1
|
Suwandschieff E, Huber L, Bugnyar T, Schwing R. Kea, bird of versatility. Kea parrots ( Nestor notabilis) show high behavioural flexibility in solving a demonstrated sequence task. J Ornithol 2023; 165:49-55. [PMID: 38225935 PMCID: PMC10787887 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-023-02127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Social learning is an important aspect of dealing with the complexity of life. The transmission of information via the observation of other individuals is a cost-effective way of acquiring information. It is widespread within the animal kingdom but may differ strongly in the social learning mechanisms applied by the divergent species. Here we tested eighteen Kea (Nestor notabilis) parrots on their propensity to socially learn, and imitate, a demonstrated sequence of steps necessary to open an apparatus containing food. The demonstration by a conspecific led to more successful openings by observer birds, than control birds without a demonstration. However, all successful individuals showed great variation in their response topography and abandoned faithfully copying the task in favour of exploration. While the results provide little evidence for motor imitation they do provide further evidence for kea's propensity towards exploration and rapidly shifting solving strategies, indicative of behavioural flexibility. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10336-023-02127-y.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Suwandschieff
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bugnyar T. Why are ravens smart? Exploring the social intelligence hypothesis. J Ornithol 2023; 165:15-26. [PMID: 38225936 PMCID: PMC10787684 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-023-02111-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Ravens and other corvids are renowned for their 'intelligence'. For long, this reputation has been based primarily on anecdotes but in the last decades experimental evidence for impressive cognitive skills has accumulated within and across species. While we begin to understand the building blocks of corvid cognition, the question remains why these birds have evolved such skills. Focusing on Northern Ravens Corvus corax, I here try to tackle this question by relating current hypotheses on brain evolution to recent empirical data on challenges faced in the birds' daily life. Results show that foraging ravens meet several assumptions for applying social intelligence: (1) they meet repeatedly at foraging sites, albeit individuals have different site preferences and vary in grouping dynamics; (1) foraging groups are structured by dominance rank hierarchies and social bonds; (3) individual ravens memorize former group members and their relationship valence over years, deduce third-party relationships and use their social knowledge in daily life by supporting others in conflicts and intervening in others' affiliations. Hence, ravens' socio-cognitive skills may be strongly shaped by the 'complex' social environment experienced as non-breeders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Faculty for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645 Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Suwandschieff E, Wein A, Folkertsma R, Bugnyar T, Huber L, Schwing R. Correction: Two-action task, testing imitative social learning in kea (Nestor notabilis). Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01803-z. [PMID: 37340229 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01803-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Suwandschieff
- Research Station Haidlhof, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Amelia Wein
- Research Station Haidlhof, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Remco Folkertsma
- Research Station Haidlhof, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Platform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Research Station Haidlhof, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Research Station Haidlhof, Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Federspiel IG, Schmitt V, Schuster R, Rockenbach C, Braun A, Loretto MC, Michels C, Fischer J, Mussweiler T, Bugnyar T. Are you better than me? Social comparisons in carrion crows (Corvus corone). Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01785-y. [PMID: 37219737 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01785-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Comparing oneself to others is a key process in humans that allows individuals to gauge their performances and abilities and thus develop and calibrate their self-image. Little is known about its evolutionary foundations. A key feature of social comparison is the sensitivity to other individuals' performance. Recent studies on primates produced equivocal results, leading us to distinguish between a 'strong' variant of the social comparison hypothesis formulated for humans and a 'weak' variant found in non-human primates that would comprise some elements of human social comparison. Here, we focus on corvids that are distantly related to primates and renowned for their socio-cognitive skills. We were interested in whether crows' task performances were influenced (i) by the presence of a conspecific co-actor performing the same discrimination task and (ii) by the simulated acoustic cues of a putative co-actor performing better or worse than themselves. Crows reached a learning criterion quicker when tested simultaneously as compared to when tested alone, indicating a facilitating effect of social context. The performance of a putative co-actor influenced their performance: crows were better at discriminating familiar images when their co-actor was better than they were. Standard extremity (how pronounced the difference was between the performance of the subject and that of the co-actor), and category membership (affiliation status and sex), of the putative co-actors had no effect on their performance. Our findings are in line with the 'weak' variant of social comparison and indicate that elements of human social comparison can be found outside of primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I G Federspiel
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
- Social Cognition Center, University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences, Cologne, Germany.
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - V Schmitt
- Social Cognition Center, University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences, Cologne, Germany
| | - R Schuster
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - C Rockenbach
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - A Braun
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| | - M-C Loretto
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471, Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - C Michels
- Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - J Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - T Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vanhooland LC, Szabó A, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. A comparative study of mirror self-recognition in three corvid species. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:229-248. [PMID: 36173469 PMCID: PMC9876878 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01696-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mirror self-recognition (MSR) assessed by the Mark Test has been the staple test for the study of animal self-awareness. When tested in this paradigm, corvid species return discrepant results, with only the Eurasian magpies and the Indian house crow successfully passing the test so far, whereas multiple other corvid species fail. The lack of replicability of these positive results and the large divergence in applied methodologies calls into question whether the observed differences are in fact phylogenetic or methodological, and, if so, which factors facilitate the expression of MSR in some corvids. In this study, we (1) present new results on the self-recognition abilities of common ravens, (2) replicate results of azure-winged magpies, and (3) compare the mirror responses and performances in the mark test of these two corvid species with a third corvid species: carrion crows, previously tested following the same experimental procedure. Our results show interspecies differences in the approach of and the response to the mirror during the mirror exposure phase of the experiment as well as in the subsequent mark test. However, the performances of these species in the Mark Test do not provide any evidence for their ability of self-recognition. Our results add to the ongoing discussion about the convergent evolution of MSR and we advocate for consistent methodologies and procedures in comparing this ability across species to advance this discussion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Claire Vanhooland
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Anita Szabó
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Blum CR, Fitch WT, Bugnyar T. Social dynamics impact scolding behaviour in captive groups of common ravens (Corvus corax). Front Zool 2022; 19:32. [PMID: 36503565 PMCID: PMC9743665 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00477-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predator avoidance can have immense impacts on fitness, yet individual variation in the expression of anti-predator behaviour remains largely unexplained. Existing research investigating learning of novel predators has focused either on individuals or groups, but not both. Testing in individual settings allows evaluations of learning or personality differences, while testing in group settings makes it impossible to distinguish any such individual differences from social dynamics. In this study, we investigate the effect of social dynamics on individual anti-predator behaviour. We trained 15 captive ravens to recognize and respond to a novel experimental predator and then exposed them to this predator in both group and isolation settings across 1.5 years to tease apart individual differences from social effects and evaluate two hypotheses: (1) weaker anti-predator responses of some individuals in the group occurred, because they failed to recognize the experimental predator as a threat, leading to weak responses when separated, or (2) some individuals had learned the new threat, but their scolding intensity was repressed in the group trials due to social dynamics (such as dominance rank), leading to increased scolding intensity when alone. RESULTS We found that dominance significantly influences scolding behaviour in the group trials; top-ranked individuals scold more and earlier than lower ranking ones. However, in the separation trials scolding duration is no longer affected by rank. CONCLUSIONS We speculate that, while top-ranked individuals use their anti-predator responses to signal status in the group, lower-ranking ravens may be suppressed from, or are less capable of, performing intense anti-predator behaviour while in the group. This suggests that, in addition to its recruitment or predator-deterrent effects, alarm calling may serve as a marker of individual quality to conspecifics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian R Blum
