scholarly journals Reaction to Snakes in Wild Moor Macaques (Macaca maura)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Hernández Tienda ◽  
Víctor Beltrán Francés ◽  
Bonaventura Majolo ◽  
Teresa Romero ◽  
Risma Illa Maulany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Novel Species ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Head Shape ◽  
Moor Macaques ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Preliminary Account ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
King Cobra

AbstractSnake predation is considered an important evolutionary force for primates. Yet, very few studies have documented encounters between primates and snakes in the wild. Here, we provide a preliminary account of how wild moor macaques (Macaca maura) respond to seven species of real and model snakes. Snakes could be local and dangerous to the macaques (i.e., venomous or constricting), local and nondangerous, and novel and dangerous. Macaques reacted most strongly to constrictors (i.e., pythons), exploring them and producing alarm calls, and partially to vipers (both local and novel), exploring them but producing no alarm calls. However, they did not react to other dangerous (i.e., king cobra) or nondangerous species. Our results suggest that moor macaques discriminate local dangerous snakes from nondangerous ones, and may use specific cues (e.g., triangular head shape) to generalize their previous experience with vipers to novel species.

scholarly journals Exploring the Adaptive Significance of Five Types of Puma (Puma concolor) Vocalizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian L Allen ◽  
Yiwei Wang ◽  
Christopher C Wilmers
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Video Cameras ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Indirect Cues ◽  
Limit Detection

Communication is a central component of animal behaviour, yet communicative behaviours are poorly studied due to their complexity and varied functions. Pumas (Puma concolor) are wide-ranging, solitary felids that primarily use indirect cues (e.g., scent marking) for communication. Because these cryptic carnivores are rarely observed directly, little is known about their vocalizations in the wild. We recorded a variety of Puma vocalizations among females and family groups using motion-triggered video cameras and then attempted to understand the function of each vocalization. We found two categories of vocalizations: 1) attention-attracting (caterwauling and mewing), and 2) calls (contact, agitated, and alarm). Vocalizations to attract attention ranged across broad frequencies. Contact, agitated, and alarm calls are narrow-frequency vocalizations that varied in intensity and were used to communicate with nearby conspecifics. Vocal communication entails risk, and while some Puma vocalizations may provide benefits that outweigh their risk, others are structured to limit detection and risk. These observations highlight the importance of the structure of vocalizations used during different behaviours to understand their adaptive significance.

scholarly journals The Habituation Process in Two Groups of Wild Moor Macaques (Macaca maura)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Hernández Tienda ◽  
Bonaventura Majolo ◽  
Teresa Romero ◽  
Risma Illa Maulany ◽  
Putu Oka Ngakan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Minimum Distance ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Neutral Group ◽  
Moor Macaques ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
High Standards

AbstractWhen studying animal behavior in the wild, some behaviors may require observation from a relatively short distance. In these cases, habituation is commonly used to ensure that animals do not perceive researchers as a direct threat and do not alter their behavior in their presence. However, habituation can have significant effects on the welfare and conservation of the animals. Studying how nonhuman primates react to the process of habituation can help to identify the factors that affect habituation and implement habituation protocols that allow other researchers to speed up the process while maintaining high standards of health and safety for both animals and researchers. In this study, we systematically described the habituation of two groups of wild moor macaques (Macaca maura), an Endangered endemic species of Sulawesi Island (Indonesia), to assess the factors that facilitate habituation and reduce impact on animal behavior during this process. During 7 months, we conducted behavioral observations for more than 7,872 encounters and an average of 120 days to monitor how macaque behavior toward researchers changed through time in the two groups under different conditions. We found that both study groups (N = 56, N = 41) became more tolerant to the presence of researchers during the course of the habituation, with occurrence of neutral group responses increasing, and minimum distance to researchers and occurrence of fearful group responses decreasing through time. These changes in behavior were predominant when macaques were in trees, with better visibility conditions, when researchers maintained a longer minimum distance to macaques and, unexpectedly, by the presence of more than one researcher. By identifying these factors, we contribute to designing habituation protocols that decrease the likelihood of fearful responses and might reduce the stress experienced during this process.

