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Miles J, Vowles AS, Kemp PS. The role of collective behaviour in fish response to visual cues. Behav Processes 2024; 220:105079. [PMID: 39025319 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of group size (individual, groups of five, and 20) on the response of common minnow to visual cues created by vertical black and white stripes over time. The stripes were displayed on a monitor either at one end of an experimental tank, while the other was uniform white, or both ends simultaneously. Reponses were compared with a control (stripes absent). Visual cues were pseudo-randomly presented every 15-minutes over six-hours. Three predictions were made: first, due to more efficient flow of information, larger groups would respond more rapidly (Rate of response) to the visual cues. Second, assuming visual cues provide a proxy for structure and larger groups experience greater benefits of group membership due to reduced predatory risk, there will be stronger association (Strength of association and Final association) with stripes for individuals and smaller groups compared with larger groups. Consequently, the association with visual cues exhibited by larger groups would diminish over time compared to smaller, more risk averse groups. As expected, larger groups exhibited a faster Rate of response to visual cues, and individual fish a greater Strength of association compared with the largest group size. Final association, however, was more common for larger groups compared to both smaller groups and individuals. Contrary to the final prediction, responses to visual cues did not decrease over time for any group size, suggesting innate behaviour or an experimental duration insufficient to observe habituation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Miles
- The International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research, University of Southampton, Building 178, Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, SO16 7QF, UK.
| | - Andrew S Vowles
- The International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research, University of Southampton, Building 178, Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, SO16 7QF, UK
| | - Paul S Kemp
- The International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research, University of Southampton, Building 178, Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, SO16 7QF, UK
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Adams CB, Papeş M, Price CA, Freeberg TM. Influence of social and physical environmental variation on antipredator behavior in mixed-species parid flocks. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295910. [PMID: 38128009 PMCID: PMC10735029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) regularly form flocks with multiple species through the winter months, including white-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis). Earlier studies found that behavior of both chickadees and titmice was sensitive to mixed-species flock composition. Little is known about the influence of background noise level and vegetation density on the antipredator behaviors of individuals within these flocks, however. We tested for the effects of vegetation density, traffic noise, and flock composition (conspecific number, flock diversity, and flock size) on antipredator behavioral responses following an alarm call playback (Study 1) and an owl model presentation (Study 2) at feeders. We recorded background traffic noise and performed lidar scans to quantify vegetation density at each site. After a feeder had been stocked with seed and a flock was present, we recorded calls produced, and we identified flock composition metrics. We coded seed-taking latency, call latency, mob latency, and mob duration following the respective stimulus presentation and tested for effects of flock composition metrics, vegetation density, and background noise on these responses. For the alarm call playback study, flock composition drove behaviors in chickadees and titmice, and vegetation density drove behaviors in chickadees and nuthatches. For the owl model study, conspecific number predicted behavior in chickadees, and mob duration was predicted by nuthatch number. The results reveal individual sensitivity to group composition in anti-predatory and foraging behavior in simulated risky contexts. Additionally, our data suggest that the modality of perceived simulated risk (acoustic vs. visual) and the density of vegetation influence behavior in these groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colton B. Adams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Monica Papeş
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Charles A. Price
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Todd M. Freeberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
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3
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Diel variation in anti-predation behavior of a ground squirrel and relationships between vigilance and escape. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03174-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Daily foraging activity of an imperiled ground squirrel: effects of hibernation, thermal environment, body condition, and conspecific density. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03142-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Ortiz-Jimenez CA, Michelangeli M, Pendleton E, Sih A, Smith JE. Behavioural correlations across multiple stages of the antipredator response: do animals that escape sooner hide longer? Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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6