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna CogSciHub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Masilkova M, Šlipogor V, Lima Marques Silva GH, Hadová M, Lhota S, Bugnyar T, Konečná M. Age, but not hand preference, is related to personality traits in common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus). R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:220797. [PMID: 36300134 PMCID: PMC9579762 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The proximate mechanisms underlying animal personalities, i.e. consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, are a matter of discussion. Brain lateralization, expressed as the preferred use of the contralateral limb, has been suggested as one of these mechanisms. In this study, we measured a proxy of brain lateralization in captive common marmosets (N = 28) by testing hand preference in a simple food-reaching task and evaluated personality by coding a wide range of behaviours observed in daily situations. We explored the links between personality and both direction and strength of hand preference, as well as age and sex, using linear models. Principal component analysis revealed that the stable behavioural variables were organized in three personality dimensions: Agreeableness, Extraversion and Neuroticism. Regarding hand preference, 14 individuals were left-handed, seven were right-handed and seven were ambilateral. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find any relationship between personality scores and hand preference or sex. Instead, age was a significant predictor of personality scores, with older individuals being more agreeable and less extraverted. The link between brain lateralization and personality seems to be equivocal and dependent on personality and brain lateralization assessment methods. Further examinations of other proximate mechanisms, such as physiology or (epi)genetics, may elucidate what drives personality variation in common marmosets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Masilkova
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Magdaléna Hadová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Bratislava Zoo, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stanislav Lhota
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Ústí nad Labem Zoo, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martina Konečná
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jain V, Bugnyar T, Cunningham SJ, Gallego-Abenza M, Loretto MC, Sumasgutner P. The spatial and temporal exploitation of anthropogenic food sources by common ravens (Corvus corax) in the Alps. Mov Ecol 2022; 10:35. [PMID: 36008849 PMCID: PMC9414151 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00335-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthropogenic food sources (AFSs) are widespread in human-transformed landscapes and the current scale at which they occur drives ecological change at the individual, population, and community levels. AFSs are exploited extensively by common ravens, Corvus corax. Understanding how raven populations use AFSs can provide insight into their ecological responses to AFSs. METHODS We equipped 81 ravens in the Austrian Alps with GPS-transmitters over a period of 2.75 years. Using these tracking data, we investigated how cohort differences (i.e., age, sex, and origin) and seasonal changes influence raven movement patterns (i.e., occurrence distribution and maximum daily displacement) and AFS-use (i.e., number of AFSs visited and probability of being present at any AFS) at 45 extensively exploited sites. RESULTS We found that proxies for experience and dominance, inferred by age (i.e., juvenile versus adult) and origin (i.e., wild-caught versus captive-bred-released) cohorts, influenced movement patterns and the number of AFSs visited. However, all individuals were equally likely to be present at AFSs, highlighting the importance of AFSs for non-breeders in the study population. Seasonal changes in environmental conditions that affect energetic demands, the availability of natural and anthropogenic food, and foraging competition, influenced individuals' occurrence distributions and AFS-use. We found that under harsher conditions in autumn and winter, individuals ranged wider and depended on AFSs to a larger degree. However, contrary to expectation, they were less likely to be present at AFSs in these seasons compared to spring and summer, suggesting a trade-off between time spent moving and exploiting resources. We attribute the small ranging movements exhibited by non-breeders in spring and summer to the presence of highly territorial and socially dominant breeders. As breeders mostly stay and forage within their territories during these seasons, competition at AFSs decrease, thereby increasing the likelihood of individuals being present at any AFS. CONCLUSIONS We emphasize that movement and AFS-use differ according to cohort differences and the seasonality of the environment. Our results highlight that predictable AFSs affect foraging strategies among non-breeding ravens. The extent of AFS-exploitation among non-breeding ravens in our study emphasize the potential of AFSs in shaping raven movement and resource-use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Varalika Jain
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471, Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Horn L, Cimarelli G, Boucherie PH, Šlipogor V, Bugnyar T. Beyond the dichotomy between field and lab — the importance of studying cognition in context. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
10
|
Gallego-Abenza M, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Early social environment affects attention to social cues in juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:220132. [PMID: 35774139 PMCID: PMC9240683 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Social competence, i.e. defined as the ability to adjust the expression of social behaviour to the available social information, is known to be influenced by early-life conditions. Brood size might be one of the factors determining such early conditions, particularly in species with extended parental care. We here tested in ravens whether growing up in families of different sizes affects the chicks' responsiveness to social information. We experimentally manipulated the brood size of 13 captive raven families, creating either small or large families. Simulating dispersal, juveniles were separated from their parents and temporarily housed in one of two captive non-breeder groups. After five weeks of socialization, each raven was individually tested in a playback setting with food-associated calls from three social categories: sibling, familiar unrelated raven they were housed with, and unfamiliar unrelated raven from the other non-breeder aviary. We found that individuals reared in small families were more attentive than birds from large families, in particular towards the familiar unrelated peer. These results indicate that variation in family size during upbringing can affect how juvenile ravens value social information. Whether the observed attention patterns translate into behavioural preferences under daily life conditions remains to be tested in future studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gallup AC, Schild AB, Ühlein MA, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. No Evidence for Contagious Yawning in Juvenile Ravens ( Corvus corax): An Observational Study. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:1357. [PMID: 35681822 PMCID: PMC9179381 DOI: 10.3390/ani12111357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The overt and reflexive matching of behaviors among conspecifics has been observed in a growing number of social vertebrates, including avian species. In general, behavioral contagion-such as the spread of yawning-may serve important functions in group synchronization and vigilance behavior. Here, we performed an exploratory study to investigate yawn contagion among 10 captive juvenile ravens (Corvus corax), across two groups. Using observational methods, we also examined the contagiousness of three other distinct behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. A total of 44 20 min observations were made across both groups, including 28 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon. The time and occurrence of all the behaviors from each bird were coded, and the temporal pattern of each behavior across both groups was then analyzed to assess the degree of social contagion. Overall, we found no evidence for contagious yawning, stretching, scratching, or shaking. However, yawns were relatively infrequent per observation (0.052 ± 0.076 yawns/bird) and thus experimental methods should be used to support this finding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C. Gallup
- Psychology and Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences Programs, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
| | - Anja B. Schild
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Markus A. Ühlein
