scholarly journals Copy parents or follow friends? Juvenile foraging behaviour changes with social environment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria R. Franks ◽  
John G. Ewen ◽  
Mhairi McCready ◽  
Rose Thorogood
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Mixed Treatment ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Behaviour Changes ◽  
Notiomystis Cincta

AbstractThe first few months of juvenile independence is a critical period for survival as young must learn new behaviours to forage efficiently. Social learning by observing parents (vertical transmission) or others (horizontal/oblique transmission) may be important to overcome naivety, but these tutors are likely to differ in their reliability due to variation in their own experience. How young animals use different social information sources, however, has received little attention. Here we tested if wild juvenile hihi (Notiomystis cincta, a New Zealand passerine) retained foraging behaviours learned from parents, or if behaviour changed after independence in response to peers. We first trained parents with feeders during chick rearing: one-third could access food from any direction, one-third could access food from one side only, and the remaining third had no feeder. During post-fledge parental care, juveniles chose the same side as their parents. Once independent, juveniles formed mixed-treatment groups naturally so we then presented feeders with two equally profitable sides. Juveniles with natal feeder experience were quicker to use these feeders initially, but side choice was now random. Over time, however, juveniles converged on using one side of the feeder (which differed between groups). This apparent conformity was because juvenile hihi paid attention to the behaviour of their group and were more likely to choose the locally-favoured side as the number of visits to that side increased. They did not copy the choice of specific individuals, even when they were more social or more familiar with the preceding bird. Our study shows that early social experiences with parents affect foraging decisions, but later social environments lead juveniles to modify their behaviour.

scholarly journals Foraging behaviour alters with social environment in a juvenile songbird

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1939) ◽  
pp. 20201878
Author(s):  
Victoria R. Franks ◽  
John G. Ewen ◽  
Mhairi McCready ◽  
Rose Thorogood
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
New Information ◽  
Mixed Treatment ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Cultural Ecological ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

Early independence from parents is a critical period where social information acquired vertically may become outdated, or conflict with new information. However, across natural populations, it is unclear if newly independent young persist in using information from parents, or if group-level effects of conformity override previous behaviours. Here, we test if wild juvenile hihi ( Notiomystis cincta , a New Zealand passerine) retain a foraging behaviour from parents, or if they change in response to the behaviour of peers. We provided feeding stations to parents during chick-rearing to seed alternative access routes, and then tracked their offspring's behaviour. Once independent, juveniles formed mixed-treatment social groups, where they did not retain preferences from their time with parents. Instead, juvenile groups converged over time to use one access route­ per group, and juveniles that moved between groups switched to copy the locally favoured option. Juvenile hihi did not copy specific individuals, even if they were more familiar with the preceding bird. Our study shows that early social experiences with parents affect initial foraging decisions, but social environments encountered later on can update transmission of arbitrary behaviours. This suggests that conformity may be widespread in animal groups, with potential cultural, ecological and evolutionary consequences.

Synthesis: foraging decisions link plants, herbivores and human beings

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D. Provenza ◽  
P. Gregorini ◽  
P. C. F. Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Herbivores make decisions about where to forage and what combinations and sequences of foods to eat, integrating influences that span generations, with choices manifest daily within a lifetime. These influences begin in utero and early in life; they emerge daily from interactions among internal needs and contexts unique to biophysical and social environments; and they link the cells of plants with the palates of herbivores and humans. This synthesis summarises papers in the special issue of Animal Production Science that explore emerging understanding of these dynamics, and suggests implications for future research that can help people manage livestock for the benefit of landscapes and people by addressing (1) how primary and secondary compounds in plants interact physiologically with cells and organs in animals to influence food selection, (2) temporal and spatial patterns of foraging behaviours that emerge from these interactions in the form of meal dynamics across landscapes, (3) ways humans can manage foraging behaviours and the dynamics of meals for ecological, economic and social benefits, and (4) models of foraging behaviour that integrate the aforementioned influences.

scholarly journals An ant–plant mutualism through the lens of cGMP-dependent kinase genes

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1862) ◽  
pp. 20170896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Jean G. Malé ◽  
Kyle M. Turner ◽  
Manjima Doha ◽  
Ina Anreiter ◽  
Aaron M. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Cgmp Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Behaviour Changes