How Birds Behave

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfei Tong
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Private Lives ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
The World ◽  
Evolutionary Context ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Nest Design ◽  
The Many

Birds are intelligent, sociable creatures that exhibit a wide array of behaviours – from mobbing and mimicking to mating and joint nesting. Why do they behave as they do? Bringing to light the remarkable actions of birds through examples from species around the world, How Birds Behave presents engaging vignettes about the private lives of birds, all explained in an evolutionary context. We discover how birds find food, relying on foraging techniques, tools and thievery. We learn about the courtship rituals through which birds choose, compete for, woo and win mates; the familial conflicts that crop up among parents, offspring and siblings; and the stresses and strains of nesting, including territory defence, nepotism and relationship sabotage. We see how birds respond to threats and danger – through such unique practices as murmurations, specific alarm calls, distraction displays and antipredator nest design. We also read about how birds change certain behaviours – preening, migration, breeding and huddling – based on climate. Richly illustrated, this book explores the increasing focus on how individual birds differ in personality and how big data and citizen scientists are helping to add to what we know about them. Drawing on classic examples and the latest research, How Birds Behave offers a close-up look at the many ways birds conduct themselves in the wild.

scholarly journals A Cause for Alarm: Increasing Translocation Success of Captive Individuals Through Alarm Communication

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Morris ◽  
Benjamin James Pitcher ◽  
Anthony Chariton
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Communication Behavior ◽  
Developmental History ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Alarm Communication ◽  
Predator Behavior

Translocation programmes implying the movement of animals from one place to another aim to sustain endangered populations in the wild. However, their success varies greatly, with predation being a major contributing factor. This is particularly prevalent in released captive-raised individuals which have a reduced or lost awareness of predators. Alarm calls are an immediate response made toward a predator, mostly studied in highly predated, social vertebrates. These warning vocalizations are a vital part of a prey species' anti-predator behavior, enhancing the individuals' and surrounding listeners' survival. To date, most translocation programmes have not considered this behavior for release success. Here we review the literature summarizing alarm communication systems of wild and captive vertebrates, aiming to establish recommendations and actions which could encourage alarm communication behavior in captive vertebrate species. Observations of wild animals show that alarm-call understanding is gained through the experience of predation pressure from a young age, amongst conspecific and heterospecific social groups, which captive individuals can lack. This information, combined with consideration of a programme's accessible resources and captive individual's developmental history, is pivotal to efficiently guide appropriate actions. Focusing on preserving behaviors in captivity, we provide a list of recommendations and actions to guide the reinforcement of alarm communication throughout the translocation process. Ensuring predator awareness and the maintenance of alarm communication in translocated individuals may greatly improve the likelihood of release success.

scholarly journals The effects of introgression across thousands of quantitative traits revealed by gene expression in wild tomatoes

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009892
Author(s):  
Mark S. Hibbins ◽  
Matthew W. Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Quantitative Traits ◽  
Gene Tree ◽  
Expression Data ◽  
Trait Evolution ◽  
General Role ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Transcriptome Expression

It is now understood that introgression can serve as powerful evolutionary force, providing genetic variation that can shape the course of trait evolution. Introgression also induces a shared evolutionary history that is not captured by the species phylogeny, potentially complicating evolutionary analyses that use a species tree. Such analyses are often carried out on gene expression data across species, where the measurement of thousands of trait values allows for powerful inferences while controlling for shared phylogeny. Here, we present a Brownian motion model for quantitative trait evolution under the multispecies network coalescent framework, demonstrating that introgression can generate apparently convergent patterns of evolution when averaged across thousands of quantitative traits. We test our theoretical predictions using whole-transcriptome expression data from ovules in the wild tomato genus Solanum. Examining two sub-clades that both have evidence for post-speciation introgression, but that differ substantially in its magnitude, we find patterns of evolution that are consistent with histories of introgression in both the sign and magnitude of ovule gene expression. Additionally, in the sub-clade with a higher rate of introgression, we observe a correlation between local gene tree topology and expression similarity, implicating a role for introgressed cis-regulatory variation in generating these broad-scale patterns. Our results reveal a general role for introgression in shaping patterns of variation across many thousands of quantitative traits, and provide a framework for testing for these effects using simple model-informed predictions.