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Boucherie PH, Gallego-Abenza M, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. Dominance in a socially dynamic setting: hierarchical structure and conflict dynamics in ravens' foraging groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200446. [PMID: 35000442 PMCID: PMC8743890 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dominance hierarchies typically emerge in systems where group members regularly encounter and compete for resources. In birds, the 'open' and dynamic structure of foraging groups may prevent the emergence of structured hierarchies, although this assumption have hardly been tested. We report on agonistic data for ravens Corvus corax, collected over two 18-month periods for 183 marked individuals of a wild (fluid) population and 51 birds from six captive (stable) groups. We show that the dominance structure (steep and transitive) in wild foraging groups is strikingly similar to that found in captivity. In the wild, we found that higher ranks are mainly occupied by males, older and more aggressive individuals that also tend to receive fewer aggressions. Exploring the mechanisms sustaining the wild dominance structure, we confirmed that males are more aggressive than females and, with age, tend to receive fewer aggressions than females. Males that are about to leave the foraging groups for some months are less aggressive than newcomers or locals, while newcomers are specifically targeted by aggressions in their first year (as juveniles). Taken together, our results indicate that the socially dynamic conditions ravens face during foraging do not hinder, but provide opportunities for, using (advanced) social cognition. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wenig K, Pacher L, Bugnyar T. Testing the contagious nature of allopreening: bystander ravens are affected by conspecifics’ affiliative interactions. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
|
15
|
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: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Ersoy S, Maag N, Boehly T, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Sex-specific parental care during postfledging in common ravens. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
17
|
Keupp S, Abedin F, Jeanson L, Kade C, Kalbitz J, Titchener R, Mussweiler T, Bugnyar T, Fischer J. Performance-based Social Comparisons in Humans and Long-tailed Macaques. AB&C 2021. [DOI: 10.26451/abc.08.03.02.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social comparisons are a fundamental feature of human thinking and affect self-evaluations and task performance. Little is known about the evolutionary origins of social comparison processes, however. Previous studies that investigated performance-based social comparisons in nonhuman primates yielded mixed results. We report three experiments that aimed (a) to explore how the task type may contribute to performance in monkeys, and (b) how a competitive set-up affects monkeys compared to humans. In a co-action touchscreen task, monkeys were neither influenced by nor interested in the performance of the partner. This may indicate that the experimental set-up was not sufficiently relevant to trigger social comparisons. In a novel co-action foraging task, monkeys increased their feeding speed in competitive and co-active conditions, but not in relation to the degree of competition. In an analogue of the foraging task, human participants were affected by partner performance and experimental context, indicating that the task is suitable to elicit social comparisons in humans. Our studies indicate that specifics of task and experimental setting are relevant to draw the monkeys’ attention to a co-actor and that, in line with previous research, a competitive element was crucial. We highlight the need to explore what constitutes “relevant” social comparison situations for monkeys as well as nonhuman animals in general, and point out factors that we think are crucial in this respect (e.g., task type, physical closeness, and the species’ ecology). We discuss that early forms of social comparisons evolved in purely competitive environments with increasing social tolerance and cooperative motivations allowing for more fine-grained processing of social information. Competition driven effects on task performance might constitute the foundation for the more elaborate social comparison processes found in humans, which may involve context-dependent information processing and metacognitive monitoring.
Collapse
|
18
|
Stocker M, Prosl J, Vanhooland LC, Horn L, Bugnyar T, Canoine V, Massen JJM. Measuring salivary mesotocin in birds - Seasonal differences in ravens' peripheral mesotocin levels. Horm Behav 2021; 134:105015. [PMID: 34144393 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is involved in a broad array of social behaviours. While saliva has been used regularly to investigate the role of oxytocin in social behaviour of mammal species, so far, to our knowledge, no-one has tried to measure its homolog, mesotocin, in birds' saliva. Therefore, in this study we measured salivary mesotocin in common ravens (Corvus corax), and subsequently explored its link to three aspects of raven sociality. We trained ravens (n = 13) to voluntarily provide saliva samples and analysed salivary mesotocin with a commercial oxytocin enzyme-immunoassay kit, also suitable for mesotocin. After testing parallelism and recovery, we investigated the effect of bonding status, sex and season on mesotocin levels. We found that mesotocin was significantly more likely to be detected in samples taken during the breeding season (spring) than during the mating season (winter). In those samples in which mesotocin was detected, concentrations were also significantly higher during the breeding than during the mating season. In contrast, bonding status and sex were not found to relate to mesotocin detectability and concentrations. The seasonal differences in mesotocin correspond to behavioral patterns known to be associated with mesotocin/oxytocin, with ravens showing much more aggression during the mating season while being more tolerant of conspecifics in the breeding season. We show for the first time that saliva samples can be useful for the non-invasive determination of hormone levels in birds. However, the rate of successfully analysed samples was very low, and collection and analysis methods will benefit from further improvements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Stocker
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands.
| | - Jonathan Prosl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Virginie Canoine
- 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, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
Perceiving, evaluating and reacting towards conspecifics' emotional states are important challenges of social group living. Emotional contagion describes an alignment of emotional states between individuals and is widely believed to be based on behavioral synchronization, i.e., behavioral contagion. As basic empathy-like processes, the occurrence of both forms of contagion seems to underlie early ontogenetic trajectories in humans and non-human species. In the present study, we assessed play as a context for studying the development of emotional contagion and its interlink with behavioral contagion in ten juvenile common ravens. Ravens are exceptional players that engage in all three forms of play: object, locomotion and social play. To assess potential ontogenetic patterns of both behavioral and emotional contagion, we tested juvenile ravens at two different periods of early development, at three- and six-month post-hatching. We elicited object play in one or several ravens (demonstrators) in a standardized experimental environment, using a playground setup. At both test ages, we found evidence for emotional contagion as observer ravens showed an increase of locomotion and social play after we provided the demonstrator(s) with the playground setup, but no significant changes in the amount of object play. Hence, observers did not copy motor patterns from demonstrator(s) but engaged in other forms of play. Our findings speak for a transfer of a general mood state in the context of play in ravens as young as 3 months and against behavioral mimicry as a precondition for emotional contagion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Wenig
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Horn L, Zewald JS, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. Carrion Crows and Azure-Winged Magpies Show No Prosocial Tendencies When Tested in a Token Transfer Paradigm. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:1526. [PMID: 34073851 PMCID: PMC8225188 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
To study the evolution of humans' cooperative nature, researchers have recently sought comparisons with other species. Studies investigating corvids, for example, showed that carrion crows and azure-winged magpies delivered food to group members when tested in naturalistic or simple experimental paradigms. Here, we investigated whether we could replicate these positive findings when testing the same two species in a token transfer paradigm. After training the birds to exchange tokens with an experimenter for food rewards, we tested whether they would also transfer tokens to other birds, when they did not have the opportunity to exchange the tokens themselves. To control for the effects of motivation, and of social or stimulus enhancement, we tested each individual in three additional control conditions. We witnessed very few attempts and/or successful token transfers, and those few instances did not occur more frequently in the test condition than in the controls, which would suggest that the birds lack prosocial tendencies. Alternatively, we propose that this absence of prosociality may stem from the artificial nature and cognitive complexity of the token transfer task. Consequently, our findings highlight the strong impact of methodology on animals' capability to exhibit prosocial tendencies and stress the importance of comparing multiple experimental paradigms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (T.B.); (J.J.M.M.)
| | - Jeroen S. Zewald
- Animal Behavior and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (T.B.); (J.J.M.M.)
