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Chakroborty NK, Leboulle, Einspanier R, Menzel R. Behavioral and genetic correlates of heterogeneity in learning performance in individual honeybees, Apis mellifera. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304563. [PMID: 38865313 PMCID: PMC11168654 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning an olfactory discrimination task leads to heterogeneous results in honeybees with some bees performing very well and others at low rates. Here we investigated this behavioral heterogeneity and asked whether it was associated with particular gene expression patterns in the bee's brain. Bees were individually conditioned using a sequential conditioning protocol involving several phases of olfactory learning and retention tests. A cumulative score was used to differentiate the tested bees into high and low performers. The rate of CS+ odor learning was found to correlate most strongly with a cumulative performance score extracted from all learning and retention tests. Microarray analysis of gene expression in the mushroom body area of the brains of these bees identified a number of differentially expressed genes between high and low performers. These genes are associated with diverse biological functions, such as neurotransmission, memory formation, cargo trafficking and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neloy Kumar Chakroborty
- Institute Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin Luisestr, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leboulle
- Institute Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin Luisestr, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Einspanier
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Oertzenweg, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin Luisestr, Berlin, Germany
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2
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Ridley AR, Speechley EM. Problem-solving ability: a link between cognition and conservation? Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00121-6. [PMID: 38821782 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Traditionally, conservation and cognition have been disparate research disciplines. However, Audet et al.'s recent research contributes to an increasing body of evidence that innovative behaviours may determine the ability of species to respond to rapid environmental change, identifying an opportunity for cognition research to directly contribute to conservation outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Ridley
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Elizabeth M Speechley
- Centre of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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3
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Isaksson E, Morand-Ferron J, Chaine A. Environmental harshness does not affect the propensity for social learning in great tits, Parus major. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:25. [PMID: 38467946 PMCID: PMC10927812 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01862-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: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
According to the harsh environment hypothesis, natural selection should favour cognitive mechanisms to overcome environmental challenges. Tests of this hypothesis to date have largely focused on asocial learning and memory, thus failing to account for the spread of information via social means. Tests in specialized food-hoarding birds have shown strong support for the effects of environmental harshness on both asocial and social learning. Whether the hypothesis applies to non-specialist foraging species remains largely unexplored. We evaluated the relative importance of social learning across a known harshness gradient by testing generalist great tits, Parus major, from high (harsh)- and low (mild)-elevation populations in two social learning tasks. We showed that individuals use social learning to find food in both colour-associative and spatial foraging tasks and that individuals differed consistently in their use of social learning. However, we did not detect a difference in the use or speed of implementing socially observed information across the elevational gradient. Our results do not support predictions of the harsh environment hypothesis suggesting that context-dependent costs and benefits as well as plasticity in the use of social information may play an important role in the use of social learning across environments. Finally, this study adds to the accumulating evidence that the harsh environment hypothesis appears to have more pronounced effects on specialists compared to generalist species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Isaksson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | | | - Alexis Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS UAR2029, 2 route du cnrs, 09200, Moulis, France
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, 21 alleé de Brienne, 31015, Toulouse, France
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4
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Speechley EM, Ashton BJ, Thornton A, Simmons LW, Ridley AR. Heritability of cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231399. [PMID: 38481983 PMCID: PMC10933533 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Individual differences in cognitive performance can have genetic, social and environmental components. Most research on the heritability of cognitive traits comes from humans or captive non-human animals, while less attention has been given to wild populations. Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis, hereafter magpies) show phenotypic variation in cognitive performance, which affects reproductive success. Despite high levels of individual repeatability, we do not know whether cognitive performance is heritable in this species. Here, we quantify the broad-sense heritability of associative learning ability in a wild population of Western Australian magpies. Specifically, we explore whether offspring associative learning performance is predicted by maternal associative learning performance or by the social environment (group size) when tested at three time points during the first year of life. We found little evidence that offspring associative learning performance is heritable, with an estimated broad-sense heritability of just -0.046 ± 0.084 (confidence interval: -0.234/0.140). However, complementing previous findings, we find that at 300 days post-fledging, individuals raised in larger groups passed the test in fewer trials compared with individuals from small groups. Our results highlight the pivotal influence of the social environment on cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M. Speechley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Ashton
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, PenrynTR10 9FE, UK
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Amanda R. Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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5
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Prentice PM, Thornton A, Kolm N, Wilson AJ. Genetic and context-specific effects on individual inhibitory control performance in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1796-1810. [PMID: 37916730 PMCID: PMC10947024 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14241] [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: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Among-individual variation in cognitive traits, widely assumed to have evolved under adaptive processes, is increasingly being demonstrated across animal taxa. As variation among individuals is required for natural selection, characterizing individual differences and their heritability is important to understand how cognitive traits evolve. Here, we use a quantitative genetic study of wild-type guppies repeatedly exposed to a 'detour task' to test for genetic variance in the cognitive trait of inhibitory control. We also test for genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) by testing related fish under alternative experimental treatments (transparent vs. semi-transparent barrier in the detour-task). We find among-individual variation in detour task performance, consistent with differences in inhibitory control. However, analysis of GxE reveals that heritable factors only contribute to performance variation in one treatment. This suggests that the adaptive evolutionary potential of inhibitory control (and/or other latent variables contributing to task performance) may be highly sensitive to environmental conditions. The presence of GxE also implies that the plastic response of detour task performance to treatment environment is genetically variable. Our results are consistent with a scenario where variation in individual inhibitory control stems from complex interactions between heritable and plastic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela M. Prentice
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- SRUC, Easter Bush, Roslin Institute BuildingMidlothianUK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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6
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Nawroth C, Wiesmann K, Schlup P, Keil N, Langbein J. Domestication and breeding objective did not shape the interpretation of physical and social cues in goats (Capra hircus). Sci Rep 2023; 13:19098. [PMID: 37925577 PMCID: PMC10625633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46373-9] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial selection by humans, either through domestication or subsequent selection for specific breeding objectives, drives changes in animal cognition and behaviour. However, most previous cognitive research comparing domestic and wild animals has focused on companion animals such as canids, limiting any general claims about the effects of artificial selection by humans. Using a cognitive test battery, we investigated the ability of wild goats (non-domestic, seven subjects), dwarf goats (domestic, not selected for milk production, 15 subjects) and dairy goats (domestic, selected for high milk yield, 18 subjects) to utilise physical and social cues in an object choice task. To increase the heterogeneity of our test samples, data for domestic goats were collected by two experimenters at two research stations (Agroscope; Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology). We did not find performance differences between the three groups in the cognitive test battery for either physical or social cues. This indicates that for a domestic non-companion animal species, domestication and selection for certain breeding objectives did not measurably shape the physical and cognitive skills of goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Nawroth
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Katrina Wiesmann
- Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope Tänikon, 8355, Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | | | - Nina Keil
- Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope Tänikon, 8355, Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Jan Langbein
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
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7
