Article
Zoology
Eric Ndayishimiye, Winnie Eckardt, Alison W. Fletcher
Summary: The study found that endangered golden monkeys frequently damage crops, causing economic losses for farmers around the national park. Through surveys and workshops, the impact of this behavior on both monkeys and farmers was evaluated, and mitigation measures were discussed. Behavioral observations indicated that monkeys exhibit increased vigilance and decreased social behavior when foraging in farmland. The results highlight the need to improve management measures and explore alternatives to promote positive coexistence between monkeys and farmers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Deogratias Tuyisingize, Beth A. Kaplin, Winnie Eckardt, Abel Musana, Damien Caillaud
Summary: Habitat loss and fragmentation pose significant threats to primate populations worldwide. The golden monkey, a critically endangered species, is limited to small forest fragments in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population density and distribution of this subspecies, as well as the threats it faces, remain poorly understood.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Deogratias Tuyisingize, Beth A. Kaplin, Winnie Eckardt, Abel Musana, Damien Caillaud
Summary: Habitat loss and fragmentation pose major threats to the Endangered golden monkey Cercopithecus mitis kandti. This study conducted surveys in Volcanoes National Park and Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda to estimate golden monkey density and examine potential threats. The results showed stable population densities in Volcanoes National Park, mainly in the bamboo zone, while lower densities were observed in the Gishwati Forest. Limited habitat, illegal activities, and presence of feral dogs were identified as threats to the survival of golden monkeys in Rwanda.
Article
Ecology
Shelby L. Lawson, Janice K. Enos, Sharon A. Gill, Mark E. Hauber
Summary: In functionally referential communication systems, signalers' messages can be intercepted and used by heterospecific eavesdroppers. Yellow warblers produce seet calls to warn against brown-headed cowbirds, while red-winged blackbirds eavesdrop and recruit others to mob the brood parasites. Previous research showed that warblers nesting closer to blackbirds had lower parasitism rates, suggesting that blackbirds may be targeted by warblers' alarm calls. Conversely, blackbirds nesting closer to yellow warblers also experienced lower parasitism rates, indicating that they may benefit from listening to warblers' referential alarm calls.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Edwin J. Parker, Nicola F. Koyama, Russell A. Hill
Summary: This study aimed to determine the habitat preferences of the samango monkey at different spatial scales in South Africa and identify key conservation areas to inform management plans for this species. The results indicated that large, contiguous patches of tall-canopy indigenous forest are crucial for the persistence of samango monkeys, suggesting protected area expansion and creation of forest corridors as key conservation interventions.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Deogratias Tuyisingize, Winnie Eckardt, Beth A. Kaplin, Tara S. Stoinski, Damien Caillaud
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between mating and birth seasonality of endangered golden monkeys in Rwanda and diet variability as well as key food plant phenology. The study found that mating occurred year-round but peaked four to 6 months prior to each group's respective birth season. The differences in birth season between groups were linked to variations in bamboo shoot and fruit availability and consumption.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Mael Leroux, Gideon Monday, Bosco Chandia, John W. Akankwasa, Klaus Zuberbuehler, Catherine Hobaiter, Catherine Crockford, Simon W. Townsend, Caroline Asiimwe, Pawel Fedurek
Summary: Albinism, the congenital absence of pigmentation, is rare in animals due to fitness costs. Both humans and non-human individuals with albinism face challenges, but detailed social interactions involving individuals with albinism in non-human primates have not been described. This study reports the first sighting of an albinism infant in wild chimpanzees and their subsequent behavior.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Adrian Soldati, Geresomu Muhumuza, Guillaume Dezecache, Pawel Fedurek, Derry Taylor, Josep Call, Klaus Zuberbuhler
Summary: This study reports direct observations of the birth of a wild chimpanzee in Budongo Forest, Uganda. The researchers found that chimpanzees have the ability to produce vocal sequences composed of different call types from birth, albeit in rudimentary forms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Federico Rossano, Jack Terwilliger, Adrian Bangerter, Emilie Genty, Raphaela Heesen, Klaus Zuberbuehler
