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Kaplan G. The evolution of social play in songbirds, parrots and cockatoos - emotional or highly complex cognitive behaviour or both? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105621. [PMID: 38479604 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Social play has been described in many animals. However, much of this social behaviour among birds, particularly in adults, is still relatively unexplored in terms of the environmental, psychological, and social dynamics of play. This paper provides an overview of what we know about adult social play in birds and addresses areas in which subtleties and distinctions, such as in play initiation and social organisation and its relationship to expressions of play, are considered in detail. The paper considers emotional, social, innovative, and cognitive aspects of play, then the environmental conditions and affiliative bonds, suggesting a surprisingly complex framework of criteria awaiting further research. Adult social play has so far been studied in only a small number of avian species, exclusively in those with a particularly large brain relative to body size without necessarily addressing brain functions and lateralization. When lateralization of brain function is considered, it can further illuminate a possibly significant relevance of play behaviour to the evolution of cognition, to management of emotions, and the development of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
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2
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Itahara A, Kano F. Gaze tracking of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) in a motion capture system. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246514. [PMID: 38362616 PMCID: PMC11007591 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies often inferred the focus of a bird's attention from its head movements because it provides important clues about their perception and cognition. However, it remains challenging to do so accurately, as the details of how they orient their visual field toward the visual targets remain largely unclear. We thus examined visual field configurations and the visual field use of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler 1827). We used an established ophthalmoscopic reflex technique to identify the visual field configuration, including the binocular width and optical axes, as well as the degree of eye movement. A newly established motion capture system was then used to track the head movements of freely moving crows to examine how they oriented their reconstructed visual fields toward attention-getting objects. When visual targets were moving, the crows frequently used their binocular visual fields, particularly around the projection of the beak-tip. When the visual targets stopped moving, crows frequently used non-binocular visual fields, particularly around the regions where their optical axes were found. On such occasions, the crows slightly preferred the right eye. Overall, the visual field use of crows is clearly predictable. Thus, while the untracked eye movements could introduce some level of uncertainty (typically within 15 deg), we demonstrated the feasibility of inferring a crow's attentional focus by 3D tracking of their heads. Our system represents a promising initial step towards establishing gaze tracking methods for studying corvid behavior and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Itahara
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068203, Japan
| | - Fumihiro Kano
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Max-Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell 78315, Germany
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3
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Palkovitz RE, Lawler RR. Developing evolutionary anthropology in local ecosystems. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22016. [PMID: 38088455 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The traditional regional focus of evolutionary anthropology-typically defined as places where hominin fossils, nonhuman primates, and non-western populations reside-forms the basis of much evolutionary anthropological research. Using the highly biodiverse temperate region of Appalachia as an example, we suggest that evolutionary anthropologists have much to gain by stepping outside of this traditional geographic area. Being purposely provocative, we argue that evolutionary anthropologists might also benefit from conducting research in Appalachia and other temperate ecosystems. We briefly discuss multiple areas of study-including studies of seed dispersal, functional redundancy, convergent evolution, human behavioral ecology, and conservation-and how they can be considered within the purview of integrative and evolutionary anthropology. We also highlight broader impacts to higher education that evolutionary anthropologists can help promote by working in local ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Palkovitz
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Richard R Lawler
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
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4
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Zhao L, Ji SN, Du XB, Liu JH, Zhang BL, Li PH, Yang YJ, Li BG, Guo YQ, Qi XG. Dynamic foraging strategy adaptation to heterogeneous environments contributes to social aggregation in snub-nosed monkeys. Zool Res 2024; 45:39-54. [PMID: 38114432 PMCID: PMC10839657 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamics of animal social structures are heavily influenced by environmental patterns of competition and cooperation. In folivorous colobine primates, prevailing theories suggest that larger group sizes should be favored in rainforests with a year-round abundance of food, thereby reducing feeding competition. Yet, paradoxically, larger groups are frequently found in high-altitude or high-latitude montane ecosystems characterized by a seasonal scarcity of leaves. This contradiction is posited to arise from cooperative benefits in heterogeneous environments. To investigate this hypothesis, we carried out a six-year field study on two neighboring groups of golden snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus roxellana), a species representing the northernmost distribution of colobine primates. Results showed that the groups adjusted their movement and habitat selection in response to fluctuating climates and spatiotemporal variability of resources, indicative of a dynamic foraging strategy. Notably, during the cold, resource-scarce conditions in winter, the large group occupied food-rich habitats but did not exhibit significantly longer daily travel distances than the smaller neighboring group. Subsequently, we compiled an eco-behavioral dataset of 52 colobine species to explore their evolutionary trajectories. Analysis of this dataset suggested that the increase in group size may have evolved via home range expansion in response to the cold and heterogeneous climates found at higher altitudes or latitudes. Hence, we developed a multi-benefits framework to interpret the formation of larger groups by integrating environmental heterogeneity. In cold and diverse environments, even smaller groups require larger home ranges to meet their dynamic survival needs. The spatiotemporal distribution of high-quality resources within these expanded home ranges facilitates more frequent interactions between groups, thereby encouraging social aggregation into larger groups. This process enhances the benefits of collaborative actions and reproductive opportunities, while simultaneously optimizing travel costs through a dynamic foraging strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Sheng-Nan Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Xiao-Bing Du
