Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian G. Vetter, Louise Rangheard, Lena Schaidl, Kurt Kotrschal, Friederike Range
Summary: Social learning is effective in transmitting essential information in many species. This study found that wolves outperformed dogs in finding food caches, regardless of whether the caching could be observed or not, suggesting a difference in motivation/persistence between the two species.
Article
Microbiology
Lei Chen, Mengyao Sun, Di Xu, Zenghao Gao, Yuying Shi, Shen Wang, Yiping Zhou
Summary: This study compares the gut microbiota of wild wolves, captive wolves, and domestic dogs, and finds significant differences in species diversity and functional diversity among these groups. Captive wolves are more similar to domestic dogs in terms of both species composition and function composition of intestinal microbiota, compared to wild wolves.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lindsay Isernia, Clive D. L. Wynne, Leanna House, Erica N. Feuerbacher
Summary: Dogs and wolves show similar attachment-like behaviors towards their owners/caregivers, but they have different preferences when it comes to choosing between their owner/caregiver and food. Dogs do not have a clear preference, while wolves tend to prefer food.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gwendolyn Wirobski, Friederike Range, Evelien A. M. Graat, Rupert Palme, Tobias Deschner, Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Summary: Domestication has affected the social organization of dogs compared to their closest relatives, gray wolves. Wolves rely on coordinated behavior for survival, while dogs have lower dependence on conspecifics, leading to greater cohesion in wolf packs. Hormonal responses differ between wolves and dogs, with oxytocin and glucocorticoid concentrations correlated with territorial behaviors and separation from the pack observed only in wolves.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gwendolyn Wirobski, Friederike Range, Evelien A. M. Graat, Rupert Palme, Tobias Deschner, Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Summary: Domestication has altered the social organization of dogs compared to gray wolves. Hormonal responses to territorial threats and separation from the pack differ between wolves and dogs, suggesting stronger emotional activation in wolves. This aligns with their socio-ecology and predicts greater cohesiveness in wolf packs.
Article
Biology
Fanni Lehoczki, Attila Andics, Arik Kershenbaum, Eniko Kubinyi, Daniela Passilongo, Holly Root-Gutteridge, Friederike Range, Vicente Palacios Sanchez, Lori Schmidt, Simon W. Townsend, Stuart K. Watson, Tamas Farago
Summary: As domestic dog breeds become more genetically distant from wolves, they lose the wolf-like vocal and behavioural responses related to howling. A study on purebred dogs showed an interaction between genetic relatedness to wolves and age on the dogs' vocal and behavioural responses to wolf howl playbacks. The results indicate that domestication significantly impacts vocal behaviour, gradually eliminating howling from dogs' repertoire.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Kari A. Prassack, Josephine DuBois, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mietje Germonpre, Peter S. Ungar
Summary: The study suggests that canids from the Upper Paleolithic site of Predmosti represent ecologically distinct populations, potentially including Pleistocene wolves and dogs. The two groups show differences in diet and ecology, consistent with interpretations of dog domestication.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Friederike Range, Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Summary: Studies show that dogs do not possess higher socio-cognitive skills or lower aggression compared with wolves. Dogs tend to avoid conflicts and are more likely to follow rules when interacting with others.
TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Giulia Cimarelli, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Friederike Range, Andreas Berghaenel, Zsofia Viranyi
Summary: This study compared how grey wolves and domestic dogs react differently to relationship quality affecting stress response. Results suggest that a large rank distance and high affiliation index based on the number of friendly behaviors exchanged are related to stress buffering in both species.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Melissa Gabriela Bravo Fonseca, Heron Oliveira Hilario, Kurt Kotrschal, Friederike Range, Zsofia Viranyi, Marina Henriques Lage Duarte, Laryssa Cristina Gomes Pereira, Angelica da Silva Vasconcellos
Summary: In a previous study, Positive Reinforcement Training was found to promote relaxation in wolves and dogs. This study investigates the impact of different aspects of trainers' voices on animal behavior and physiology. The results show that longer duration of friendly speech is associated with more tail wagging in both wolves and dogs, while reprehensive speech is associated with less tail wagging. Furthermore, the pitch of speech affects dog behavior more, while wolf behavior is more influenced by intonations.
