1
|
Mordechay S, Forkosh O. A non-memory-based functional neural framework for animal caching behavior. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18228. [PMID: 39107394 PMCID: PMC11303395 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain's extraordinary abilities are often attributed to its capacity to learn and adapt. But memory has its limitations, especially when faced with tasks such as retrieving thousands of food items-a common behavior in scatter-hoarding animals. Here, we propose a brain mechanism that may facilitate caching and retrieval behaviors, with a focus on hippocampal spatial cells. Rather than memorizing the locations of their caches, as previously hypothesized, we suggest that cache-hoarding animals employ a static mechanism akin to hash functions commonly used in computing. Our mathematical model aligns with the activity of hippocampal spatial cells, which respond to an animal's positional attention. We know that the region that activates each spatial cell remains consistent across subsequent visits to the same area but not between areas. This remapping, combined with the uniqueness of cognitive maps, produces persistent hash functions that can serve both food caching and retrieval. We present a simple neural network architecture that can generate such a probabilistic hash that is unique to the animal and not sensitive to environmental changes. This mechanism could serve a virtually boundless capacity for the encoding of any structured data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Mordechay
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Oren Forkosh
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Williamson M, Lupi S, MacDougall-Shackleton SA. Effects of ghrelin on food caching behaviour and body composition in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 351:114475. [PMID: 38382621 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Several metabolic hormones signal an organism's energy balance to the brain and modulate feeding behaviours accordingly. These metabolic signals may also regulate other behaviour related to energy balance, such as food caching or hoarding. Ghrelin is one such hormone, but it appears to exert different effects on appetite and fat levels in birds and mammals. Ghrelin treatment inhibits food intake and decreases fat stores in some bird species, but these effects may differ between acylated and unacylated (des-acyl) forms of ghrelin. The effect of ghrelin on food caching in birds has been examined in only one study, that found both leptin and unacylated ghrelin reduced food caching and mass gain in coal tits (Periparus ater). We expanded on this to test how both forms of ghrelin affect food caching and body composition in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). We injected each bird with acylated ghrelin, unacylated ghrelin, and a saline control and then measured food caching every 20 min for two hours post-injection. We also measured body mass fat levels the day before, and after treatment using quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR). Contrary to prior work, we found no effects of either form of ghrelin on food caching, or body or fat mass. Future work is required to determine if the difference between our results and those of the prior study stems from species differences in response to ghrelin and/or in the motivation to cache food, or ghrelin effects being modulated by energy reserves.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Williamson
- Departments of Psychology and Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Lupi
- Departments of Biology Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, Canada
| | - Scott A MacDougall-Shackleton
- Departments of Psychology and Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, Canada; Departments of Biology Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Feng E, Yang X, Zhao K, Li Y, Zhu H, Wang Z, Zhang Z. Gut microbiota is associated with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of South China field mice ( Apodemus draco). Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1236359. [PMID: 37771706 PMCID: PMC10525317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1236359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Scatter-hoarding animals store food in multiple locations within their home range and rely on spatial memory for subsequent localization and retrieval. The relationship between memory and scatter-hoarding behavior has been widely demonstrated, but the association of gut microbiota with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals remains unclear. Methods In this study, by using enclosure behavior tests, memory tests including an object location test (OLT) and a novel object recognition test (NORT), and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment, we evaluated the role of gut microbiota in affecting the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of rodents. According to their scatter-hoarding intensity, South China field mice (Apodemus draco) were divided into scatter-hoarding group (SG) and non-scatter-hoarding group (NG). Results We found that the SG performed better than the NG in the NORT. FMT from SG donor mice altered the NG recipient mice's gut microbiota structure. Further tests demonstrated FMT from SG donor mice increased memory of NG recipient mice in laboratory tests and seed larder hoarding intensity of NG recipient mice in enclosures. Conclusion Our results suggest gut microbiota could modulate the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Enping Feng
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kunming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hanyi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenshan Wang
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zoabi S, Andreyanov M, Heinrich R, Ron S, Carmi I, Gutfreund Y, Berlin S. A custom-made AAV1 variant (AAV1-T593K) enables efficient transduction of Japanese quail neurons in vitro and in vivo. Commun Biol 2023; 6:337. [PMID: 36977781 PMCID: PMC10050006 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04712-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The widespread use of rodents in neuroscience has prompted the development of optimized viral variants for transduction of brain cells, in vivo. However, many of the viruses developed are less efficient in other model organisms, with birds being among the most resistant to transduction by current viral tools. Resultantly, the use of genetically-encoded tools and methods in avian species is markedly lower than in rodents; likely holding the field back. We sought to bridge this gap by developing custom viruses towards the transduction of brain cells of the Japanese quail. We first develop a protocol for culturing primary neurons and glia from quail embryos, followed by characterization of cultures via immunostaining, single cell mRNA sequencing, patch clamp electrophysiology and calcium imaging. We then leveraged the cultures for the rapid screening of various viruses, only to find that all yielded poor to no infection of cells in vitro. However, few infected neurons were obtained by AAV1 and AAV2. Scrutiny of the sequence of the AAV receptor found in quails led us to rationally design a custom-made AAV variant (AAV1-T593K; AAV1*) that exhibits improved transduction efficiencies in vitro and in vivo (14- and five-fold, respectively). Together, we present unique culturing method, transcriptomic profiles of quail's brain cells and a custom-tailored AAV1 for transduction of quail neurons in vitro and in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaden Zoabi
