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
|
Skinner M, Nagabaskaran G, Gantert T, Miller N. Bolder together: conformity drives behavioral plasticity in eastern gartersnakes. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:2. [PMID: 38386147 PMCID: PMC10884060 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01859-5] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Personality traits drive individual differences in behaviour that are consistent across time and context. Personality limits behavioural plasticity, which could lead to maladaptive choices if animals cannot adapt their behavior to changing conditions. Here, we assessed consistency and flexibility in one personality trait, boldness, across non-social and social contexts in eastern gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Snakes explored a novel open arena either alone or in a pair. Pairs were assigned based on the data from the solo trials, such that each snake was paired once with a bolder and once with a less bold partner. We predicted that snakes would conform when in a social context, displaying plasticity in their personality, and causing boldness scores to converge. We found that snakes were consistent within contexts (solo or paired), but changed their behavior across contexts (from solo to paired). Plasticity in boldness resulted from an interaction between conformity and repeatable individual differences in plasticity. In line with some data on other species, snakes conformed more when they were the less bold partner. Personality reflects a consistent bias in decision-making, but our results highlight that the cognitive processes that drive the expression of personality traits in behavior are flexible and sensitive to social context. We show that both consistency and plasticity combine to shape snake social behavior in ways that are responsive to competition. This pattern of behavior may be particularly beneficial for species in which group-living is seasonal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Skinner
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ONT, N2L 3C5, Canada.
| | - Gokulan Nagabaskaran
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ONT, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Tom Gantert
- School of Nursing, Fanshawe College, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Noam Miller
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ONT, N2L 3C5, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
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
|
4
|
Abstract
AbstractPhenotypic plasticity is an important mechanism that allows populations to adjust to changing environments. Early life experiences can have lasting impacts on how individuals respond to environmental variation later in life (i.e., individual reaction norms), altering the capacity for populations to respond to selection. Here, we incubated lizard embryos (Lampropholis delicata) at two fluctuating developmental temperatures (cold = 23 ºC + / − 3 ºC, hot = 29 ºC + / − 3 ºC, ncold = 26, nhot = 25) to understand how it affected metabolic plasticity to temperature later in life. We repeatedly measured individual reaction norms across six temperatures 10 times over ~ 3.5 months (nobs = 3,818) to estimate the repeatability of average metabolic rate (intercept) and thermal plasticity (slope). The intercept and the slope of the population-level reaction norm was not affected by developmental temperature. Repeatability of average metabolic rate was, on average, 10% lower in hot incubated lizards but stable across all temperatures. The slope of the thermal reaction norm was overall moderately repeatable (R = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.035 – 0.93) suggesting that individual metabolic rate changed consistently with short-term changes in temperature, although credible intervals were quite broad. Importantly, reaction norm repeatability did not depend on early developmental temperature. Identifying factors affecting among-individual variation in thermal plasticity will be increasingly more important for terrestrial ectotherms living in changing climate. Our work implies that thermal metabolic plasticity is robust to early developmental temperatures and has the capacity to evolve, despite there being less consistent variation in metabolic rate under hot environments.
Collapse
|
5
|
Mühlenhaupt M, Baxter-Gilbert J, Makhubo BG, Riley JL, Measey J. No evidence for innate differences in tadpole behavior between natural, urbanized, and invasive populations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:11. [PMID: 35002046 PMCID: PMC8727469 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03121-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Animals are increasingly challenged to respond to novel or rapidly changing habitats due to urbanization and/or displacement outside their native range by humans. Behavioral differences, such as increased boldness (i.e., propensity for risk-taking), are often observed in animals persisting in novel environments; however, in many cases, it is unclear how these differences arise (e.g., through developmental plasticity or evolution) or when they arise (i.e., at what age or developmental stage). In the Guttural Toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis), adult urban toads from both native and invasive ranges are bolder than conspecifics in natural habitats. Here, we reared Guttural Toad tadpoles in a common garden experiment, and tested for innate differences in boldness across their development and between individuals whose parents and lineage came from rural-native, urban-native, and urban-invasive localities (i.e., origin populations). Tadpoles did not differ in their boldness or in how their boldness changed over ontogeny based on their origin populations. In general, tadpoles typically became less bold as they aged, irrespective of origin population. Our findings indicate that differences in boldness in free-living adult Guttural Toads are not innate in the tadpole stage and we discuss three possible mechanisms driving phenotypic divergence in adult boldness for the focus of future research: habitat-dependent developmental effects on tadpole behavior, decoupled evolution between the tadpole and adult stage, and/or behavioral flexibility, learning, or acclimatization during the adult stage. Significance statement To determine if animals can persist in urban areas or become invasive outside their native ranges, it is important to understand how they adapt to life in the city. Our study investigates if differences in boldness that have been found in adult Guttural Toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) represent heritable differences that can also be found in early life stages by rearing tadpoles from eggs in a common garden experiment. We did not find any differences in boldness among tadpoles from rural-native, urban-native, and urban-invasive origin populations. Our findings suggest that differences in boldness are not innate and/or that boldness is a behavioral trait that is decoupled between the tadpole and the adult stage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max Mühlenhaupt