Summary: The Interaction Engine Hypothesis suggests that humans have a distinctive ability and motivation for social interaction. This study observed 31 children aged 2- and 4-years old and found that 4-year olds engage in cooperative social interactions more often than 2-year olds and have fewer fights. Conversations and playing with objects were the most frequent social interaction types.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Claire Barrault, Adrian Soldati, Catherine Hobaiter, Stephen Mugisha, Delphine De Moor, Klaus Zuberbuhler, Guillaume Dezecache
Summary: Understanding the affective lives of animals has been a challenge in science. Recent progress in infrared thermal imaging enables researchers to monitor animals' physiological states in real-time during social feeding. This study explores how food resources and audience structure impact the perceived social feeding events in wild chimpanzees.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gladez Shorland, Emilie Genty, Christof Neumann, Klaus Zuberbuhler
Summary: Human communication relies on pragmatic competence, and bonobos may have the ability to infer others' food preferences.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gal Badihi, Kirsty E. Graham, Brittany Fallon, Alexandra Safryghin, Adrian Soldati, Klaus Zuberbuhler, Catherine Hobaiter
Summary: Research finds that there are differences in the form and use of leaf-modifying gestures among East African chimpanzee communities, suggesting that these differences are socially derived. This study reveals unexplored variation and flexibility in animal communication, paving the way for future research on socially derived dialects in non-vocal communication.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Eloise C. Deaux, Clemence Bonneaud, Adrian Baumeyer, Klaus Zuberbuhler
Summary: Social learning is crucial in the context of predation and foraging. Food calls may function to direct others toward new food items, and chimpanzees respond by staying near items associated with food calls and showing increased interest in them.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jakob Villioth, Klaus Zuberbuehler, Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher
Summary: Optimal foraging theory has been widely used in research on foraging behavior, but it has limitations in understanding the factors influencing foraging decisions. This study applies a discrete-choice model to analyze foraging decisions of chimpanzees, and finds that they prefer closer and novel food patches, and prioritize patches with young leaves. Patch size does not predict foraging decisions, but both sexes aim to minimize travel distance between patches. This study provides new insights into patch choice and highlights the importance of integrating multiple variables in studying feeding ecology.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Adwait Deshpande, Erica van de Waal, Klaus Zuberbuhler
Summary: The one-to-one relation between alarm call structures and predator categories in nonhuman primates has been called into question due to the multiple contexts in which call types are produced. A study on vervet monkeys shows that contextual information is important for meaning attribution to alarm calls, as monkeys respond differently depending on whether there is an intergroup encounter or not. This research highlights the significance of considering contextual information in nonhuman primate communication.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Tecla Mohr, Erica van de Waal, Klaus Zuberbuhler, Stephanie Mercier
Summary: Primate alarm calls are instinctual, but individuals also adapt their behavior according to the situation. A field experiment with juvenile vervet monkeys exposed to unfamiliar raptor models and different audiences showed a negative correlation between age and alarm call production. Juveniles relied on the reactions of others, such as vigilant siblings and ignoring mothers, to decide whether to alarm call.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Julian Leon, Constance Thiriau, Catherine Crockford, Klaus Zuberbuhler
Summary: This study investigated the development of alarm call comprehension and usage in sooty mangabeys. The researchers found that juvenile monkeys called to a wider range of species during predator encounters than adults, indicating refinement in vocal development during early life. Playback experiments showed that young juveniles exhibited less appropriate locomotor and vocal responses and engaged in more social referencing than older individuals, suggesting that vocal competence is acquired through social learning.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Astrid A. Carlsen, Jonathan Wright, Svein-Hakon Lorentsen, Stephen E. G. Lea
Summary: A study compared the diving behavior of European shags in different foraging environments and found contrasting results. The shags foraging in kelp forests off the coast of Norway showed that surface durations were related to the duration of the preceding dive for respiratory recovery. On the other hand, shags foraging in estuarine waters off the coast of Lundy Island in England showed a stronger relationship between dive durations and preceding pre-dive surface durations, suggesting preparatory variation in oxygen loading. The study suggests that these differences reflect adaptive responses to the predictability of foraging dive durations in different marine environments.