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Michael Andreyanov
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronit Heinrich
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shaked Ron
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ido Carmi
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoram Gutfreund
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shai Berlin
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Healy SD. Adding the neuro to cognition: from food storing to nest building. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:249-260. [PMID: 36482117 PMCID: PMC9876861 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01725-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Typically, investigations of animal cognition couple careful experimental manipulations with examination of the animal's behavioural responses. Sometimes those questions have included attempts to describe the neural underpinnings of the behavioural outputs. Over the past 25 years, behaviours that involve spatial learning and memory (such as navigation and food storing) has been one context in which such dual or correlated investigations have been both accessible and productive. Here I review some of that work and where it has led. Because of the wealth of data and insights gained from that work and song learning before it, it seems that it might also be useful to try to add some neurobiology to other systems in animal cognition. I finish then, with a description of recent work on the cognition and neurobiology of avian nest building. It is still relatively early days but asking questions about the cognition of nest building has already shown both neural correlates of nest building and that learning and memory play a much greater role in this behaviour than previously considered. While it is not yet clear how putting these components together will be synergistic, the examples of song learning and food storing provide encouragement. Perhaps this might be true for other behaviours too?
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan D Healy
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The influence of burial depth on germination and establishment of seeds in chimpanzee faeces, Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
One of the many ecosystem services provided by dung beetles is that of secondary seed dispersal. This paper experimentally evaluates the effectiveness of this service using the chimpanzee–dung beetle seed dispersal system in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. The study focussed on the germination rate and success of four species of seeds contained in the faeces of Pan troglodytes verus: Dacryodes klaineana (Pierre) H.J. Lam, Diospyros mannii Hiern, Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb., and Uapaca guineensis Muell. Arg. For each species, 600 seeds, half from chimpanzee faeces and half from mother trees, were sown in nurseries at depths of 0, 2, 5, 10, and 15 cm (i.e. 120 seeds per depth; 60 from chimp and 60 from mother trees). After germination, only the seeds of Uapaca guineensis and Diospyros mannii sown at 2 and 5 cm had a >14% rate (between 14.2 and 30.8%) of germination and seedling establishment, regardless of seed origin. An increase in the depth of seed burial appears to negatively affect the probability of seedling emergence and establishment. This study shows that dung beetles have positive impacts on seed fate. However, for these plant species, the chimpanzee’s role is limited to that of primary seed dispersal.
Collapse
|
7
|
Applegate MC, Aronov D. Flexible use of memory by food-caching birds. eLife 2022; 11:70600. [PMID: 35467526 PMCID: PMC9038193 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use memory-guided and memory-independent strategies to make navigational decisions. Disentangling the contribution of these strategies to navigation is critical for understanding how memory influences behavioral output. To address this issue, we studied spatial behaviors of the chickadee, a food-caching bird. Chickadees hide food in concealed, scattered locations and retrieve their caches later in time. We designed an apparatus that allows birds to cache and retrieve food at many sites while navigating in a laboratory arena. This apparatus enabled automated tracking of behavioral variables – including caches, retrievals, and investigations of different sites. We built probabilistic models to fit these behavioral data using a combination of mnemonic and non-mnemonic factors. We found that chickadees use some navigational strategies that are independent of cache memories, including opportunistic foraging and spatial biases. They combine these strategies with spatially precise memories of which sites contain caches and which sites they have previously checked. A single memory of site contents is used in a context-dependent manner: during caching chickadees avoid sites that contain food, while during retrieval they instead preferentially access occupied sites. Our approach is a powerful way to investigate navigational decisions in a natural behavior, including flexible contributions of memory to these decisions. Humans form new memories about what is happening in their lives every day. These autobiographical memories depend on a part of the brain called the hippocampus. But how these memories are recorded remains unclear. Studying certain birds may help to provide more insight. Black-capped chickadees, for example, are memory specialists. They stash thousands of food items and use their memories to recover these hidden food stores. This behavior also relies on these birds’ hippocampus. Studying these animals' behavior in the laboratory may help scientists decode how the birds use their memories and to gain more insight about the brain processes underlying memory. Now, Applegate and Aronov show that chickadees use memory not only to retrieve food but also to decide where to hide it in the first place. In the experiments, chickadees were placed in a specialized enclosure with a grid of holes covered by silicone rubber flaps on the floor. The birds lifted the flaps with their toes or beak to hide a piece of sunflower seed underneath. Applegate and Aronov recorded and analyzed the animals’ seed hiding and retrieving behavior with a video camera to determine whether the birds were remembering the sites or happening on them by chance. This revealed that black-capped chickadees use the same memories of where they had hidden food in two different ways. When they were hiding new morsels, the birds remembered where they had stashed food and avoided those flaps. When they were retrieving food, the birds knew exactly which flaps to look under. Future experiments using this special enclosure may help scientists monitor what happens in the chickadees’ brains during these activities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marissa C Applegate
