Social behaviour of the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis)

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2529-2533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Ferron
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Spermophilus Lateralis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Age And Sex

The social interactions of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) observed during a 2-year study in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta under natural conditions are described and quantitatively analyzed. Agonistic interactions were common for all age and sex groups, except among littermates before dispersal. Among adults, cohesive and recognitive behaviours were restricted almost exclusively to male–female interactions. For young, cohesive and recognitive behaviours occurred with other young (mainly littermates) and with the mother. This species can be categorized as "asocial" according to G. R. Michener's classification of social organization in ground squirrels.

Field observations on the social relationships between adult female and juvenile Richardson's ground squirrels

1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail R. Michener
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
The Other ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Behavior

Field observations were conducted in southern Saskatchewan in 1969 and 1971. Adult female Richardson's ground squirrels and their own young engaged predominantly in nasal and cohesive contacts while adults and young from other litters engaged predominantly in agonistic contacts. Identification sometimes occurred at a distance based on the location and behavior of the other animal.Newly emerged juveniles remained close to the home burrow and engaged mainly in non-agonistic interactions with both their mothers and other adults. Not until juveniles were 6–7 weeks old and were familiar with the area used by the mother did they correctly identify adults regardless of where the interaction occurred.

Growth and its relationship to the initial annual cycle of the golden-mantled ground squirrel, Spermophilus lateralis

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Litter Size ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Spermophilus Lateralis ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Two Populations

Thirty-eight litters of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis), from two populations that experienced different lengths of active season, were born and raised in the laboratory. Growth and development in young were inversely related to litter size. Offspring from smaller litters were both able to attain their prehibernation peak of body mass sooner and hibernate after fewer days of homeothermy than squirrels from larger litters. Young that remained homeothermic throughout the initial overwintering period were always from large litters and among the slowest growing littermates. Fecundity was lower in females from the temporally compressed environment. There was no significant difference between populations in the nutrition provided by mothers to their litters. The results suggest that reproductive effort is more conservative in populations of ground squirrels that experience short seasons of activity, yet this conservatism allows the offspring of those populations to reach independence and attain the prehibernation state of preparedness at an earlier age than their counterparts from populations of more moderate climates.

scholarly journals Body Contacts and Social Interactions in Captive Odontocetes Are Influenced by the Context: An Implication for Welfare Assessment

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 924
Author(s):  
Agathe Serres ◽  
Yujiang Hao ◽  
Ding Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Care ◽  
Neophocaena Asiaeorientalis Asiaeorientalis ◽  
Social Separation

Research on the welfare of captive odontocetes has increased in recent years, but has been mostly focused on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Few studies investigated potential welfare indicators using quantitative data linked to a range of conditions or stimuli that are thought to impact the animals’ emotional state. Since odontocetes are social animals that engage in various social interactions, these interactions might inform us on their welfare state. We investigated pectoral contact laterality and the effect of the context on several social behaviors in three groups of captive odontocetes (Yangtze finless porpoises, YFPs: Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; East-Asian finless porpoises, EAFPs: N. a. sunameri, and bottlenose dolphins, BDs). Animals exhibited patterns depending on the time of the day for most of the social behaviors we analyzed; social separation was associated with lower rates of social behaviors for the two analyzed groups (YFPs and BDs), the accessibility to several pools was associated with higher rates of social behaviors for BDs. The effect of enrichment, disturbances and public presence was less clear and strongly depended on the group, the type of enrichment and disturbance. Our results confirm that captive odontocetes’ social behaviors are influenced by the context, and that, depending on the group, some of them, such as pectoral contacts, other body contacts, agonistic interactions or social play exhibit consistent patterns across contexts. Monitoring these behaviors might be useful to adapt the captive management to each species and group. The different responses among the three studied groups confirm that species and groups react differently to a stimulus and therefore, management decisions should be species/group specific. We recommend that more studies should be conducted to validate our findings in other groups of odontocetes under human care.