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (T.B.); (J.J.M.M.)
- Animal Behavior and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Massen JJM, Hartlieb M, Martin JS, Leitgeb EB, Hockl J, Kocourek M, Olkowicz S, Zhang Y, Osadnik C, Verkleij JW, Bugnyar T, Němec P, Gallup AC. Brain size and neuron numbers drive differences in yawn duration across mammals and birds. Commun Biol 2021; 4:503. [PMID: 33958700 PMCID: PMC8102614 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02019-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that yawning evolved as a brain cooling mechanism. Given that larger brains have greater thermolytic needs and brain temperature is determined in part by heat production from neuronal activity, it was hypothesized that animals with larger brains and more neurons would yawn longer to produce comparable cooling effects. To test this, we performed the largest study on yawning ever conducted, analyzing 1291 yawns from 101 species (55 mammals; 46 birds). Phylogenetically controlled analyses revealed robust positive correlations between yawn duration and (1) brain mass, (2) total neuron number, and (3) cortical/pallial neuron number in both mammals and birds, which cannot be attributed solely to allometric scaling rules. These relationships were similar across clades, though mammals exhibited considerably longer yawns than birds of comparable brain and body mass. These findings provide further evidence suggesting that yawning is a thermoregulatory adaptation that has been conserved across amniote evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jorg J M Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Margarita Hartlieb
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jordan S Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Elisabeth B Leitgeb
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jasmin Hockl
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Kocourek
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Seweryn Olkowicz
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Yicheng Zhang
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Christin Osadnik
- Department of General Zoology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jorrit W Verkleij
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pavel Němec
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andrew C Gallup
- Psychology Program, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Gallego-Abenza M, Blum CR, Bugnyar T. Who is crying wolf? Seasonal effect on antipredator response to age-specific alarm calls in common ravens, Corvus corax. Learn Behav 2021; 49:159-167. [PMID: 33420703 PMCID: PMC7979661 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-020-00455-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Communication about threats including those posed by the presence of predators occurs mainly through acoustic signals called alarm calls. The comprehension of these calls by receivers and their rapid antipredator response are crucial in terms of survival. However, to avoid overreaction, individuals should evaluate whether or not an antipredator response is needed by paying attention to who is calling. For instance, we could expect adults to be more experienced with predator encounters than juveniles and thus elicit stronger antipredator responses in others when alarming. Similarly, we could expect a stronger response to alarm calls when more than one individual is calling. To test these assumptions, we applied a playback experiment to wild ravens, in which we manipulated the age class (adult or juvenile) and the number (one or two) of the callers. Our results revealed a seasonal effect of age class but no effect of number of callers. Specifically, the ravens responded with stronger antipredator behaviour (vigilance posture) towards alarm calls from adults as compared to juveniles in summer and autumn, but not in spring. We discuss alternative interpretations for this unexpected seasonal pattern and argue for more studies on call-based communication in birds to understand what type of information is relevant under which conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - Christian R Blum
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Šlipogor V, Massen JJM, Schiel N, Souto A, Bugnyar T. Temporal consistency and ecological validity of personality structure in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): A unifying field and laboratory approach. Am J Primatol 2021; 83:e23229. [PMID: 33464603 PMCID: PMC7900989 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Personality in animals has been extensively researched in recent decades. Temporal consistency of behaviors is almost always part of the personality definition and is usually explored in several different testing sessions or observation periods. However, it is still unclear whether the obtained personality constructs are stable across several years, which might be especially important for long-living animals, such as primates. Further, little is known on whether the personality structures obtained in the laboratory reflect the structures obtained under ecologically relevant conditions in the wild. Therefore, we conducted a battery of personality tests on common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) (N = 27), compared it with a test battery conducted 4 years beforehand on a subset of animals in captivity (N = 13) and ran an adapted version under field conditions at Baracuhy Biological Field Station, Brazil (N = 18). Under captive conditions, we found a remarkably similar personality structure across 4 testing years. Further, we found high long-term temporal consistency in the first two personality components, Boldness and Exploration; however, monkeys that changed their social (i.e., breeding) status between the two testing periods showed a significant increase in Boldness scores. Under field conditions, we found a somewhat similar personality structure as compared to the laboratory, which to some extent corroborates ecological validity of our personality test design. Nevertheless, whether the structure in the wild is suppressed or expanded in comparison to captivity, and in which way the social setting influences personality structure, should be further explored. Taken together, our results contribute to the discussion about the reliability and ecological validity of personality structures in nonhuman primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Department of BiologyFederal Rural University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
- Department of ZoologyFederal University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Animal Ecology Group, Institute of Environmental Biology, Department of BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Nicola Schiel
- Department of BiologyFederal Rural University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Antonio Souto
- Department of ZoologyFederal University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
ManyPrimates, Aguenounon G, Allritz M, Altschul D, Ballesta S, Beaud A, Bohn M, Bornbusch S, Brandão A, Brooks J, Bugnyar T, Burkart J, Bustamante L, Call J, Canteloup C, Cao C, Caspar K, da Silva D, de Sousa A, DeTroy S, Duguid S, Eppley T, Fichtel C, Fischer J, Gong C, Grange J, Grebe N, Hanus D, Haun D, Haux L, Héjja-Brichard Y, Helman A, Hernadi I, Hernandez-Aguilar RA, Herrmann E, Hopper L, Howard L, Huang L, Huskisson S, Jacobs I, Jin Z, Joly M, Kano F, Keupp S, Kiefer E, Knakker B, Kóczán K, Kraus L, Kwok SC, Lefrançois M, Lewis L, Liu S, Llorente M, Lonsdorf E, Loyant L, Majecka K, Maurits L, Meunier H, Mobili F, Morino L, Motes-Rodrigo A, Nijman V, Ihomi C, Persson T, Pietraszewski D, Reátiga Parrish J, Roig A, Sánchez-Amaro A, Sato Y, Sauciuc GA, Schrock A, Schweinfurth M, Seed A, Shearer C, Šlipogor V, Su Y, Sutherland K, Tan J, Taylor D, Troisi C, Völter C, Warren E, Watzek J, Zablocki-Thomas P. The Evolution of Primate Short-Term Memory. AB&C 2020. [DOI: 10.26451/abc.09.04.06.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities.