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Jia-Hui Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Bo-Lun Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Pei-Hua Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Yi-Jun Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Yan-Qing Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Xiao-Guang Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China. E-mail:
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Grampp M, Samuni L, Girard-Buttoz C, León J, Zuberbühler K, Tkaczynski P, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Social uncertainty promotes signal complexity during approaches in wild chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus) and mangabeys ( Cercocebus atys atys). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231073. [PMID: 38034119 PMCID: PMC10685125 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
The social complexity hypothesis for the evolution of communication posits that complex social environments require greater communication complexity for individuals to effectively manage their relationships. We examined how different socially uncertain contexts, reflecting an increased level of social complexity, relate to variation in signalling within and between two species, which display varying levels of fission-fusion dynamics (sympatric-living chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys, Taï National Park, Ivory Coast). Combined signalling may improve message efficacy, notably when involving different perception channels, thus may increase in moments of high social uncertainty. We examined the probability of individuals to emit no signal, single or multisensory or combined (complex) signals, during social approaches which resulted in non-agonistic outcomes. In both species, individuals were more likely to use more combined and multisensory signals in post-conflict approaches with an opponent than in other contexts. The clearest impact of social uncertainty on signalling complexity was observed during chimpanzee fusions, where the likelihood of using complex signals tripled relative to other contexts. Overall, chimpanzees used more multisensory signals than mangabeys. Social uncertainty may shape detected species differences in variation in signalling complexity, thereby supporting the hypothesis that social complexity, particularly associated with high fission-fusion dynamics, promotes signalling complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Grampp
- The Ape Social Mind Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Bron, France
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Liran Samuni
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Cooperative Evolution Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- The Ape Social Mind Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Bron, France
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Julián León
- Taï Monkey Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Taï Monkey Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Tkaczynski
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- The Ape Social Mind Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Bron, France
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Catherine Crockford
- The Ape Social Mind Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Bron, France
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Abstract
Crows, a group of corvid songbird species, show superb behavioral flexibility largely stemming from their advanced cognitive control functions. These functions mainly originate from the associative avian pallium that evolved independently from the mammalian cerebral cortex. This article presents a brief overview of cognitive control functions and their neuronal foundation in crows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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7
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Jensen TR, Zeiträg C, Osvath M. The selfish preen: absence of allopreening in Palaeognathae and its socio-cognitive implications. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1467-1476. [PMID: 37256500 PMCID: PMC10442270 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01794-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Preening behaviours are widespread in extant birds. While most birds appear to autopreen (self-directed preening), allopreening (preening directed at conspecifics) seems to have emerged only in certain species, but across many families. Allopreening has been hypothesised to reinforce mutual relationships and cooperation between individuals, and to underpin various socio-cognitive abilities. Palaeognathae is a bird group exhibiting neurocognitively plesiomorphic traits compared to other birds. They share many features with non-avian paravian dinosaurs and are thus important for the study of cognitive evolution in birds. Despite this, and the important correlation of allopreening with many complicated social behaviours, allopreening has not been systematically studied in Palaeognathae. Therefore, we examined the preening behaviours in four species of palaeognaths: common ostriches (Struthio camelus), greater rheas (Rhea americana), emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), and elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans). We compared findings with common ravens (Corvus corax), a neognath species known for its allopreening and complex social cognition. We found autopreening, but no allopreening, in the palaeognath species, while both autopreening and allopreening was found in common ravens. The absence of allopreening in Palaeognathae suggests an emergence of this behaviour within Neognathae. We contextualise our results in relation to the socio-cognitive underpinnings of allopreening and its implications for the understanding of the evolution of socio-cognitive abilities in non-avian paravian dinosaurs and early birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Rejsenhus Jensen
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Claudia Zeiträg
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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8
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David-Barrett T. Human group size puzzle: why it is odd that we live in large societies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230559. [PMID: 37593705 PMCID: PMC10427830 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Human groups tend to be much larger than those of non-human primates. This is a puzzle. When ecological factors do not limit primate group size, the problem of coordination creates an upper threshold even when cooperation is guaranteed. This paper offers a model of group coordination towards behavioural synchrony to spell out the mechanics of group size limits, and thus shows why it is odd that humans live in large societies. The findings suggest that many of our species' evolved social behaviours and culturally maintained social technologies emerged as solutions to this problem.