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McCallum E, Shaw RC. Repeatability and heritability of inhibitory control performance in wild toutouwai ( Petroica longipes). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231476. [PMID: 38026029 PMCID: PMC10646466 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing interest in the evolution of inhibitory control, few studies have examined the validity of widespread testing paradigms, the long-term repeatability and the heritability of this cognitive ability in the wild. We investigated these aspects in the inhibitory control performance of wild toutouwai (North Island robin; Petroica longipes), using detour and reversal learning tasks. We assessed convergent validity by testing whether individual performance correlated across detour and reversal learning tasks. We then further evaluated task validity by examining whether individual performance was confounded by non-cognitive factors. We tested a subset of subjects twice in each task to estimate the repeatability of performance across a 1-year period. Finally, we used a population pedigree to estimate the heritability of task performance. Individual performance was unrelated across detour and reversal learning tasks, indicating that these measured different cognitive abilities. Task performance was not influenced by body condition, boldness or prior experience, and showed moderate between-year repeatability. Yet despite this individual consistency, we found no evidence that task performance was heritable. Our findings suggest that detour and reversal learning tasks measure consistent individual differences in distinct forms of inhibitory control in toutouwai, but this variation may be environmentally determined rather than genetic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella McCallum
- School of Biological Sciences, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Rachael C. Shaw
- School of Biological Sciences, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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8
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Ash H, Goy RW, Spaulding A, Colman RJ, Corbett CJ, Ziegler TE. Cognitive development from infancy to young adulthood in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): Effect of age, sex, and hormones on learning and affective state. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22430. [PMID: 37860906 PMCID: PMC10804839 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22430] [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: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Studies looking at individual variability in cognition have increased in recent years. We followed 43 marmosets (21 males, 22 females) from infancy to young adulthood. At 3-months old, marmosets were trained to touch a rewarded stimulus. At 9-, 15-, and 21-months old, they were given visual discrimination and cognitive bias tests, and urine samples were collected to examine hormone levels. Marmosets were significantly more successful learners at 15 months than 9 months. Individuals who were more successful learners at 9 months were also more successful at 15 months, with more male learners than expected at 15 months. At 9 months, learning success was associated with higher cortisol levels. At 15 months, males with higher estradiol levels were more successful learners, whereas at 21 months, females with higher estradiol and cortisol levels tended to be less successful learners and more pessimistic. Nine months, therefore, appears to be an important developmental timepoint for acquiring cognitive control, which has developed by 15 months. Steroids may have differential effects on each sex, with complex interactions between gonadal and adrenal hormones having an influence on cognitive function over the lifespan. This longitudinal study offers new insight into cognition, including its development and biological underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Ash
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
| | - Robinson W. Goy
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
| | - Abigail Spaulding
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
| | - Ricki J. Colman
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
| | - Cody J. Corbett
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
| | - Toni E. Ziegler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, United States
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9
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McCune K, Blaisdell A, Johnson-Ulrich Z, Sevchik A, Lukas D, MacPherson M, Seitz B, Logan CJ. Using repeatability of performance within and across contexts to validate measures of behavioral flexibility. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15773. [PMID: 37605750 PMCID: PMC10440059 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into animal cognitive abilities is increasing quickly and often uses methods where behavioral performance on a task is assumed to represent variation in the underlying cognitive trait. However, because these methods rely on behavioral responses as a proxy for cognitive ability, it is important to validate that the task structure does, in fact, target the cognitive trait of interest rather than non-target cognitive, personality, or motivational traits (construct validity). Although it can be difficult, or impossible, to definitively assign performance to one cognitive trait, one way to validate that task structure is more likely to elicit performance based on the target cognitive trait is to assess the temporal and contextual repeatability of performance. In other words, individual performance is likely to represent an inherent trait when it is consistent across time and across similar or different tasks that theoretically test the same trait. Here, we assessed the temporal and contextual repeatability of performance on tasks intended to test the cognitive trait behavioral flexibility in great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus). For temporal repeatability, we quantified the number of trials to form a color preference after each of multiple color reversals on a serial reversal learning task. For contextual repeatability, we then compared performance on the serial color reversal task to the latency to switch among solutions on each of two different multi-access boxes. We found that the number of trials to form a preference in reversal learning was repeatable across serial color reversals and the latency to switch a preference was repeatable across color reversal learning and the multi-access box contexts. This supports the idea that the reversal learning task structure elicits performance reflective of an inherent trait, and that reversal learning and solution switching on multi-access boxes similarly reflect the inherent trait of behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey McCune
- Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Aaron Blaisdell
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Zoe Johnson-Ulrich
- Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - August Sevchik
- Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Dieter Lukas
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maggie MacPherson
- Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Corina J. Logan
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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van den Heuvel K, Quinn JL, Kotrschal A, van Oers K. Artificial selection for reversal learning reveals limited repeatability and no heritability of cognitive flexibility in great tits ( Parus major). Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231067. [PMID: 37464752 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility controls how animals respond to changing environmental conditions. Individuals within species vary considerably in cognitive flexibility but the micro-evolutionary potential in animal populations remains enigmatic. One prerequisite for cognitive flexibility to be able to evolve is consistent and heritable among-individual variation. Here we determine the repeatability and heritability of cognitive flexibility among great tits (Parus major) by performing an artificial selection experiment on reversal learning performance using a spatial learning paradigm over three generations. We found low, yet significant, repeatability (R = 0.15) of reversal learning performance. Our artificial selection experiment showed no evidence for narrow-sense heritability of associative or reversal learning, while we confirmed the heritability of exploratory behaviour. We observed a phenotypic, but no genetic, correlation between associative and reversal learning, showing the importance of prior information on reversal learning. We found no correlation between cognitive and personality traits. Our findings emphasize that cognitive flexibility is a multi-faceted trait that is affected by memory and prior experience, making it challenging to retrieve reliable values of temporal consistency and assess the contribution of additive genetic variation. Future studies need to identify what cognitive components underlie variation in reversal learning and study their between-individual and additive genetic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista van den Heuvel
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, T23 N73K4, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Bohn M, Eckert J, Hanus D, Lugauer B, Holtmann J, Haun DBM. Great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities and predicted by developmental conditions. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:927-938. [PMID: 37106158 PMCID: PMC10250201 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02050-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Great ape cognition is used as a reference point to specify the evolutionary origins of complex cognitive abilities, including in humans. This research often assumes that great ape cognition consists of cognitive abilities (traits) that account for stable differences between individuals, which change and develop in response to experience. Here, we test the validity of these assumptions by assessing repeatability of cognitive performance among captive great apes (Gorilla gorilla, Pongo abelii, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes) in five tasks covering a range of cognitive domains. We examine whether individual characteristics (age, group, test experience) or transient situational factors (life events, testing arrangements or sociality) influence cognitive performance. Our results show that task-level performance is generally stable over time; four of the five tasks were reliable measurement tools. Performance in the tasks was best explained by stable differences in cognitive abilities (traits) between individuals. Cognitive abilities were further correlated, suggesting shared cognitive processes. Finally, when predicting cognitive performance, we found stable individual characteristics to be more important than variables capturing transient experience. Taken together, this study shows that great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities that respond to different developmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Bohn
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Johanna Eckert
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Hanus
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benedikt Lugauer
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Holtmann