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Dmitriy Aronov
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Monteza‐Moreno CM, Rodriguez‐Castro L, Castillo‐Caballero PL, Toribio E, Saltonstall K. Arboreal camera trapping sheds light on seed dispersal of the world’s only epiphytic gymnosperm:
Zamia pseudoparasitica. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8769. [PMID: 35356569 PMCID: PMC8948316 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Epiphytic lifestyles have evolved independently in ecologically, morphologically, and taxonomically diverse plant species. Although this adaptation is widespread among angiosperms, it is only known to have arisen in a single gymnosperm species, Zamia pseudoparasitica (Cycadophyta). Zamia pseudoparasitica is endemic to the mountains of Western Panama, and little is known about the ecology of this unusual cycad. Here, we provide the first report of a potential seed disperser of Z. pseudoparasitica. Between late October 2019 and March 2020, we conducted arboreal camera trapping at three sites along the Talamanca Cordillera in Western Panama, yielding an accumulated survey effort of 271 camera days. Weekly direct observations were also performed using handheld binoculars at one site. Arboreal camera trapping revealed at least seven mammal species that visit this epiphytic cycad. At all three sites, the Northern olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii) was seen visiting individuals of Z. pseudoparasitica repeatedly, both while cones were closed and after they had opened. We estimated the time‐varying intensity of the visits throughout our sampling and used mixed models to compare the length of visits when cones were closed versus when they were open. Both duration and time‐varying intensity of visits increased after cones had opened and we documented Northern olingo removing and carrying away seeds. We also observed predation by the yellow‐eared toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis) which picked and destroyed mature Z. pseudoparasitica seeds. These results suggest that the Northern olingo could be an important seed dispersal agent for this rare epiphytic gymnosperm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudio M. Monteza‐Moreno
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama
- Estación Científica COIBA‐AIP Ciudad del Saber Panamá City Panama
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zwolak R, Clement D, Sih A, Schreiber SJ. Mast seeding promotes evolution of scatter-hoarding. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200375. [PMID: 34657470 PMCID: PMC8520775 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many plant species worldwide are dispersed by scatter-hoarding granivores: animals that hide seeds in numerous, small caches for future consumption. Yet, the evolution of scatter-hoarding is difficult to explain because undefended caches are at high risk of pilferage. Previous models have attempted to solve this problem by giving cache owners large advantages in cache recovery, by kin selection, or by introducing reciprocal pilferage of 'shared' seed resources. However, the role of environmental variability has been so far overlooked in this context. One important form of such variability is masting, which is displayed by many plant species dispersed by scatterhoarders. We use a mathematical model to investigate the influence of masting on the evolution of scatter-hoarding. The model accounts for periodically varying annual seed fall, caching and pilfering behaviour, and the demography of scatterhoarders. The parameter values are based mostly on research on European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis). Starvation of scatterhoarders between mast years decreases the population density that enters masting events, which leads to reduced seed pilferage. Satiation of scatterhoarders during mast events lowers the reproductive cost of caching (i.e. the cost of caching for the future rather than using seeds for current reproduction). These reductions promote the evolution of scatter-hoarding behaviour especially when interannual variation in seed fall and the period between masting events are large. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Dale Clement
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sebastian J. Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Aulsebrook AE, Johnsson RD, Lesku JA. Light, Sleep and Performance in Diurnal Birds. Clocks Sleep 2021; 3:115-131. [PMID: 33525352 PMCID: PMC7931117 DOI: 10.3390/clockssleep3010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep has a multitude of benefits and is generally considered necessary for optimal performance. Disruption of sleep by extended photoperiods, moonlight and artificial light could therefore impair performance in humans and non-human animals alike. Here, we review the evidence for effects of light on sleep and subsequent performance in birds. There is accumulating evidence that exposure to natural and artificial sources of light regulates and suppresses sleep in diurnal birds. Sleep also benefits avian cognitive performance, including during early development. Nevertheless, multiple studies suggest that light can prolong wakefulness in birds without impairing performance. Although there is still limited research on this topic, these results raise intriguing questions about the adaptive value of sleep. Further research into the links between light, sleep and performance, including the underlying mechanisms and consequences for fitness, could shed new light on sleep evolution and urban ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne E. Aulsebrook
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (R.D.J.); (J.A.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Robin D. Johnsson
- School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (R.D.J.); (J.A.L.)
