1
|
Bhattacharjee D, Sau S, Das J, Bhadra A. Does novelty influence the foraging decisions of a scavenger? PeerJ 2024; 12:e17121. [PMID: 38525274 PMCID: PMC10961059 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Acquiring knowledge about the environment is crucial for survival. Animals, often driven by their exploratory tendencies, gather valuable information regarding food resources, shelter, mating partners, etc. However, neophobia, or avoiding novel environmental stimuli, can constrain their exploratory behaviour. While neophobia can reduce potential predation risks, decreased exploratory behaviour resulting from it may limit the ability to discover highly rewarding resources. Dogs (Canis familiaris) living in semi-urban and urban environments as free-ranging populations, although subject to various selection forces, typically have negligible predation pressure. These dogs are scavengers in human-dominated environments; thus, selection against object-neophobia can provide benefits when searching for novel food resources. Although captive pack-living dogs are known to be less neophobic than their closest living ancestors, wolves (Canis lupus), little is known about free-ranging dogs' behavioural responses to novel objects, particularly in foraging contexts. Using an object choice experiment, we tested 259 free-ranging dogs from two age classes, adult and juvenile, to investigate their object-neophobia in a scavenging context. We employed a between-subject study design, providing dogs with a familiar and a potentially novel object, both baited with equal, hidden food items. Adult and juvenile dogs significantly inspected the novel object first compared to the familiar one, even when the hidden food item was partially visible. To validate these findings, we compared novel objects with different strengths of olfactory cues (baited vs. false-baited) and found that they were inspected comparably by adults and juveniles. No significant differences were found in the latencies to inspect the objects, suggesting that free-ranging dogs may still be cautious when exploring their environments. These results indicate that free-ranging dogs, evidently from an early ontogenetic phase, do not show object-neophobia, as demonstrated by their preference for novel over familiar food sources. We conclude that little to no constraint of neophobia on exploratory behaviour in semi-urban and urban-dwelling animals can guide foraging decision-making processes, providing adaptive benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debottam Bhattacharjee
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong
- The Dog Lab, Behaviour and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong
| | - Shubhra Sau
- The Dog Lab, Behaviour and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jayjit Das
- The Dog Lab, Behaviour and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India
- Department of Endangered Species Management, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Anindita Bhadra
- The Dog Lab, Behaviour and Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Danel S, Rebout N, Bureau L, Zidat T, Biro D, Bonadonna F. Responses to novelty in wild insular birds: comparing breeding populations in ecologically contrasting habitats. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:4. [PMID: 38429425 PMCID: PMC10907422 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01838-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Islands have always provided ideal natural laboratories for assessing ecological parameters influencing behaviour. One hypothesis that lends itself well to testing in island habitats suggests that animals frequenting highly variable environments should be motivated to approach and interact with (i.e. explore) novelty. Intra-species comparisons of populations living in ecologically different island habitats may, thus, help reveal the factors that modulate animals' responses to novelty. In this study, we presented novel objects to two geographically isolated breeding populations of the black-faced sheathbill (Chionis minor), a sedentary land-based bird that frequents remote sub-Antarctic islands. In the first population (Chionis minor ssp. crozettensis), the "Crozet group" (Baie du Marin, Ile de la Possession, Crozet Islands), breeding pairs inhabit a variable habitat close to penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) colonies. In the second population (Chionis minor ssp. minor), the "Kerguelen group" (île Verte, Morbihan gulf, Kerguelen Islands) breeding pairs live in penguin-free territories. In this latter population, the environment is less variable due to the presence of a broad intertidal zone which ensures year-round food availability. At both Kerguelen and Crozet, at least one breeding partner in all pairs approached at least one of the novel objects, and we found no significant differences in the latency of approach between the two populations. However, sheathbills at Crozet touched objects significantly more than birds at Kerguelen, and were also faster to touch them. We discuss how environmental variability, along with other potential influencing factors, may favour exploration of novelty in this wild insular bird.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samara Danel
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
| | - Nancy Rebout
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, 63122, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Léna Bureau
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Timothée Zidat