Article
Zoology
Elodie Freymann, Michael A. Huffman, Geresomu Muhumuza, Monday Mbotella Gideon, Klaus Zuberbuhler, Catherine Hobaiter
Summary: This article reviews interspecies grooming events among chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda, as well as a case of interspecies play involving chimpanzees and a red-tailed monkey. The study outlines the general function of this behavior, and discusses the costs and benefits for both the chimpanzee groomers and their interspecies counterparts. The findings contribute to our understanding of how chimpanzees distinguish between affiliative and agonistic species and contexts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mael Leroux, Anne M. Schel, Claudia Wilke, Bosco Chandia, Klaus Zuberbuhler, Katie E. Slocombe, Simon W. Townsend
Summary: Language can express countless messages through syntax, which combines words into larger phrases. The lack of data on syntax in great apes hinders our understanding of its evolution. However, this study provides evidence of syntactic-like structures in chimpanzee communication, specifically in call combinations used when encountering snakes. The findings suggest that compositional structures may have been present in our last common ancestor with chimpanzees.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Derry Taylor, Gokhan Gonul, Cameron Alexander, Klaus Zueberbuehler, Fabrice Clement, Hans-Johann Glock
Summary: Understanding the origins of human social cognition is a central challenge in contemporary science. The 'Theory of Mind' (ToM) has been the most popular explanation for human social cognition, but recent research on 'implicit' ToM has questioned its validity. Our article introduces 'script theory' as a new theoretical framework to overcome the limitations of ToM-based frameworks and provide a plausible account of how individuals make sense of others' behavior.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
James A. Klarevas-Irby, Damien R. Farine
Summary: Little is known about how animals overcome temporal constraints on movement during dispersal. This study used GPS tracking of vulturine guineafowl and found that dispersers showed the greatest increase in movement at the same times of day when they moved the most prior to dispersal. These findings suggest that individuals face the same ecological constraints during dispersal as they do in daily life and achieve large displacements by maximizing movement when conditions are most favorable.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Simone Ciaralli, Martina Esposito, Stefano Francesconi, Daniela Muzzicato, Marco Gamba, Matteo Dal Zotto, Daniela Campobello
Summary: Male cuckoos may transfer nest location information to females as a nonmaterial nuptial gift through specific postures and behaviors, potentially influencing mating choices of female cuckoos.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anne E. Aulsebrook, Rowan Jacques-Hamilton, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Accelerometry and machine learning have been used to quantify mating behaviors of captive male ruffs. Different machine learning methods were compared and evaluated for their classification performance. The study highlights the challenges and potential pitfalls in classifying mating behaviors using accelerometry and provides recommendations and considerations for future research.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria G. Smith, Joshua B. LaPergola, Christina Riehl
Summary: This study analyzed individual contributions to parental care in the greater ani bird and found that workload inequality varied between groups of two and three pairs. However, there was no clear evidence of division of labour within the groups, suggesting individual differences in overall work performed.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Noah M. T. Smith, Reuven Dukas
Summary: Winner and loser effects are observed in many animals, and recent experiments suggest that they may also occur in humans. In two experiments involving video games and reading comprehension, participants who won in the first phase performed significantly better in the second phase compared to those who lost. The effect size was larger in the video game experiment, and men and women showed similar magnitudes of winner and loser effects.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bianca J. L. Marcellino, Peri Yee, Shannon J. Mccauley, Rosalind L. Murray
Summary: This study examines the trade-off between mating effort and thermoregulatory behavior in dragonflies in response to temperature changes, and investigates the effect of wing melanin on these behaviors. The results indicate that as temperature increases, dragonflies reduce their mating effort and increase their thermoregulatory behavior.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rafael Rios Moura, Paulo Inacio Prado, Joao Vasconcellos-Neto
Summary: This study examined the escape behavior and decision-making of Aglaoctenus castaneus spiders on different substrates. It was found that spiders inhabiting injurious substrates displayed shorter flight initiation distances and lower sensitivity to predators.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Luigi Baciadonna, Cwyn Solvi, Francesca Terranova, Camilla Godi, Cristina Pilenga, Livio Favaro
Summary: In this study, it was found that African penguins could use ventral dot patterns to recognize their lifelong partner and nonpartner colonymates. This challenges the previous assumption of limited visual involvement in penguin communication, highlighting the complex and flexible recognition process in birds.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nick A. R. Jones, Jade Newton-Youens, Joachim G. Frommen
Summary: Environmental conditions, particularly temperature, have a significant impact on animal behavior. This study focused on aggression in Neolamprologus pulcher fish and found that aggression rates increased with temperature at lower levels, but decreased after reaching a peak. Additionally, the influence of high temperatures on aggression changed over time during the trials. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the short-term effects of temperature on aggression and highlight the importance of considering non-linear changes in thermal performance.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bruno Herlander Martins, Andrea Soriano-Redondo, Aldina M. A. Franco, Ines Carry
Summary: Human activities have affected the availability of resources for wildlife, particularly through the provision of anthropogenic food subsidies at landfill sites. This study explores the influence of age on landfill attendance and foraging behavior in white storks. Adult storks visit landfills more frequently and show dominance over juveniles in food acquisition. Juveniles have limited access to landfill resources and are forced to use lower quality areas.