| | - John A. Lesku
- School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (R.D.J.); (J.A.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Refrigeration or anti-theft? Food-caching behavior of wolverines (Gulo gulo) in Scandinavia. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2823-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Food-caching animals can gain nutritional advantages by buffering seasonality in food availability, especially during times of scarcity. The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a facultative predator that occupies environments of low productivity. As an adaptation to fluctuating food availability, wolverines cache perishable food in snow, boulders, and bogs for short- and long-term storage. We studied caching behavior of 38 GPS-collared wolverines in four study areas in Scandinavia. By investigating clusters of GPS locations, we identified a total of 303 food caches from 17 male and 21 female wolverines. Wolverines cached food all year around, from both scavenging and predation events, and spaced their caches widely within their home range. Wolverines cached food items on average 1.1 km from the food source and made between 1 and 6 caches per source. Wolverines cached closer to the source when scavenging carcasses killed by other large carnivores; this might be a strategy to optimize food gain when under pressure of interspecific competition. When caching, wolverines selected for steep and rugged terrain in unproductive habitat types or in forest, indicating a preference for less-exposed sites that can provide cold storage and/or protection against pilferage. The observed year-round investment in caching by wolverines underlines the importance of food predictability for survival and reproductive success in this species. Increasing temperatures as a consequence of climate change may provide new challenges for wolverines by negatively affecting the preservation of cached food and by increasing competition from pilferers that benefit from a warmer climate. It is however still not fully understood which consequences this may have for the demography and behavior of the wolverine.
Significance statement
Food caching is a behavioral strategy used by a wide range of animals to store food for future use. Choosing appropriate caching sites appears important for slowing down decomposition rates and minimizes competition. In this study, we demonstrate that the wolverine, an opportunistic predator and scavenger, utilizes available carrion to create caches all year around. By following wolverines with GPS collars, we registered that they carried food far away to cache it in secluded and cold places, which are often located on steep slopes or in forest. However, when scavenging other carnivores’ prey, they move food in shorter distances, possibly to be able to quickly return for more. The observed efficiency in wolverine caching behavior is likely vital for their survival and reproductive success in the harsh and highly seasonal environment in which they live.
Collapse
|
12
|
Search and concealment strategies in the spatiotemporal domain. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:2393-2414. [PMID: 32052344 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-01976-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although visual search studies have primarily focused on search behavior, concealment behavior is also important in the real world. However, previous studies in this regard are limited in that their findings about search and concealment strategies are restricted to the spatial (two-dimensional) domain. Thus, this study evaluated strategies during three-dimensional and temporal (i.e., spatiotemporal) search and concealment to determine whether participants would indicate where they would hide or find a target in a temporal sequence of items. The items were stacked in an upward (Experiments 1-3) or downward (Experiment 4) direction and three factors were manipulated: scenario (hide vs. seek), partner type (friend vs. foe), and oddball (unique item in the sequence; present vs. absent). Participants in both the hide and seek scenarios frequently selected the oddball for friends but not foes, which suggests that they applied common strategies because the oddball automatically attracts attention and can be readily discovered by friends. Additionally, a principle unique to the spatiotemporal domain was revealed, i.e., when the oddball was absent, participants in both scenarios frequently selected the topmost item of the stacked layer for friends, regardless of temporal order, whereas they selected the first item in the sequence for foes, regardless of the stacked direction. These principles were not affected by visual masking or number of items in the sequence. Taken together, these results suggest that finding and hiding positions in the spatiotemporal domain rely on the presence of salient items and physical accessibility or temporal remoteness, according to partner type.