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel B M Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Zablocki-Thomas PB, Savidge LE, Witczak LR, Ferrer E, Hobson BA, Chaudhari AJ, Freeman SM, Bales KL. Neural correlates and effect of jealousy on cognitive flexibility in the female titi monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus). Horm Behav 2023; 152:105352. [PMID: 37018894 PMCID: PMC10957291 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Jealousy is a social emotion that manifests as behavioral reactions from an individual toward a threat to a valuable relationship. Monogamous species exhibit jealousy-type behaviors as an adaptive response to preserve the relationship. Jealousy is also a complex, negatively-valenced emotion which may include fear of loss, anxiety, suspiciousness, and anger. Negative emotion may impair cognitive processes such as cognitive flexibility, an ability important for coping with new situations. However, little is known about how complex social emotions influence cognitive flexibility. To understand the interaction between jealousy and cognitive flexibility, we examined the neural, physiological, and behavioral factors involved in jealousy and cognitive flexibility in female titi monkeys. We presented subjects with a jealousy provoking scenario, followed by a reversal learning task and a PET scan with a glucose-analog radiotracer. We found that female titi monkeys reacted to a jealousy provoking scenario with increased locomotor behavior and higher glucose uptake in the cerebellum; however, hormone measures and were not affected. As only two females demonstrated cognitive flexibility, the effects of jealousy were difficult to interpret. Locomotion behavior was also negatively correlated with glucose uptake in brain areas linked with motivation, sociality, and cognitive flexibility. Surprisingly, glucose uptake in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) was significantly decreased during jealousy scenarios, while uptake in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was decreased during reversal tasks. Our findings suggest that the presence of an intruder produces less visible behavioral reactions in female titis than in males, while still reducing activity in the OFC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Logan E Savidge
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Lynea R Witczak
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Emilio Ferrer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Brad A Hobson
- Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Abhijit J Chaudhari
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, United States; Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, University of California, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Sara M Freeman
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States of America
| | - Karen L Bales
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
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13
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Sollis JG, Ashton BJ, Speechley EM, Ridley AR. Repeated testing does not confound cognitive performance in the Western Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen dorsalis). Anim Cogn 2023; 26:579-588. [PMID: 36222936 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01699-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
A robust understanding of cognitive variation at the individual level is essential to understand selection for and against cognitive traits. Studies of animal cognition often assume that within-individual performance is highly consistent. When repeated tests of individuals have been conducted, the effects of test order (the overall sequence in which different tests are conducted) and test number (the ordinal number indicating when a specific test falls within a sequence)-in particular the potential for individual performance to improve with repeated testing-have received limited attention. In our study, we investigated test order and test number effects on individual performance in three inhibitory control tests in Western Australian magpies (Cracticus tibicen dorsalis). We presented adult magpies with three novel inhibitory control tasks (detour-reaching apparatuses) in random order to test whether experience of cognitive testing and the order in which the apparatuses were presented were predictors of cognitive performance. We found that neither test number nor test order had an effect on cognitive performance of individual magpies when presenting different variants of inhibitory control tasks. This suggests that repeated testing of the same cognitive trait, using causally identical but visually distinct cognitive tasks, does not confound cognitive performance. We recommend that repeated testing effects of cognitive performance in other species be studied to broadly determine the validity of repeated testing in animal cognition studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph G Sollis
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Benjamin J Ashton
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth M Speechley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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14
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Delacoux M, Guenther A. Stressfulness of the design influences consistency of cognitive measures and their correlation with animal personality traits in wild mice (Mus musculus). Anim Cogn 2023; 26:997-1009. [PMID: 36737560 PMCID: PMC10066096 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01748-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Individual variation in cognition is being increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary force but contradictory results so far hamper a general understanding of consistency and association with other behaviors. Partly, this might be caused by external factors imposed by the design. Stress, for example, is known to influence cognition, with mild stress improving learning abilities, while strong or chronic stress impairs them. Also, there might be intraspecific variation in how stressful a given situation is perceived. We investigated two personality traits (stress coping and voluntary exploration), spatial learning with two mazes, and problem-solving in low- and high-stress tests with a group of 30 female wild mice (Mus musculus domesticus). For each test, perceived stress was assessed by measuring body temperature change with infrared thermography, a new non-invasive method that measures skin temperature as a proxy of changes in the sympathetic system activity. While spatial learning and problem-solving were found to be repeatable traits in mice in earlier studies, none of the learning measures were significantly repeatable between the two stress conditions in our study, indicating that the stress level impacts learning. We found correlations between learning and personality traits; however, they differed between the two stress conditions and between the cognitive tasks, suggesting that different mechanisms underlie these processes. These findings could explain some of the contradictory findings in the literature and argue for very careful design of cognitive test setups to draw evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Delacoux
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany. .,Department for Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464, Constance, Germany. .,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464, Constance, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany
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15
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Gaffney LP, Lavery JM, Schiestl M, Trevarthen A, Schukraft J, Miller R, Schnell AK, Fischer B. A theoretical approach to improving interspecies welfare comparisons. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2022.1062458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of animals bred, raised, and slaughtered each year is on the rise, resulting in increasing impacts to welfare. Farmed animals are also becoming more diverse, ranging from pigs to bees. The diversity and number of species farmed invite questions about how best to allocate currently limited resources towards safeguarding and improving welfare. This is of the utmost concern to animal welfare funders and effective altruism advocates, who are responsible for targeting the areas most likely to cause harm. For example, is tail docking worse for pigs than beak trimming is for chickens in terms of their pain, suffering, and general experience? Or are the welfare impacts equal? Answering these questions requires making an interspecies welfare comparison; a judgment about how good or bad different species fare relative to one another. Here, we outline and discuss an empirical methodology that aims to improve our ability to make interspecies welfare comparisons by investigating welfare range, which refers to how good or bad animals can fare. Beginning with a theory of welfare, we operationalize that theory by identifying metrics that are defensible proxies for measuring welfare, including cognitive, affective, behavioral, and neuro-biological measures. Differential weights are assigned to those proxies that reflect their evidential value for the determinants of welfare, such as the Delphi structured deliberation method with a panel of experts. The evidence should then be reviewed and its quality scored to ascertain whether particular taxa may possess the proxies in question to construct a taxon-level welfare range profile. Finally, using a Monte Carlo simulation, an overall estimate of comparative welfare range relative to a hypothetical index species can be generated. Interspecies welfare comparisons will help facilitate empirically informed decision-making to streamline the allocation of resources and ultimately better prioritize and improve animal welfare.
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16
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Finke V, Scheiner R, Giurfa M, Avarguès-Weber A. Individual consistency in the learning abilities of honey bees: cognitive specialization within sensory and reinforcement modalities. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:909-928. [PMID: 36609813 PMCID: PMC10066154 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01741-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The question of whether individuals perform consistently across a variety of cognitive tasks is relevant for studies of comparative cognition. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an appropriate model to study cognitive consistency as its learning can be studied in multiple elemental and non-elemental learning tasks. We took advantage of this possibility and studied if the ability of honey bees to learn a simple discrimination correlates with their ability to solve two tasks of higher complexity, reversal learning and negative patterning. We performed four experiments in which we varied the sensory modality of the stimuli (visual or olfactory) and the type (Pavlovian or operant) and complexity (elemental or non-elemental) of conditioning to examine if stable correlated performances could be observed across experiments. Across all experiments, an individual's proficiency to learn the simple discrimination task was positively and significantly correlated with performance in both reversal learning and negative patterning, while the performances in reversal learning and negative patterning were positively, yet not significantly correlated. These results suggest that correlated performances across learning paradigms represent a distinct cognitive characteristic of bees. Further research is necessary to examine if individual cognitive consistency can be found in other insect species as a common characteristic of insect brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Finke
- Zoologie II, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France.