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Harrington KJ, Folkertsma R, Auersperg AMI, Biondi L, Lambert ML. Innovative problem solving by wild falcons. Curr Biol 2024; 34:190-195.e3. [PMID: 37989310 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Innovation (i.e., a new solution to a familiar problem, or applying an existing behavior to a novel problem1,2) plays a fundamental role in species' ecology and evolution. It can be a useful measure for cross-group comparisons of behavioral and cognitive flexibility and a proxy for general intelligence.3,4,5 Among birds, experimental studies of innovation (and cognition more generally) are largely from captive corvids and parrots,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 though we lack serious models for avian technical intelligence outside these taxa. Striated caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis) are Falconiformes, sister clade to parrots and passerines,13,14,15 and those endemic to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) show curiosity and neophilia similar to notoriously neophilic kea parrots16,17 and face similar socio-ecological pressures to corvids and parrots.18,19 We tested wild striated caracaras as a new avian model for technical cognition and innovation using a field-applicable 8-task comparative paradigm (adapted from Rössler et al.20 and Auersperg et al.21). The setup allowed us to assess behavior, rate, and flexibility of problem solving over repeated exposure in a natural setting. Like other generalist species with low neophobia,21,22 we predicted caracaras to demonstrate a haptic approach to solving tasks, flexibly switching to new, unsolved problems and improving their performance over time. Striated caracaras performed comparably to tool-using parrots,20 nearly reaching ceiling levels of innovation in few trials, repeatedly and flexibly solving tasks, and rapidly learning. We attribute our findings to the birds' ecology, including geographic restriction, resource unpredictability, and opportunistic generalism,23,24,25 and encourage future work investigating their cognitive abilities in the wild. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katie J Harrington
- Comparative Cognition Unit, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Remco Folkertsma
- Comparative Cognition Unit, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alice M I Auersperg
- Comparative Cognition Unit, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Biondi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), UNMdP - CONICET, Juan B. Justo 2550, Mar del Plata B7602GSD, Argentina
| | - Megan L Lambert
- Comparative Cognition Unit, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schuppli C, Nellissen L, Carvajal L, Ashbury AM, Oliver-Caldwell N, Rahmaeti T, Laumer I, Haun D. Ecological, social, and intrinsic factors affecting wild orangutans' curiosity, assessed using a field experiment. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13184. [PMID: 37580333 PMCID: PMC10425418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39214-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The readiness to interact with and explore novel stimuli-i.e., curiosity-is the cornerstone of innovation. Great apes show broad and complex innovation repertoires. However, little is known about the factors that affect curiosity in wild apes. To shed light on wild apes' curiosity, we measured the reactions of wild Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) to an experiment apparatus. Overall, individuals were reluctant to touch the apparatus. However, compared to adults, immatures showed higher tendencies to explore (measured through looking durations and the probability of touching the apparatus) and to approach (measured through approach latencies and approach distances) the apparatus but were more likely to show behavioral signs of agitation. The presence of conspecifics who approached the apparatus increased visual exploration and approach tendencies. Prevailing habitat food availability positively affected visual exploration but had a negative effect on approach tendencies. These findings indicate that intrinsic, social, and ecological factors affect reactions to novelty in wild orangutans and suggest that exploration, neophobia and neophilia are independently regulated. Because reactions to novelty can be an essential pathway to innovation, our results suggest that factors acting on different elements of curiosity must be considered to understand the evolution of innovative tendencies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany.
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59, 04109, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Lara Nellissen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Éco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 135, Rue Cuvier, 75 231, Paris Cedex 5, France
- Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Luz Carvajal
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Alison M Ashbury
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Natalie Oliver-Caldwell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tri Rahmaeti
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, Graduate School, Universitas Nasional, Jalan Sawo Manila, RT.14/RW.3, Jakarta, 12550, Indonesia
| | - Isabelle Laumer
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Daniel Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Morelli F, Leveau LM, Mikula P, MacGregor-Fors I, Bocelli ML, Quesada-Acuña SG, González-Lagos C, Gutiérrez-Tapia P, Dri GF, Delgado-V CA, Zavala AG, Campos J, Ortega-Álvarez R, Contreras-Rodríguez AI, López DS, Toledo MCB, Sarquis A, Giraudo A, Echevarria AL, Fanjul ME, Martínez MV, Haedo J, Sanz LGC, Dominguez YAP, Fernandez V, Marinero V, Abilhoa V, Amorin R, Fontana CS, da Silva TW, Vargas SSZ, Escobar Ibañez JF, Juri MD, Camín SR, Marone L, Piratelli AJ, Franchin AG, Crispim L, Benitez J, Benedetti Y. Are birds more afraid in urban parks or cemeteries? A Latin American study contrasts with results from Europe. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160534. [PMID: 36574545 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The escape behaviour, measured as flight initiation distance (FID; the distance at which individuals take flight when approached by a potential predator, usually a human in the study systems), is a measure widely used to study fearfulness and risk-taking in animals. Previous studies have shown significant differences in the escape behaviour of birds inhabiting cemeteries and urban parks in European cities, where birds seem to be shyer in the latter. We collected a regional dataset of the FID of birds inhabiting cemeteries and parks across Latin America in peri-urban, suburban and urban parks and cemeteries. FIDs were recorded for eighty-one bird species. Mean species-specific FIDs ranged from 1.9 to 19.7 m for species with at least two observations (fifty-seven species). Using Bayesian regression modelling and controlling for the phylogenetic relatedness of the FID among bird species and city and country, we found that, in contrast to a recent publication from Europe, birds escape earlier in cemeteries than parks in the studied Latin American cities. FIDs were also significantly shorter in urban areas than in peri-urban areas and in areas with higher human density. Our results indicate that some idiosyncratic patterns in animal fearfulness towards humans may emerge among different geographic regions, highlighting difficulties with scaling up and application of regional findings to other ecosystems and world regions. Such differences could be associated with intrinsic differences between the pool of bird species from temperate European and mostly tropical Latin American cities, characterized by different evolutionary histories, but also with differences in the historical process of urbanization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Morelli
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic; Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, PL-65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland.
| | - Lucas M Leveau
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET - UBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Pab 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires 1426, Argentina
| | - Peter Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Kvetna 8, Brno 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Ian MacGregor-Fors
- University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Niemenkatu 73, 15140 Lahti, Finland
| | - M Lucia Bocelli
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET - UBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Pab 2, Piso 4, Buenos Aires 1426, Argentina
| | - Sergio Gabriel Quesada-Acuña
- Universidad Estatal a Distancia, Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana, 2050 Sabanilla, San José, Costa Rica
| | - César González-Lagos
- Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile; Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Gabriela Franzoi Dri
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, 5755 Nutting Hall, Room 244, 04469-5755, USA
| | - Carlos A Delgado-V
- Programa de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias y Biotecnología, Universidad CES, Calle 10A 22-04, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Alvaro Garitano Zavala
- Instituto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Casilla 10077, La Paz, Bolivia
| | | | - Rubén Ortega-Álvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8711, Col. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán 58190, Mexico
| | | | - Daniela Souza López
- North American Birds Conservation Initiative, CONABIO, Liga Periférico-Insurgentes Sur No. 4903, Parques del Pedregal, 14010 Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria Cecília B Toledo
- Laboratório de Ecologia, Instituto Básico de Biociências, Universidade de Taubaté Curso de Pós-graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Brazil
| | - Andres Sarquis
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad Nacional del Litoral), Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Giraudo
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad Nacional del Litoral), Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Ada Lilian Echevarria
- Instituto de Vertebrados - Zoología - Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251 San Miguel de Tucumán, CP 4000 Tucumán, Argentina
| | - María Elisa Fanjul
- Instituto de Vertebrados - Zoología - Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251 San Miguel de Tucumán, CP 4000 Tucumán, Argentina
| | - María Valeria Martínez
- Instituto de Vertebrados - Zoología - Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251 San Miguel de Tucumán, CP 4000 Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Josefina Haedo
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (CONICET - UNT), Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | | | - Viviana Fernandez
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geósfera y la Biósfera-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (UNSJ), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Av. Ignacio de la Roza 590 (O), Complejo Universitario "Islas Malvinas", Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Veronica Marinero
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geósfera y la Biósfera-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (UNSJ), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Av. Ignacio de la Roza 590 (O), Complejo Universitario "Islas Malvinas", Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Vinícius Abilhoa
- Museu de História Natural Capão da Imbuia, PMC Rua Prof. Benedito Conceição, 407, 82810-080 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Rafael Amorin
- Museu de História Natural Capão da Imbuia, PMC Rua Prof. Benedito Conceição, 407, 82810-080 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Carla Suertegaray Fontana
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, prédio 40 sala 110 B, 90619-900, Brazil; Laboratório de Ornitologia, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Thaiane Weinert da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, prédio 40 sala 110 B, 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Sarah Sandri Zalewski Vargas
- Laboratório de Ornitologia, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Juan F Escobar Ibañez
- Red de Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), Xalapa, Mexico
| | | | - Sergio R Camín
- ECODES, Grupo de investigación en ecología de comunidades de desierto, IADIZA-CONICET, Mendoza y Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Luis Marone
- ECODES, Grupo de investigación en ecología de comunidades de desierto, IADIZA-CONICET, Mendoza y Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Augusto João Piratelli