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
| | - James Baxter-Gilbert
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
| | - Buyisile G Makhubo
- College of Agriculture, Engineering & Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 91 Ridge Rd, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3201 South Africa
| | - Julia L Riley
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa.,Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada.,Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1E2 Canada
| | - John Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 7600 South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Baxter-Gilbert J, Riley JL, Measey J. Fortune favors the bold toad: urban-derived behavioral traits may provide advantages for invasive amphibian populations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03061-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
|
7
|
Goumas M, Lee VE, Boogert NJ, Kelley LA, Thornton A. The Role of Animal Cognition in Human-Wildlife Interactions. Front Psychol 2020; 11:589978. [PMID: 33250826 PMCID: PMC7672032 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.589978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have a profound effect on the planet's ecosystems, and unprecedented rates of human population growth and urbanization have brought wild animals into increasing contact with people. For many species, appropriate responses toward humans are likely to be critical to survival and reproductive success. Although numerous studies have investigated the impacts of human activity on biodiversity and species distributions, relatively few have examined the effects of humans on the behavioral responses of animals during human-wildlife encounters, and the cognitive processes underpinning those responses. Furthermore, while humans often present a significant threat to animals, the presence or behavior of people may be also associated with benefits, such as food rewards. In scenarios where humans vary in their behavior, wild animals would be expected to benefit from the ability to discriminate between dangerous, neutral and rewarding people. Additionally, individual differences in cognitive and behavioral phenotypes and past experiences with humans may affect animals' ability to exploit human-dominated environments and respond appropriately to human cues. In this review, we examine the cues that wild animals use to modulate their behavioral responses toward humans, such as human facial features and gaze direction. We discuss when wild animals are expected to attend to certain cues, how information is used, and the cognitive mechanisms involved. We consider how the cognitive abilities of wild animals are likely to be under selection by humans and therefore influence population and community composition. We conclude by highlighting the need for long-term studies on free-living, wild animals to fully understand the causes and ecological consequences of variation in responses to human cues. The effects of humans on wildlife behavior are likely to be substantial, and a detailed understanding of these effects is key to implementing effective conservation strategies and managing human-wildlife conflict.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Goumas
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria E. Lee
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - Neeltje J. Boogert
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Laura A. Kelley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jones TB, Evans JC, Morand‐Ferron J. Urbanization and the temporal patterns of social networks and group foraging behaviors. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4589-4602. [PMID: 31031929 PMCID: PMC6476747 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization causes dramatic and rapid changes to natural environments, which can lead the animals inhabiting these habitats to adjust their behavioral responses. For social animals, urbanized environments may alter group social dynamics through modification of the external environment (e.g., resource distribution). This might lead to changes in how individuals associate or engage in group behaviors, which could alter the stability and characteristics of social groups. However, the potential impacts of urban habitat use, and of habitat characteristics in general, on the nature and stability of social associations remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify social networks and dynamics of group foraging behaviors of black-capped chickadees (N = 82, Poecile atricapillus), at four urban and four rural sites weekly throughout the nonbreeding season using feeders with radio frequency identification of individual birds. Because anthropogenic food sources in urban habitats (e.g., bird feeders) provide abundant and reliable resources, we predicted that social foraging associations may be of less value in urban groups, and thus would be less consistent than in rural groups. Additionally, decreased variability of food resources in urban habitats could lead to more predictable foraging patterns (group size, foraging duration, and the distribution of foraging events) in contrast to rural habitats. Networks were found to be highly consistent through time in both urban and rural habitats. No significant difference was found in the temporal clumping of foraging events between habitats. However, as predicted, the repeatability of the clumping of foraging events in time was significantly higher in urban than rural habitats. Our results suggest that individuals living in urban areas have more consistent foraging behaviors throughout the nonbreeding season, whereas rural individuals adjust their tactics due to less predictable foraging conditions. This first examination of habitat-related differences in the characteristics and consistency of social networks along an urbanization gradient suggests that anthropic habitat use results in subtle modifications in social foraging patterns. Future studies should examine potential implications of these differences for variation in predation risk, energy intake, and information flow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Teri B. Jones
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OttawaOttawaOntarioCanada
- School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Julian C. Evans
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OttawaOttawaOntarioCanada
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Tan MK, Tan HTW. Individual- and population-level personalities in a floriphilic katydid. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Kai Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences; National University of Singapore; Singapore Republic of Singapore
| | - Hugh Tiang Wah Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences; National University of Singapore; Singapore Republic of Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Thompson MJ, Evans JC, Parsons S, Morand-Ferron J. Urbanization and individual differences in exploration and plasticity. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sheena Parsons
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|