Two novel species of Sisyranthus (Apocynaceae—Ceropegieae) from South Africa

Phytotaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 438 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14
Author(s):  
KHANYISILE SHABANGU ◽  
STOFFEL P. BESTER ◽  
MICHELLE VAN DER BANK
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Species ◽  
New Taxa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
In The Wild

Sisyranthus species are cryptic in both their habit and small size of their flowers making them difficult to find in the wild. The genus was last revised in Flora Capensis (1908) and since then, two new species have been described. Currently it comprises 13 recognised species endemic to southern Africa. Many of these are range-restricted and poorly known. In this contribution the genus is further expanded by describing two novel species. Full descriptions, assessment of conservation status, distribution maps and line drawings of the new taxa are presented.

scholarly journals Alarm calls evoke a visual search image of a predator in birds

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1541-1545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshitaka N. Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Mental Images ◽  
Search Image ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Parus Minor

One of the core features of human speech is that words cause listeners to retrieve corresponding visual mental images. However, whether vocalizations similarly evoke mental images in animal communication systems is surprisingly unknown. Japanese tits (Parus minor) produce specific alarm calls when and only when encountering a predatory snake. Here, I show that simply hearing these calls causes tits to become more visually perceptive to objects resembling snakes. During playback of snake-specific alarm calls, tits approach a wooden stick being moved in a snake-like fashion. However, tits do not respond to the same stick when hearing other call types or if the stick’s movement is dissimilar to that of a snake. Thus, before detecting a real snake, tits retrieve its visual image from snake-specific alarm calls and use this to search out snakes. This study provides evidence for a call-evoked visual search image in a nonhuman animal, offering a paradigm to explore the cognitive basis for animal vocal communication in the wild.

Responses of Laughing Gull Chicks (Larus Atricilla) To Parental Attraction- and Alarm-Calls, and Effects of Prenatal Auditory Experience On the Responsiveness To Such Calls

Behaviour ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 56 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 250-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Impekoven
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Postnatal Exposure ◽  
Potential Predator ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Enhanced Activity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Pilot Investigation ◽  
Auditory Experience ◽  
The Difference