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9
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Wang H, Kwan AC. Competitive and cooperative games for probing the neural basis of social decision-making in animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105158. [PMID: 37019249 PMCID: PMC10175234 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
In a social environment, it is essential for animals to consider the behavior of others when making decisions. To quantitatively assess such social decisions, games offer unique advantages. Games may have competitive and cooperative components, modeling situations with antagonistic and shared objectives between players. Games can be analyzed by mathematical frameworks, including game theory and reinforcement learning, such that an animal's choice behavior can be compared against the optimal strategy. However, so far games have been underappreciated in neuroscience research, particularly for rodent studies. In this review, we survey the varieties of competitive and cooperative games that have been tested, contrasting strategies employed by non-human primates and birds with rodents. We provide examples of how games can be used to uncover neural mechanisms and explore species-specific behavioral differences. We assess critically the limitations of current paradigms and propose improvements. Together, the synthesis of current literature highlights the advantages of using games to probe the neural basis of social decisions for neuroscience studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Wang
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alex C Kwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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10
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Moss JB, Tumulty JP, Fischer EK. Evolution of acoustic signals associated with cooperative parental behavior in a poison frog. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2218956120. [PMID: 37071680 PMCID: PMC10151463 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218956120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of complex social interactions is predicted to be an important selective force in the diversification of communication systems. Parental care presents a key social context in which to study the evolution of novel signals, as care often requires communication and behavioral coordination between parents and is an evolutionary stepping-stone toward increasingly complex social systems. Anuran amphibians (frogs and toads) are a classic model of acoustic communication and the vocal repertoires of many species have been characterized in the contexts of advertisement, courtship, and aggression, yet quantitative descriptions of calls elicited in the context of parental care are lacking. The biparental poison frog, Ranitomeya imitator, exhibits a remarkable parenting behavior in which females, cued by the calls of their male partners, feed tadpoles unfertilized eggs. Here, we characterized and compared calls across three social contexts, for the first time including a parental care context. We found that egg-feeding calls share some properties with both advertisement and courtship calls but also had unique properties. Multivariate analysis revealed high classification success for advertisement and courtship calls but misclassified nearly half of egg feeding calls as either advertisement or courtship calls. Egg feeding and courtship calls both contained less identity information than advertisement calls, as expected for signals used in close-range communication where uncertainty about identity is low and additional signal modalities may be used. Taken together, egg-feeding calls likely borrowed and recombined elements of both ancestral call types to solicit a novel, context-dependent parenting response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette B. Moss
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - James P. Tumulty
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA23185
| | - Eva K. Fischer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
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11
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van Leeuwen EJ, Hoppitt W. Biased cultural transmission of a social custom in chimpanzees. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade5675. [PMID: 36791187 PMCID: PMC9931211 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade5675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cultural transmission studies in animals have predominantly focused on identifying between-group variation in tool-use techniques, while immaterial cultures remain understudied despite their potential for highlighting similarities between human and animal culture. Here, using long-term data from two chimpanzee communities, we tested whether one of chimpanzees' most enigmatic social customs-the grooming handclasp-is culturally transmitted by investigating the influence of well-documented human transmission biases on their variational preferences. After identifying differences in style preferences between the communities, we show that older and dominant individuals exert more influence over their partners' handclasp styles. Mothers were equally likely to influence their offspring's preferences as nonkin, indicating that styles are transmitted both vertically and obliquely. Last, individuals gradually converged on the group style, suggesting that conformity guides chimpanzees' handclasp preferences. Our findings show that chimpanzees' social lives are influenced by cultural transmission biases that hitherto were thought to be uniquely human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, B 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - William Hoppitt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
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12
