scholarly journals The scent world of cats: where to place a urine scent mark to increase signal persistence?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Maja Mohorović ◽  
Miha Krofel
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Predominant Form ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Scent-marking is a predominant form of communication among felids, with urine spraying having a key role. Detectability and longevity of scent marks are recognized as crucial for efficiency of scent-marking, but there is limited research that has tested scent persistence with respect to various environmental factors. We used an experimental framework to measure human-perceived strength of felid urine smell and determine the effects of substrate, tilt and aspect of marked surfaces on persistence of the simulated scent marks. We used area under the curve (AUC), calculated for the scent strength of each scent-marked surface over time, as a proxy for urine scent preservation. Thereafter, we used ANOVA, followed by analysis of differences of interest between the marking sites, to assess the effect of environmental factors on human-perceived scent mark persistence. Odour persisted significantly better on rough surfaces, surfaces covered with moss and on surfaces with overhanging tilts, while there was no significant difference between the northerly- and southerly-oriented surfaces. The results are generally in accordance with the use and selection of marking sites previously reported for wild felids throughout the world, confirming that in their marking behaviour felids strive to prolong the persistence of scent marks. This knowledge will help researchers in interpretation of data on scent-marking and to evaluate the adaptive significance of this behaviour.

scholarly journals The effect of neighbouring klipspringer on the scent–marking behaviour of a group of klipspringer in the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kruger ◽  
J. Du P. Bothma ◽  
J.M. Kruger
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Strip Transect

Both the male and the female klipspringer scent-mark their ranges. A pair of pre-orbital glands below the eyes produces the scent. The secretion is a sticky, substance that is deposited on a suitable twig. Klipspringer scent marks were surveyed in a specific klipspringer range in the Kruger National Park with the use of a strip transect method. The results showed that klipspringer in the Kruger National Park scent-mark more frequently on the boundaries of their ranges and also more on those sides where there is another resident klipspringer group.

SCENT MARKING IN MEADOW VOLES AND PRAIRIE VOLES: A TEST OF THREE HYPOTHESES

Behaviour ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 138 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1319-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.G. Mech ◽  
M.H. Ferkin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Meadow Voles ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Marking Behaviour

AbstractMost terrestrial mammals deposit scent marks to communicate with conspecifics. We examined the scent marking behaviour of meadow voles and prairie voles, species with different mating systems and social organizations, to determine whether voles scent mark according to the 'targeting' response, the 'avoidance' response, or the 'shotgun' response. The targeting response occurs when the second scent donor deposits more of its scent marks in an area marked by the first scent donor than in an unscented area. The avoidance response occurs when the second scent donor deposits more of its scent marks in an unscented area than in an area marked by the first scent donor. The shotgun response occurs when the second scent donor deposits a similar number of its scent marks in an area containing scent marks of a conspecific and in an area containing no conspecific scent marks. We allowed voles simultaneous access to an arena containing two arms: one of the arms was scented by a conspecific and the other arm was unscented. We recorded the number of marks deposited by the voles in each arm and the amount of time they spent investigating marks deposited previously in the scented arm. Our data provide no support for the avoidance response, but provide support for the shotgun response and the target response. Species and sex differences in the scent marking behaviours of voles when they encounter the scent marks of conspecifics are discussed within the framework that scent marking responses depend on the voles' social organization and mating system, and that these responses may reflect the tactics males and females use to attract mates and compete with same-sex conspecifics.

Scent marking in coyotes

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Don Bowen ◽  
Ian McTaggart Cowan
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Jasper National Park ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Marking Behaviour

The scent marking behaviour of coyotes, Canis latrans, was studied in Jasper National Park, Alberta, during the period 1974–1976. Results show that adult males and females scent mark throughout their territory at all times of the year. Urine is most frequently used in marking. The rate of scent marking at the edge of the territory is approximately twice that in the center. This increase is accomplished by reducing the distance between scent-mark sites and increasing the proportion of multiple marks. All members contribute to the marking behaviour of the pack, although the dominant male marks most frequently. The scent marks of neighbours at territory borders are not avoided but vigourously marked. Nevertheless, it appears that marking is associated with the maintenance of territory.