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Zoologie II, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Aurore Avarguès-Weber
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
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17
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Kelly DM, Lea SEG. Animal cognition, past present and future, a 25th anniversary special issue. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1-11. [PMID: 36565389 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01738-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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18
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Anwer H, O'Dea RE, Mason D, Zajitschek S, Klinke A, Reid M, Hesselson D, Noble DWA, Morris MJ, Lagisz M, Nakagawa S. The effects of an obesogenic diet on behavior and cognition in zebrafish (
Danio rerio
): Trait average, variability, repeatability, and behavioral syndromes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9511. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Anwer
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Rose E. O'Dea
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Dominic Mason
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Liverpool John Moores University School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool UK
| | - Annabell Klinke
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Madeleine Reid
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel Hesselson
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Centenary Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Health University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Margaret J. Morris
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
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19
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Albers J, Reichert MS. Personality affects individual variation in olfactory learning and reversal learning in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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20
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Texas field crickets (Gryllus texensis) use visual cues to place learn but perform poorly when intra- and extra-maze cues conflict. Learn Behav 2022; 50:306-316. [DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00532-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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21
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Ashton BJ, Thornton A, Speechley EM, Ridley AR. Does trappability and self-selection influence cognitive performance? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220473. [PMID: 36117861 PMCID: PMC9470268 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has highlighted how trappability and self-selection-the processes by which individuals with particular traits may be more likely to be caught or to participate in experiments-may be sources of bias in studies of animal behaviour and cognition. It is crucial to determine whether such biases exist, and if they do, what effect they have on results. In this study, we investigated if trappability (quantified through 'ringing status'-whether or not a bird had been trapped for ringing) and self-selection are sources of bias in a series of associative learning experiments spanning 5 years in the Western Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis). We found no evidence of self-selection, with no biases in task participation associated with sex, age, group size or ringing status. In addition, we found that there was no effect of trappability on cognitive performance. These findings give us confidence in the results generated in the animal cognition literature and add to a growing body of literature seeking to determine potential sources of bias in studies of animal behaviour, and how they influence the generalizability and reproducibility of findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Ashton
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Elizabeth M. Speechley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Amanda R. Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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22
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Mourmourakis F, De Bona S, Umbers KDL. Increasing intensity of deimatic behaviour in response to repeated simulated attacks: a case study on the mountain katydid (Acripeza reticulata). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03226-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
How and when deimatic behaviours are performed can change during encounters between predators and prey. Some predators attack repeatedly, investigating and manipulating prey, and in response, an individual’s deimatic behaviour may intensify or may diminish in favour of escaping. The presence of a resource can further force a trade-off between displaying and escaping. Here, we examined the intensity of the katydid’s deimatic behaviour, a visual display, the propensity of their escape response under repeated simulated attacks, and how these responses change in the presence of foraging resources. We found that display intensity increased with repeated simulated attacks and that females displayed at a greater intensity than males. The presence of their preferred food plant had no significant effect on display intensity, but reduced escape probability in both sexes. Some katydids were predictable in their display intensity and at the population level we found that strong display intensity is moderately repeatable. Overall, our results suggest that 1) display intensity increases with repeated attacks and might indicate a cost in performing at maximum intensity upon first attack, 2) deploying a deimatic display while feeding can reduce the need to flee a rich foraging patch and 3) some individuals are consistent in their display intensities. Future experiments that aim to determine causal mechanisms such as limitations to perception of predators, sensitisation to stimuli and physiological constraints to display intensity will provide necessary insight into how deimatic displays function.
Significance statement
Though often regarded as success or failure, interactions between predators and prey during the attack phase of a predation event are complex, especially when predators make repeated investigative attacks in quick succession. Our study shows that in mountain katydids, intensity of deimatic behaviour increases with repeated attacks, perhaps indicating that prey sensitise or that maximal displays during initial attacks carry high costs such as conspicuousness. The intensity of the display does not change with the introduction of a valuable food resource, but the probability of fleeing decreased, suggesting that displaying may reduce the opportunity costs of leaving a patch. We also show that individuals vary in the repeatability of their display, suggesting that deimatic display may be highly adaptable, nuanced and targeted.
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23
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De Meester G, Pafilis P, Vasilakis G, Van Damme R. Exploration and spatial cognition show long-term repeatability but no heritability in the Aegean wall lizard. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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24
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Cheng X, Gilmore GC, Lerner AJ, Lee K. Computerized Block Games for Automated Cognitive Assessment: Development and Evaluation Study (Preprint). JMIR Serious Games 2022; 11:e40931. [PMID: 37191993 DOI: 10.2196/40931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive assessment using tangible objects can measure fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills along with other cognitive domains. Administering such tests is often expensive, labor-intensive, and error prone owing to manual recording and potential subjectivity. Automating the administration and scoring processes can address these difficulties while reducing time and cost. e-Cube is a new vision-based, computerized cognitive assessment tool that integrates computational measures of play complexity and item generators to enable automated and adaptive testing. The e-Cube games use a set of cubes, and the system tracks the movements and locations of these cubes as manipulated by the player. OBJECTIVE The primary objectives of the study were to validate the play complexity measures that form the basis of developing the adaptive assessment system and evaluate the preliminary utility and usability of the e-Cube system as an automated cognitive assessment tool. METHODS This study used 6 e-Cube games, namely, Assembly, Shape-Matching, Sequence-Memory, Spatial-Memory, Path-Tracking, and Maze, each targeting different cognitive domains. In total, 2 versions of the games, the fixed version with predetermined sets of items and the adaptive version using the autonomous item generators, were prepared for comparative evaluation. Enrolled participants (N=80; aged 18-60 years) were divided into 2 groups: 48% (38/80) of the participants in the fixed group and 52% (42/80) in the adaptive group. Each was administered the 6 e-Cube games; 3 subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; Block Design, Digit Span, and Matrix Reasoning); and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Statistical analyses at the 95% significance level were applied. RESULTS The play complexity values were correlated with the performance indicators (ie, correctness and completion time). The adaptive e-Cube games were correlated with the WAIS-IV subtests (r=0.49, 95% CI 0.21-0.70; P<.001 for Assembly and Block Design; r=0.34, 95% CI 0.03-0.59; P=.03 for Shape-Matching and Matrix Reasoning; r=0.51, 95% CI 0.24-0.72; P<.001 for Spatial-Memory and Digit Span; r=0.45, 95% CI 0.16-0.67; P=.003 for Path-Tracking and Block Design; and r=0.45, 95% CI 0.16-0.67; P=.003 for Path-Tracking and Matrix Reasoning). The fixed version showed weaker correlations with the WAIS-IV subtests. The e-Cube system showed a low false detection rate (6/5990, 0.1%) and was determined to be usable, with an average SUS score of 86.01 (SD 8.75). CONCLUSIONS The correlations between the play complexity values and performance indicators supported the validity of the play complexity measures. Correlations between the adaptive e-Cube games and the WAIS-IV subtests demonstrated the potential utility of the e-Cube games for cognitive assessment, but a further validation study is needed to confirm this. The low false detection rate and high SUS scores indicated that e-Cube is technically reliable and usable.
