scholarly journals Continuous and discrete quantity discrimination in tortoises

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gazzola ◽  
Giorgio Vallortigara ◽  
Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Food Item ◽  
Animal Behaviour ◽  
Quantity Discrimination ◽  
Weber's Law ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Numerical Abilities ◽  
Numerical Magnitudes ◽  
Testudo Hermanni ◽  
Numerousness Discrimination ◽  
Discrete Quantity

AbstractThe ability to estimate quantity, which is crucially important in several aspects of animal behaviour (e.g., foraging), has been extensively investigated in most taxa, with the exception of reptiles. The few studies available, in lizards, report lack of spontaneous discrimination of quantity, which may suggest that reptiles could represent an exception in numerical abilities among vertebrates. We investigated the spontaneous ability of Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni) to select the larger quantity of food items. Tortoises showed able to choose the larger food item when exposed with two options differing in size (0.25, 0.50, 0.67 and 0.75 ratio) and when presented with two groups differing in numerousness (1 versus 4, 2 versus 4, 2 versus 3 and 3 versus 4 items). The tortoises succeeded in both size and numerousness discrimination, and their performance appeared to depend on the ratio of items to be discriminated (thus following Weber’s Law). These findings in chelonians provide evidence of an ancient system for the extrapolation of numerical magnitudes from given sets of elements, shared among vertebrates.

scholarly journals Continuous and discrete quantity discrimination in tortoises

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 20180649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gazzola ◽  
Giorgio Vallortigara ◽  
Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Food Item ◽  
Animal Behaviour ◽  
Quantity Discrimination ◽  
Weber's Law ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Numerical Abilities ◽  
Numerical Magnitudes ◽  
Testudo Hermanni ◽  
Numerousness Discrimination ◽  
Discrete Quantity

The ability to estimate quantity, which is crucially important in several aspects of animal behaviour (e.g. foraging), has been extensively investigated in most taxa, with the exception of reptiles. The few studies available, in lizards, report lack of spontaneous discrimination of quantity, which may suggest that reptiles could represent an exception in numerical abilities among vertebrates. We investigated the spontaneous ability of Hermann's tortoises ( Testudo hermanni ) to select the larger quantity of food items. Tortoises were able to choose the larger food item when exposed to two options differing in size, but equal in numerousness (0.25, 0.50, 0.67 and 0.75 ratio) and when presented with two groups differing in numerousness, but equal in size (1 versus 4, 2 versus 4, 2 versus 3 and 3 versus 4 items). The tortoises succeeded in both size and numerousness discrimination, and their performance appeared to depend on the ratio of items to be discriminated (thus following Weber's Law). These findings in chelonians provide evidence of an ancient system for the extrapolation of numerical magnitudes from given sets of elements, shared among vertebrates.

scholarly journals The role of item size on choosing contrasted food quantities in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. Gómez-Laplaza ◽  
Laura Romero ◽  
Robert Gerlai
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Contour Length ◽  
Quantity Discrimination ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Numerical Attributes ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Item Size ◽  
Pterophyllum Scalare

Abstract Comparative studies on quantity discrimination in animals are important for understanding potential evolutionary roots of numerical competence. A previous study with angelfish has shown that they discriminate numerically different sets of same-sized food items and prefer the larger set. However, variables that covary with number were not controlled and choice could have been influenced by variables such as size or density of the food items rather than numerical attributes. Here using a recently developed approach, we examined whether contour length of the food items affects choice in a spontaneous binary choice task. In Experiment 1, a contrast of 1 vs. 1 food item was presented, but the ratio between the size (diameter) of the food items was varied. In Experiment 2, numerically different food sets were equated in overall size by increasing the size (diameter) of the items in the numerically small sets. In both Experiments, subjects showed a preference for the larger sized food items with a discrimination limit. These results show that item size plays a prominent role in foraging decisions in angelfish. Experiment 3 placed numerical and size attributes of the sets in conflict by presenting one larger-sized food item in the numerically smaller set that also had smaller overall size (diameter) of food items. Angelfish showed no preference in any of the contrasts, suggesting that they could not make optimal foraging decisions when these attributes were in conflict. Maximization of energy return is central to optimal foraging. Accordingly, here item size was also found to be a key feature of the sets, although the numerical attributes of the sets also influenced the choice.

scholarly journals Food Habits of Dabbling Ducks During Fall Migration in a Prairie Pothole System, Heron Lake, Minnesota

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Wersal ◽  
Brock R. McMillan ◽  
John D. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Dabbling Ducks ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Dabbling Duck ◽  
Stuckenia Pectinata ◽  
Polygonum Lapathifolium ◽  
Volume Method

We conducted an analysis of dabbling duck food habits in the fall of 2002 and 2003 in the Heron Lake system. Gizzard contents of hunter-harvested birds were analyzed using the percent aggregate volume method to determine what food items were consumed and in what quantity. Curltop Ladysthumb (Polygonum lapathifolium) was the food item consumed most often (82.2%) and in the greatest volume (34.2 ml). Sago Pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata) was the only food item of which multiple plant parts were consumed. However, the seeds and tubers only comprised 1.27 and 0.07 of the total aggregate percent.