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos - Depto. Ciências Ambientais/CCTS, Rodovia João Leme dos Santos, Km 110 - Itinga, CEP 18052-780 Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Larissa Crispim
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos - Depto. Ciências Ambientais/CCTS, Rodovia João Leme dos Santos, Km 110 - Itinga, CEP 18052-780 Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Julieta Benitez
- Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Houssay 200, 9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Magura T, Horváth R, Mizser S, Tóth M, Nagy DD, Csicsek R, Balla E, Lövei GL. Urban Individuals of Three Rove Beetle Species Are Not More Exploratory or Risk-Taking Than Rural Conspecifics. INSECTS 2022; 13:757. [PMID: 36005382 PMCID: PMC9409932 DOI: 10.3390/insects13080757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is creating changes in environmental and habitat conditions, as well as creating disturbance and threats to urban-associated species. Some traits, such as high exploratory and risk-taking behavior, are beneficial to allow colonization of urban habitats and coping with urbanization-derived pressures. In this study the exploratory and risk-taking behavior of rural and urban individuals of three forest-associated rove beetle species were tested during their main reproductive period by five frequently used behavioral measures. Individuals of all studied species were similarly ranked by all behavioral measures, indicating that the studied rove beetles responded consistently in the different contexts. However, the behavior of beetles was consistent over time for all/most studied species only by using two measures of exploratory behavior. These provide evidence for the existence of the exploratory dimension of personality in rove beetles. We found a higher exploratory behavior in males than females in Ocypus nitens which can be explained by the active searching of males for mating partners. There were no urbanization-related differences in the exploratory behavior of individuals, suggesting that behavioral changes (being more exploratory) may not yield additional fitness benefits in these rove beetle species with good dispersal capacity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Magura
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- ELKH-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Roland Horváth
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- ELKH-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Szabolcs Mizser
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Mária Tóth
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- ELKH-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Dávid D. Nagy
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Réka Csicsek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Emőke Balla
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Gábor L. Lövei
- ELKH-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Department of Agroecology, Research Centre Flakkebjerg, Aarhus University, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Forss S, Willems E. The curious case of great ape curiosity and how it is shaped by sociality. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Forss
- Collegium Helveticum, The joint Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) of the ETH Zurich The University of Zurich, and The Zurich University of the Arts Zurich Switzerland
| | - Erik Willems
- Department of Anthropology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
|
9
|
Mikula P, Jokimäki J, Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki ML, Markó G, Morelli F, Møller AP, Szakony S, Yosef R, Albrecht T, Tryjanowski P. Face mask-wear did not affect large-scale patterns in escape and alertness of urban and rural birds during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148672. [PMID: 34328996 PMCID: PMC8223025 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Actions taken against the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically affected many aspects of human activity, giving us a unique opportunity to study how wildlife responds to the human-induced rapid environmental changes. The wearing of face masks, widely adopted to prevent pathogen transmission, represents a novel element in many parts of the world where wearing a face mask was rare before the COVID-19 outbreak. During September 2020-March 2021, we conducted large-scale multi-species field experiments to evaluate whether face mask-use in public places elicits a behavioural response in birds by comparing their escape and alert responses when approached by a researcher with or without a face mask in four European countries (Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Poland) and Israel. We also tested whether these patterns differed between urban and rural sites. We employed Bayesian generalized linear mixed models (with phylogeny and site as random factors) controlling for a suite of covariates and found no association between the face mask-wear and flight initiation distance, alert distance, and fly-away distance, respectively, neither in urban nor in rural birds. However, we found that all three distances were strongly and consistently associated with habitat type and starting distance, with birds showing earlier escape and alert behaviour and longer distances fled when approached in rural than in urban habitats and from longer initial distances. Our results indicate that wearing face masks did not trigger observable changes in antipredator behaviour across the Western Palearctic birds, and our data did not support the role of habituation in explaining this pattern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Jukka Jokimäki
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, PO Box 122, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland
| | | | - Gábor Markó
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ménesi út 44, 1118 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic; Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, PL-65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay Cedex F-91405, France; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Sára Szakony
