scholarly journals Risky Business: The Function of Play in a Venomous Mammal—The Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus)

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Meg Barrett ◽  
Marco Campera ◽  
Thais Q. Morcatty ◽  
Ariana V. Weldon ◽  
Katherine Hedger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Unexpected Events ◽  
Slow Loris ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Venomous Animals ◽  
Adult Lives ◽  
Behavioral Mechanisms ◽  
Risky Business ◽  
Rule Out

Immature mammals require opportunities to develop skills that will affect their competitive abilities and reproductive success as adults. One way these benefits may be achieved is through play behavior. While skills in developing use of tusks, antlers, and other weapons mammals have been linked to play, play in venomous animals has rarely been studied. Javan slow lorises (Nycticebus javanicus) use venom to aid in intraspecific competition, yet whether individuals use any behavioral mechanisms to develop the ability to use venom remains unclear. From April 2012 to December 2020, we recorded 663 play events and studied the factors influencing the frequency of play and the postures used during play in wild Javan slow lorises. Regardless of the presence of siblings, two thirds of play partners of young slow lorises were older and more experienced adults. Young lorises engaged in riskier behaviors during play, including using more strenuous postures and playing more in riskier conditions with increased rain and moonlight. We found that play patterns in immature lorises bear resemblance to venom postures used by adults. We suggest that play functions to train immature lorises to deal with future unexpected events, such as random attacks, as seen in other mammalian taxa with weapons. Given the importance of venom use for highly territorial slow lorises throughout their adult lives and the similarities between venom and play postures, we cannot rule out the possibility that play also prepares animals for future venomous fights. We provide here a baseline for the further exploration of the development of this unique behavior in one of the few venomous mammals.

Settlement patterns, foraging behavior, and reproductive success of ospreys along a heterogeneous riverine corridor

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Harmata ◽  
Marco Restani ◽  
Alan R. Harmata
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
Nest Density ◽  
River Section ◽  
Pandion Haliaetus ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Spatial Use ◽  
Gill Netting

In 1998 and 1999, we determined the spatial distribution, foraging behavior, and reproductive success of ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)) nesting along the upper Missouri River, Montana. We combined our data with that collected in the same area in 1981–1982 and 1990–1991 to investigate factors influencing settlement patterns. The study area was composed of four distinct habitats, three reservoirs and one free-flowing river section. Although number of occupied nests on each habitat increased from 1981–1982 to 1998–1999, the greatest percentage increases in nest density occurred on habitats previously hypothesized to contain the least prey. Osprey reproductive success was positively related to foraging rates, which differed across habitats, being highest on reservoirs and lowest on the free-flowing river. However, reproductive success was adequate for replacement on each habitat. Most fish consumed by ospreys on each habitat were suckers (Catostomidae), followed by salmonids and cyprinids. Fish density, determined from gill netting, was highest on the largest and shallowest reservoir. Over two decades, ospreys shifted their relative spatial use of the upper Missouri River such that reservoirs were occupied first and the free-flowing river section was occupied last. The degree to which presence of conspecifics, distribution of nest trees and prey, and dispersal affected settlement patterns probably varied by spatial scale.

Riverine characteristics and adult demography influence female lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning behavior, reproductive success, and ovarian quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1147-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari J. Dammerman ◽  
Molly A.H. Webb ◽  
Kim T. Scribner
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Reproductive Costs ◽  
Arrival Date ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Yearly Means

Abiotic conditions and demographic factors can influence the timing of spawning. Behavioral plasticity allows females to select spawning conditions that are conducive to offspring development; however, reproductive costs associated with delaying spawning are not well understood. In this study, factors influencing timing of female spawning, residence time (RT), and reproductive success (RS) during two seasons were determined, and plasma testosterone concentrations were used to quantify atretic rates in a wild, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) population. For the 123 females monitored, RT ranged from 1 to 23 days and was influenced by arrival date, temperature, discharge, and male number, with the latter having the largest influence. RS varied due to arrival date, temperature, discharge, male number, male length, and operational sex ratio. Two females had testosterone levels indicative of atresia and RS estimates lower than yearly means; however, most females had normal ovaries, suggesting little reproductive costs of plasticity in spawning ground residency time. Results demonstrate the multitude of factors influencing female reproductive behavior and RS, highlighting the importance of abiotic and demographic conditions to recruitment in wild populations.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Savings Rate in Malaysia

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasmin Bin Hashim ◽  
Fauzi Bin Pin ◽  
Mohd Yaziz Bin Mohd Isa
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Household Debt ◽  
Unexpected Events ◽  
Economic Variables ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Current Consumption ◽  
Savings Rate ◽  
The Future ◽  
Financial Burdens