In plant–animal mutualisms, how an animal forages often determines how much benefit its plant partner receives. In many animals, foraging behaviour changes in response to foraging gene expression or activation of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) that foraging encodes. Here, we show that this highly conserved molecular mechanism affects the outcome of a plant–animal mutualism. We studied the two PKG genes of Allomerus octoarticulatus, an Amazonian ant that defends the ant–plant Cordia nodosa against herbivores. Some ant colonies are better ‘bodyguards’ than others. Working in the field in Peru, we found that colonies fed with a PKG activator recruited more workers to attack herbivores than control colonies. This resulted in less herbivore damage. PKG gene expression in ant workers correlated with whether an ant colony discovered an herbivore and how much damage herbivores inflicted on leaves in a complex way; natural variation in expression levels of the two genes had significant interaction effects on ant behaviour and herbivory. Our results suggest a molecular basis for ant protection of plants in this mutualism.

scholarly journals Insulin Receptor Substrate Gene Knockdown Accelerates Behavioural Maturation and Shortens Lifespan in Honeybee Workers

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihle ◽  
Mutti ◽  
Kaftanoglu ◽  
Amdam
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Receptor ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Nutrient Sensing ◽  
Insulin Receptor Substrate ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Selected Lines ◽  
Pathway Gene ◽  
Worker Bee

In animals, dietary restriction or suppression of genes involved in nutrient sensing tends to increase lifespan. In contrast, food restriction in honeybees (Apis mellifera) shortens lifespan by accelerating a behavioural maturation program that culminates in leaving the nest as a forager. Foraging is metabolically demanding and risky, and foragers experience increased rates of aging and mortality. Food-deprived worker bees forage at younger ages and are expected to live shorter lives. We tested whether suppression of a molecular nutrient sensing pathway is sufficient to accelerate the behavioural transition to foraging and shorten worker life. To achieve this, we reduced expression of the insulin receptor substrate (irs) gene via RNA interference in two selected lines of honeybees used to control for behavioural and genetic variation. irs encodes a membrane-associated protein in the insulin/insulin-like signalling (IIS) pathway that is central to nutrient sensing in animals. We measured foraging onset and lifespan and found that suppression of irs reduced worker bee lifespan in both genotypes, and that this effect was largely driven by an earlier onset of foraging behaviour in a genotype-conditional manner. Our results provide the first direct evidence that an IIS pathway gene influences behavioural maturation and lifespan in honeybees and highlight the importance of considering social environments and behaviours when investigating the regulation of aging and lifespan in social animals.

Adjectives as Information Sources for Reading-Comprehension Test Items

1971 ◽  
Vol 33 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1205-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Random Error ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Parts Of Speech ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Task Administration ◽  
Made In

To replicate Bradley's (1970) investigation of various parts-of-speech as information sources for responses to reading-comprehension test items, 180 Ss in Grades 3, 4, and 5 were assigned to treatment groups which corresponded to grammatical deletions made in the reading paragraphs. Nouns were confirmed as the primary information source and adjectives were not confirmed as an information source. It was concluded that some artifact of task, administration, or random error was responsible for the previous finding of adjectives as information sources for responses to reading-comprehension test items.

scholarly journals How Gradient Affects the Foraging Decisions of Leaf Cutting Ants at the Food Source

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sam Butler
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Methodological Errors ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Load Size ◽  
Insight Into

The eusocial insects have long held the fascination of scientists for their co-operative behaviour, which can range from a small group of workers, to millions strong colonies, such as those found in the leaf cutting ant, Atta cephalotes. Though decades of research have allowed us some insight into their organisation and methods, there are many things that have gone unexplained. One of these is the mystery of why Atta consistently takes leaf loads back to the nest that are significantly smaller than would be optimal, when they should in theory optimise leaf transport rate. While compelling evidence has been presented to suggest that it is at least in part to do with how the leaves are processed inside the nest, here I present evidence to suggest that gradient is another key factor. This is a factor which has been explored only very cursorily up until now in leaf cutting ants, with experiments investigating it being extremely limited in scope, suffer from potential methodological errors or deal with grass cutting ants, which share many traits with leaf cutting ants, but have adapted to face different challenges. Upon a thorough examination of the effects of gradient, it was discovered that A. cephalotes favour a cautious, but more reliable method of transport. At almost every point, their behaviour shows the importance of maintaining grip on steep and vertical gradients to the point where it is prioritised over everything else, including speed and load size. While it may seem paradoxical to suggest that smaller loads, carried slower might result in a higher overall rate of leaf collection, a fast, but reckless approach might result in a high proportion of unsuccessful foraging trips, each of which costs energy and time. As a result, by increasing their success, rather than speed, they minimise wasted effort, loss of workers and potentially, have a higher rate of leaf collection over time. This aspect of leaf cutting ant behaviour shows that leaf cutting ants can change their priorities at the feeding site to best maximise transport success at an individual level, which demonstrates previously unappreciated plasticity and a new lens through which to view future investigations into ant foraging behaviour.