Maternal Knowledge of Oral Health of Children Aged 1–4 Years

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-120
Author(s):  
Nurit Dagon ◽  
Tal Ratson ◽  
Benjamin Peretz ◽  
Sigalit Blumer
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Early Childhood Caries ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Fluoride Concentration ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Maternal Knowledge ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Food Items

Introduction. Knowledge of oral health (KOH) among mothers has an important influence on their children's oral habits and routines. Lack of maternal KOH had been related to the development of early childhood caries among preschool children. Aim. To assess KOH among mothers of 1–4 year-olds. Study design. Participating mothers completed a 3-part questionnaire on general demographic information, KOH of their children, and ranking of six food items according to their cariogenic potential. Results. Most of the 285 participating mothers had an academic education. Only 47% of the mothers correctly answered seven questions on KOH. The dentist was the main source for KOH. Most of the mothers (94.39%) were aware of the need to brush their children's teeth twice daily. Most of them (72.29%) did not know the correct fluoride concentration in their child's toothpaste. They ranked salty snacks as the least cariogenic food item. Most of the mothers were not aware that snacks and sweetened drinks should be consumed during meals, and two-thirds reported tasting food from their child's spoon. Conclusion. Overall, mothers of toddlers lacked basic knowledge of oral health issues and practices to follow for the prevention of their children's caries.

scholarly journals Alerting Spoilage of Food in Refrigerator

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1720-1725
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Smart Homes ◽  
End Users ◽  
Prediction Methods ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Fungal Attack

The era of smart homes wouldn’t be complete without intelligent refrigerators. Thus we have proposed an idea for detecting the food kept in the refrigerator and alerting the user on their spoilage which involves all the processes of ML and IoT. In places where large stocks of food are stored, manual maintenance is very hard and also when they are transported to long distant places from the cultivated lands to the end-users, they get spoiled due to lack of governance. The existing systems have provided a solution forthis and we decided to give thisfacility forthe working women who have very little time to do their household. This system helps in preventing other items in the refrigerator from the fungal attack caused by the affected ones. The solutions provided by the existing systems recommend sensors to detect the food items. Each food item might need a different sensor and hence this might lead to a lot of hardware components to be added to the refrigerator. Thus our system uses ML prediction methods like image processing. Finally, the notification of the spoiled food is intimated to the user by displaying the message in the refrigerator door.

scholarly journals Quantitative abilities in a reptile ( Podarcis sicula )

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 20160899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Miletto Petrazzini ◽  
Isabel Fraccaroli ◽  
Francesco Gariboldi ◽  
Christian Agrillo ◽  
Angelo Bisazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Item ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Numerical Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Skill ◽  
Podarcis Sicula ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Two Alternatives

The ability to identify the largest amount of prey available is fundamental for optimizing foraging behaviour in several species. To date, this cognitive skill has been observed in all vertebrate groups except reptiles. In this study we investigated the spontaneous ability of ruin lizards to select the larger amount of food items. In Experiment 1, lizards proved able to select the larger food item when presented with two alternatives differing in size (0.25, 0.50, 0.67 and 0.75 ratio). In Experiment 2 lizards presented with two groups of food items (1 versus 4, 2 versus 4, 2 versus 3 and 3 versus 4 items) were unable to select the larger group in any contrast. The lack of discrimination in the presence of multiple items represents an exception in numerical cognition studies, raising the question as to whether reptiles' quantitative abilities are different from those of other vertebrate groups.

scholarly journals Training Choices Toward Low Value Options

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Zoltak ◽  
Rob Holland ◽  
Niels Kukken ◽  
Harm Veling
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Choice Making ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Auditory Cue ◽  
Food Decisions