Collapse
|
25
|
Blum CR, Fitch WT, Bugnyar T. Rapid Learning and Long-Term Memory for Dangerous Humans in Ravens ( Corvus corax). Front Psychol 2020; 11:581794. [PMID: 33192900 PMCID: PMC7609869 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.581794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Like many predatory species, humans have pronounced individual differences in their interactions with potential prey: some humans pose a lethal threat while others may provide valuable resources. Recognizing individual humans would thus allow prey species to maximize potential rewards while ensuring survival. Previous studies on corvids showed they can recognize and remember individual humans. For instance, wild American crows produced alarm calls toward specifically masked humans up to 2.7 years after those humans had caught and ringed them while wearing that mask. However, individual behavior of the crows or the impact of social features on their responses, was hardly examined. Here, we studied predator learning and social effects on responses, using a similar method, in captive common ravens (Corvus corax). We investigated learning and the impact of key social components on individual reactions to artificial predators. Human experimenters wore two types of masks while walking past two raven aviaries. In four training trials, the "dangerous" mask was presented while carrying a dead raven, whereas the "neutral" mask was presented empty-handed. Between every training trial and in all following trials, we presented both masks without dead ravens. We assessed the subjects' (i) learning speed, (ii) selective long-term response, and (iii) potential effects of social dynamics on individual alarm calling frequency. Ravens learned quickly (often based on the first trial), and some individuals distinguished the dangerous from the neutral mask for the next 4 years. Despite having received the same amount and quality of exposure to the dangerous mask, we found pronounced individual differences in alarm calling that were fairly consistent across test trials in socially stable situations: dominance, but not sex explained individual differences in alarm responses, indicating the potential use of alarm calls as "status symbols." These findings fit to those in wild bird populations and dominant individuals signaling their quality. Changes in the individuals' participation and intensity of alarm calling coincided with changes in group composition and pair formation, further supporting the role of social context on ravens' alarm calling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C. R. Blum
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - T. Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Horn L, Bugnyar T, Griesser M, Hengl M, Izawa EI, Oortwijn T, Rössler C, Scheer C, Schiestl M, Suyama M, Taylor AH, Vanhooland LC, von Bayern AMP, Zürcher Y, Massen JJM. Sex-specific effects of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting on prosociality in corvids. eLife 2020; 9:e58139. [PMID: 33079060 PMCID: PMC7609055 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation of prosocial behavior is of particular interest from an evolutionary perspective. Comparisons of prosociality across non-human animal species have, however, so far largely focused on primates, and their interpretation is hampered by the diversity of paradigms and procedures used. Here, we present the first systematic comparison of prosocial behavior across multiple species in a taxonomic group outside the primate order, namely the bird family Corvidae. We measured prosociality in eight corvid species, which vary in the expression of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting. We show that cooperative breeding is positively associated with prosocial behavior across species. Also, colonial nesting is associated with a stronger propensity for prosocial behavior, but only in males. The combined results of our study strongly suggest that both cooperative breeding and colonial nesting, which may both rely on heightened social tolerance at the nest, are likely evolutionary pathways to prosocial behavior in corvids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Marietta Hengl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Eulen- und Greifvogelstation HaringseeHaringseeAustria
| | | | - Tim Oortwijn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Christiane Rössler
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Clara Scheer
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports, University of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryJenaGermany
| | - Masaki Suyama
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Hokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Alex H Taylor
- School of Psychology, University of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | | | | | - Yvonne Zürcher
- Department of Anthropology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jorg JM Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Animal Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Boucherie PH, Blum C, Bugnyar T. Effect of rearing style on the development of social behaviour in young ravens ( Corvus corax). Ethology 2020; 126:595-609. [PMID: 32612316 PMCID: PMC7317586 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Early social experiences can affect the development and expression of individual social behaviour throughout life. In particular, early-life social deprivations, notably of parental care, can later have deleterious consequences. We can, therefore, expect rearing procedures such as hand-raising-widely used in ethology and socio-cognitive science-to alter the development of individual social behaviour. We investigated how the rearing style later affected (a) variation in relationship strength among peers and (b) individuals' patterns of social interactions, in three captive groups of juvenile non-breeders consisting of either parent-raised or hand-raised birds, or a mix of both rearing styles. In the three groups, irrespectively of rearing style: strongest relationships (i.e., higher rates of association and affiliations) primarily emerged among siblings and familiar partners (i.e., non-relatives encountered in early life), and mixed-sex and male-male partners established relationships of similar strength, indicating that the rearing style does not severely affect the quality and structure of relationships in young ravens. However, compared to parent-raised ravens, hand-raised ravens showed higher connectedness, i.e., number of partners with whom they mainly associated and affiliated, but formed on average relationships of lower strength, indicating that social experience in early life is not without consequences on the development of ravens' patterns of social interaction. The deprivation of parental care associated with the presence of same-age peers during hand-raising seemed to maximize ravens' propensity to interact with others, indicating that besides parents, interactions with same-age peers matter. Opportunities to interact with, and socially learn from peers, might thus be the key to the acquisition of early social competences in ravens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Blum
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Haidlhof Research StationUniversity of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Loretto MC, Schuster R, Federspiel IG, Heinrich B, Bugnyar T. Contextual imitation in juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
29
|
Stocker M, Loretto MC, Sterck EHM, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. Cooperation with closely bonded individuals reduces cortisol levels in long-tailed macaques. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:191056. [PMID: 32537186 PMCID: PMC7277283 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Many animal species cooperate with conspecifics in various social contexts. While ultimate causes of cooperation are being studied extensively, its proximate causes, particularly endocrine mechanisms, have received comparatively little attention. Here, we present a study investigating the link between the hormone cortisol, cooperation and social bonds in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). We tested 14 macaques in a dyadic cooperation task (loose-string paradigm), each with two partners of different social bond strength and measured their salivary cortisol before and after the task. We found no strong link between the macaques' cortisol level before the task and subsequent cooperative success. By contrast, we did find that the act of cooperating in itself led to a subsequent decrease in cortisol levels, but only when cooperating with closely bonded individuals. Two control conditions showed that this effect was not due to the mere presence of such an individual or the pulling task itself. Consequently, our study shows an intricate way in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is involved in cooperation. Future studies should reveal whether and how our findings are driven by the anxiolytic effect of oxytocin, which has been associated with social bonding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Stocker
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Elisabeth H. M. Sterck
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