The squeaking vocalization of grey wolves (Canis lupus): individuality in a close-range affiliative mammalian vocalisation

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Jackie N. Weir ◽  
Jennifer N. Schneider ◽  
Rita E. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Frequency Characteristics ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
The Social ◽  
Close Range

Abstract Wolves (Canis lupus) frequently use the close-range squeaking vocalization, a soft, multi-unit, high-pitched tonal vocalisation. We examined the social and movement contexts of the occurrence and acoustic characteristics of squeaking from videotapes of pack-reared, pack-living captive wolves living in semi-natural conditions at the Canadian Centre for Wolf Research over a three-year period. We only examined squeaking vocalisations for which the sender and potential receiver(s) could be determined. Wolves squeaked in many contexts, especially when approaching other wolves in prosocial and food contexts. Some wolves squeaked more than others. Acoustically, squeaking vocalisations were individually identifiable, primarily through frequency characteristics. Contextual use suggests that squeaking conveys the friendly motivation of an approaching wolf and in aggressive situations, a motivation to defuse or decrease aggression. This close-range vocalisation may play an important role in controlling and coordinating social interactions within the pack.

Temperature dependence of in vitro androgen production in testes from hibernating ground squirrels, Spermophilus lateralis

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 3020-3023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Barnes ◽  
Paul Licht ◽  
Irving Zucker
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Temperature Compensation ◽  
Laboratory Mouse ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Spermophilus Lateralis ◽  
Dose Dependent

The effect of temperature on the in vitro androgen secretion of testes from hibernating ground squirrels was measured in response to stimulation by luteinizing hormone (LH). We wished to determine whether hibernating ground squirrels can maintain responsiveness of gonads while at the low body temperatures of torpor. In gonads incubated at 32 °C, secretion of testosterone increased in a dose-dependent manner in response to ovine-LH or ground squirrel pituitary homogenate. This responsiveness was reduced at 20 and 9 °C and absent at 5 °C, the temperature that most closely approximates the body temperature of torpid ground squirrels. This temperature sensitivity was similar to that in the nonhibernating laboratory mouse. Superfusion of ground squirrel testes revealed a lag of testosterone secretion in response to LH and, additionally, an ability of testes to secrete testosterone after being only briefly exposed to ovine-LH while at 5 °C. These results provide evidence against a hypothesis of temperature compensation that would allow continued testis function during torpor, and support a previous study which indicated that gonadal growth is restricted to intervals of normothermy during and after the hibernation season.

scholarly journals Social organization in a North African ground squirrel

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 670-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annemarie van der Marel ◽  
Jane M Waterman ◽  
Marta López-Darias
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cape Ground Squirrel

Abstract Research on sociality in temperate ground-dwelling squirrels has focused on female philopatry and other life history trade-offs, which are influenced by constraints in the duration of the active growing season. Temperate ground-dwelling squirrels that experience high predation pressure, are large in body size, and have a short active season, show a more complex social organization. In contrast, African ground squirrels are active year-round, suggesting that instead of a short active season, distinct selective pressures influence their social organization. We examined the social organization of Barbary ground squirrels, Atlantoxerus getulus, and compared the social organization of temperate and African ground-dwelling sciurids. Anecdotal accounts on Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization suggested that they were either solitary or gregarious, or live in small family groups. We recorded the group size, composition, cohesion, and genetic relatedness, of the population on the arid island of Fuerteventura, Spain. Our data indicate that females live in small (1–8) all-female kin groups separate from adult males, and that unrelated adult males share sleeping burrows with immature individuals of either sex. We observed sex-biased dispersal with males primarily the dispersing sex and females primarily philopatric. Females sleep solitarily during gestation and lactation and nest either communally or singly after juvenile emergence. During the day, males and females can be active in the same area. Barbary ground squirrels are social because the squirrels share sleeping burrows and show spatiotemporal overlap. Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization resembles that of the closely related Cape ground squirrel rather than that of the temperate ground-dwelling sciurids, although the former are more temperate, seasonal breeders. In addition to describing the social organization of a previously unstudied species, this paper sheds light on the ecological drivers of sociality, and the evolution of distinct social organizations in ground-dwelling sciurids.