Food decisions are driven by the differences in value such that high value items are preferred over low value items. However, recent research has demonstrated that by implementing the Cue- Approach Task (CAT) the odds of choosing low value items over high value items can be increased. This effect was explained by increased attention to the low value items induced by CAT. Our goal was replicate original findings and to address the question of the underlying mechanism by employing eye-tracking during participants’ choice making. Within the CAT participants were presented with images of food items and were instructed to quickly respond to some of them when an auditory cue was presented (cued items), and not without this cue (uncued items). Next, participants made choices between two food items that differed on whether they were cued in the CAT (cued versus uncued) and value (high versus low). Results showed participants were more likely to select a low value food item over a high value food item for consumption when the low value food item had been cued compared to when the low value item had not been cued. Important, and against our expectation, there was no significant increase in gaze time for low cued items compared to low uncued items. Participants did spend more time fixating on the chosen item compared to the unchosen alternative, thus replicating previous work in this domain. The present research thus establishes the robustness of CAT as means of facilitating choices for low value over high value food but could not demonstrate that this increased preference was due to increased attention for cued low value items. The present research thus raises the question how CAT may increase choices for low value options.

scholarly journals Some Biological and Morphological Aspects for Coptodon Zillii(Gervais, 1848) Inhabiting at Al- Tharthar Arm-Tigris River North of Baghdad,Iraq

2021 ◽  
Vol 910 (1) ◽  
pp. 012070
Author(s):  
Nehad K. Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Food Item ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Morphometric Measurements ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Tigris River ◽  
Morphological Aspects ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Important Food Item

Abstract Somebiological aspects and morphological for Coptodon zillii inhabiting at Al-Tharthar Arm-Tigris River were studied during the period from April to September 2016. The growth pattern was positive allometric with (b) values for males 3.392, females 3.192, and for combined sexes 3.30. Condition factor values were lower than one and increased with size rangesbetween1.265and1.984 with an average of 1.665for combined sexes.Fish considered as herbivorous, six food items found in the diet, filament algae was the most important food item that occupied 57.84% of the diet, followed by plants particles' and their seeds 27.08% and organic materials 12.38%. The percentage of food items by both methods differed between sexes. The research cover, the ratios of each of twenty morphometric measurements to total length, and each of four morphometric measurements to head length and their linear regression equations. All the length-length relationships between standard length and the others measurements were highly correlated.

scholarly journals Evidence of terrestrial feeding in the arboreal lizard Enyalius bilineatus (Sauria, Polychrotidae) of south-eastern Brazil

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. ZAMPROGNO ◽  
M. das G. F. ZAMPROGNO ◽  
R. L. TEIXEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Food Items ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
Important Food Item

The diet of the arboreal lizard E. bilineatus was assessed based on analysis of gut contents of specimens collected in the remnants of the Atlantic rainforest in Espírito Santo State, south-eastern Brazil. Stomachs of the lizards examined (SVL = 57.0-85.0 mm) contained nine arthropod orders. E. bilineatus utilizes a broad range of arthopodan prey type and sizes, and can be considered an arthropod generalist, which uses a sit-and-wait foraging strategy. Orthoptera represented the most important food item, followed by Dictyoptera and Hymenoptera. Hemiptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera (larvae), Coleoptera, Araneae, and Diplopoda constituted the remainder of food items. The presence of Diplopoda, which are not generally found on tree trunks, provides particularly strong evidence the E. bilineatus forages in leaf litter on the ground.

scholarly journals How does tooth cusp radius of curvature affect brittle food item processing?

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (84) ◽  
pp. 20130240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Berthaume ◽  
Elizabeth R. Dumont ◽  
Laurie R. Godfrey ◽  
Ian R. Grosse
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Finite Element Models ◽  
Partial Support ◽  
Stress Concentrations ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Better Than

Tooth cusp sharpness, measured by radius of curvature (RoC), has been predicted to play a significant role in brittle/hard food item fracture. Here, we set out to test three existing hypotheses about this relationship: namely, the Blunt and Strong Cusp hypotheses, which predict that dull cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture, and the Pointed Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture using a four cusp bunodont molar. We also put forth and test the newly constructed Complex Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that a mixture of dull and sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture. We tested the four hypotheses using finite-element models of four cusped, bunodont molars. When testing the three existing hypotheses, we assumed all cusps had the same level of sharpness (RoC), and gained partial support for the Blunt Cusp hypotheses. We found no support for the Pointed Cusp or Strong Cusp hypotheses. We used the Taguchi sampling method to test the Complex Cusps hypothesis with a morphospace created by independently varying the radii of curvature of the four cusps in the buccolingual and mesiodistal directions. The optimal occlusal morphology for fracturing brittle food items consists of a combination of sharp and dull cusps, which creates high stress concentrations in the food item while stabilizing the food item and keeping the stress concentrations in the enamel low. This model performed better than the Blunt Cusp hypothesis, suggesting a role for optimality in the evolution of cusp form.

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