- Animal Ecology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Ecology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Gallego‐Abenza M, Loretto M, Bugnyar T. Decision time modulates social foraging success in wild common ravens, Corvus corax. Ethology 2020; 126:413-422. [PMID: 32201438 PMCID: PMC7079088 DOI: 10.1111/eth.12986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Social foraging provides several benefits for individuals but also bears the potential costs of higher competition. In some species, such competition arises through kleptoparasitism, that is when an animal takes food which was caught or collected by a member of its social group. Except in the context of caching, few studies have investigated how individuals avoid kleptoparasitism, which could be based on physical strength/dominance but also cognitive skills. Here, we investigated the foraging success of wild common ravens, Corvus corax, experiencing high levels of kleptoparasitism from conspecifics when snatching food from the daily feedings of captive wild boars in a game park in the Austrian Alps. Success in keeping the food depended mainly on the individuals' age class and was positively correlated with the time to make a decision in whether to fly off with food or consume it on site. While the effect of age class suggests that dominant and/or experienced individuals are better in avoiding kleptoparasitism, the effect of decision time indicates that individuals benefit from applying cognition to such decision-making, independently of age class. We discuss our findings in the context of the ecological and social intelligence hypotheses referring to the development of cognitive abilities. We conclude that investigating which factors underline kleptoparasitism avoidance is a promising scenario to test specific predictions derived from these hypotheses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego‐Abenza
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Konrad Lorenz ForschungsstelleCore Facility for Behaviour and CognitionUniversity of ViennaGrünau im AlmtalAustria
| | - Matthias‐Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Konrad Lorenz ForschungsstelleCore Facility for Behaviour and CognitionUniversity of ViennaGrünau im AlmtalAustria
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Konrad Lorenz ForschungsstelleCore Facility for Behaviour and CognitionUniversity of ViennaGrünau im AlmtalAustria
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Šlipogor V, Burkart JM, Martin JS, Bugnyar T, Koski SE. Personality method validation in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): Getting the best of both worlds. J Comp Psychol 2020; 134:52-70. [DOI: 10.1037/com0000188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
32
|
Morales Picard A, Mundry R, Auersperg AM, Boeving ER, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T, Dufour V, Emery NJ, Federspiel IG, Gajdon GK, Guéry J, Hegedič M, Horn L, Kavanagh E, Lambert ML, Massen JJM, Rodrigues MA, Schiestl M, Schwing R, Szabo B, Taylor AH, Horik JO, Bayern AMP, Seed A, Slocombe KE. Why preen others? Predictors of allopreening in parrots and corvids and comparisons to grooming in great apes. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Roger Mundry
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Platform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Alice M. Auersperg
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Emily R. Boeving
- Department of Psychology Florida International University Miami FL USA
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien University of Strasbourg Strasbourg France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Valérie Dufour
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements INRA‐CNRS Université de Tours‐IFCE Nouzilly France
| | - Nathan J. Emery
- School of Biological & Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Ira G. Federspiel
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Gyula K. Gajdon
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Matjaž Hegedič
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Lisa Horn
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Megan L. Lambert
- Department of Psychology University of York York UK
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Animal Ecology Group Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Michelle A. Rodrigues
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology University of Illinois Urbana IL USA
| | - Martina Schiestl
- School of Psychology University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Birgit Szabo
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney Australia
| | - Alex H. Taylor
- School of Psychology University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Jayden O. Horik
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology University of Exeter Exeter UK
| | | | - Amanda Seed
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University UK
- Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Matthias‐Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Georgine Szipl
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Behavioural Biology University of Vienna Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Biology Animal Ecology Group Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Wascher CAF, Feider B, Bugnyar T, Dufour V. Crows and common ravens do not reciprocally exchange tokens with a conspecific to gain food rewards. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Valérie Dufour
- Team of Cognitive and Social Ethology UMR 7247 PRC CNRS Inra IFCE University of Tours Tours France
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Keupp S, Titchener R, Bugnyar T, Mussweiler T, Fischer J. Competition is crucial for social comparison processes in long-tailed macaques. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20180784. [PMID: 30890067 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans modulate their self-evaluations and behaviour as a function of conspecific presence and performance. In this study, we tested for the presence of human-like social comparison effects in long-tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis). The monkeys' task was to extract food from an apparatus by pulling drawers within reach and we measured latency between drawer pulls. Subjects either worked on the task with a partner who could access the apparatus from an adjacent cage, worked in the absence of a conspecific but with food moving towards the partner's side or worked next to a partner who was denied apparatus access. We further manipulated partner performance and competitiveness of the set-up. We found no indication that long-tailed macaques compare their performance to the performance of conspecifics. They were not affected by the mere presence of the partner but they paid close attention to the partner's actions when they were consequential for food availability. If social comparison processes are present in long-tailed macaques, the present study suggests they may only manifest in situations involving direct competition and would thus be different from social comparisons in humans, which manifest also in the absence of direct competition, for example in evaluative contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Keupp
- 1 German Primate Center, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory , Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen , Germany.,6 Leibniz ScienceCampus 'Primate Cognition' , Göttingen , Germany
| | - Rowan Titchener
- 1 German Primate Center, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory , Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen , Germany
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- 2 Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Wien , Austria
| | - Thomas Mussweiler
- 3 Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne , Richard-Strauss-Str. 2, 50931 Cologne , Germany.,4 London Business School , London , UK
| | - Julia Fischer
- 1 German Primate Center, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory , Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen , Germany.,5 Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University Göttingen , Göttingen , Germany.,6 Leibniz ScienceCampus 'Primate Cognition' , Göttingen , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Reber SA, Šlipogor V, Oh J, Ravignani A, Hoeschele M, Bugnyar T, Fitch WT. Common marmosets are sensitive to simple dependencies at variable distances in an artificial grammar. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019; 40:214-221. [PMID: 31007503 PMCID: PMC6472617 DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Recognizing that two elements within a sequence of variable length depend on each other is a key ability in understanding the structure of language and music. Perception of such interdependencies has previously been documented in chimpanzees in the visual domain and in human infants and common squirrel monkeys with auditory playback experiments, but it remains unclear whether it typifies primates in general. Here, we investigated the ability of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to recognize and respond to such dependencies. We tested subjects in a familiarization-discrimination playback experiment using stimuli composed of pure tones that either conformed or did not conform to a grammatical rule. After familiarization to sequences with dependencies, marmosets spontaneously discriminated between sequences containing and lacking dependencies ('consistent' and 'inconsistent', respectively), independent of stimulus length. Marmosets looked more often to the sound source when hearing sequences consistent with the familiarization stimuli, as previously found in human infants. Crucially, looks were coded automatically by computer software, avoiding human bias. Our results support the hypothesis that the ability to perceive dependencies at variable distances was already present in the common ancestor of all anthropoid primates (Simiiformes).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephan A. Reber
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, 22 100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jinook Oh
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marisa Hoeschele