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25
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Miller R, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Danby E. Neophobia and innovation in Critically Endangered Bali myna, Leucopsar rothschildi. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211781. [PMID: 35875473 PMCID: PMC9297014 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Behavioural flexibility can impact on adaptability and survival, particularly in today's changing world, and encompasses associated components like neophobia, e.g. responses to novelty, and innovation, e.g. problem-solving. Bali myna (Leucopsar rothschildi) are a Critically Endangered endemic species, which are a focus of active conservation efforts, including reintroductions. Gathering behavioural data can aid in improving and developing conservation strategies, like pre-release training and individual selection for release. In 22 captive Bali myna, we tested neophobia (novel object, novel food, control conditions), innovation (bark, cup, lid conditions) and individual repeatability of latency responses in both experiments. We found effects of condition and presence of heterospecifics, including longer latencies to touch familiar food in presence than absence of novel items, and between problem-solving tasks, as well as in the presence of non-competing heterospecifics than competing heterospecifics. Age influenced neophobia, with adults showing longer latencies than juveniles. Individuals were repeatable in latency responses: (1) temporally in both experiments; (2) contextually within the innovation experiment and between experiments, as well as being consistent in approach order across experiments, suggesting stable behaviour traits. These findings are an important starting point for developing conservation behaviour related strategies in Bali myna and other similarly threatened species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Emily Danby
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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26
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Cauchoix M, Barragan Jason G, Biganzoli A, Briot J, Guiraud V, El Ksabi N, Lieuré D, Morand‐Ferron J, Chaine AS. The
OpenFeeder
: a flexible automated
RFID
feeder to measure inter and intraspecies differences in cognitive and behavioral performance in wild birds. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Cauchoix
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis France
| | - G. Barragan Jason
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis France
| | - A. Biganzoli
- LAPLACE Université de Toulouse CNRS, INPT, UPS Toulouse France
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center Université de Toulouse Inserm, UPS Toulouse France
| | | | - V. Guiraud
- SelectDesign, 121 Rue Jean Bart, 31670 Labège
| | - N. El Ksabi
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis France
| | | | | | - A. S. Chaine
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis France
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse Toulouse School of Economics Toulouse France
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27
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Cognitive ecology in the wild — advances and challenges in avian cognition research. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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28
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Blackburn G, Broom E, Ashton BJ, Thornton A, Ridley AR. Heat stress inhibits cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies, Cracticus tibicen dorsalis. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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29
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Among-individual differences in auditory and physical cognitive abilities in zebra finches. Learn Behav 2022; 50:389-404. [PMID: 35583601 PMCID: PMC9116276 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00520-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Among-individual variation in performance on cognitive tasks is ubiquitous across species that have been examined, and understanding the evolution of cognitive abilities requires investigating among-individual variation because natural selection acts on individual differences. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which individual differences in cognition are determined by domain-specific compared with domain-general cognitive abilities. We examined individual differences in learning speed of zebra finches across seven different tasks to determine the extent of domain-specific versus domain-general learning abilities, as well as the relationship between learning speed and learning generalization. Thirty-two zebra finches completed a foraging board experiment that included visual and structural discriminations, and then these same birds went through an acoustic operant discrimination experiment that required discriminating between different natural categories of acoustic stimuli. We found evidence of domain-general learning abilities as birds' relative performance on the seven learning tasks was weakly repeatable and a principal components analysis found a first principal component that explained 36% of the variance in performance across tasks with all tasks loading unidirectionally on this component. However, the few significant correlations between tasks and high repeatability within each experiment suggest the potential for domain-specific abilities. Learning speed did not influence an individual's ability to generalize learning. These results suggest that zebra finch performance across visual, structural, and auditory learning relies upon some common mechanism; some might call this evidence of "general intelligence"(g), but it is also possible that this finding is due to other noncognitive mechanisms such as motivation.
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30
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Šlipogor V, Graf C, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. Personality and social environment predict cognitive performance in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Sci Rep 2022; 12:6702. [PMID: 35513400 PMCID: PMC9072541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10296-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Consistent inter-individual variation in cognition has been increasingly explored in recent years in terms of its patterns, causes and consequences. One of its possible causes are consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, also referred to as animal personalities, which are shaped by both the physical and the social environment. The latter is particularly relevant for group-living species like common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), apt learners that display substantial variation in both their personality and cognitive performance, yet no study to date has interlinked these with marmosets' social environment. Here we investigated (i) consistency of learning speed, and (ii) whether the PCA-derived personality traits Exploration-Avoidance and Boldness-Shyness as well as the social environment (i.e., family group membership) are linked with marmosets' speed of learning. We tested 22 individuals in series of personality and learning-focused cognitive tests, including simple motor tasks and discrimination learning tasks. We found that these marmosets showed significant inter-individual consistency in learning across the different tasks, and that females learned faster than males. Further, bolder individuals, and particularly those belonging to certain family groups, learned faster. These findings indicate that both personality and social environment affect learning speed in marmosets and could be important factors driving individual variation in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Christina Graf
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Group, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Pouca CV, Vedder S, Kotrschal A. Hybridization may promote variation in cognitive phenotypes in experimental guppy hybrids. Am Nat 2022; 200:607-619. [DOI: 10.1086/720731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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32
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Ashton BJ, Thornton A, Cauchoix M, Ridley AR. Long-term repeatability of cognitive performance. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220069. [PMID: 35620015 PMCID: PMC9128854 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Measures of cognitive performance, derived from psychometric tasks, have yielded important insights into the factors governing cognitive variation. However, concerns remain over the robustness of these measures, which may be susceptible to non-cognitive factors such as motivation and persistence. Efforts to quantify short-term repeatability of cognitive performance have gone some way to address this, but crucially the long-term repeatability of cognitive performance has been largely overlooked. Quantifying the long-term repeatability of cognitive performance provides the opportunity to determine the stability of cognitive phenotypes and the potential for selection to act on them. To this end, we quantified long-term repeatability of cognitive performance in wild Australian magpies over a three-year period. Cognitive performance was repeatable in two out of four cognitive tasks-associative learning and reversal-learning performance was repeatable, but spatial memory and inhibitory control performance, although trending toward significance, was not. Measures of general cognitive performance, obtained from principal components analyses carried out on each cognitive test battery, were highly repeatable. Together, these findings provide evidence that at least some cognitive phenotypes are stable, which in turn has important implications for our understanding of cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Ashton
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Maxime Cauchoix
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), Moulis, France
| | - Amanda R. Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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The structure of executive functions in preschool children and chimpanzees. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6456. [PMID: 35440707 PMCID: PMC9017736 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08406-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions (EF) are a core aspect of cognition. Research with adult humans has produced evidence for unity and diversity in the structure of EF. Studies with preschoolers favour a 1-factor model, in which variation in EF tasks is best explained by a single underlying trait on which all EF tasks load. How EF are structured in nonhuman primates remains unknown. This study starts to fill this gap through a comparative, multi-trait multi-method test battery with preschoolers (N = 185) and chimpanzees (N = 55). The battery aimed at measuring working memory updating, inhibition, and attention shifting with three non-verbal tasks per function. For both species the correlations between tasks were low to moderate and not confined to tasks within the same putative function. Factor analyses produced some evidence for the unity of executive functions in both groups, in that our analyses revealed shared variance. However, we could not conclusively distinguish between 1-, 2- or 3-factor models. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to the ecological validity of current psychometric research.
