Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine

Mammalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emiliano Mori ◽  
Caterina Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Behavioural Syndrome ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Crested Porcupine ◽  
Individual Repeatability

Abstract In this study, we investigated on the existence of personality in the crested porcupine in Central Italy by measuring variation and repeatability of three behavioural traits. Porcupines were captured through metal traps located around and in the immediate surroundings of the burrows. Then, they were manipulated and set free. Capture and handling were the experimental contexts where we measured exploration, proactivity and aggressiveness of each individual. Our results provided evidence for consistent inter-individual differences in the measured traits, with a high value of individual repeatability in aggressiveness and proactivity. The positive correlation between traits suggest the existence of a behavioural syndrome, with some individuals more aggressive and active with respect to others.

scholarly journals Relationship between Nutrient Intake and Human Gut Microbiota in Monozygotic Twins

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Natsuko Matsumoto ◽  
Jonguk Park ◽  
Rie Tomizawa ◽  
Hitoshi Kawashima ◽  
Koji Hosomi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Human Gut Microbiota

Background and Objectives: The gut microbiota is associated with human health and dietary nutrition. Various studies have been reported in this regard, but it is difficult to clearly analyze human gut microbiota as individual differences are significant. The causes of these individual differences in intestinal microflora are genetic and/or environmental. In this study, we focused on differences between identical twins in Japan to clarify the effects of nutrients consumed on the entire gut microbiome, while excluding genetic differences. Materials and Methods: We selected healthy Japanese monozygotic twins for the study and confirmed their zygosity by matching 15 short tandem repeat loci. Their fecal samples were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses to identify and compare the fluctuations in intestinal bacteria. Results: We identified 12 genera sensitive to environmental factors, and found that Lactobacillus was relatively unaffected by environmental factors. Moreover, we identified protein, fat, and some nutrient intake that can affect 12 genera, which have been identified to be more sensitive to environmental factors. Among the 12 genera, Bacteroides had a positive correlation with retinol equivalent intake (rs = 0.38), Lachnospira had a significantly negative correlation with protein, sodium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 intake (rs = −0.38, −0.41, −0.39, −0.63, −0.42, −0.49, respectively), Lachnospiraceae ND3007 group had a positive correlation with fat intake (rs = 0.39), and Lachnospiraceae UCG-008 group had a negative correlation with the saturated fatty acid intake (rs = −0.45). Conclusions: Our study is the first to focus on the relationship between human gut microbiota and nutrient intake using samples from Japanese twins to exclude the effects of genetic factors. These findings will broaden our understanding of the more intuitive relationship between nutrient intake and the gut microbiota and can be a useful basis for finding useful biomarkers that contribute to human health.

Individual Differences in the Rorschach M Response and the Distribution of Phasic Integrated Potentials (PIPs) During Sleep

1983 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Watson ◽  
Stephen F. Butler ◽  
Karl-Otto Liebmann
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Normal Men

Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) spikes, which may be the most critical phasic event associated with REM sleep, cannot be recorded directly in humans. A partial indicator of PGO activity in humans is phasic integrated potentials (PIPs). Individuals differ in the degree to which PIPs are dispersed out of REM sleep into NREM sleep. In this study, the PIPs of 15 normal men were recorded during sleep. The following morning they were administered Rorschachs. There was a significant and positive correlation between the frequency of NREM PIPs and the number of Human Movement responses on the Rorschach, replicating the finding of an earlier study.

scholarly journals Evolutionary causes and consequences of consistent individual variation in cooperative behaviour

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1553) ◽  
pp. 2751-2764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Bergmüller ◽  
Roger Schürch ◽  
Ian M. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Animal Personality ◽  
Evolutionary Stability ◽  
Behavioural Syndrome ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Cooperative Behaviour ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Fitness Consequences

Behaviour is typically regarded as among the most flexible of animal phenotypic traits. In particular, expression of cooperative behaviour is often assumed to be conditional upon the behaviours of others. This flexibility is a key component of many hypothesized mechanisms favouring the evolution of cooperative behaviour. However, evidence shows that cooperative behaviours are often less flexible than expected and that, in many species, individuals show consistent differences in the amount and type of cooperative and non-cooperative behaviours displayed. This phenomenon is known as ‘animal personality’ or a ‘behavioural syndrome’. Animal personality is evolutionarily relevant, as it typically shows heritable variation and can entail fitness consequences, and hence, is subject to evolutionary change. Here, we review the empirical evidence for individual variation in cooperative behaviour across taxa, we examine the evolutionary processes that have been invoked to explain the existence of individual variation in cooperative behaviour and we discuss the consequences of consistent individual differences on the evolutionary stability of cooperation. We highlight that consistent individual variation in cooperativeness can both stabilize or disrupt cooperation in populations. We conclude that recognizing the existence of consistent individual differences in cooperativeness is essential for an understanding of the evolution and prevalence of cooperation.