Savings is the balance out of income but is not spent on current consumption. Because we cannot anticipate what would take place in the future, we should set aside some money for unexpected events or emergencies. Without savings, unexpected events can become large financial burdens. Therefore, savings helps an individual or family become financially secure. Due to limited savings and with such low income levels, we are mostly depending on debts to finance our consumption. Currently, Malaysia household debt is amongst the highest in Asia, at 86% of GDP. There are many factors influencing savings rate in Malaysia. The paper aims to measure the economic variables that may significantly influence toward savings rate in the country.

scholarly journals Nesting With The Wasp Ropalidia Cincta Increases Nest Success of Red-Cheeked Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus Bengalus) in Ghana

The Auk ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 1022-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Beier ◽  
Agba Issahaku Tungbani
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Social Hymenoptera ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Wasp Nests ◽  
Habitat Feature ◽  
Working Hypotheses ◽  
Rule Out

AbstractAssociations between birds and social Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, bees) are common in tropical regions and are usually assumed to be commensal relationships that benefit birds but neither help nor harm the arthropods. However, benefits to birds have been documented in only four such associations, and no previous research has rigorously investigated costs or benefits to associated hymenopterans. We followed the nesting cycles of an estrildid finch, the Red-cheeked Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus), and a common nesting associate, the wasp Ropalidia cincta, during 2002 and 2003 in northern Ghana to compare reproductive success of birds and wasps nesting in association with that of birds and wasps nesting separately. Red-cheeked Cordonbleus and wasps nested together in the same tree 3.7 × as often as expected if nesting decisions were made independently, with 74% of bird nests and 74% of wasp colonies occurring in associations. Bird nesting was initiated ≈33 days after founding of an associated wasp colony; bird nests and wasp colonies were, on average, 42 cm apart. In both years, Red-cheeked Cordonbleus in nesting associations with wasps were twice as likely to fledge young as birds nesting in trees without wasps. Reduced predation was apparently a major reason for increased fledging success: we documented four cases of nest predation on 122 Red-cheeked Cordonbleu nests associated with wasps, and 11 cases on 90 nests not associated with wasps. Association with birds did not affect the success of wasp colonies. Although our observational study cannot rule out the possibility that both species coincidentally shared a preference for a habitat feature in limited supply, suitable nest sites did not appear to be limiting (74% of potential nest trees had neither bird nor wasp nests). Reproductive success of Red-cheeked Cordonbleu populations in this region may be limited by the number of available wasp colonies. By designing our study to address four working hypotheses (commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, coincidence of habitat preference), we have provided strong evidence that this relationship is commensal.Augmentation du Succès de Nidification de Uraeginthus bengalus Nichant avec des Guêpes Ropalidia cincta au Ghana

scholarly journals Constraints on control: factors influencing reproductive success in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 614-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Charpentier ◽  
Patricia Peignot ◽  
Martine Hossaert-McKey ◽  
Olivier Gimenez ◽  
Joanna M. Setchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mandrillus Sphinx ◽  
Control Factors ◽  
Factors Influencing

Factors influencing reproductive success in the clonal moss, Hylocomium splendens

Oecologia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Rydgren ◽  
Nils Cronberg ◽  
Rune H. Økland
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Hylocomium Splendens ◽  
Factors Influencing

A Demographic Analysis of Male Life History and Social Structure of Mountain Gorillas

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 21-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha M. Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Mountain Gorillas ◽  
Group Type ◽  
Multimale Groups ◽  
Adult Lives

AbstractTwenty-five years of demographic data on free-ranging mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) from the Karisoke Research Center, Rwanda were used to assess male life histories and the variation within the age-graded social structure. Group types include lone silver-backs, one-male, multimale, and all-male groups. Although 60% of gorilla groups in the Virunga population are one-male, a multimale structure may increase chances of survival and future reproductive success for males at three stages of their lives. Infants born in one-male groups appear more likely to die from infanticide than those in multimale groups. Immature males in one-male groups may face decreased future reproductive opportunities compared to males in multimale groups. Adult males in one-male groups lack possible partners for coalition formation during intergroup encounters. Demographic constraints, such as length of time to male maturation, coupled with intense male-male competition for mates may limit the number and duration of groups with a multimale structure. Individuals are not restricted to one group type for their entire adult lives and males that attain maturity in each group type may eventually reproduce. Variation in male reproductive success is based both on length of reproductive tenure and on the number of mates.

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