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Rottenbiller u. 50, Budapest H-1077, Hungary
| | - Reuven Yosef
- Ben Gurion University of the Negev Eilat Campus, P. O. Box 272, Eilat 88000, Israel
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Praha 12844, Czech Republic
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Behavioural factors underlying innovative problem-solving differences in an avian predator from two contrasting habitats. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:529-543. [PMID: 34709499 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01569-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Innovative behavior is considered one of the main factors facilitating the adaptation of animals to urban life. However, the relationship between urbanization and innovativeness is equivocal, perhaps reflecting aspects of urban environments that influence differently the behavioural traits underlying the occurrence of an innovation. In this work, we analysed the variation in innovative problem-solving performance between urban and rural individuals of the Caracara Chimango (Milvago chimango), with the goal of determining which behavioural trait (or combination) most explained such variation. We found that urban raptors outperformed rural ones in their solving speed and solving level (number of solutions) with a multiaccess box. They also showed more persistence, motor flexibility and diversity, as well as higher effectiveness in their solving attempts than rural chimangos. Sex was not an important factor. Urban chimangos showed less neophobia and spent more time exploring the box than rural birds during the initial habituation period, which probably determined the amount of information about the system that each individual had at the beginning of first problem solving trial. This difference in novelty response both directly and indirectly, through its relationship with persistence, motor flexibility and proportion of effective attempts, explained variability in solving performance. All individuals showed a decrease in solving latency, and an increase in solving level with experience, indicating that learning occurred in both raptor groups. This improvement occurred in parallel with changes in the afore-mentioned traits, though the pattern of improvement differed between urban and rural chimangos. We suggest that the characteristics of urban areas modulate the novelty response of chimangos, along with other correlated non-cognitive behavioural traits, which act in combination to increase the chances that novel problems could be quickly solved, and the resulting new behaviours established in city populations of this species.
Collapse
|
11
|
Magura T, Mizser S, Horváth R, Nagy DD, Tóth M, Csicsek R, Lövei GL. Are There Personality Differences between Rural vs. Urban-Living Individuals of a Specialist Ground Beetle, Carabus convexus? INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12070646. [PMID: 34357306 PMCID: PMC8304727 DOI: 10.3390/insects12070646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Urbanization causes substantial changes in environmental and habitat conditions. These, as well as more frequent disturbance events accompanying urbanization constitute selective forces acting on various reactions of urban-associated species, including behavior. In this study, rural and urban individuals of a forest specialist ground beetle, Carabus convexus were tested for their exploratory and risk-taking behavior. Beetles responded consistently in the different contexts, and also over time, demonstrating that they had personalities. Carabus convexus is the second ground beetle species in which the existence of personality was demonstrated. By agglomerative cluster analysis, we identified two groups of behavioral traits: the exploratory and the risk-taking dimensions of personality. Urban females were significantly more exploratory than urban males which can be an adaptation to find high quality food needed to mature eggs, as well as to find favorable microsites for oviposition. Moreover, urban females and males showed higher level of risk-taking behavior than rural females. Urban beetles with higher risk-taking behavior may be better able to cope with new conditions created by frequent urbanization-driven disturbance events. Abstract The world-wide, rapid urbanization is leading to substantial changes in environmental and habitat conditions. These changes, as well as disturbances accompanying urbanization have considerable effects at various levels of the biological organization on wildlife. Understanding behavioral responses to such changes is essential for identifying which organisms may successfully adapt to the altered conditions. In this study, individuals of a forest specialist ground beetle, Carabus convexus, from rural and urban forest patches were tested for their exploratory and risk-taking behavior. Beetles responded consistently in the different contexts; furthermore, by behaving consistently over time, demonstrated that they had personalities. Agglomerative cluster analysis identified two groups of behavioral traits: the exploratory and the risk-taking dimension of personality. Urban females were significantly more exploratory than urban males which can be an adaptation to find high quality food needed to mature eggs in urban habitats, as well as to select favorable microsites for oviposition. Moreover, urban females and males showed more risk-taking behavior than rural females. Urban beetles with more risk-taking behavior may be better able to cope with frequent urbanization-driven disturbance events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Magura
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Szabolcs Mizser
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Roland Horváth
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Dávid D. Nagy
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Mária Tóth
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Réka Csicsek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (T.M.); (S.M.); (R.H.); (D.D.N.); (M.T.); (R.C.)