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wohllebengasse 12-14, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Laumer IB, Auersperg AMI, Bugnyar T, Call J. Orangutans (Pongo abelii) make flexible decisions relative to reward quality and tool functionality in a multi-dimensional tool-use task. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211031. [PMID: 30759087 PMCID: PMC6374006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Making economic decisions in a natural foraging situation that involves the use of tools may require an animal to consider more levels of relational complexity than merely deciding between an immediate and a delayed food option. We used the same method previously used with Goffin´s cockatoos to investigate the orangutans' flexibility for making the most profitable decisions when confronted with five different settings that included one or two different apparatuses, two different tools and two food items (one more preferred than the other). We found that orangutans made profitable decisions relative to reward quality, when the task required the subjects to select a tool over an immediately accessible food reward. Furthermore, most subjects were sensitive to work-effort when the immediate and the delayed option (directly accessible by using a tool) led to the same outcome. Most subjects continued to make profitable decisions that required taking into account the tool functionality. In a final multidimensional task design in which subjects had to simultaneously focus on two apparatuses, two reward qualities and two different tools, the orangutans chose the functional tool to access the high quality reward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alice M. I. Auersperg
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Josep Call
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Boucherie PH, Loretto MC, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. What constitutes "social complexity" and "social intelligence" in birds? Lessons from ravens. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019; 73:12. [PMID: 30930524 PMCID: PMC6404394 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2607-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In the last decades, the assumption that complex social life is cognitively challenging, and thus can drive mental evolution, has received much support from empirical studies in nonhuman primates. While extending the scope to other mammals and birds, different views have been adopted on what constitutes social complexity and which specific cognitive skills are selected for. Notably, many avian species form "open" groups as non-breeders (i.e., seasonally and before sexual maturity) that have been largely ignored as potential sources of social complexity. Reviewing 30 years of research on ravens, we illustrate the socio-ecological conditions faced by these birds as non-breeders and discuss how these relate to their socio-cognitive skills. We argue that the non-breeding period is key to understand raven social life and, to a larger extent, avian social life in general. We furthermore emphasize how the combination of the large-scale perspective (defining social system components: e.g., social organization, mating system) and the individual-scale perspective on social systems allows to better capture the complete set of social challenges experienced by individuals throughout their life, ultimately resulting on a more comprehensive understanding of species' social complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Uhl F, Ringler M, Miller R, Deventer SA, Bugnyar T, Schwab C. Counting crows: population structure and group size variation in an urban population of crows. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:57-67. [PMID: 30846892 PMCID: PMC6398430 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Social complexity arises from the formation of social relationships like social bonds and dominance hierarchies. In turn, these aspects may be affected by the degree of fission-fusion dynamics, i.e., changes in group size and composition over time. Whilst fission-fusion dynamics has been studied in mammals, birds have received comparably little attention, despite some species having equally complex social lives. Here, we investigated the influence of environmental factors on aspects of fission-fusion dynamics in a free-ranging population of carrion and hooded crows (Corvus corone ssp.) in the urban zoo of Vienna, Austria over a 1-year period. We investigated 1) the size and 2) spatio-temporal structure of the local flock, and 3) environmental influences on local flock and subgroup size. The local flock size varied considerably over the year, with fewest birds being present during the breeding season. The spatio-temporal structure of the local flock showed 4 distinct presence categories, of which the proportions changed significantly throughout the year. Environmental effects on both local flock and subgroup size were time of day, season, temperature, and weather, with additional pronounced effects of the structure of the surroundings and age class on subgroup size. Our findings show environmental influences on party size at the local flock and subgroup level, as well as indications of structured party composition in respect to the 4 presence categories. These results suggest that environmental factors have significant effects on fission-fusion dynamics in free-ranging crows, thereby influencing social complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Uhl
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rachael Miller
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah A Deventer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christine Schwab
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Abstract
Abstract
The ability to select the necessary means for a familiar task while the task itself or the respective tools are out of sight suggests a rudimentary form of planning. Here we investigated if and how a non-specialized tool using bird, the Goffin’s cockatoo, can prospectively or retrospectively select the functional tool in a decision-making task featuring two different types of apparatuses and their corresponding tools. Each apparatus could only be employed with one specific type of tool. Either the apparatus was presented and occluded prior to the presentation of the tools (prospective condition) or the tools were presented and occluded prior to the presentation of the apparatus (retrospective condition). Our results suggest the birds can prospectively but not retrospectively select the correct tool, paralleling previous research in tool using apes, and indicate at least simple forms of prospective selection in the tool use of a species distantly related to primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I. Beinhauer
- aDepartment of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - T. Bugnyar
- aDepartment of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - A.M.I. Auersperg
- bUnit of Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna. Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Martin JS, Massen JJM, Šlipogor V, Bugnyar T, Jaeggi AV, Koski SE. The
EGA
+
GNM
framework: An integrative approach to modelling behavioural syndromes. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S. Martin
- Behavioural Ecology LabDepartment of AnthropologyEmory University Atlanta Georgia
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of AnthropologyMiami University Oxford Ohio
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Cognitive Psychology UnitInstitute of PsychologyLeiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Behavioural Ecology LabDepartment of AnthropologyEmory University Atlanta Georgia
| | - Sonja E. Koski
- Faculty of Social SciencesUniversity of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Nácarová
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Petr Veselý
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Horn L, Hungerländer NA, Windhager S, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. Social status and prenatal testosterone exposure assessed via second-to-fourth digit ratio affect 6-9-year-old children's prosocial choices. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9198. [PMID: 29907777 PMCID: PMC6004003 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27468-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosocial behaviour (i.e., voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another) seems to be fully developed in children by the age of 6 years. However, questions about which factors modify prosocial behaviour at that age remain understudied. Here we used a resource allocation paradigm to test prosocial behaviour in 6-9-year-old school children. They could decide between a "selfish" (i.e., one sticker for themselves) and a "prosocial" option (i.e., one sticker for themselves and one for the receiver) and we tested whether friendship, social status and prenatal androgen exposure (approximated by the 2nd to 4th digit ratio; 2D:4D) influenced children's prosocial choices. We found that children behaved prosocially, and that their prosocial tendencies were negatively correlated with prenatal androgen exposure; i.e., children with high 2D:4D ratios (reflecting low prenatal androgen exposure) acted more prosocially than children with low 2D:4D ratios. Further, their social status in the classroom influenced their choices: children with fewer interaction partners chose the "prosocial" option more often than more 'popular' children. However, they did so irrespectively of whether they were paired with a recipient or not. Our results highlight the importance of considering social, as well as physiological factors when investigating prosocial behaviour in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | - Sonja Windhager
- Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Szipl G, Ringler E, Bugnyar T. Attacked ravens flexibly adjust signalling behaviour according to audience composition. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180375. [PMID: 29875298 PMCID: PMC6015854 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental attribute of social intelligence is the ability to monitor third-party relationships, which has been repeatedly demonstrated in primates, and recently also in captive ravens. It is yet unknown how ravens make use of this ability when dealing with different types of social relationships simultaneously during complex real-life situations. Free-ranging non-breeder ravens live in societies characterized by high fission-fusion dynamics and structured by age, pair-bond status and kinship. Here, we show that free-ranging ravens modify communication during conflicts according to audience composition. When being attacked by dominant conspecifics, victims of aggression signal their distress via defensive calls. Victims increased call rates when their kin were in the bystander audience, but reduced call rates when the bystanders were bonding partners of their aggressors. Hence, ravens use social knowledge flexibly and probably based on their own need (i.e. alert nearby allies and avoid alerting nearby rivals).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgine Szipl