Seasonal and state-dependent changes of eIF4E and 4E-BP1 during mammalian hibernation: implications for the control of translation during torpor

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (2) ◽  
pp. R349-R353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank van Breukelen ◽  
Nahum Sonenberg ◽  
Sandra L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Translational Initiation ◽  
Spermophilus Lateralis ◽  
Initiation Factors ◽  
Eukaryotic Initiation Factors ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Initiation Of Translation ◽  
Significant Locus ◽  
Mammalian Hibernation

Mammalian hibernation involves cessation of energetically costly processes typical of homeostatic regulation including protein synthesis. To further elucidate the mechanisms employed in depressing translation, we surveyed key eukaryotic initiation factors [eIF2, eIF4B, eIF4E, eIF4GI and -II, and 4E-binding protein-1 (4E-BP1), -2, and -3] for their availability and phosphorylation status in the livers of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) across the hibernation cycle. Western blot analyses indicated only one significant locus for regulation of translational initiation in ground squirrel liver: control of eIF4E. We found seasonal variation in a potent regulator of eIF4E activity, 4E-BP1. Summer squirrels lack 4E-BP1 and apparently control eIF4E activity through direct phosphorylation. In winter, eIF4E is regulated through binding with 4E-BP1. During the euthermic periods that separate bouts of torpor (interbout arousal), 4E-BP1 is hyperphosphorylated to promote initiation. However, during torpor, 4E-BP1 is hypophosphorylated and cap-dependent initiation of translation is restricted. The regulation of cap-dependent initiation of translation may allow for the differential expression of proteins directed toward enhancing survivorship.

scholarly journals Social interactions change with season and age in Northern Bald Ibis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena Puehringer-Sturmayr ◽  
Tanja Stiefel ◽  
Kurt Kotrschal ◽  
Sonia Kleindorfer ◽  
Didone Frigerio
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Social ◽  
Geronticus Eremita

Abstract Understanding the association between an individual’s position within a social network and its sex and age across seasons can be useful information for conservation management. For example, identifying the social position of females within a group can provide insights into reproductive potential, while the position of juveniles may be related to survival and hence recruitment potential. In the present study, we used social network analysis to investigate the effects of season, sex, age and reproductive partner on social interactions in the endangered Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita). Via focal sampling we recorded the social behaviour of 39 individually marked, free-flying birds for 4 months over two seasons (autumn, winter). We observed the occurrence of affiliative and agonistic interactions and estimated proximity between colony members. We found that (1) individuals were in proximity with more colony members in winter than in autumn, and affiliative interactions occurred more often in winter, (2) older individuals occupied more central positions in the proximity network irrespective of sex, (3) males engaged more than females in agonistic interactions, whereas females received more affiliative interactions than males irrespective of age, and (4) most affiliative interactions occurred between former or potentially prospective reproductive partners. Our findings suggest that social relationships could modulate inter-individual distance and there may be sex-related differences in the investment into pair bond maintenance. Overall the findings of sex- and age-related differences in behaviour and social position contribute to understanding factors associated with breeding success and mortality risk in an endangered bird species.

Use of visual cues in foraging by a diurnal herbivore, Belding's ground squirrel

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 1766-1770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D Duncan ◽  
Stephen H Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Spermophilus Beldingi ◽  
Bait Stations

Ground squirrels' vision has been fairly well characterized, but whether they actually use vision in foraging has not been demonstrated. Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) were allowed to forage under natural conditions for experimental bait stations to test the hypothesis that they can learn to use visual cues to forage more efficiently. Bait stations with visual cues were more likely to be found, and were found more quickly, than controls. Bait stations in taller and (or) denser vegetation were less likely to be found, suggesting that the value of visual cues may change during the growing season. Visual cues can be used to increase foraging efficiency, but other cues are probably used as well.

Social-Psychological Models in Labor Motivation Analysis

2004 ◽  
pp. 90-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Surkov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Psychological Approach ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Economic Man ◽  
The Social ◽  
Psychological Models ◽  
Social Psychological Approach

Benefits of using social-psychological approach in the analysis of labor motivations are considered in the article. Classification of employees as objects of economic analysis is offered: "the economic man", "the man of the organization", "the social man" and "the asocial man". Related models give the opportunity to predict behavior of the firm in different situations, such as shocks of various nature.

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