Collapse
|
13
|
Food caching in city birds: urbanization and exploration do not predict spatial memory in scatter hoarders. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:743-756. [PMID: 31161364 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01271-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization has been shown to affect the physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits of animals, but it is less clear how cognitive traits are affected. Urban habitats contain artificial food sources, such as bird feeders that are known to impact foraging behaviors. As of yet, however, it is not well known whether urbanization and the abundance of supplemental food during the winter affect caching behaviors and spatial memory in scatter hoarders. We aim to compare caching intensity and spatial memory performance along an urban gradient to determine (i) whether individuals from more urbanized sites cache less frequently and perform less accurately on a spatial memory task, and (ii) for the first time in individual scatter hoarders, whether slower explorers perform more accurately than faster explorers on a spatial memory task. We assessed food caching, exploration of a novel environment, and spatial memory performance of wild-caught black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus; N = 95) from 14 sites along an urban gradient. Although the individuals that cached most in captivity were all from less urbanized sites, we found no clear evidence that caching intensity and spatial memory accuracy differed along an urban gradient. At the individual level, we found no significant relationship between spatial memory performance and exploration score. However, individuals that performed more accurately on the spatial task also tended to cache more, pointing to a specialization of spatial memory in scatter hoarders that could occur at the level of the individual, in addition to the previously documented specialization at the population and species levels.
Collapse
|
14
|
LaBonte NR, Woeste KE. Pooled whole-genome sequencing of interspecific chestnut ( Castanea) hybrids reveals loci associated with differences in caching behavior of fox squirrels ( Sciurus niger L.). Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10638-10654. [PMID: 30519394 PMCID: PMC6262733 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal of seeds by scatter-hoarding rodents is common among tropical and temperate tree species, including chestnuts in the genus Castanea. Backcrossed (BC) interspecific hybrid chestnuts exhibit wide variation in seed traits: as the parent species (Castanea dentata and C. mollissima) have distinct seed phenotypes and tend to be handled differently by seed dispersers, phenotypic variation in BC trees is likely due to inheritance of genes that have undergone divergent evolution in the parent species. To identify candidate genomic regions for interspecific differences in seed dispersal, we used tagged seeds to measure average dispersal distance for seeds of third-generation BC chestnuts and sequenced pooled whole genomes of mother trees with contrasting seed dispersal: high caching rate/long distance; low caching rate/short distance; no caching. Candidate regions affecting seed dispersal were identified as loci with more C. mollissima alleles in the high caching rate/ long-distance pool than expected by chance and observed in the other two pools. Functional annotations of candidate regions included predicted lipid metabolism, dormancy regulation, seed development, and carbohydrate metabolism genes. The results support the hypothesis that perception of seed dormancy is a predominant factor in squirrel caching decisions, and also indicate profitable directions for future work on the evolutionary genomics of trees and coevolved seed dispersers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Keith E. Woeste
- USDA Forest ServiceNorthern Research StationHardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration CenterWest LafayetteIndiana
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
McPartland JM, Naraine SG. Experimental Endozoochory of Cannabis sativa Achenes. Med Cannabis Cannabinoids 2018; 1:96-103. [PMID: 34676326 DOI: 10.1159/000492971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism by which Cannabis sativa dispersed from its center of origin remains an open question. The literature provides many hypotheses, which we review for the first time, but experiments are few. Darwin was interested in zoochory - the transport of plants by animals. He demonstrated endozoochory (transport of seeds via animal digestive systems) of C. sativa achenes (seeds) by carrier pigeons, but he did not quantify achene survival rates. We assessed mammalian endozoochory in a triplicate experiment: feeding C. sativa achenes into a simulated gastrointestinal system, a dog, and a human. The in vitro system subjected achenes to sequential digestive enzymes. Achenes were planted in potting soil and monitored for emergence under growroom conditions. The in vivo experiments added achenes to a normal morning meal (dog food or granola). Feces were collected for daily instillation into an outdoor garden and monitored for seedling emergence for 16 days. Control achenes were planted directly into soil without ingestion. In the in vitro study, 34.7% of the digested achenes emerged as seedlings. The in vivo emergence rates were 10.3, 1.3, and 76.0% for the dog, human, and control conditions. The three groups differed significantly (χ2 = 1,264.93, p < 0.0001). Achene survival was greatest under in vitro conditions, which lacked a mastication step, compared to dog (minimal chewing) and human (maximal chewing) conditions. Although C. sativa lacks evolutionary traits for classic endozoochory (i.e., a fleshy fruit), it seems well adapted to this manner of seed dispersal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John M McPartland
- College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Steve G Naraine
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Yadok BG, Gerhard D, Forget PM, Chapman H. Size doesn't matter: Larger Carapa seeds are not dispersed farther by African rodent community. Afr J Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Biplang G. Yadok
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Christchurch New Zealand
- Nigerian Montane Forest Project; Yelwa village Taraba State Nigeria
| | - Daniel Gerhard
- School of Mathematics and Statistics; University of Canterbury; Christchurch New Zealand
| | | | - Hazel Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Christchurch New Zealand
- Nigerian Montane Forest Project; Yelwa village Taraba State Nigeria
