scholarly journals Recognition of familiar objects in tortoise hatchlings (Testudo spp.)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Damini ◽  
Gionata Stancher ◽  
Elisabetta Versace
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Novelty Effect ◽  
Object A ◽  
Solitary Species ◽  
Familiar Objects

ABSTRACTTortoises do not show parental care and live solitary except for the context of reproduction. Despite their limited need to interact with conspecifics, we previously observed that young tortoises, at their first experiences with conspecifics, can discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics after just one encounter with another tortoise. Tortoise hatchlings ignored familiar conspecifics, while they first explored and then actively avoided unfamiliar conspecifics. It remains to be established whether the different reactions to unfamiliar and familiar individuals in tortoise hatchlings are reactions to novelty, or whether they are specific to the interactions with living animals. To test this, we familiarized one-month-old tortoise hatchlings with an object (a brown cone vs. a blue sphere) and then tested them in a novel arena once with the familiar object and once with an unfamiliar one. To measure the reactions toward familiar and unfamiliar objects, we measured the distance between the tortoise and the object throughout the test. Differently from what happened with unfamiliar and familiar conspecifics, we found no difference in behavior toward familiar and unfamiliar objects. This shows that the different reactions toward familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics previously observed are specific for social interactions and are not a mere reaction to the novelty effect. The behavioral responses displayed by young tortoises for unfamiliar conspecifics, but not for unfamiliar objects, show the relevance of social behavior from the beginning of life, even for solitary species.

Sociality, Pathogen Avoidance, and the Neuropeptides Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1367-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kavaliers ◽  
Elena Choleris
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Arginine Vasopressin ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance ◽  
Social Threats

Both humans and nonhumans have evolved a variety of mechanisms to recognize pathogen threat and a variety of adaptive behavioral responses to minimize exposure to it. Because social interactions facilitate the spread of infection among individuals, the ability to recognize and avoid infected and potentially infected individuals is crucial. The neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are involved in mediating various facets of social behavior, including social recognition and responses to salient social threats. Results of studies with rodents have revealed that OT and AVP are also associated with the olfactory-mediated recognition and avoidance of actually or potentially infected individuals. The evidence reviewed here suggests that OT and AVP likely play parallel roles in modulating the recognition and avoidance of socially relevant pathogen threat in both humans and rodents.

The role of hormones

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Frederik Nijhout ◽  
Emily Laub
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Hormonal Control ◽  
Plastic Trait

Many behaviors of insects are stimulated, modified, or modulated by hormones. The principal hormones involved are the same as the ones that control moulting, metamorphosis, and other aspects of development, principally ecdysone and juvenile hormone. In addition, a small handful of neurosecretory hormones are involved in the control of specific behaviors. Because behavior is a plastic trait, this chapter begins by outlining the biology and hormonal control of phenotypic plasticity in insects, and how the hormonal control of behavior fits in with other aspects of the control of phenotypic plasticity. The rest of the chapter is organized around the diversity of behaviors that are known to be controlled by or affected by hormones. These include eclosion and moulting behavior, the synthesis and release of pheromones, migration, parental care, dominance, reproductive behavior, and social behavior.

scholarly journals Can Dogs’ Origins and Interactions with Humans Affect Their Accomplishments? A Study on the Responses of Shelter and Companion Dogs during Vocal Cue Training

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Maria Luiza A. Fonseca ◽  
Angélica S. Vasconcellos
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
The Other ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Vocal Cues ◽  
Companion Dogs ◽  
Shelter Dogs ◽  
Tone Of Voice ◽  
Neutral Tone