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Lu C, Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Variability in ambient temperature promotes juvenile participation and shorter latency in a learning test in zebra finches. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Davidson GL, Reichert MS, Coomes JR, Kulahci IG, de la Hera I, Quinn JL. Inhibitory control performance is repeatable over time and across contexts in a wild bird population. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Loyant L, Waller BM, Micheletta J, Joly M. Validation of a battery of inhibitory control tasks reveals a multifaceted structure in non-human primates. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12863. [PMID: 35186469 PMCID: PMC8840138 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control, the ability to override an inappropriate prepotent response, is crucial in many aspects of everyday life. However, the various paradigms designed to measure inhibitory control often suffer from a lack of systematic validation and have yielded mixed results. Thus the nature of this ability remains unclear, is it a general construct or a family of distinct sub-components? Therefore, the aim of this study was first to demonstrate the content validity and the temporal repeatability of a battery of inhibitory control tasks. Then we wanted to assess the contextual consistency of performances between these tasks to better understand the structure of inhibitory control. We tested 21 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta, 12 males, nine females) in a battery of touchscreen tasks assessing three main components of inhibitory control: inhibition of a distraction (using a Distraction task), inhibition of an impulsive action (using a Go/No-go task) and inhibition of a cognitive set (using a Reversal learning task). All tasks were reliable and effective at measuring the inhibition of a prepotent response. However, while there was consistency of performance between the inhibition of a distraction and the inhibition of an action, representing a response-driven basic form of inhibition, this was not found for the inhibition of a cognitive set. We argue that the inhibition of a cognitive set is a more cognitively demanding form of inhibition. This study gives a new insight in the multifaceted structure of inhibitory control and highlights the importance of a systematic validation of cognitive tasks in animal cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Loyant
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom
| | - Bridget M. Waller
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jérôme Micheletta
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom
| | - Marine Joly
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom
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Stuber EF, Carlson BS, Jesmer BR. Spatial personalities: a meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Individual variation in behavior, particularly consistent among-individual differences (i.e., personality), has important ecological and evolutionary implications for population and community dynamics, trait divergence, and patterns of speciation. Nevertheless, individual variation in spatial behaviors, such as home range behavior, movement characteristics, or habitat use has yet to be incorporated into the concepts or methodologies of ecology and evolutionary biology. To evaluate evidence for the existence of consistent among-individual differences in spatial behavior – which we refer to as “spatial personality” – we performed a meta-analysis of 200 repeatability estimates of home range size, movement metrics, and habitat use. We found that the existence of spatial personality is a general phenomenon, with consistently high repeatability (r) across classes of spatial behavior (r = 0.67–0.82), taxa (r = 0.31–0.79), and time between repeated measurements (r = 0.54–0.74). These results suggest: 1) repeatable spatial behavior may either be a cause or consequence of the environment experienced and lead to spatial personalities that may limit the ability of individuals to behaviorally adapt to changing landscapes; 2) interactions between spatial phenotypes and environmental conditions could result in differential reproduction, survival, and dispersal, suggesting that among-individual variation may facilitate population-level adaptation; 3) spatial patterns of species' distributions and spatial population dynamics may be better understood by shifting from a mean field analytical approach towards methods that account for spatial personalities and their associated fitness and ecological dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica F Stuber
- U.S. Geological Survey Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Wildland Resources, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ben S Carlson
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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Cognitive flexibility in the wild: Individual differences in reversal learning are explained primarily by proactive interference, not by sampling strategies, in two passerine bird species. Learn Behav 2022; 50:153-166. [PMID: 35015239 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00505-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Behavioural flexibility allows animals to adjust to changes in their environment. Although the cognitive processes that explain flexibility have been relatively well studied in psychology, this is less true for animals in the wild. Here we use data collected automatically during self-administered discrimination-learning trials for two passerine species, and during four phases (habituation, initial learning, first reversal and second reversal) in order to decompose sources of consistent among-individual differences in reversal learning, a commonly used measure for cognitive flexibility. First, we found that, as expected, proactive interference was significantly repeatable and had a negative effect on reversal learning, confirming that individuals with poor ability to inhibit returning to a previously rewarded feeder were also slower to reversal learn. Second, to our knowledge for the first time in a natural population, we examined how sampling of non-rewarding options post-learning affected reversal-learning performance. Sampling quantity was moderately repeatable in blue tits but not great tits; sampling bias, the variance in the proportion of visits to each non-rewarded feeder, was not repeatable for either species. Sampling behaviour did not predict variation in reversal-learning speed to any significant extent. Finally, the repeatability of reversal learning was explained almost entirely by proactive interference for blue tits; in great tits, the effects of proactive interference and sampling bias on the repeatability of reversal learning were indistinguishable. Our results highlight the value of proactive interference as a more direct measurement of cognitive flexibility and shed light on how animals respond to changes in their environment.
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Miller R, Lambert ML, Frohnwieser A, Brecht KF, Bugnyar T, Crampton I, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Gould K, Greggor AL, Izawa EI, Kelly DM, Li Z, Luo Y, Luong LB, Massen JJM, Nieder A, Reber SA, Schiestl M, Seguchi A, Sepehri P, Stevens JR, Taylor AH, Wang L, Wolff LM, Zhang Y, Clayton NS. Socio-ecological correlates of neophobia in corvids. Curr Biol 2022; 32:74-85.e4. [PMID: 34793696 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral responses to novelty, including fear and subsequent avoidance of novel stimuli, i.e., neophobia, determine how animals interact with their environment. Neophobia aids in navigating risk and impacts on adaptability and survival. There is variation within and between individuals and species; however, lack of large-scale, comparative studies critically limits investigation of the socio-ecological drivers of neophobia. In this study, we tested responses to novel objects and food (alongside familiar food) versus a baseline (familiar food alone) in 10 corvid species (241 subjects) across 10 labs worldwide. There were species differences in the latency to touch familiar food in the novel object and novel food conditions relative to the baseline. Four of seven socio-ecological factors influenced object neophobia: (1) use of urban habitat (versus not), (2) territorial pair versus family group sociality, (3) large versus small maximum flock size, and (4) moderate versus specialized caching (whereas range, hunting live animals, and genus did not), while only maximum flock size influenced food neophobia. We found that, overall, individuals were temporally and contextually repeatable (i.e., consistent) in their novelty responses in all conditions, indicating neophobia is a stable behavioral trait. With this study, we have established a network of corvid researchers, demonstrating potential for further collaboration to explore the evolution of cognition in corvids and other bird species. These novel findings enable us, for the first time in corvids, to identify the socio-ecological correlates of neophobia and grant insight into specific elements that drive higher neophobic responses in this avian family group. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Miller
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Megan L Lambert
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Messerli Research Institute, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Frohnwieser
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Katharina F Brecht
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- University of Vienna, Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Haidlhof Research Station, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Isabelle Crampton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kristy Gould
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Alison L Greggor
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Recovery Ecology, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Ei-Ichi Izawa
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Zhongqiu Li
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Yunchao Luo
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Linh B Luong
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Utrecht University, Animal Behaviour & Cognition, Institute of Environmental Biology, Padualaan 8, De Uithof, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan A Reber
- Lund University, Department of Cognitive Science, Helgonavagen 3, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand; Max Planck Society, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Akiko Seguchi