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Pesendorfer MB, Koenig WD. Does aggression avoidance drive oak tree attendance by corvid scatter-hoarders? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2498-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
18
|
Henderson LJ, Cockcroft RC, Kaiya H, Boswell T, Smulders TV. Peripherally injected ghrelin and leptin reduce food hoarding and mass gain in the coal tit ( Periparus ater). Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0417. [PMID: 29794047 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In birds little is known about the hormonal signals that communicate nutritional state to the brain and regulate appetitive behaviours. In mammals, the peptide hormones ghrelin and leptin elevate and inhibit consumption and food hoarding, respectively. But in birds, administration of both ghrelin and leptin inhibit food consumption. The role of these hormones in the regulation of food hoarding in avian species has not been examined. To investigate this, we injected wild caught coal tits (Periparus ater) with leptin, high-dose ghrelin, low-dose ghrelin and a saline control in the laboratory. We then measured food hoarding and mass gain, as a proxy of food consumption, every 20 min for 2 h post-injection. Both high-dose ghrelin and leptin injections significantly reduced hoarding and mass gain compared with controls. Our results provide the first evidence that hoarding behaviour can be reduced by both leptin and ghrelin in a wild bird. These findings add to evidence that the hormonal control of food consumption and hoarding in avian species differs from that in mammals. Food hoarding and consumptive behaviours consistently show the same response to peripheral signals of nutritional state, suggesting that the hormonal regulation of food hoarding has evolved from the consumption regulatory system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay J Henderson
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK .,Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Rowan C Cockcroft
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.,School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Hiroyuki Kaiya
- National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka 565-8565, Japan
| | - Timothy Boswell
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.,School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Tom V Smulders
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.,Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Homeward bound: The capacity of the food hoarding task to assess complex cognitive processes. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
20
|
Tosso F, Cherchye G, Hardy OJ, Daïnou K, Lognay G, Tagg N, Haurez B, Souza A, Heuskin S, Doucet JL. Characterization of animal communities involved in seed dispersal and predation of Guibourtia tessmannii
(Harms) J.Léonard, a species newly listed on Appendix II of CITES. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Félicien Tosso
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre; Central African Forests; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology Unit; CP 160/12; Faculté des Sciences; Université Libre de Bruxelles; Brussels Belgium
| | - Gauthier Cherchye
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre; Central African Forests; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
| | - Olivier J. Hardy
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology Unit; CP 160/12; Faculté des Sciences; Université Libre de Bruxelles; Brussels Belgium
| | | | - Georges Lognay
- Analytical Chemistry; Department Agro-Bio Chemistry; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
| | - Nikki Tagg
- Centre for Research and Conservation; Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (RZSA); Antwerp Belgium
| | - Barbara Haurez
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre; Central African Forests; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
- Nature+ asbl; Wavre Belgium
| | - Alain Souza
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale; Electrophysiologie et de Pharmacologie; Faculté des Sciences; Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku; Franceville Gabon
| | - Stéphanie Heuskin
- Analytical Chemistry; Department Agro-Bio Chemistry; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre; Central African Forests; Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech; University of Liège; Gembloux Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ribeiro JF, Vieira EM. Microhabitat selection for caching and use of potential landmarks for seed recovery by a neotropical rodent. J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. F. Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos - Zoologia; Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS); São Leopoldo RS Brazil
| | - E. M. Vieira
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos - Zoologia; Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS); São Leopoldo RS Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
The presence of general intelligence poses a major evolutionary puzzle, which has led to increased interest in its presence in nonhuman animals. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate this question and to explore the implications for current theories about the evolution of cognition. We first review domain-general and domain-specific accounts of human cognition in order to situate attempts to identify general intelligence in nonhuman animals. Recent studies are consistent with the presence of general intelligence in mammals (rodents and primates). However, the interpretation of a psychometric g factor as general intelligence needs to be validated, in particular in primates, and we propose a range of such tests. We then evaluate the implications of general intelligence in nonhuman animals for current theories about its evolution and find support for the cultural intelligence approach, which stresses the critical importance of social inputs during the ontogenetic construction of survival-relevant skills. The presence of general intelligence in nonhumans implies that modular abilities can arise in two ways, primarily through automatic development with fixed content and secondarily through learning and automatization with more variable content. The currently best-supported model, for humans and nonhuman vertebrates alike, thus construes the mind as a mix of skills based on primary and secondary modules. The relative importance of these two components is expected to vary widely among species, and we formulate tests to quantify their strength.