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Kastel N, Hesp C, Ridderinkhof KR, Friston KJ. Small steps for mankind: Modeling the emergence of cumulative culture from joint active inference communication. Front Neurorobot 2023; 16:944986. [PMID: 36699948 PMCID: PMC9868743 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2022.944986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the increase in the use of dynamical modeling in the literature on cultural evolution makes current models more mathematically sophisticated, these models have yet to be tested or validated. This paper provides a testable deep active inference formulation of social behavior and accompanying simulations of cumulative culture in two steps: First, we cast cultural transmission as a bi-directional process of communication that induces a generalized synchrony (operationalized as a particular convergence) between the belief states of interlocutors. Second, we cast social or cultural exchange as a process of active inference by equipping agents with the choice of who to engage in communication with. This induces trade-offs between confirmation of current beliefs and exploration of the social environment. We find that cumulative culture emerges from belief updating (i.e., active inference and learning) in the form of a joint minimization of uncertainty. The emergent cultural equilibria are characterized by a segregation into groups, whose belief systems are actively sustained by selective, uncertainty minimizing, dyadic exchanges. The nature of these equilibria depends sensitively on the precision afforded by various probabilistic mappings in each individual's generative model of their encultured niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Kastel
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Precision Psychiatry and Social Physiology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada,*Correspondence: Natalie Kastel
| | - Casper Hesp
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom,Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - K. Richard Ridderinkhof
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Karl J. Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Vanhooland LC, Szabó A, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. A comparative study of mirror self-recognition in three corvid species. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:229-248. [PMID: 36173469 PMCID: PMC9876878 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01696-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mirror self-recognition (MSR) assessed by the Mark Test has been the staple test for the study of animal self-awareness. When tested in this paradigm, corvid species return discrepant results, with only the Eurasian magpies and the Indian house crow successfully passing the test so far, whereas multiple other corvid species fail. The lack of replicability of these positive results and the large divergence in applied methodologies calls into question whether the observed differences are in fact phylogenetic or methodological, and, if so, which factors facilitate the expression of MSR in some corvids. In this study, we (1) present new results on the self-recognition abilities of common ravens, (2) replicate results of azure-winged magpies, and (3) compare the mirror responses and performances in the mark test of these two corvid species with a third corvid species: carrion crows, previously tested following the same experimental procedure. Our results show interspecies differences in the approach of and the response to the mirror during the mirror exposure phase of the experiment as well as in the subsequent mark test. However, the performances of these species in the Mark Test do not provide any evidence for their ability of self-recognition. Our results add to the ongoing discussion about the convergent evolution of MSR and we advocate for consistent methodologies and procedures in comparing this ability across species to advance this discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Claire Vanhooland
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Anita Szabó
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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14
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Blum CR, Fitch WT, Bugnyar T. Social dynamics impact scolding behaviour in captive groups of common ravens (Corvus corax). Front Zool 2022; 19:32. [PMID: 36503565 PMCID: PMC9743665 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00477-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predator avoidance can have immense impacts on fitness, yet individual variation in the expression of anti-predator behaviour remains largely unexplained. Existing research investigating learning of novel predators has focused either on individuals or groups, but not both. Testing in individual settings allows evaluations of learning or personality differences, while testing in group settings makes it impossible to distinguish any such individual differences from social dynamics. In this study, we investigate the effect of social dynamics on individual anti-predator behaviour. We trained 15 captive ravens to recognize and respond to a novel experimental predator and then exposed them to this predator in both group and isolation settings across 1.5 years to tease apart individual differences from social effects and evaluate two hypotheses: (1) weaker anti-predator responses of some individuals in the group occurred, because they failed to recognize the experimental predator as a threat, leading to weak responses when separated, or (2) some individuals had learned the new threat, but their scolding intensity was repressed in the group trials due to social dynamics (such as dominance rank), leading to increased scolding intensity when alone. RESULTS We found that dominance significantly influences scolding behaviour in the group trials; top-ranked individuals scold more and earlier than lower ranking ones. However, in the separation trials scolding duration is no longer affected by rank. CONCLUSIONS We speculate that, while top-ranked individuals use their anti-predator responses to signal status in the group, lower-ranking ravens may be suppressed from, or are less capable of, performing intense anti-predator behaviour while in the group. This suggests that, in addition to its recruitment or predator-deterrent effects, alarm calling may serve as a marker of individual quality to conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian R Blum
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna CogSciHub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
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15
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Chen R, Spiegel O, Bartan Y, Nathan R. Resource limitation drives fission–fusion dynamics of group composition and size in a social bird. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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16
