasite transmission and host dynamics, hypothesising that if males are the more heavily infected sex and more responsible for the transmission of parasite infections, female avoidance of males and the space they occupy could reduce infection rates. A mathematical model, simulating the interaction between abomasal parasites and a hypothetical alpine ibex (Capraibex) host population composed of its two sexes, was developed to predict the effect of different degrees of sexual segregation on parasite intensity and on host abundance. The results showed that when females tended to be segregated from males, and males were distributed randomly across space, the impact of parasites was the lowest, resulting in the highest host abundance, with each sex having the lowest parasite intensity. The predicted condition that minimises the impact of parasites in our model was the one closest to that observed in nature where females actively seek out the more segregated sites while males are less selective in their ranging behaviour. The overlapping of field observation with the predicted optimal strategy lends support to our idea that there might be a connection between parasite transmission and sexual segregation. Our simulations provide the biological boundaries of host-parasite interaction needed to determine a parasite-mediated effect on sexual segregation and a formalised null hypothesis against which to test future field experiments.
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Dostálková I, Špinka M. When to go with the crowd: Modelling synchronization of all-or-nothing activity transitions in grouped animals. J Theor Biol 2010; 263:437-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2009] [Revised: 10/08/2009] [Accepted: 12/31/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Singh NJ, Bonenfant C, Yoccoz NG, Côté SD. Sexual segregation in Eurasian wild sheep. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Raihani NJ, Nelson-Flower MJ, Moyes K, Browning LE, Ridley AR. Synchronous provisioning increases brood survival in cooperatively breeding pied babblers. J Anim Ecol 2009; 79:44-52. [PMID: 19674178 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01606.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Behavioural synchrony typically involves trade-offs. In the context of foraging, for example, synchrony may be suboptimal when individuals have different energy requirements but yield net benefits in terms of increased foraging success or decreased predation risk. 2. Behavioural synchrony may also be advantageous when individuals collaborate to achieve a common goal, such as raising young. For example, in several bird species, provisioners synchronize nest-feeding visits. However, despite the apparent prevalence of provisioning synchrony, it is not known whether it is adaptive or what its function might be. 3. Here, we propose a novel explanation for provisioning synchrony: it increases brood survival by decreasing the number of temporally separate nest visits and accordingly the chance that the nest will be detected by predators. Using cooperatively breeding pied babblers, we showed experimentally that provisioners synchronized nest visits by waiting for another provisioner before returning to the nest. Brood survival increased with provisioning synchrony. Provisioners were more likely to synchronize feeding visits for older nestlings as they were louder and possibly more conspicuous to predators. Finally, provisioners in large groups were more likely to wait for other provisioners and synchronized a higher proportion of all visits than those in smaller groups. Thus, provisioning synchrony may be one mechanism by which large groups increase brood survival in this species. 4. This study highlights a novel strategy that birds use to increase the survival of young and demonstrates the advantages of coordinated behaviour in social species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichola J Raihani
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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