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McAlister JS, Hamilton IM. An Adaptive Dynamic Model of a Vigilance Game Among Group Foragers. J Theor Biol 2022; 538:111030. [PMID: 35114196 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In group foraging animals, vigilance tends to decrease as group size increases. A forager in a group receives a vigilance benefit not only when it is being vigilant itself but also when a group mate is being vigilant. The many eyes hypothesis supposes that individuals exhibit lower vigilance in larger groups because of this. However, changes in safety resulting from the vigilance benefit conferred by group mates can change the decision to join or leave a group so as vigilance changes because of changes in group size, group size may also change in response to changes in vigilance. Additionally, individuals may have poor information about the vigilance strategies of their neighbors. We present a game theoretical model of vigilance that incorporates dynamic group sizes and does not require behavioral monitoring of the vigilance strategies of others. For systems at equilibrium, maximum vigilance decreases with increased group size. Furthermore, by varying intraspecific competition we show an inverse relationship between group size and vigilance. Thus, we provide a mechanism in support of the many eyes hypothesis from an evolutionary game theory perspective and conclude that variation in intraspecific competition and its effect on group size may be responsible for the relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S McAlister
- The Ohio State University, Department of Evolution Ecology and Organismal Biology, Columbus Ohio; The Ohio State University, Department of Mathematics, Columbus Ohio; The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Department of Mathematics, Knoxville Tennessee
| | - Ian M Hamilton
- The Ohio State University, Department of Evolution Ecology and Organismal Biology, Columbus Ohio; The Ohio State University, Department of Mathematics, Columbus Ohio
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van der Marel A, O’Connell CL, Prasher S, Carminito C, Francis X, Hobson EA. A comparison of low‐cost behavioral observation software applications for handheld computers and recommendations for use. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Claire L. O’Connell
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio45221USA
| | - Sanjay Prasher
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio45221USA
| | - Chelsea Carminito
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio45221USA
| | - Xavier Francis
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio45221USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio45221USA
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Barbary ground squirrels do not have a sentinel system but instead synchronize vigilance. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03094-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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van der Marel A, Waterman JM, López-Darias M. Exploring the role of life history traits and introduction effort in understanding invasion success in mammals: a case study of Barbary ground squirrels. Oecologia 2021; 195:327-339. [PMID: 33481090 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04853-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species-species that have successfully overcome the barriers of transport, introduction, establishment, and spread-are a risk to biodiversity and ecosystem function. Introduction effort is one of the main factors underlying invasion success, but life history traits are also important as they influence population growth. In this contribution, we first investigated life history traits of the Barbary ground squirrel, Atlantoxerus getulus, a species with a very low introduction effort. We then studied if their invasion success was due to a very fast life history profile by comparing their life history traits to those of other successful invasive mammals. Next, we examined whether the number of founders and/or a fast life history influences the invasion success of squirrels. Barbary ground squirrels were on the fast end of the "fast-slow continuum", but their life history was not the only contributing factor to their invasion success, as the life history profile is comparable to other invasive species that do not have such a low introduction effort. We also found that neither life history traits nor the number of founders explained the invasion success of introduced squirrels in general. These results contradict the concept that introduction effort is the main factor explaining invasion success, especially in squirrels. Instead, we argue that invasion success can be influenced by multiple aspects of the new habitat or the biology of the introduced species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarie van der Marel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 614 Rieveschl Hall, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0006, USA.