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Parisa Sepehri
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R Stevens
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Alexander H Taylor
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lin Wang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - London M Wolff
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Yigui Zhang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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Henke-von der Malsburg J, Kappeler PM, Fichtel C. Linking cognition to ecology in wild sympatric mouse lemur species. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211728. [PMID: 34814746 PMCID: PMC8611352 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive abilities covary with both social and ecological factors across animal taxa. Ecological generalists have been attributed with enhanced cognitive abilities, but which specific ecological factors may have shaped the evolution of which specific cognitive abilities remains poorly known. To explore these links, we applied a cognitive test battery (two personality, ten cognitive tests; n = 1104 tests) to wild individuals of two sympatric mouse lemur species (n = 120 Microcebus murinus, n = 34 M. berthae) varying in ecological adaptations but sharing key features of their social systems. The habitat and dietary generalist grey mouse lemurs were more innovative and exhibited better spatial learning abilities; a cognitive advantage in responding adaptively to dynamic environmental conditions. The more specialized Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs were faster in learning associative reward contingencies, providing relative advantages in stable environmental conditions. Hence, our study revealed key cognitive correlates of ecological adaptations and indicates potential cognitive constraints of specialists that may help explain why they face a greater extinction risk in the context of current environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Henke-von der Malsburg
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primatology, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus ‘Primate Cognition’, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primatology, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primatology, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus ‘Primate Cognition’, Göttingen, Germany
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Vernouillet A. On the importance of accounting for alternative foraging tactics when assessing cognitive performance in wild animals. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2474-2477. [PMID: 34734419 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Reichert, S., Morand-Ferron, J., Kulahci, I. G., Firth, J. A., Davidson, G. L., Crofts, S. J., & Quinn, J. L. (2021) Cognition and covariance in the producer-scrounger game. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13551. When foraging in groups, individuals can either acquire their own resources, as producers, or profit from the work of other individuals, as scroungers. Individuals vary in how much they rely on one foraging tactic over the other. Yet, each of these foraging tactics presents unique cognitive challenges. Using a field experiment with a mixed-species flock of birds, Reichert et al. (2021) investigated how production learning (i.e. successfully feeding from their assigned rewarded feeder) and scrounging propensity (i.e. collecting food from a non-assigned feeders by following another individual) are related at an individual level, as well as the repeatability of both production learning and scrounging propensity. The authors show that overall, (a) individuals learned to scrounge, (b) individuals who rely more on scrounging took longer to learn their assigned feeder and (c) variation in each cognitive trait was mostly explained by individual behavioural flexibility rather than by consistent differences between individuals. Since learning was negatively correlated with the use of an alternative foraging tactic (i.e. scrounging), results of this study also suggest that individual choice of foraging tactics should be considered when evaluating cognitive abilities in wild animals.
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Loyant L, Waller BM, Micheletta J, Joly M. Heterogeneity of performances in several inhibitory control tasks: male rhesus macaques are more easily distracted than females. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211564. [PMID: 34849250 PMCID: PMC8611350 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitory control, the ability to override a dominant response, is crucial in many aspects of everyday life. In animal studies, striking individual variations are often largely ignored and their causes rarely considered. Hence, our aims were to systematically investigate individual variability in inhibitory control, to replicate the most common causes of individual variation (age, sex and rank) and to determine if these factors had a consistent effect on three main components of inhibitory control (inhibition of a distraction, inhibition of an action, inhibition of a cognitive set). We tested 21 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in a battery of validated touchscreen tasks. We first found individual variations in all inhibitory control performances. We then demonstrated that males had poorer performances to inhibit a distraction and that middle-aged individuals exhibited poorer performance in the inhibition of a cognitive set. Hence, the factors of age and sex were not consistently associated with the main components of inhibitory control, suggesting a multi-faceted structure. The rank of the subjects did not influence any inhibitory control performances. This study adopts a novel approach for animal behaviour studies and gives new insight into the individual variability of inhibitory control which is crucial to understand its evolutionary underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Loyant
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK
| | - Bridget M. Waller
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jérôme Micheletta
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK
| | - Marine Joly
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK
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Liedtke J, Fromhage L. Should dispersers be fast learners? Modeling the role of cognition in dispersal syndromes. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14293-14302. [PMID: 34707855 PMCID: PMC8525168 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Both cognitive abilities and dispersal tendencies can vary strongly between individuals. Since cognitive abilities may help dealing with unknown circumstances, it is conceivable that dispersers may rely more heavily on learning abilities than residents. However, cognitive abilities are costly and leaving a familiar place might result in losing the advantage of having learned to deal with local conditions. Thus, individuals which invested in learning to cope with local conditions may be better off staying at their natal place. In order to disentangle the complex relationship between dispersal and learning abilities, we implemented individual-based simulations. By allowing for developmental plasticity, individuals could either become a 'resident' or 'dispersal' cognitive phenotype. The model showed that in general residents have higher learning abilities than dispersers. Dispersers evolve higher learning ability than residents when dispersers have long life spans and when dispersal occurs either early or late in life, thereby maximizing the time in one habitat patch. Time is crucial here, because the longer an individual resides in a location where it can use its learned knowledge or behavior, the more often it profits from it and thus eventually obtains a net benefit from its investment into learning. Both, longevity and the timing of dispersal within lifecycles determine the time individuals have to recoup that investment and thus crucially influence this correlation. We therefore suggest that species' life history will strongly impact the expected cognitive abilities of dispersers, relative to their resident conspecifics, and that cognitive abilities might be an integral part of dispersal syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Liedtke
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyvaskylaJyvaskylaFinland
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
- BioConsult SH GmbH & Co., KGHusumGermany
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyvaskylaJyvaskylaFinland
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Rowell MK, Rymer TL. Memory enhances problem solving in the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:347-358. [PMID: 34453668 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01556-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Problem solving is important for survival, allowing animals to access novel food resources or escape from predators. It was originally thought to rely on an animal's intelligence; however, studies examining the relationship between individual cognitive ability and problem solving performance show mixed results, and studies are often restricted to only one cognitive and one problem solving task. We investigated the relationship between general cognitive ability and problem solving across multiple tasks in the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. We measured general cognitive ability across different domains (memory in an odour learning association task, recognition in a novel object recognition task, size discrimination using different sized pieces of food, and learning across multiple presentations of a food-baited activity board). We also measured problem solving across different contexts (food-baited puzzle boxes in home cage, obstruction task, and food-baited activity board in a novel arena). Mosaic-tailed rats showed a general cognitive ability, with average problem solving latency, memory ability, and learning in the tile task being correlated. As such, individuals that were able to remember an association and learned to solve the tile task solved the problems faster than individuals that could not remember or learn. Our results suggest that problem solving in mosaic-tailed rats likely relies on some forms of simple cognition, particularly memory, but could also depend on other traits, such as an individual's persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misha K Rowell
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia. .,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia.