No trespassing: using a biofence to manipulate wolf movements

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Ausband ◽  
Michael S. Mitchell ◽  
Sarah B. Bassing ◽  
Craig White
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
First Year ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Sign Surveys ◽  
Continuous Presence ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
And Control

Context Conserving large carnivores can be challenging because of conflicts with human land use and competition with humans for resources. Predation on domestic stock can have negative economic impacts particularly for owners of small herds, and tools for minimising carnivore depredation of livestock are needed. Canids use scent marking to establish territories and avoid intraspecific conflict. Exploiting scent-marking behaviour may provide a means for manipulating canid movements. Aims We hypothesised that human-deployed scent marks (i.e. ‘biofence’) could be used to manipulate the movements of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Idaho, USA. Methods We deployed 65 km of biofence within three wolf-pack territories during summer 2010 and 2011 and used location data from satellite-collared wolves and sign surveys to assess the effectiveness of biofencing. Key results Location data provided by satellite-collared wolves and sign surveys in 2010 showed little to no trespass of the biofence, even though the excluded areas were used by the packs in previous summers. We also opportunistically deployed a biofence in between a rendezvous site of a resident pack and a nearby sheep grazing allotment; the pack was not implicated in any depredations in summer 2010, even though they had killed sheep every year since 2006. Location data provided by satellite-collared wolves in summer 2011 showed that wolves did trespass biofences. Conclusions Biofencing effectively manipulated the movements of wolves in the first year of our study, but not the second. Implications Our work suggests that biofencing may be most limited by the apparent necessity to maintain a continuous presence once the biofence is established. The inherent labour and costs associated with such efforts may limit the usefulness of biofencing. Our work can be improved on through further testing that maintains biofencing over a longer timeframe (>3 months), samples several animals per treatment pack, and uses a treatment and control design.

Scent-Mark Identification and Scent-Marking Behaviour in African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Ethology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 119 (8) ◽  
pp. 644-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil R. Jordan ◽  
Krystyna A. Golabek ◽  
Peter J. Apps ◽  
Geoffrey D. Gilfillan ◽  
John W. McNutt
Keyword(s):  
Scent Marking ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Lycaon Pictus ◽  
African Wild Dogs ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Wild Dogs

scholarly journals Wake up and smell the conflict: odour signals in female competition

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1631) ◽  
pp. 20130082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Stockley ◽  
Lisa Bottell ◽  
Jane L. Hurst
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Female Competition ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Major Urinary Protein ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Female Ornaments

Odour signals used in competitive and aggressive interactions between males are well studied in the context of sexual selection. By contrast, relatively little is known about comparable signals used by females, despite current interest in the evolution of female ornaments and weaponry. Available evidence suggests that odour signals are important in competitive interactions between female mammals, with reductions or reversals of male-biased sexual dimorphism in signalling where female competition is intense. Scent marking is often associated with conflict between females over access to resources or reproductive opportunities. Female scent marks may therefore provide reliable signals of competitive ability that could be used both by competitors and potential mates. Consistent with this hypothesis, we report that aggressive behaviour of female house mice is correlated with the amount of major urinary protein (MUP) excreted in their urine, a polymorphic set of proteins that are used in scent mark signalling. Under semi-natural conditions, females with high MUP output are more likely to produce offspring sired by males that have high reproductive success, and less likely to produce offspring by multiple different sires, suggesting that females with strong MUP signals are monopolized by males of particularly high quality. We conclude that odour signals are worthy of more detailed investigation as mediators of female competition.

Scent deposition by cheek rubbing in the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) in the French Alps

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2065-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Claude Bel ◽  
Christelle Porteret ◽  
Jacques Coulon
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Marmota Marmota ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Alpine Marmot

The aim of this fieldwork was to provide information about the function of scent-marking behaviour in the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). Twenty-three identified animals were observed on their home range during the season of activity, from May to September, during which the probability and rate of cheek rubbing decreased significantly. Cheek rubbing was performed more by resident adults than by 2-year-olds or yearlings. The resident adult pairs made "marking tours" during which numerous successive bouts of scent marking occurred throughout most of the home range. Scent marks were not evenly distributed within home ranges. Principal and, if present, accessory burrow systems were saturated with scent deposits, the boundaries being marked significantly more than the central area. We tested the reactions of marmots to strange odours by presenting them with two glass tubes, one clean (control) and the other covered with marks deposited by marmots belonging to other groups. The results showed that residents tended to mark the experimental tubes more frequently, or at least more intensively, than the control ones. In the alpine marmot, cheek rubbing appears to be a multipurpose activity. It is used to advertise the occupancy of burrows and, as predicted by Gosling, scent marks were also laid down where the risk of intrusion was greatest, i.e., at the boundaries, so that intruders could detect them more readily. The results of field tests support another of Gosling's predictions, that residents will tend to overmark any mark deposited by a strange animal inside their territory. Thus, in the alpine marmot, cheek rubbing can play a role in territorial defence.