AbstractConfirming previous observations in the gull-colony the parental attraction-call 'crooning' selectively enhanced activity while the alarm-calls 'kow' and 'uk-uk' suppressed activity and vocalizations, even in the absence of additional visual clues. These calls may have had the observed effects in part because of certain acoustic characteristics to which chicks preferentially respond and in part because of specific experiences that chicks may have had with these calls prior to testing. Some of the difference between experiment (a) and (b) in the performance towards 'uk-uk' calls may have been due to the fact that the chicks in (b) were tested later in the season than the chicks in (a). Later hatching chicks may have been physically less well developed and thus less responsive than earlier hatched chicks, or they may have had differential kinds or amounts of auditory experience before they were tested. The present results differ from findings of an earlier pilot-investigation (BEER, 1973) in which recordings of single adult birds evoked no clearcut responses in chicks. However most of those chicks had been several days old and in other experiments it was shown that responsiveness to calls of adults changes with age (BEER, 1970b).Observations. Adult Laughing Gulls utter several distinct calls during the incubation of their eggs and the raising of their chicks. One call referred to as 'uhr' call is frequently heard during incubation in conjunction with rising from the eggs or resettling, and in response to the mate's activities near the nest. 'Crooning' is heard during mate-reliefs in incubation. After hatching this call functions to attract the young to the parent. `Uk-uk' and 'kow' alarm-calls are both uttered when the colony is disturbed by a potential predator, but 'kow' calls can also be heard in purely conspecific disturbances. Experiment I . The responses of day-old chicks, reared by their parents, were investigated towards recordings of some of these calls. Confirming observations in the wild, `crooning' selectively enhanced activity and elicited approach; 'uk-uk' suppressed activity and vocalization and elicited crouching; 'kow' calls had similar effects but to a lesser extent. Experiment 2. Chicks collected at hatching from nests in the gull-colony were compared with chicks hatched in an incubator in order to discover whether the prenatal conditions affected early postnatal responsiveness to 'crooning'. It was found that parent-hatched chicks showed increased activity in the presence of 'crooning' and some of them approached the speaker, whilst incubator-hatched chicks were not activated by these calls. Experiment 3. Younger chicks were compared with older chicks (all hatched in the incubator) for the purpose of finding out to what extent their responsiveness to 'crooning' would change with postnatal age. The results showed that to parentally inexperienced chicks this call increasingly acquires the effects of alarm-calls in that it suppresses vocalization and activity and elicits crouching. Experiment 4. The role of parental calls as experienced in the wild during incubation was examined experimentally. During the last 2 1/2 to 3 days of incubation eggs were repeatedly exposed to different types of calls (or no calls at all), in order to see to what extent and with what degree of selectivity such exposures would affect responsiveness to 'crooning' and 'kow' calls in newly hatched chicks. It was found that prenatal exposure to 'crooning' leads to enhancement of activity and vocalization in the presence of such calls postnatally. Effects of prenatal experience with disyllabic 'uhr' call point into the same direction. Prenatal experience with 'kow' calls does not lead to early postnatal activation in response to 'crooning'. Responsiveness to 'kow' calls was only affected by prenatal exposure to these calls. Discussion. Some previously published studies in this field of research are briefly reviewed and compared with the present findings. The relative contribution of prior experience of parental and filial vocalizations to later responsiveness to parental calls is discussed. Earlier research in the Laughing Gull had shown that parentally inexperienced embryos are selectively activated by 'crooning' till close to hatching. In the present study it was shown that repeated prenatal experience with 'crooning' leads to its attractiveness after hatching. Therefore repeated prenatal (and maybe early postnatal) exposure to this call and related calls seems to function to maintain and. consolidate responsiveness to this call in the neonate. In contrast to 'crooning', 'kow' alarm-calls heard prenatally do not enhance nor suppress motility. Prior exposure to this call does not maintain this apparent indifference, but merely reduces the extent to which it acquires activiy suppressing effects.

Freeze-substituted fungal cells of Nectria haematococca: A comparison of the macroconidial walls of the adhesion-competent wild type with an adhesion-reduced mutant

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 688-689
Author(s):  
Thecan Caesar-Ton That ◽  
Lynn Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Freeze Substitution ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Nectria Haematococca ◽  
Fruit Extract ◽  
Dialysis Tubing ◽  
Tube Emergence ◽  
Contrast Microscopy ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Freeze Damage

Nectria haematococca mating population I (anamorph, Fusarium solani) macroconidia attach to its host (squash) and non-host surfaces prior to germ tube emergence. The macroconidia become adhesive after a brief period of protein synthesis. Recently, Hickman et al. (1989) isolated N. haematococca adhesion-reduced mutants. Using freeze substitution, we compared the development of the macroconidial wall in the wild type in comparison to one of the mutants, LEI.Macroconidia were harvested at 1C, washed by centrifugation, resuspended in a dilute zucchini fruit extract and incubated from 0 - 5 h. During the incubation period, wild type macroconidia attached to uncoated dialysis tubing. Mutant macroconidia did not attach and were collected on poly-L-lysine coated dialysis tubing just prior to freezing. Conidia on the tubing were frozen in liquid propane at 191 - 193C, substituted in acetone with 2% OsO4 and 0.05% uranyl acetate, washed with acetone, and flat-embedded in Epon-Araldite. Using phase contrast microscopy at 1000X, cells without freeze damage were selected, remounted, sectioned and post-stained sequentially with 1% Ba(MnO4)2 2% uranyl acetate and Reynold’s lead citrate. At least 30 cells/treatment were examined.

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