The inclusion of life history as a possible influential factor is pivotal in studies on behavior, welfare, and cognition. Shelter dogs have usually experienced a life involving poor social interactions with humans. Thus, we aimed to investigate the behavioral responses of shelter dogs (SDs) and companion dogs (CDs) during the training of two vocal cues (“sit”, “paw”), as well as the possible associations between their responses and the behaviors of trainers. We studied 15 SDs and 15 CDs in up to eight five-minute training sessions. Dogs’ and trainers’ behaviors were recorded and analyzed (through GLM, GLMM, correlation and Mann–Whitney tests). Shelter dogs responded to more cues per session, with shorter latencies and fewer repetitions of cues. Moreover, SDs spent more time wagging their tails. Dogs’ sex and trainers’ behaviors were also associated with differences in dogs’ responses. The use of a reproachful tone of voice was associated with a greater number of cues responded to, shorter latencies, and fewer repetitions of cues. However, this type voice/discourse was also linked to a greater exhibition of non-training behaviors (e.g., exploring the room or jumping on the trainer), and to dogs spending less time next to the trainer and wagging their tails. On the other hand, the use of a neutral tone of voice and laughter, besides being linked to performance, was also associated with longer durations of tail wagging. Furthermore, the duration of the trainers’ orientation to dogs was correlated with the orientation of the dogs to the trainers. Our data suggest that, even when having experienced social deprivation from humans, SDs’ capacities to learn vocal cues were preserved, possibly due to ontogenic homeostasis processes. Shelter dogs’ greater interest in the sessions may be also credited to their socially-deprived routine. Our outcomes also point to an association between friendly interactions during training and dog performance and excitement, which suggests that such interactions may have the potential to improve SD welfare.

scholarly journals Aberrant aggressive behavior in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilach Simchi ◽  
Hanoch Kaphzan
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Angelman Syndrome ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Affiliative Behavior ◽  
Severe Difficulty

AbstractAngelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder due to the absence of the E3-ligase protein, UBE3A. Inappropriate social interactions, usually hyper-sociability, is a part of that syndrome. In addition, clinical surveys and case reports describe aggressive behavior in AS individuals as a severe difficulty for caretakers. A mouse model for AS recapitulates most of the human AS phenotypes. However, very few studies utilized this mouse model for investigating affiliative social behavior, and not even a single study examined aggressive behavior. Hence, the aim of the herein study was to examine affiliative and aggressive social behavior. For that, we utilized a battery of behavioral paradigms, and performed detailed analyses of these behaviors. AS mice exhibited a unique characteristic of reduced habituation towards a social stimulus in comparison to their wild-type (WT) littermates. However, overall there were no additional marked differences in affiliative social behavior. In contrast to the mild changes in affiliative behavior, there was a striking enhanced aggression in the AS mice compared to their WT littermates. The herein findings emphasize the use of AS mouse model in characterizing and measuring inappropriate aggressive behavior, and suggests these as tools for investigating therapeutic interventions aimed at attenuating aggressive behavior.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Reaction to a Complex Rotated Object in the American Quarter Horse (Equus caballus)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1383
Author(s):  
Megan Elizabeth Corgan ◽  
Temple Grandin ◽  
Sarah Matlock
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Equus Caballus ◽  
T Test ◽  
Complex Object ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Quarter Horse ◽  
First Pass ◽  
Young Horses ◽  
Familiar Objects

It is dangerous for both riders and horses when a horse suddenly startles. Sometimes horses do this in familiar environments because familiar objects may look different when rotated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether horses that had been habituated to a complex object (children’s playset) would react to the object as novel when rotated 90 degrees. Twenty young horses were led past the playset 15 times by a handler. Next, the rotated group was led past the rotated playset 15 times. Each time the horse was led by the object was a pass. The behavioral responses observed and analyzed were ears focused on the object, nostril flares, neck raising, snort, avoid by stopping, avoid by moving feet sideways, and avoid by flight. An increasing reactivity scale was used to quantify behavioral responses. A two-sample t-test was performed on the reactivity scores comparing the first pass by the novel object to the first pass by the rotated object. The horses in the rotated group reacted to the rotated orientation similarly to the first exposure (p = 0.001, α < 0.05). Being aware of potential reactions to changes in previously familiar environments can help keep the handler safer.