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Jain V, Bugnyar T, Cunningham SJ, Gallego-Abenza M, Loretto MC, Sumasgutner P. The spatial and temporal exploitation of anthropogenic food sources by common ravens (Corvus corax) in the Alps. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:35. [PMID: 36008849 PMCID: PMC9414151 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00335-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthropogenic food sources (AFSs) are widespread in human-transformed landscapes and the current scale at which they occur drives ecological change at the individual, population, and community levels. AFSs are exploited extensively by common ravens, Corvus corax. Understanding how raven populations use AFSs can provide insight into their ecological responses to AFSs. METHODS We equipped 81 ravens in the Austrian Alps with GPS-transmitters over a period of 2.75 years. Using these tracking data, we investigated how cohort differences (i.e., age, sex, and origin) and seasonal changes influence raven movement patterns (i.e., occurrence distribution and maximum daily displacement) and AFS-use (i.e., number of AFSs visited and probability of being present at any AFS) at 45 extensively exploited sites. RESULTS We found that proxies for experience and dominance, inferred by age (i.e., juvenile versus adult) and origin (i.e., wild-caught versus captive-bred-released) cohorts, influenced movement patterns and the number of AFSs visited. However, all individuals were equally likely to be present at AFSs, highlighting the importance of AFSs for non-breeders in the study population. Seasonal changes in environmental conditions that affect energetic demands, the availability of natural and anthropogenic food, and foraging competition, influenced individuals' occurrence distributions and AFS-use. We found that under harsher conditions in autumn and winter, individuals ranged wider and depended on AFSs to a larger degree. However, contrary to expectation, they were less likely to be present at AFSs in these seasons compared to spring and summer, suggesting a trade-off between time spent moving and exploiting resources. We attribute the small ranging movements exhibited by non-breeders in spring and summer to the presence of highly territorial and socially dominant breeders. As breeders mostly stay and forage within their territories during these seasons, competition at AFSs decrease, thereby increasing the likelihood of individuals being present at any AFS. CONCLUSIONS We emphasize that movement and AFS-use differ according to cohort differences and the seasonality of the environment. Our results highlight that predictable AFSs affect foraging strategies among non-breeding ravens. The extent of AFS-exploitation among non-breeding ravens in our study emphasize the potential of AFSs in shaping raven movement and resource-use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varalika Jain
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471, Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
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17
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Horn L, Cimarelli G, Boucherie PH, Šlipogor V, Bugnyar T. Beyond the dichotomy between field and lab — the importance of studying cognition in context. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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18
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Gallego-Abenza M, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Early social environment affects attention to social cues in juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220132. [PMID: 35774139 PMCID: PMC9240683 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Social competence, i.e. defined as the ability to adjust the expression of social behaviour to the available social information, is known to be influenced by early-life conditions. Brood size might be one of the factors determining such early conditions, particularly in species with extended parental care. We here tested in ravens whether growing up in families of different sizes affects the chicks' responsiveness to social information. We experimentally manipulated the brood size of 13 captive raven families, creating either small or large families. Simulating dispersal, juveniles were separated from their parents and temporarily housed in one of two captive non-breeder groups. After five weeks of socialization, each raven was individually tested in a playback setting with food-associated calls from three social categories: sibling, familiar unrelated raven they were housed with, and unfamiliar unrelated raven from the other non-breeder aviary. We found that individuals reared in small families were more attentive than birds from large families, in particular towards the familiar unrelated peer. These results indicate that variation in family size during upbringing can affect how juvenile ravens value social information. Whether the observed attention patterns translate into behavioural preferences under daily life conditions remains to be tested in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
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19
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Gallup AC, Schild AB, Ühlein MA, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. No Evidence for Contagious Yawning in Juvenile Ravens ( Corvus corax): An Observational Study. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:1357. [PMID: 35681822 PMCID: PMC9179381 DOI: 10.3390/ani12111357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The overt and reflexive matching of behaviors among conspecifics has been observed in a growing number of social vertebrates, including avian species. In general, behavioral contagion-such as the spread of yawning-may serve important functions in group synchronization and vigilance behavior. Here, we performed an exploratory study to investigate yawn contagion among 10 captive juvenile ravens (Corvus corax), across two groups. Using observational methods, we also examined the contagiousness of three other distinct behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. A total of 44 20 min observations were made across both groups, including 28 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon. The time and occurrence of all the behaviors from each bird were coded, and the temporal pattern of each behavior across both groups was then analyzed to assess the degree of social contagion. Overall, we found no evidence for contagious yawning, stretching, scratching, or shaking. However, yawns were relatively infrequent per observation (0.052 ± 0.076 yawns/bird) and thus experimental methods should be used to support this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C. Gallup
