Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Divya Ramachandran, Kusum Sharma, Vishal Saxena, Niepukolie Nipu, Dinusha C. Rajapaksha, Jan A. Mennigen
Summary: The nonapeptide vasotocin/vasopressin is highly conserved and plays a role as neuromodulator and signaling molecule in vertebrates. Pharmacological studies in several teleost fishes suggest that vasotocin has sex and species-specific reproductive roles. However, comprehensive studies investigating the behavioral and physiological consequences of genetic ablation of vasotocin in a genetically tractable fish model, such as the zebrafish, are currently lacking.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Robin I. M. Dunbar, Susanne Shultz
Summary: The size of mammal social groups can vary greatly, from single individuals to very large herds, with costs limiting group size to around 15 individuals. Evolution of strategies to mitigate infertility costs is necessary for living in larger groups.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bianca Guadin, Andrea Gazzola, Alessandro Balestrieri, Giovanni Scribano, Jose Martin, Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa
Summary: The study found that living in a group can increase the baseline activity level of tadpoles, while tadpoles reared alone showed less response when exposed to predator odors. The antipredator response of tadpoles reared in high density decreased in the presence of conspecifics' cues.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marek C. Allen, Michael Clinchy, Liana Y. Zanette
Summary: This study demonstrates that fear itself can significantly impact prey population growth rates in free-living wildlife, potentially constituting a considerable part of the total impact of predators.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Hagit Sabato, Tehila Kogut
Summary: The study found that less socially accepted children are more likely to exhibit less prosocial behavior within their peer group, especially when interacting with in-group members. This suggests that situational factors and characteristics of the potential recipient play a role in determining the willingness of less socially accepted children to act prosocially.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa A. Pavez-Fox, Clare M. Kimock, Nahiri Rivera-Barreto, Josue E. Negron-Del Valle, Daniel Phillips, Angelina Ruiz-Lambides, Noah Snyder-Mackler, James P. Higham, Erin R. Siracusa, Lauren J. N. Brent
Summary: This study on rhesus macaques found that sociality can influence individual survival by reducing the risk of injuries. Both high social status and having more affiliative partners were associated with fewer injuries and a lower risk of death.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Rubenson, Christopher T. Dawes
Summary: This study reveals the influence of social identity on how individuals evaluate and interact with others through a large-scale field experiment. The findings suggest that national identity can lead to in-group favoritism, while team identity does not. Additionally, evidence of out-group derogation is also found.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nobuhiro Mifune
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between out-group aggression and the evolution of human prosociality. The results of two laboratory experiments with 176 Japanese university students showed that framing out-group aggression as enhancing the in-group's gain did not promote out-group aggression, and individuals preferred to cooperate with in-group members. These findings do not support the coevolutionary model.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rebecca Rimbach, Kirsty-Jane Hartman, Catherine Currin, Carsten Schradin, Neville Pillay
Summary: Social systems are emergent properties of interactions between individuals and are often modulated by hormones. The social behavior and hormonal responses of two sister species of African striped mice were studied in relation to experimentally imposed social grouping. Both species exhibited high social tolerance and similar hormonal responses, indicating that environmental factors may play a larger role in determining social organization.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aneesh P. H. Bose, Johanna Dabernig-Heinz, Lukas Koch, Jacqueline Grimm, Sebastian Lang, Taylor Banda, Lawrence Makasa, Alex Jordan, Kristina M. Sefc, Bernadett Hegedus
Summary: Group-living animals face complex reproductive decisions, and this study focuses on how the cichlid fish Neolamprologus multifasciatus manages within-group and extra-group reproduction. The research finds that cohabiting males live in high-skew societies, with dominant males monopolizing most within-group reproduction, while females live in low-skew societies, allowing multiple females to produce offspring concurrently. Despite short distances separating groups, the study infers very low levels of extra-group reproduction, indicating limited reproductive opportunities for subordinate males.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Brett M. Culbert, Nicholas Tsui, Sigal Balshine
Summary: Individuals exhibit variation in their preferences for groups of different sizes, which may be related to differences in cognitive abilities and behavioral flexibility. This study found that fish with quicker learning abilities were less interested in group living under high predation risk, suggesting a link between learning performance and grouping decisions.
BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Austin Leeds, Alex Riley, Megan Terry, Marcus Mazorra, Lindsay Wick, Scott Krug, Kristen Wolfe, Ike Leonard, Andy Daneault, Andrew C. Alba, Angela Miller, Joseph Soltis
Summary: The behavior of animals in zoos and aquariums can be modified through exhibit design, but this study found that adding visual barriers did not reduce aggression in male Nile crocodiles. However, it is the first study to evaluate the relationship between exhibit design and behavior of crocodilians in zoos and aquariums, providing valuable information for future behavioral and welfare studies.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Lipaz Shamoa-Nir, Irene Razpurker-Apfeld, Jocelyn B. Dautel, Laura K. Taylor
Summary: Children raised in divided environments may develop negative attitudes and behaviors towards out-groups due to their preference for in-groups, influencing resource distribution. The study found that the effect of age on out-group prosocial giving is mediated by the child's in-group symbol preference and negative out-group attitudes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Marian Y. L. Wong, Leigha R. Aitken, Amanda L. Beasley, Stephen G. Morris, Anna Scott
Summary: This study explores the risk-reward trade-off in animal foraging decisions and investigates the role of social, reproductive and environmental factors in mediating this trade-off. By studying anemonefish in the marine environment, the researchers found that individuals adjust their time spent near or far from the anemone based on tide, status, and the presence of eggs, which can be explained by threat sensitive behavior. This study enhances our understanding of how individuals balance the costs and benefits of foraging in relation to predation risk over different scales.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Sajan, Balram Dubey
Summary: This study examines the interactions among three different types of plankton and analyzes the stability, equilibrium points, bifurcations, and chaos of the system. The findings suggest that increasing the inhibitory effect of toxic phytoplankton and predator interference can support zooplankton growth in contrast to traditional responses. Furthermore, variation in toxic liberation delay leads to multiple stability switches and chaotic behavior in the system.
Article
Zoology
Allyson K. Menzies, Emily K. Studd, Jacob L. Seguin, Rachael E. Derbyshire, Dennis L. Murray, Stan Boutin, Murray M. Humphries
Summary: Studies on free-ranging carnivores, particularly Canada lynx, showed that larger lynx exhibited higher activity and lower resting heart rate compared to smaller lynx, despite limited behavioral and metabolic responses to extreme cold and moderate snow depths in the environment. Larger lynx had higher energy expenditure than their smaller counterparts, possibly due to cold-climate existence and access to abundant prey.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Madan K. Oli, Alice J. Kenney, Rudy Boonstra, Stan Boutin, Vratika Chaudhary, James E. Hines, Charles J. Krebs
Summary: This study estimated the population parameters of snowshoe hare in the Yukon region using capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods. The survival rates varied significantly across cyclic phases, seasons, and population cycles. The study also identified nonrandom variation in temporary emigration among individuals and observed seasonal patterns in the probability of remaining temporary emigrants. The snowshoe hare population density exhibited large-scale cyclical fluctuations.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jessica A. Haines, David M. Delaney, Andrea E. Wishart, Andrew G. McAdam, David W. Coltman, Jeffrey E. Lane, Ben Dantzer, Stan Boutin
Summary: Reproduction is energetically expensive for both sexes, and if males and females have different timing of reproduction, there is an opportunity for sex-specific selection to act on energetic resource acquisition. In North American red squirrels, males have larger caches than females, and this is likely driven by a stronger positive connection between cache size and fitness components for males. Males with larger caches have greater siring success, while females with larger caches only experience a positive effect on the number of recruits produced if they breed early. Additionally, males and females with larger caches sire pups and give birth earlier. These findings demonstrate that sexual selection extends beyond mating behavior traits and can act on traits related to acquiring resources needed for reproduction.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Joanie L. Kennah, Michael J. L. Peers, Eric Vander Wal, Yasmine N. Majchrzak, Allyson K. Menzies, Emily K. Studd, Rudy Boonstra, Murray M. Humphries, Thomas S. Jung, Alice J. Kenney, Charles J. Krebs, Stan Boutin
Summary: Climate warming causes asynchronies between animal phenology and environments, and mismatched traits may decrease survival. However, coat color change can provide advantages other than camouflage. In this study, we found that mismatched snowshoe hares in Yukon had a significantly reduced autumn mortality risk, possibly due to the increased coat insulation and lower metabolic rates of winter-acclimatized hares. Mismatched hares also foraged less and had lower predation risk, leading to higher survival rates. However, mismatch did not affect spring mortality risk, suggesting a potential temperature limit where the costs of conspicuousness outweigh energetic benefits.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lauren Petrullo, David Delaney, Stan Boutin, Andrew G. McAdam, Jeffrey E. Lane, Rudy Boonstra, Rupert Palme, Ben Dantzer
Summary: Evolutionary endocrinology aims to understand the impact of natural selection on endocrine systems and the ability of endocrine systems to respond to environmental changes. This study found that the endocrine response of female red squirrels was generalized, allowing them to cope with multiple environmental stressors simultaneously.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Ecology
E. K. Studd, M. J. L. Peers, A. K. Menzies, R. Derbyshire, Y. N. Majchrzak, J. L. Seguin, D. L. Murray, B. Dantzer, J. E. Lane, A. G. McAdam, M. M. Humphries, S. Boutin