Electrical Emissions in Gymnotus Carapo and Their Relation To Social Behavior

Behaviour ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 37 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Valone
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Postural Responses ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Electrical Stimuli

Abstract1. The relation between the social behavior and the electrical emissions of Gymnotus carapo is examined. 2. Members of the species Gymnotus carapo approach certain sources of electrical stimuli and, in a statistically significant number of instances, assume a stance parallel to the plane from which the stimuli originate. 3. The approach and postural responses elicited by electrical cues resemble those observed when two fish, placed in the same tank, interact socially. 4. Electrical cues therefore appear to facilitate certain social interactions in Gymnotus carapo. 5. The character of electrical emission in Gymnotus carapo appears to change as a function of certain social interaction: a. Interaction resembling aggression is accompanied by brief increases in the frequency of emission. b. The increases in frequency appear to be linked to thrusting movements. c. Fish interacting with one another appear to lock into a common frequency more often than fish that are not in physical contact with one another. d. During social interaction, one of the two fish is occasionally observed to halt emissions altogether. 6. The exact significance of the social behavior observed in the context of the life history of Gymnotus carapo is unknown.

Acute effects of ethanol on behavioral responses of male and female zebrafish in the open field test with the influence of a non-familiar object

2021 ◽  
pp. 104474
Author(s):  
Thiele P. Souza ◽  
Francini Franscescon ◽  
Flavia V. Stefanello ◽  
Talise E. Müller ◽  
Laura W. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Field Test ◽  
Open Field Test ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Acute Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Zebrafish

Culture as a normative social behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 136-143
Author(s):  
Andrey Yakovlevich Flier
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social System ◽  
Special Role ◽  
System A

The article shows that in culture as a social system, a special role is played by normative social behavior, which regulates social interaction and communication between people, and mores, with the help of which the regulation of social interactions is carried out.

scholarly journals Exploring Interactions between the Gut Microbiota and Social Behavior through Nutrition

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Pasquaretta ◽  
Tamara Gómez-Moracho ◽  
Philipp Heeb ◽  
Mathieu Lihoreau
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nutritional Geometry ◽  
Social Animals

Microbes influence a wide range of host social behaviors and vice versa. So far, however, the mechanisms underpinning these complex interactions remain poorly understood. In social animals, where individuals share microbes and interact around foods, the gut microbiota may have considerable consequences on host social interactions by acting upon the nutritional behavior of individual animals. Here we illustrate how conceptual advances in nutritional ecology can help the study of these processes and allow the formulation of new empirically testable predictions. First, we review key evidence showing that gut microbes influence the nutrition of individual animals, through modifications of their nutritional state and feeding decisions. Next, we describe how these microbial influences and their social consequences can be studied by modelling populations of hosts and their gut microbiota into a single conceptual framework derived from nutritional geometry. Our approach raises new perspectives for the study of holobiont nutrition and will facilitate theoretical and experimental research on the role of the gut microbiota in the mechanisms and evolution of social behavior.

Teaching Nonhandicapped Students about Individual Differences: A Pilot Study

1984 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Stainback ◽  
Susan Stainback ◽  
Catherine Hatcher ◽  
Marlene Strathe ◽  
Harriet Healy
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
Direct Training ◽  
Behavior Development ◽  
The Social

The lack of social acceptance of handicapped students by their nonhandicapped peers has been cited as a major deterrent to the success of mainstreaming (Strain, 1982). While this problem has been recognized, there has been little empirical investigation of ways to deal with the social acceptance issue beyond direct training of the handicapped in appropriate social behavior development (Gresham 1981). The primary purpose of the present investigation was to examine the influence of training nonhandicapped students about individual differences on their social interactions with rejected handicapped students. The results of the investigation provide initial evidence that training nonhandicapped students about individual differences influences their social interactions with their rejected handicapped peers in a small group setting.

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