- Psychology and Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences Programs, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
| | - Anja B. Schild
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Markus A. Ühlein
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
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20
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Šlipogor V, Graf C, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. Personality and social environment predict cognitive performance in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Sci Rep 2022; 12:6702. [PMID: 35513400 PMCID: PMC9072541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10296-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Consistent inter-individual variation in cognition has been increasingly explored in recent years in terms of its patterns, causes and consequences. One of its possible causes are consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, also referred to as animal personalities, which are shaped by both the physical and the social environment. The latter is particularly relevant for group-living species like common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), apt learners that display substantial variation in both their personality and cognitive performance, yet no study to date has interlinked these with marmosets' social environment. Here we investigated (i) consistency of learning speed, and (ii) whether the PCA-derived personality traits Exploration-Avoidance and Boldness-Shyness as well as the social environment (i.e., family group membership) are linked with marmosets' speed of learning. We tested 22 individuals in series of personality and learning-focused cognitive tests, including simple motor tasks and discrimination learning tasks. We found that these marmosets showed significant inter-individual consistency in learning across the different tasks, and that females learned faster than males. Further, bolder individuals, and particularly those belonging to certain family groups, learned faster. These findings indicate that both personality and social environment affect learning speed in marmosets and could be important factors driving individual variation in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Christina Graf
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Group, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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21
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Boucherie PH, Gallego-Abenza M, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. Dominance in a socially dynamic setting: hierarchical structure and conflict dynamics in ravens' foraging groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200446. [PMID: 35000442 PMCID: PMC8743890 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dominance hierarchies typically emerge in systems where group members regularly encounter and compete for resources. In birds, the 'open' and dynamic structure of foraging groups may prevent the emergence of structured hierarchies, although this assumption have hardly been tested. We report on agonistic data for ravens Corvus corax, collected over two 18-month periods for 183 marked individuals of a wild (fluid) population and 51 birds from six captive (stable) groups. We show that the dominance structure (steep and transitive) in wild foraging groups is strikingly similar to that found in captivity. In the wild, we found that higher ranks are mainly occupied by males, older and more aggressive individuals that also tend to receive fewer aggressions. Exploring the mechanisms sustaining the wild dominance structure, we confirmed that males are more aggressive than females and, with age, tend to receive fewer aggressions than females. Males that are about to leave the foraging groups for some months are less aggressive than newcomers or locals, while newcomers are specifically targeted by aggressions in their first year (as juveniles). Taken together, our results indicate that the socially dynamic conditions ravens face during foraging do not hinder, but provide opportunities for, using (advanced) social cognition. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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22
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Social behavior mediates the use of social and personal information in wild jays. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2494. [PMID: 35169186 PMCID: PMC8847367 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06496-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The factors favoring the evolution of certain cognitive abilities in animals remain unclear. Social learning is a cognitive ability that reduces the cost of acquiring personal information and forms the foundation for cultural behavior. Theory predicts the evolutionary pressures to evolve social learning should be greater in more social species. However, research testing this theory has primarily occurred in captivity, where artificial environments can affect performance and yield conflicting results. We compared the use of social and personal information, and the social learning mechanisms used by wild, asocial California scrub-jays and social Mexican jays. We trained demonstrators to solve one door on a multi-door task, then measured the behavior of naïve conspecifics towards the task. If social learning occurs, observations of demonstrators will change the rate that naïve individuals interact with each door. We found both species socially learned, though personal information had a much greater effect on behavior in the asocial species while social information was more important for the social species. Additionally, both species used social information to avoid, rather than copy, conspecifics. Our findings demonstrate that while complex social group structures may be unnecessary for the evolution of social learning, it does affect the use of social versus personal information.