Article
Microbiology
Jia Xu, Anne A. M. J. Becker, Yu Luo, Wenfu Zhang, Bingqian Ge, Chunqing Leng, Guyue Wang, Limin Ding, Jianmei Wang, Xiaoyu Fu, Geert P. J. Janssens
Summary: The genomic analysis found that domesticated dogs have adapted to a diet richer in starch compared to their ancestor wolves. The shift from a processed kibble diet to a raw meat diet led to changes in the gut microbiota of dogs, making it closer to that of wolves. Certain bacterial populations were found to change temporarily during the dietary shift, while others moved towards the microbial profile of wolves.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Yuting Liu, Bo Liu, Chengwu Liu, Yumiao Hu, Chang Liu, Xiaoping Li, Xibao Li, Xiaoshuang Zhang, David M. Irwin, Zhiqiang Wu, Zeliang Chen, Qi Jin, Shuyi Zhang
Summary: The gut bacterial flora of dogs and wolves differ, with dogs having an enrichment of bacteria resistant to clinical drugs while wolves have an enrichment of bacteria resistant to antibiotics used in livestock. Additionally, dogs show a higher abundance of putative alpha-amylase genes in their samples.
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefanie Urimare Wetzels, Cameron R. Strachan, Beate Conrady, Martin Wagner, Iwan Anton Burgener, Zsofia Viranyi, Evelyne Selberherr
Summary: The study compared the skin microbiota of dogs, wolves, and humans, revealing that pet dogs have the highest diversity, and the skin microbiota of caregivers with more contact with wolves is more similar to that of dogs and wolves.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Megane E. Burkhard, Friederike Range, Samantha J. Ward, Lauren M. Robinson
Summary: This study explores the relationships between dogs and wolves and their trainers. The results show that the bond between trainers and the animals is primarily influenced by the trainers' role as hand-raisers, rather than the species of the animal. Additionally, the study finds that the trainers' closeness to the animals is related to the animals' sex.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hoi-Lam Jim, Marina Plohovich, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Friederike Range
Summary: Animals can form reputations of individuals by directly interacting with them or by observing them interact with a third party. This study investigated whether hand-raised, pack-living dogs and wolves can form reputations of humans in a food-giving situation. The results showed that, at the group level, dogs and wolves did not differentiate between a generous or selfish partner after indirect or direct experience, but wolves were more attentive towards the generous person during the observation phase and some dogs and wolves did prefer the generous partner, at least after indirect and direct experience was combined.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chris T. Darimont, Hannah Hall, Lauren Eckert, Ilona Mihalik, Kyle Artelle, Adrian Treves, Paul C. Paquet
Summary: The social license to hunt (SLH) model considers hunters as operators in exploiting wildlife as public resources. Controversial hunting of large carnivores for trophies can threaten the social license to hunt and spark opposition related to conservation concerns and value misalignments. This opposition, primarily expressed on social media, can lead to rapid policy changes banning large carnivore hunting.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Francisco J. Santiago-Avila, Adrian Treves
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Nicolas Galvez, Paola Meniconi, Jose Infante, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: In agricultural landscapes, high land-use intensification leads to nocturnal tendencies in mesocarnivores, potentially impacting species fitness. High intensification decreases activity overlap between native and domestic animals, but increases overlap between native species.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Esperanza Beltrami, Nicolas Galvez, Christian Osorio, Marcella J. Kelly, David Morales-Moraga, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: The Chilean Mediterranean ecosystem is under threat due to human activities, including intensive agriculture and urban sprawl, and abandoned dogs and cats pose challenges for the conservation of native wildcat species. Research suggests that free-ranging dogs negatively affect the detection of wildcats and there are distinct differences in the temporal activity patterns between wildcats and free-ranging cats.
STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Infante, Fernando J. Novoa, Jose Tomas Ibarra, Don J. Melnick, Kevin L. Griffin, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: Global wildfire regimes are changing, affecting reptile densities and habitat structure. Araucaria forests in the southern Andes are particularly vulnerable to increased wildfire frequency. Research in Chile found that lizard communities are impacted by fire frequency and recovery time, with ground-dwelling species becoming dominant post-fire.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Skarleth Chinchilla, Eric van den Berghe, John Polisar, Constanza Arevalo, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: This article addresses the issue of coexistence with top predators in indigenous communities in Latin America, focusing on the impact of livestock predation on achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The study finds that livestock predation is related to landscape variables and human influence. Measures to facilitate human-carnivore coexistence and comply with SDG 2 and SDG 15 are necessary for the conservation of jaguars and pumas. The study provides recommendations for livestock management to mitigate conflict and reconcile SDG 2 with SDG 15.