| | - Jane M Waterman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Marta López-Darias
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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Burnett AD, Koprowski JL. Ultimate causes of antipredator vocalizations in a nonhibernating squirrel. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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11
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van der Marel A, Waterman JM, López-Darias M. Social organization in a North African ground squirrel. J Mammal 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Research on sociality in temperate ground-dwelling squirrels has focused on female philopatry and other life history trade-offs, which are influenced by constraints in the duration of the active growing season. Temperate ground-dwelling squirrels that experience high predation pressure, are large in body size, and have a short active season, show a more complex social organization. In contrast, African ground squirrels are active year-round, suggesting that instead of a short active season, distinct selective pressures influence their social organization. We examined the social organization of Barbary ground squirrels, Atlantoxerus getulus, and compared the social organization of temperate and African ground-dwelling sciurids. Anecdotal accounts on Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization suggested that they were either solitary or gregarious, or live in small family groups. We recorded the group size, composition, cohesion, and genetic relatedness, of the population on the arid island of Fuerteventura, Spain. Our data indicate that females live in small (1–8) all-female kin groups separate from adult males, and that unrelated adult males share sleeping burrows with immature individuals of either sex. We observed sex-biased dispersal with males primarily the dispersing sex and females primarily philopatric. Females sleep solitarily during gestation and lactation and nest either communally or singly after juvenile emergence. During the day, males and females can be active in the same area. Barbary ground squirrels are social because the squirrels share sleeping burrows and show spatiotemporal overlap. Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization resembles that of the closely related Cape ground squirrel rather than that of the temperate ground-dwelling sciurids, although the former are more temperate, seasonal breeders. In addition to describing the social organization of a previously unstudied species, this paper sheds light on the ecological drivers of sociality, and the evolution of distinct social organizations in ground-dwelling sciurids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jane M Waterman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Marta López-Darias
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), Av. Astrofisico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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Tringali A, Sherer DL, Cosgrove J, Bowman R. Life history stage explains behavior in a social network before and during the early breeding season in a cooperatively breeding bird. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8302. [PMID: 32095315 PMCID: PMC7020825 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8302] [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: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In species with stage-structured populations selection pressures may vary between different life history stages and result in stage-specific behaviors. We use life history stage to explain variation in the pre and early breeding season social behavior of a cooperatively breeding bird, the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) using social network analysis. Life history stage explains much of the variation we observed in social network position. These differences are consistent with nearly 50 years of natural history observations and generally conform to a priori predictions about how individuals in different stages should behave to maximize their individual fitness. Where the results from the social network analysis differ from the a priori predictions suggest that social interactions between members of different groups are more important for breeders than previously thought. Our results emphasize the importance of accounting for life history stage in studies of individual social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Tringali
- Avian Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, United States of America
| | - David L Sherer
- Avian Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, United States of America.,Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States of America
| | - Jillian Cosgrove
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Reed Bowman
- Avian Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, United States of America
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Haak CR, Hui FKC, Cowles GW, Danylchuk AJ. Positive interspecific associations consistent with social information use shape juvenile fish assemblages. Ecology 2019; 101:e02920. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Haak
- Department of Environmental Conservation & Intercampus Marine Science Graduate Program University of Massachusetts Amherst 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
| | - Francis K. C. Hui
- Research School of Finance Actuarial Studies and Statistics Australian National University Acton 2601 Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Geoffrey W. Cowles
- Department of Fisheries Oceanography School for Marine Science and Technology University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 836 South Rodney French Blvd. New Bedford Massachusetts 02744 USA
| | - Andy J. Danylchuk
- Department of Environmental Conservation & Intercampus Marine Science Graduate Program University of Massachusetts Amherst 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
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Beauchamp G. On how risk and group size interact to influence vigilance. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1918-1934. [PMID: 31270943 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Vigilance allows animals to monitor their surroundings for signs of danger associated with predators or rivals. As vigilance is costly, models predict that it should increase when the risk posed by predators or rivals increases. In addition, vigilance is expected to decrease in larger groups that provide more safety against predators. Risk and group size are thus two key determinants of vigilance. Together, they could have additive or interactive effects. If risk and group size interacted, the magnitude of the group-size effect on vigilance would vary depending on the level of risk experienced, implying that the benefits of sociality in terms of vigilance vary with risk. Depending on the model, vigilance is predicted to decrease more rapidly with group size at low risk or at high risk. Little work has focused directly on the interaction between risk and group size, making it difficult to understand under which conditions particular interactive effects arise and whether interactive effects are common in natural systems. I review the vast literature on vigilance in birds and mammals to assess whether interactive effects between risk and group size are common, and if present, which pattern occurs more frequently. In studies involving predation risk, the greatest proportion reported no statistically significant interactive effects. In other cases, vigilance decreased with group size more rapidly at low or high risk in a similar proportion of studies. In studies involving risk posed by rivals (social risk), most documented a more rapid decrease in vigilance with group size at low than at high risk, as predicted if the need to monitor rivals increases in larger groups. Low statistical power to detect interactive effects might have been an issue in several studies. The absence of interactive effects, on the other hand, might suggest constraints or limits on the ability of animals to adjust vigilance to current risk or group sizes. Interactive effects on vigilance have implications for the evolution of sociality and for our understanding of the phenotypic plasticity of predator- and competitor-induced defences and deserve more attention in future studies.
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