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Fischerau 11, A-4645 Gruenau, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Research Station, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Fischerau 11, A-4645 Gruenau, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Abstract
Background Acoustic parameters of animal signals have been shown to correlate with various phenotypic characteristics of the sender. These acoustic characteristics can be learned and categorized and thus are a basis for perceivers’ recognition abilities. One of the most demanding capacities is individual recognition, achievable only after repeated interactions with the same individual. Still, class-level recognition might be potentially important to perceivers who have not previously encountered callers but can classify unknown individuals according to the already learned categories. Especially for species with high fission-fusion dynamics that repeatedly encounter unknown individuals it may be advantageous to develop class-level recognition. We tested whether frequency-, temporal-, and amplitude-related acoustic parameters of vocalizations emitted by ravens, a species showing high fission-fusion dynamics in non-breeder aggregations, are connected to phenotypic characteristics and thus have the potential for class-level recognition. Results The analysis of 418 food calls revealed that some components summarizing acoustic parameters were differentiated by age-classes and sex. Conclusions Together, the results provide evidence for the co-variation of vocal characteristics and respective sex and age categories, a prerequisite for class-level recognition in perceivers. Perceivers that are ignorant of the caller’s identity can thus potentially recognize these class-level differences for decision-making processes in feeding contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Boeckle
- 1Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,2Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Gruenau im Almtal, Austria.,3Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Georgine Szipl
- 1Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,2Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Gruenau im Almtal, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- 1Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,2Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Gruenau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Szipl G, Ringler E, Spreafico M, Bugnyar T. Calls during agonistic interactions vary with arousal and raise audience attention in ravens. Front Zool 2017; 14:57. [PMID: 29299036 PMCID: PMC5740903 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0244-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acoustic properties of vocalizations can vary with the internal state of the caller, and may serve as reliable indicators for a caller's emotional state, for example to prevent conflicts. Thus, individuals may associate distinct characteristics in acoustic signals of conspecifics with specific social contexts, and adjust their behaviour accordingly to prevent escalation of conflicts. Common ravens (Corvus corax) crowd-forage with individuals of different age classes, sex, and rank, assemble at feeding sites, and engage in agonistic interactions of varying intensity. Attacked individuals frequently utter defensive calls in order to appease the aggressor. Here, we investigated if acoustic properties of defensive calls change with varying levels of aggression, and if bystanders respond to these changes. RESULTS Individuals were more likely to utter defensive calls when the attack involved contact aggression, and when the attacker was higher in rank than the victim. Defensive calls produced during intense conflicts were longer and uttered at higher rates, and showed higher fundamental frequency- and amplitude-related measures than calls uttered during low-intensity aggression, indicating arousal-based changes in defensive calls. Playback experiments showed that ravens were more likely to react in response to defensive calls with higher fundamental frequency by orientating towards the speakers as compared to original calls and calls manipulated in duration. CONCLUSIONS Arousal-based changes are encoded in acoustic parameters of defensive calls in attacked ravens, and bystanders in the audience pay attention to the degree of arousal in attacked conspecifics. Our findings imply that common ravens can regulate conflicts with conspecifics by means of vocalizations, and are able to gather social knowledge from conspecific calls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgine Szipl
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Fischerau 11, A-4645 Gruenau im Almtal, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michela Spreafico
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Fischerau 11, A-4645 Gruenau im Almtal, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Horn L, Scheer C, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. Proactive prosociality in a cooperatively breeding corvid, the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyana). Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0649. [PMID: 28120800 PMCID: PMC5095199 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the contemporary hypotheses concerning the evolution of human altruism is the cooperative breeding hypothesis (CBH) which has recently been tested in non-human primates. Using a similar paradigm, we investigated prosociality in a cooperatively breeding corvid, the azure-winged magpie. We found that the magpies delivered food to their group members at high rates, and unlike other corvids, they did so without any cues provided by others. In two control conditions, the magpies stopped participating over time, indicating that they learned to discriminate prosocial tests from controls. Azure-winged magpies are thus the first birds that experimentally show proactive prosociality. Our findings are in line with the CBH; however, additional corvid species need to be tested in this promising paradigm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clara Scheer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Jennifer Sima
- Humboldt Research Group “Evolution of Communication”; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - Theresa Matzinger
- Department of Cognitive Biology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station; University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine; Vienna Austria
| | - Simone Pika
- Humboldt Research Group “Evolution of Communication”; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
- Humboldt Research Group; Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution; Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History; Jena Germany
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that personality structure differs between species, but the evolutionary reasons for this variation are not fully understood. We built on earlier research on New World monkeys to further elucidate the evolution of personality structure in primates. We therefore examined personality in 100 family-reared adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) from 3 colonies on a 60-item questionnaire. Principal components analyses revealed 5 domains that were largely similar to those found in a previous study on captive, ex-pet, or formerly laboratory-housed marmosets that were housed in a sanctuary. The interrater reliabilities of domain scores were consistent with the interrater reliabilities of domain scores found in other species, including humans. Four domainsdmdash;conscientiousness, agreeableness, inquisitiveness, and assertiveness-resembled personality domains identified in other nonhuman primates. The remaining domain, patience, was specific to common marmosets. We used linear models to test for sex and age differences in the personality domains. Males were lower than females in patience, and this difference was smaller in older marmosets. Older marmosets were lower in inquisitiveness. Finally, older males and younger females had higher scores in agreeableness than younger males and older females. These findings suggest that cooperative breeding may have promoted the evolution of social cognition and influenced the structure of marmoset prosocial personality characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonja E Koski
- Centre of Excellence in Intersubjectivity in Interaction, Department of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki
| | | | - Hayley Ash
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Stirling
| | | | | | - Alexander Weiss
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
Humans are considered to be highly prosocial, especially in comparison to other species. However, most tests of prosociality are conducted in highly artificial settings among anonymous participants. To gain a better understanding of how human hyper-cooperation may have evolved, we tested humans' willingness to share in one of the most competitive fields of our current society: academia. Researchers were generally prosocial with 80% sharing a PDF of one of their latest papers, and almost 60% willing to send us their data. Intriguingly, prosociality was most prominent from male to male, and less likely among all other sex-combinations. This pattern suggests the presence of male-exclusive networks in science, and may be based on an evolutionary history promoting strong male bonds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Lisa Bauer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Spurny
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mariska E Kret
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|