Collapse
|
23
|
Cauchoix M, Chaine AS. How Can We Study the Evolution of Animal Minds? Front Psychol 2016; 7:358. [PMID: 27014163 PMCID: PMC4791388 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the last 50 years, comparative cognition and neurosciences have improved our understanding of animal minds while evolutionary ecology has revealed how selection acts on traits through evolutionary time. We describe how cognition can be subject to natural selection like any other biological trait and how this evolutionary approach can be used to understand the evolution of animal cognition. We recount how comparative and fitness methods have been used to understand the evolution of cognition and outline how these approaches could extend our understanding of cognition. The fitness approach, in particular, offers unprecedented opportunities to study the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for variation in cognition within species and could allow us to investigate both proximate (i.e., neural and developmental) and ultimate (i.e., ecological and evolutionary) underpinnings of animal cognition together. We highlight recent studies that have successfully shown that cognitive traits can be under selection, in particular by linking individual variation in cognition to fitness. To bridge the gap between cognitive variation and fitness consequences and to better understand why and how selection can occur on cognition, we end this review by proposing a more integrative approach to study contemporary selection on cognitive traits combining socio-ecological data, minimally invasive neuroscience methods and measurement of ecologically relevant behaviors linked to fitness. Our overall goal in this review is to build a bridge between cognitive neuroscientists and evolutionary biologists, illustrate how their research could be complementary, and encourage evolutionary ecologists to include explicit attention to cognitive processes in their studies of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexis S Chaine
- Institute for Advanced Study in ToulouseToulouse, France; Station for Experimental Ecology in Moulis, CNRSMoulis, France
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Steele MA, Rompré G, Stratford JA, Zhang H, Suchocki M, Marino S. Scatterhoarding rodents favor higher predation risks for cache sites: The potential for predators to influence the seed dispersal process. Integr Zool 2016; 10:257-66. [PMID: 25827710 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Scatterhoarding rodents often place caches in the open where pilferage rates are reduced, suggesting that they tradeoff higher risks of predation for more secure cache sites. We tested this hypothesis in two study systems by measuring predation risks inferred from measures of giving-up densities (GUDs) at known cache sites and other sites for comparison. Rodent GUDs were measured with small trays containing 3 L of fine sand mixed with sunflower seeds. In the first experiment, we relied on a 2-year seed dispersal study in a natural forest to identify caches of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and then measured GUDs at: (i) these caches; (ii) comparable points along logs and rocks where rodent activity was assumed highest; and (iii) a set of random points. We found that GUDs and, presumably, predation risks, were higher at both cache and random points than those with cover. At the second site, we measured GUDs of eastern gray squirrels in an open park system and found that GUDs were consistently lowest at the base of the tree compared to more open sites, where previous studies show caching by squirrels to be highest and pilferage rates by naïve competitors to be lowest. These results confirm that predation risks can influence scatterhoarding decisions but that they are also highly context dependent, and that the landscape of fear, now so well documented in the literature, could potentially shape the temporal and spatial patterns of seedling establishment and forest regeneration in systems where scatterhoarding is common.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghislain Rompré
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA.,The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH, USA
| | | | - Hongmao Zhang
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA.,School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Lichti NI, Steele MA, Swihart RK. Seed fate and decision‐making processes in scatter‐hoarding rodents. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:474-504. [PMID: 26587693 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathanael I. Lichti
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 U.S.A
| | | | - Robert K. Swihart
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
|
27
|
Grados M, Prazak M, Saif A, Halls A. A review of animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a focus on developmental, immune, endocrine and behavioral models. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2015; 11:27-43. [PMID: 26558411 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2016.1103225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Several models of OCD exist, many which employ behaviors such as over-grooming or hoarding as correlates for compulsive behaviors - often using a response to serotonergic agents as evidence for their validity. Recent discoveries in the genetics of OCD and the identification of aberrancies of glutamatergic, hormonal, and immune pathways in the OCD phenotype highlight a need to review existing of animal models of OCD. The focus of attention to these pathways may lead to possible new targets for drug discovery. AREAS COVERED In this review, the authors describe frameworks for animal models in OCD conceptualized as either biological (e.g., developmental, genetic, and endocrine pathways), or behavioral (e.g., repetitive grooming, and stereotypies). In addition, the authors give special attention to the emerging role of glutamate in OCD. EXPERT OPINION While many animal models for OCD demonstrate pathologic repetitive behavior phenotypes, which are relieved by serotoninergic agents, animal models based on reversal learning, perseverative responding, and neurodevelopmental mechanisms represent robust new paradigms. Glutamatergic influences in these new animal models suggest that drug discovery using neuroprotective approaches may represent a new stage for pharmacologic developments in OCD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Grados
- a Department of Psychiatry , Johns Hopkins University , 1800 Orleans St. - 12th floor, Baltimore , MD 21287 , USA