| | - Gábor L. Lövei
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg Research Center, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Johnson-Ulrich L, Yirga G, Strong RL, Holekamp KE. The effect of urbanization on innovation in spotted hyenas. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:1027-1038. [PMID: 33687598 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01494-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization represents a dramatic form of evolutionary novelty in the landscapes inhabited by many extant animals. The Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis suggests that innovation, the process by which animals solve novel problems or use novel behaviors, may be key for many animals when adapting to novel environments. If innovation is especially beneficial in urban environments, then we would expect urban animals to be more innovative than their non-urban counterparts. However, studies comparing innovative problem-solving between urban and rural habitats have produced mixed results. Here, we hypothesized that these findings result from comparing only two levels of urbanization when related research suggests that the stage of invasion of urban habitats likely has a strong effect on demand for innovation, with demand being highest during early establishment in a novel environment. To test this hypothesis, we assessed innovation in three locations where spotted hyenas experienced varying degrees of urbanization. Spotted hyenas are relatively innovative compared to other carnivores and, although many large carnivores in Africa are endangered, spotted hyenas remain abundant both inside and outside protected areas. We measured innovation with a multi-access puzzle box with four different doors through which hyenas could obtain a food reward. We predicted that hyenas in a transitional, rapidly urbanizing habitat would be more innovative, measured by the number of unique doors opened, than those in rural or fully urban habitats. Contrary to our predictions, hyenas in the rural habitat were the most innovative. These results challenge the idea that the evolutionary novelty associated with urbanization favors greater innovativeness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lily Johnson-Ulrich
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, Rm 203, Natural Sciences Bldg, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA. .,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, & Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. .,Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya.
| | - Gidey Yirga
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mek'ele, Ethiopia.,Theoretical and Applied Biodiversity Research, Ruhr Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Robyn L Strong
- Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, Rm 203, Natural Sciences Bldg, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, & Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
Urbanization poses a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. We focused on birds as a well-studied taxon of interest, in order to review literature on traits that influence responses to urbanization. We review 226 papers that were published between 1979 and 2020, and aggregate information on five major groups of traits that have been widely studied: ecological traits, life history, physiology, behavior and genetic traits. Some robust findings on trait changes in individual species as well as bird communities emerge. A lack of specific food and shelter resources has led to the urban bird community being dominated by generalist species, while specialist species show decline. Urbanized birds differ in the behavioral traits, showing an increase in song frequency and amplitude, and bolder behavior, as compared to rural populations of the same species. Differential food resources and predatory pressure results in changes in life history traits, including prolonged breeding duration, and increases in clutch and brood size to compensate for lower survival. Other species-specific changes include changes in hormonal state, body state, and genetic differences from rural populations. We identify gaps in research, with a paucity of studies in tropical cities and a need for greater examination of traits that influence persistence and success in native vs. introduced populations.
Collapse
|
14
|
Burns SM, Bonier F. A comparison of sex, morphology, physiology and behavior of black-capped chickadees trapped using two common capture methods. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10037. [PMID: 33024645 PMCID: PMC7518160 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10037] [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: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many biological studies require the capture of individuals for sampling, for example for measurement of morphological or physiological traits, or for marking individuals for later observations. Capture methods employed often vary both within and between studies, and these differing methods could be more or less effective in capture of different individuals based on their morphology or behavior. If individuals that are prone to capture by the selected method differ with respect to traits of interest, such sampling bias could generate misleading or simply inaccurate results. The selection of capture methods could introduce two different forms of sampling bias, with the individuals that are sampled differing from the population at large or with individuals sampled via one method differing from individuals that could be sampled using a different method. We investigated this latter form of sampling bias by comparing individual birds sampled using two common capture techniques. We caught free-ranging black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) using walk-in traps baited with seed and mist nets paired with playback of an audio stimulus (conspecific mobbing calls). We measured 18 traits that we expect might vary among birds that are trappable by these differing methods—one that targets birds that are food motivated and potentially less neophobic and another that targets birds that respond readily to a perceived predation risk. We found no differences in the sex, morphology, initial and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations, behavioral response to a novel object, or behavioral response to a predator between individuals captured by these two methods. Individual variation in the behavioral response to a novel object was greater among birds caught by mist nets, suggesting this method might provide a sample that better reflects population-level individual variation. We do not know if the birds caught by these two methods provide a representative sample of the population at large, but can conclude that selection of either of these two common capture methods can similarly sample mean trait values of a population of interest. To accurately assess individual variation, particularly in behavior, mist nets might be preferable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Burns
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Frances Bonier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|