| | - Tasmin L Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
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Martin JS, Jaeggi AV. Social animal models for quantifying plasticity, assortment, and selection on interacting phenotypes. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:520-538. [PMID: 34233047 PMCID: PMC9292565 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Both assortment and plasticity can facilitate social evolution, as each may generate heritable associations between the phenotypes and fitness of individuals and their social partners. However, it currently remains difficult to empirically disentangle these distinct mechanisms in the wild, particularly for complex and environmentally responsive phenotypes subject to measurement error. To address this challenge, we extend the widely used animal model to facilitate unbiased estimation of plasticity, assortment and selection on social traits, for both phenotypic and quantitative genetic (QG) analysis. Our social animal models (SAMs) estimate key evolutionary parameters for the latent reaction norms underlying repeatable patterns of phenotypic interaction across social environments. As a consequence of this approach, SAMs avoid inferential biases caused by various forms of measurement error in the raw phenotypic associations between social partners. We conducted a simulation study to demonstrate the application of SAMs and investigate their performance for both phenotypic and QG analyses. With sufficient repeated measurements, we found desirably high power, low bias and low uncertainty across model parameters using modest sample and effect sizes, leading to robust predictions of selection and adaptation. Our results suggest that SAMs will readily enhance social evolutionary research on a variety of phenotypes in the wild. We provide detailed coding tutorials and worked examples for implementing SAMs in the Stan statistical programming language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Caicoya AL, Amici F, Ensenyat C, Colell M. Comparative cognition in three understudied ungulate species: European bison, forest buffalos and giraffes. Front Zool 2021; 18:30. [PMID: 34158081 PMCID: PMC8218502 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00417-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Comparative cognition has historically focused on a few taxa such as primates, birds or rodents. However, a broader perspective is essential to understand how different selective pressures affect cognition in different taxa, as more recently shown in several studies. Here we present the same battery of cognitive tasks to two understudied ungulate species with different socio-ecological characteristics, European bison (Bison bonasus) and forest buffalos (Syncerus caffer nanus), and we compare their performance to previous findings in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). We presented subjects with an Object permanence task, Memory tasks with 30 and 60 s delays, two inference tasks based on acoustic cues (i.e. Acoustic inference tasks) and a control task to check for the use of olfactory cues (i.e. Olfactory task). Results Overall, giraffes outperformed bison and buffalos, and bison outperformed buffalos (that performed at chance level). All species performed better in the Object permanence task than in the Memory tasks and one of the Acoustic inference tasks (which they likely solved by relying on stimulus enhancement). Giraffes performed better than buffalos in the Shake full Acoustic inference task, but worse than bison and buffalos in the Shake empty Acoustic inference task. Conclusions In sum, our results are in line with the hypothesis that specific socio-ecological characteristics played a crucial role in the evolution of cognition, and that higher fission-fusion levels and larger dietary breadth are linked to higher cognitive skills. This study shows that ungulates may be an excellent model to test evolutionary hypotheses on the emergence of cognition. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00417-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Lopez Caicoya
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Federica Amici
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group Primate Behavioural Ecology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Montserrat Colell
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Reichert MS, Morand-Ferron J, Kulahci IG, Firth JA, Davidson GL, Crofts SJ, Quinn JL. Cognition and covariance in the producer-scrounger game. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2497-2509. [PMID: 34091901 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The producer-scrounger game is a key element of foraging ecology in many systems. Producing and scrounging typically covary negatively, but partitioning this covariance into contributions of individual plasticity and consistent between individual differences is key to understanding population-level consequences of foraging strategies. Furthermore, little is known about the role cognition plays in the producer-scrounger game. We investigated the role of cognition in these alternative foraging tactics in wild mixed-species flocks of great tits and blue tits, using a production learning task in which we measured individuals' speed of learning to visit the single feeder in an array that would provide them with a food reward. We also quantified the proportion of individuals' feeds that were scrounges ('proportion scrounged'); scrounging was possible if individuals visited immediately after a previous rewarded visitor. Three learning experiments-initial and two reversal learning-enabled us to estimate the repeatability and covariance of each foraging behaviour. First, we examined whether individuals learned to improve their scrounging success (i.e. whether they obtained food by scrounging when there was an opportunity to do so). Second, we quantified the repeatability of proportion scrounged, and asked whether proportion scrounged affected production learning speed among individuals. Third, we used multivariate analyses to partition within- and among-individual components of covariance between proportion scrounged and production learning speed. Individuals improved their scrounging success over time. Birds with a greater proportion scrounged took longer to learn their own rewarding feeder. Although multivariate analyses showed that covariance between proportion scrounged and learning speed was driven primarily by within-individual variation, that is, by behavioural plasticity, among-individual differences also played a role for blue tits. This is the first demonstration of a cognitive trait influencing producing and scrounging in the same wild system, highlighting the importance of cognition in the use of alternative resource acquisition tactics. The results of our covariance analyses suggest the potential for genetic differences in allocation to alternative foraging tactics, which are likely species- and system-dependent. They also point to the need to control for different foraging tactics when studying individual cognition in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Reichert
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | | | - Ipek G Kulahci
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabrielle L Davidson
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sam J Crofts
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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49
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Mason D, Zajitschek S, Anwer H, O'Dea RE, Hesselson D, Nakagawa S. Low repeatability of aversive learning in zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269009. [PMID: 34087936 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.240846] [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: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Aversive learning - avoiding certain situations based on negative experiences - can profoundly increase fitness in animal species, yet no studies have systematically quantified its repeatability. Therefore, we assessed the repeatability of aversive learning by conditioning approximately 100 zebrafish (Danio rerio) to avoid a colour cue associated with a mild electric shock. Across eight different colour conditions, zebrafish did not show consistent individual differences in aversive learning (R=0.04). Within conditions, when zebrafish were conditioned to the same colour, blue conditioning was more repeatable than green conditioning (R=0.15 and R=0.02). Overall, aversive learning responses of zebrafish were weak and variable. We speculate that the effect of aversive learning might have been too weak to quantify consistent individual differences, or directional selection might have eroded additive genetic variance. We also discuss how confounded repeatability assays and publication bias could have inflated estimates of repeatability in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Mason
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.,School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Hamza Anwer
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Rose E O'Dea
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Daniel Hesselson
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences , University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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50
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Hermer E, Murphy B, Chaine AS, Morand-Ferron J. Great tits who remember more accurately have difficulty forgetting, but variation is not driven by environmental harshness. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10083. [PMID: 33980907 PMCID: PMC8114932 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The causes of individual variation in memory are poorly understood in wild animals. Harsh environments with sparse or rapidly changing food resources are hypothesized to favour more accurate spatial memory to allow animals to return to previously visited patches when current patches are depleted. A potential cost of more accurate spatial memory is proactive interference, where accurate memories block the formation of new memories. This relationship between spatial memory, proactive interference, and harsh environments has only been studied in scatter-hoarding animals. We compare spatial memory accuracy and proactive interference performance of non-scatter hoarding great tits (Parus major) from high and low elevations where harshness increases with elevation. In contrast to studies of scatter-hoarders, we did not find a significant difference between high and low elevation birds in their spatial memory accuracy or proactive interference performance. Using a variance partitioning approach, we report the first among-individual trade-off between spatial memory and proactive interference, uncovering variation in memory at the individual level where selection may act. Although we have no evidence of harsh habitats affecting spatial memory, our results suggest that if elevation produced differences in spatial memory between elevations, we could see concurrent changes in how quickly birds can forget.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Hermer
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Ben Murphy
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis, France ,grid.424401.70000 0004 0384 0611Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
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