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristian Bonacic
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adrian Treves, Naomi X. Louchouarn
Summary: When facing the risk of species extinction, it is common for people to take precautions to avoid the uncertainties. However, the design and effectiveness of these precautions require scientific considerations. This study investigates the case of Wisconsin gray wolves, using different thresholds as societal judgments about precautions. The findings reveal an underestimation of wolf deaths by the state government and recommend better scientific analysis when setting wolf-hunt quotas. The study emphasizes the need for accurate estimations and reproducibility when advocating for high quotas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Constanza Arevalo, Juan David Amaya-Espinel, Cristian Henriquez, Jose Tomas Ibarra, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: Urban green spaces play an important role in bird community structure and distribution in Latin America, the second most urbanized region in the world. A study in Santiago of Chile found that smaller green spaces had higher noise levels and greater abundance of exotic bird species, while larger urban parks had more native bird species. Noise levels had a greater impact on the occupancy of native bird species in green spaces compared to vegetation and urban morphology. The study emphasizes the need for large green spaces with abundant tree cover and lower noise levels to ensure the conservation of native bird communities in rapidly urbanizing regions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francisco J. Santiago-Avila, Suzanne Agan, Joseph W. Hinton, Adrian Treves
Summary: Poaching is a major threat to large carnivores, and reducing protections may actually increase poaching and disappearances. This study on red wolves in North Carolina found that periods of reduced protections led to higher rates of reported poaching and disappearances. The findings support the need for improved protective policies to mitigate environmental crimes and enhance the conservation of endangered species.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Rodrigo Salgado, Isabel Barja, Maria del Carmen Hernandez, Basilio Lucero, Ivan Castro-Arellano, Cristian Bonacic, Andre V. Rubio
Summary: This study evaluated the nocturnal activity patterns and interactions among native and introduced rodent species in a temperate forest in southern Chile. The results showed high temporal overlap within the rodent assemblage, but significant differences in activity patterns among different taxa. The introduced black rat displayed more aggressive behaviors towards native rodents, while agonistic behaviors were the most common interactions among native rodents and between individuals of different taxa.
Article
Forestry
Mariangela Paratori, Fernando J. Novoa, Tomas A. Altamirano, Cristian Bonacic, Jose Tomas Ibarra
Summary: Tree cavities are important habitats for many species, but their availability is declining worldwide due to the loss of old-growth forests. In our study of Andean temperate forests in Chile, we found that cavities in nonexcavated trees survived longer than those in excavated trees. Cavities' survival was influenced by factors such as their origin, cavity depth, tree decay class, branch order, and tree diameter class. It is suggested that forest management should maintain structural complexity to ensure a continuous supply of substrates for cavity formation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Cristian Bonacic, Rodrigo A. A. Medellin, William Ripple, Raman Sukumar, Andre Ganswindt, Suzana A. M. Padua, Claudio Padua, Mary C. C. Pearl, Luis F. F. Aguirre, Lourdes Mugica Valdes, Damayanti Buchori, John L. L. Innes, J. Tomas Ibarra, R. Rozzi, A. Alonso Aguirre
Summary: Nuclear leakage or the use of tactical nuclear weapons in a limited war could result in significant and long-lasting ecological consequences beyond the immediate vicinity. It is vital for scientists to emphasize the importance of the environmental impacts of such incidents on all organisms, including humans. Ecosystem disruptions, species extinctions, and radiation-induced effects could have far-reaching implications that exceed human capability for mitigation or adaptation. Even a tactical nuclear war could redefine the boundaries of life on Earth, potentially marking the end of the Anthropocene era.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alejandra E. Munoz, Paul Amouroux, Nicolas Arcos, Cristian Bonacic
Summary: Understanding the factors affecting native plant communities is crucial for protecting floral diversity, especially in Mediterranean agroecosystems. Our study in Chile found that wetter Mediterranean climate areas are more prone to the establishment of non-native plant species.
ACTA BOTANICA BRASILICA
(2021)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristian Bonacic