Food versus risk: foraging decision in young Tiger snakes, Notechis scutatus

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Bradshaw ◽  
Xavier Bonnet ◽  
Fabien Aubret
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
High Food ◽  
Food Acquisition ◽  
Predation Threat ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Versus Risk ◽  
Foraging Decision

AbstractForaging behaviour is influenced by an animal's level of hunger, and may reflect a trade-off between optimizing food acquisition and avoiding predation. Young tiger snakes were raised either on a high or low food diet and exposed to a predation threat while foraging. Under these circumstances, lower condition snakes (low food diet) were prone to take additional feeding/foraging risks: food was accepted at a much higher rate compared with the higher condition animals (high food diet) that were less inclined to risk feeding under a predation threat. This study provides the first direct example of predation risk-associated foraging decisions in snakes.

Variation in predator foraging behaviour changes predator-prey spatio-temporal dynamics

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1309-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Punya Nachappa ◽  
David C. Margolies ◽  
James R. Nechols ◽  
James F. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Predator Foraging ◽  
Behaviour Changes

scholarly journals Foraging behaviour of the Scale-throated Hermit Phaethornis eurynome Lesson, 1832 (Aves, Trochilidae) in Vriesea incurvata Gaudich (Bromeliaceae)

2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
BG. Silva ◽  
AJ. Piratelli
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Local Density ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
The Other ◽  
Flower Number ◽  
Heterogeneous Distribution ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Number Of Visits

In this study we tested for density-dependent relationships between visitation rates of the Scale-throated Hermit (Phaethornis eurynome) and the plant density and flower number of the bromeliad Vriesea incurvata, by comparing plots with varying densities of this bromeliad. Eight 100 m2 plots were established at least 200 m from each other; four plots contained 10-15 individuals of V. incurvata each, whereas the other four contained 4-5 individuals each. The visitors, number of visits, behaviour (nectar thief or potential pollinator) and the height of foraging were recorded during focal observations on the plants. The number of visits of P. eurynome varied according to the local density of V. incurvata, showing that the heterogeneous distribution of this bromeliad species may promote adjustments in the pollinator populations, through resource variation at a local scale.

scholarly journals Risso's dolphins perform spin dives to target deep-dwelling prey

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fleur Visser ◽  
Onno A. Keller ◽  
Machiel G. Oudejans ◽  
Douglas P. Nowacek ◽  
Annebelle C. M. Kok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Grampus Griseus ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Deep Scattering Layer ◽  
Fundamental Insight ◽  
Dense Aggregation ◽  
Insight Into

Foraging decisions of deep-diving cetaceans can provide fundamental insight into food web dynamics of the deep pelagic ocean. Cetacean optimal foraging entails a tight balance between oxygen-conserving dive strategies and access to deep-dwelling prey of sufficient energetic reward. Risso's dolphins ( Grampus griseus ) displayed a thus far unknown dive strategy, which we termed the spin dive. Dives started with intense stroking and right-sided lateral rotation. This remarkable behaviour resulted in a rapid descent. By tracking the fine-scale foraging behaviour of seven tagged individuals, matched with prey layer recordings, we tested the hypothesis that spin dives are foraging dives targeting deep-dwelling prey. Hunting depth traced the diel movement of the deep scattering layer, a dense aggregation of prey, that resides deep during the day and near-surface at night. Individuals shifted their foraging strategy from deep spin dives to shallow non-spin dives around dusk. Spin dives were significantly faster, steeper and deeper than non-spin dives, effectively minimizing transit time to bountiful mesopelagic prey, and were focused on periods when the migratory prey might be easier to catch. Hence, whereas Risso's dolphins were mostly shallow, nocturnal foragers, their spin dives enabled extended and rewarding diurnal foraging on deep-dwelling prey.

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