| | - Michael Prazak
- b Department of Medicine , Dow University of Health Sciences , Karachi , Pakistan
| | - Aneeqa Saif
- c Department of Psychology Grand Forks , University of North Dakota , ND , USA
| | - Andrew Halls
- a Department of Psychiatry , Johns Hopkins University , 1800 Orleans St. - 12th floor, Baltimore , MD 21287 , USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Perea R, Dirzo R, San Miguel A, Gil L. Post-dispersal seed recovery by animals: is it a plant- or an animal-driven process? OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ramón Perea
- Dept of Natural Systems and Resources; Univ. Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria; ES-28040 Madrid Spain
- Dept of Biology; Stanford University; Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Dept of Biology; Stanford University; Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Alfonso San Miguel
- Dept of Natural Systems and Resources; Univ. Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria; ES-28040 Madrid Spain
| | - Luis Gil
- Dept of Natural Systems and Resources; Univ. Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria; ES-28040 Madrid Spain
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
|
30
|
Suselbeek L, Adamczyk VM, Bongers F, Nolet BA, Prins HH, van Wieren SE, Jansen PA. Scatter hoarding and cache pilferage by superior competitors: an experiment with wild boar, Sus scrofa. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
31
|
|
32
|
Brodin A, Urhan AU. Interspecific observational memory in a non-caching Parus species, the great tit Parus major. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1679-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
|
33
|
|
34
|
Penner JL, Zalocusky K, Holifield L, Abernathy J, McGuff B, Schichtl S, Weaver W, Moran MD. Are High Pilferage Rates Influenced by Experimental Design? The Effects of Food Provisioning on Foraging Behavior. SOUTHEAST NAT 2013. [DOI: 10.1656/058.012.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
35
|
Archibald DW, Fletcher QE, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Speakman JR, Humphries MM. Sex-specific hoarding behavior in North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). J Mammal 2013. [DOI: 10.1644/12-mamm-a-213.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
|
36
|
Brodin A, Urhan AU. An evaluation of memory accuracy in food hoarding marsh tits Poecile palustris – how accurate are they compared to humans? Behav Processes 2013; 97:25-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
37
|
|
38
|
Kelt DA. Comparative ecology of desert small mammals: a selective review of the past 30 years. J Mammal 2011. [DOI: 10.1644/10-mamm-s-238.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
|
39
|
|
40
|
Finlay BL, Hinz F, Darlington RB. Mapping behavioural evolution onto brain evolution: the strategic roles of conserved organization in individuals and species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 366:2111-23. [PMID: 21690129 PMCID: PMC3130365 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pattern of individual variation in brain component structure in pigs, minks and laboratory mice is very similar to variation across species in the same components, at a reduced scale. This conserved pattern of allometric scaling resembles robotic architectures designed to be robust to changes in computing power and task demands, and may reflect the mechanism by which both growing and evolving brains defend basic sensory, motor and homeostatic functions at multiple scales. Conserved scaling rules also have implications for species-specific sensory and social communication systems, motor competencies and cognitive abilities. The role of relative changes in neuron number in the central nervous system in producing species-specific behaviour is thus highly constrained, while changes in the sensory and motor periphery, and in motivational and attentional systems increase in probability as the principal loci producing important changes in functional neuroanatomy between species. By their nature, these loci require renewed attention to development and life history in the initial organization and production of species-specific behavioural abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara L Finlay
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Pravosudov VV, Smulders TV. Integrating ecology, psychology and neurobiology within a food-hoarding paradigm. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:859-67. [PMID: 20156812 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals regularly hoard food for future use, which appears to be an important adaptation to a seasonally and/or unpredictably changing environment. This food-hoarding paradigm is an excellent example of a natural system that has broadly influenced both theoretical and empirical work in the field of biology. The food-hoarding paradigm has played a major role in the conceptual framework of numerous fields from ecology (e.g. plant-animal interactions) and evolution (e.g. the coevolution of caching, spatial memory and the hippocampus) to psychology (e.g. memory and cognition) and neurobiology (e.g. neurogenesis and the neurobiology of learning and memory). Many food-hoarding animals retrieve caches by using spatial memory. This memory-based behavioural system has the inherent advantage of being tractable for study in both the field and laboratory and has been shaped by natural selection, which produces variation with strong fitness consequences in a variety of taxa. Thus, food hoarding is an excellent model for a highly integrative approach to understanding numerous questions across a variety of disciplines. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the complexity of animal cognition such as future planning and episodic-like-memory as well as in the relationship between memory, the environment and the brain. In addition, new breakthroughs in neurobiology have enhanced our ability to address the mechanisms underlying these behaviours. Consequently, the field is necessarily becoming more integrative by assessing behavioural questions in the context of natural ecological systems and by addressing mechanisms through neurobiology and psychology, but, importantly, within an evolutionary and ecological framework. In this issue, we aim to bring together a series of papers providing a modern synthesis of ecology, psychology, physiology and neurobiology and identifying new directions and developments in the use of food-hoarding animals as a model system.
Collapse
|