Summary: This study investigates the effects of wind speed on the behavior of three boreal forest mammals, including a predator and two prey. The researchers found that all three species altered their activity patterns in response to increasing wind speeds, with snowshoe hares reducing daily activity and Canada lynx increasing daily activity and feeding events. These results highlight the importance of wind speed as an abiotic variable that can affect behavior, even in forested environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Calum X. Cunningham, Glen E. Liston, Adele K. Reinking, Natalie T. Boelman, Todd J. Brinkman, Kyle Joly, Mark Hebblewhite, Stan Boutin, Sophie Czetwertynski, Leonard E. Sielecki, Laura R. Prugh
Summary: The risk of moose-vehicle collisions increases during winter due to concurrent seasonal changes in human and wildlife behavior. Snow depth influences collision risk through its impacts on moose movement, while strong seasonal changes in daylight hours cause an increase in nighttime traffic volumes that further contribute to risk.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Quinn M. R. Webber, Ben Dantzer, Jeffrey E. E. Lane, Stan Boutin, Andrew G. G. McAdam
Summary: Through studying North American red squirrels, we found that territory size and intrusion rates display negative density dependence. When food availability increases, territories shrink while population density increases. However, when resources decrease, territories expand and population density decreases.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sam F. Walmsley, Stan Boutin, Ben Dantzer, Jeffrey E. Lane, David W. Coltman, Andrew G. McAdam
Summary: The study on North American red squirrels revealed that kinship has an influence on their survival and reproductive success. Female red squirrels have higher annual survival when they live closer to their daughters, while males have higher annual reproductive success when they live closer to their fathers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Melanie Dickie, Caroline Bampfylde, Thomas J. Habib, Michael Cody, Kendal Benesh, Mandy Kellner, Michelle McLellan, Stan Boutin, Robert Serrouya
Summary: Habitat loss is a major threat to species at risk, and habitat restoration is essential for the recovery of woodland caribou populations in Western Canada. An algorithm was developed to prioritize restoration efforts and monitor progress. The algorithm ranked landscape units into five zones of restoration priority based on maximizing gain in unaltered caribou habitat per unit cost. Ambitious and coordinated restoration efforts are needed to meet habitat management targets and minimize alteration within caribou range.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lauren Petrullo, Stan Boutin, Jeffrey E. Lane, Andrew G. McAdam, Ben Dantzer
Summary: This study shows that phenotype-environment mismatch errors in wild red squirrels can be explained by asymmetrical costs of different types of errors. Mothers that mistakenly increased reproductive effort when signals of an upcoming food pulse were absent were more likely to correctly increase effort when a food pulse did occur. However, mothers that failed to increase effort when cues of an upcoming food pulse were present suffered lifetime fitness costs that could only be offset through food supplementation. Therefore, these phenotype-environment mismatches may reflect a bias to overestimate environmental cues and avoid making the costliest error, ultimately enhancing lifetime fitness.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michelle L. McLellan, Melanie Dickie, Stan Boutin, Marcus Becker, Bevan Ernst, Darcy Peel, Kathryn L. Zimmerman, Robert Serrouya
Summary: For wide-ranging species, it is often difficult to implement effective conservation action due to cost or political challenges. To address this, a prioritization approach is needed to focus on areas where conservation efforts are more likely to succeed. Using Southern Mountain Caribou as an example, a simple algorithm is developed to rank subpopulations based on habitat quality and population characteristics, weighted according to expert opinion. Sensitivity analyses are used to measure the impact of criteria variance and expert weighting. This transparent framework allows for discussions on conservation, subpopulation comparisons, and adaptive management. The algorithm can be adapted for other species and used by conservation scientists and managers to prioritize populations for recovery actions.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Craig A. DeMars, Chris J. Johnson, Melanie Dickie, Thomas J. Habib, Michael Cody, Amit Saxena, Stan Boutin, Robert Serrouya
Summary: Conservation strategies for imperiled species often focus on identifying causes of population decline, but failing to target primary mechanisms can reduce effectiveness. This study uses boreal caribou as a case study to show how landscape disturbance and climate change can negatively impact caribou populations through multiple mechanisms. Climate change has the potential to have strong direct and indirect effects on caribou.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alicia Halhed, Lauren Petrullo, Stan Boutin, Ben Dantzer, Andrew McAdam, Martin Wu, Karl Cottenie
Summary: In this study, the gut microbiome samples of red squirrels were analyzed to identify the drivers of microbiome composition. The spatial location of the squirrels was found to be a key contributor to the composition of the gut microbial community. The non-core microbiome showed highly localized spatial patterns, while the core microbiome showed some spatial patterns. The results suggest that environmental transmission plays a role in the spatiotemporal distribution of the red squirrel gut microbiome.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Mark O'Donoghue, Brian G. Slough, Kim Poole, Stan Boutin, Elizabeth J. Hofer, Garth Mowat, Dennis Murray, Charles J. Krebs
Summary: Counting tracks in the snow can provide a relatively simple and inexpensive method for estimating the abundance of meso-carnivores. However, seasonality and snow depth should be taken into account when using this method.