Effect of Scent-Marking in Delaying Territorial Invasion in the Blind Mole-Rat Spalax Ehrenbergi

Behaviour ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 134 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 867-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Gazit ◽  
J. Terkel ◽  
I. Zuri
Keyword(s):  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Test Animal ◽  
Spalax Ehrenbergi ◽  
Mole Rat ◽  
Female Urine ◽  
Territorial Boundaries ◽  
Tunnel System

AbstractThe blind mole-rat (Spalax ehrenbergi) is a solitary fossorial rodent which inhabits its own tunnel system. Mole-rats are highly aggressive, and encounters between two animals in the laboratory may end in the death or injury of one of them. The ability to detect the presence of another animal's territory when tunneling may inhibit a neighbouring mole-rat from unwanted and unexpected invasion of an adjacent tunnel system as well as postpone an aggressive encounter. We aimed to determine whether mole-rats use olfaction to mark their own territorial boundaries and to detect the territories of other mole-rats while foraging. First, we examined whether mole-rats scent-mark their territorial boundaries in response to the location of a neighbouring mole-rat. We found that when an intruder was introduced, the test animal almost always shifted its latrine location to the intruder's side. Then, we used soil plugs saturated with urine plus faeces or with water to determine whether scent-marks influence mole-rat excavation patterns and whether there are differences in mole-rat reaction to a stranger's scent. Our findings showed that only soil saturated with intra-specific male excretions prolongs inhibits excavation by male intruders; soil saturated with water or female urine and faeces, or with inter-specific urine and faeces (Rattus norvegicus) did not have such an effect. Thus latrines may function as scent-marking stations and play a role in delaying conspecifics from entering the territory. We suggest that the olfactory channel of communication enables mole-rats to mark their territorial borders with a relatively long-lasting signal, inhibiting the entry of potential intruders (particularly males).

A Comparison of Four Adolescent Language Tests

1987 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jane Lieberman ◽  
Ann Marie C. Heffron ◽  
Stephanie J. West ◽  
Edward C. Hutchinson ◽  
Thomas W. Swem
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Significant Discrepancy ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sixth Grade Students ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Selection Of

Four recently developed adolescent language tests, the Fullerton Test for Adolescents (FLTA), the Test of Adolescent Language (TOAL), the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions (CELF), and the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL), were compared to determine: (a) whether they measured the same language skills (content) in the same way (procedures); and (b) whether students performed similarly on each of the tests. First, respective manuals were reviewed to compare selection of subtest content areas and subtest procedures. Then, each of the tests was administered according to standardized procedures to 30 unselected sixth-grade students. Despite apparent differences in test content and procedures, there was no significant difference in students' performance on three of the four tests, and correlations among test performance were moderate to high. A comparison of the pass/fail rates for overall performance on the tests, however, revealed a significant discrepancy between the proportions of students identified in need of further evaluation on the STAL (20%) and the proportion diagnosed as language impaired on the three diagnostic tests (60-73%). Clinical implications are discussed.

GROWTH HORMONE RESPONSES TO FRUCTOSE IN DIABETES MELLITUS

1974 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-502
Author(s):  
Mayer B. Davidson ◽  
Roger M. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Growth Hormone ◽  
Fasting Glucose ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Oral Glucose ◽  
Gh Secretion ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Duration Of Disease ◽  
Hormone Responses

ABSTRACT Since fructose is normally metabolized in diabetics and has recently been shown to stimulate GH secretion, it was used to assess GH responses in diabetics. Fourteen diabetics (9 on insulin) and 8 controls matched for weight were studied. Fructose, infused over 10 min, was compared to arginine, infused over 30 min, both at 0.5 g/kg. Samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min and GH responses assessed as area under the curve minus the fasting area. There was no significant difference between the GH responses in diabetics and controls to either agent. Responses to arginine and fructose were significantly correlated (r = 0.60, P < 0.01) in all subjects, but not related to therapy, duration of disease or fasting glucose (75–287 mg/100 ml) in the diabetics. Oral glucose blunted the GH response to fructose in 2 controls. It is concluded that 1) fructose can stimulate GH secretion in male diabetics; 2) however, fructose-stimulated GH responses are not increased in diabetes mellitus.

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