Eye Dominance and Stereopsis

Perception ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Weinman ◽  
Vicky Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Eye Dominance ◽  
Random Dot Stereograms ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Sensory Dominance

The contribution of eye dominance to the large individual differences found in the speed of stereoscopic fusion has been examined. The degree of sensory dominance was measured and correlated with the time taken to perceive depth in three random-dot stereograms of varying complexity. A significant positive correlation was found with the simple stereogram and nonsignificant positive correlations were obtained with the two more complex stereograms. The results indicate that a high degree of eye dominance can significantly interfere with the speed of fusion of simple stereograms.

scholarly journals PSYCHOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES IN PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL SYNAESTHESIA

2016 ◽  
pp. 187-192
Author(s):  
A. V. Sidoroff-Dorso ◽  
V. I. Volokhova
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Psychological Process ◽  
Independent Research ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Functional Transition

Having briefly exposed some discrepant data of previous independent research into links between developmental (congenital) synaesthesia and other individual differences in personality and cognition, the authors present the results of their own empirical study of psychological boundaries in synaesthetes. Psychological boundaries are measured with E. Hartmann’s inventory and conceptualized as a dimension that cumulatively reflects the degree of ease of functional transition ("transparency") between various psychological process, states, etc. The study contrastingly involved people with synaesthesia and those without the condition (N = 102) and revealed a significant positive correlation between synaesthesia and greater transparency of psychological boundaries. We conclude by applying the results to straighten the controversial interpretations of previously received data regarding synaesthesia-related differential traits, which specifies the psychological status of synaesthesia in a systems approach to understanding the human mind.

Inter-individual differences of calling and exploratory behaviour in a lebinthine cricket species hint at different mate-finding strategies

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Ming Kai Tan ◽  
Stefan Schöneich ◽  
Tony Robillard
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Exploratory Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Syndrome ◽  
Mate Finding ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Active Exploration ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Abstract Individual fitness can be boosted by behavioural strategies that maximise mate-finding probability while minimising predation risk. Animals that use acoustics to find mates may benefit from using both stationary calling and active exploration, but these also expose them to different types of predators. Studying calling and searching behaviours concurrently allows us to understand their evolutionary trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Unlike most other crickets, lebinthine males alternate between singing and exploration to find females, which offer a unique and excellent opportunity to test for inter-individual differences and behavioural syndrome between call properties and exploratory behaviours. Our data demonstrate that call properties and exploratory behaviour were repeatable. We did not, however, find that call properties correlate with exploration as some consistently exploratory individuals produce longer calls while others produce shorter calls. Our study suggests that lebinthine males use different combinations of calling and exploratory behaviours to cope with unpredictable risk–benefit scenarios.

Ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 in Central Italy

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 2223-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emiliano Mori ◽  
Andrea Sforzi ◽  
Mattia Menchetti ◽  
Giuseppe Mazza ◽  
Sandro Lovari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Hystrix Cristata ◽  
Crested Porcupine ◽  
Ectoparasite Load

Does the crested porcupine select coppice forest? Habitat preference and activity patterns of a large rodent in the Lago di Vico Natural Reserve

Mammalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Luzi ◽  
Emiliano Mori ◽  
Giuseppe Puddu ◽  
Marzio Zapparoli
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Design ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Moon Phases ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Crested Porcupine ◽  
Coppice Forest ◽  
Landscape Patches ◽  
Agro Forestry

Abstract The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. is a large rodent, which mainly occurs in agro-forestry ecosystems in Italy. In this study, we modelled the occupancy of this species in forest ecosystems, to identify environmental characteristics affecting its presence. The study was conducted at Lago di Vico Natural Reserve (Latium, Central Italy) in 2018–2019. The sampling design included a 1 km2 grid, where 263 detections were recorded at 39 out of 57 camera-trap points. Dendroauxometric data were collected at each site as covariates in the statistical models. According to our best occupancy model, the crested porcupine mostly occurs in habitats not totally covered by forests, but composed by mixed landscape patches both for the land use (crops, woods) and for the coverage (forested areas, open areas, bushes). We also analysed activity rhythms of the crested porcupine across seasons and in relation to the moon phases. The analysis of 543 videos showed that crested porcupine is strictly nocturnal throughout the year and avoided bright nights, despite the local absence of potential predators.

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