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23
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Miller R, Lambert ML, Frohnwieser A, Brecht KF, Bugnyar T, Crampton I, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Gould K, Greggor AL, Izawa EI, Kelly DM, Li Z, Luo Y, Luong LB, Massen JJM, Nieder A, Reber SA, Schiestl M, Seguchi A, Sepehri P, Stevens JR, Taylor AH, Wang L, Wolff LM, Zhang Y, Clayton NS. Socio-ecological correlates of neophobia in corvids. Curr Biol 2022; 32:74-85.e4. [PMID: 34793696 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral responses to novelty, including fear and subsequent avoidance of novel stimuli, i.e., neophobia, determine how animals interact with their environment. Neophobia aids in navigating risk and impacts on adaptability and survival. There is variation within and between individuals and species; however, lack of large-scale, comparative studies critically limits investigation of the socio-ecological drivers of neophobia. In this study, we tested responses to novel objects and food (alongside familiar food) versus a baseline (familiar food alone) in 10 corvid species (241 subjects) across 10 labs worldwide. There were species differences in the latency to touch familiar food in the novel object and novel food conditions relative to the baseline. Four of seven socio-ecological factors influenced object neophobia: (1) use of urban habitat (versus not), (2) territorial pair versus family group sociality, (3) large versus small maximum flock size, and (4) moderate versus specialized caching (whereas range, hunting live animals, and genus did not), while only maximum flock size influenced food neophobia. We found that, overall, individuals were temporally and contextually repeatable (i.e., consistent) in their novelty responses in all conditions, indicating neophobia is a stable behavioral trait. With this study, we have established a network of corvid researchers, demonstrating potential for further collaboration to explore the evolution of cognition in corvids and other bird species. These novel findings enable us, for the first time in corvids, to identify the socio-ecological correlates of neophobia and grant insight into specific elements that drive higher neophobic responses in this avian family group. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Miller
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Megan L Lambert
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Messerli Research Institute, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Frohnwieser
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Katharina F Brecht
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- University of Vienna, Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Haidlhof Research Station, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Isabelle Crampton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kristy Gould
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Alison L Greggor
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Recovery Ecology, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Ei-Ichi Izawa
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Zhongqiu Li
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Yunchao Luo
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Linh B Luong
- Luther College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Utrecht University, Animal Behaviour & Cognition, Institute of Environmental Biology, Padualaan 8, De Uithof, 3584 Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Institute for Neurobiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan A Reber
- Lund University, Department of Cognitive Science, Helgonavagen 3, Lund 221 00, Sweden
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand; Max Planck Society, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Akiko Seguchi
- Keio University, Department of Psychology, 2-15-45, Mita, Minato-ku, 108-8345 Tokyo, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Parisa Sepehri
- University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2 MB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R Stevens
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Alexander H Taylor
- Auckland University, School of Psychology, 23 Symonds Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lin Wang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - London M Wolff
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain, Biology & Behavior, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Yigui Zhang
- Nanjing University, Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, 163 Xianlin Avenue, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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24
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Perret A, George I, Coulon M, Cousillas H, Hausberger M, Henry L. Deprivation of direct adult contact during development affects social representation in a songbird. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22207. [PMID: 34813093 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Social cognition involves a wide array of skills that are built largely through interactions with conspecifics and therefore depend upon early social experience. Motivation for social stimuli is a key feature of social behavior and an operant conditioning task showed that isolated wild-caught adult starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are highly motivated to access pictures of other starlings. Here, we show that hand-raised adult starlings maintained in groups of peers throughout development but without any contact with adult models were not or only poorly motivated to access pictures of conspecifics. Moreover, they did not prefer pictures of starlings to pictures of landscapes, unlike birds wild-caught as adults. These results raise questions about the role of social experience during development, particularly with adult models, in the development of social motivation and of social representation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Perret
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Isabelle George
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Marion Coulon
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Hugo Cousillas
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Martine Hausberger
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
| | - Laurence Henry
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), UMR 6552, Rennes, France
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25
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Vultures as an overlooked model in cognitive ecology. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:495-507. [PMID: 34817739 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01585-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite important recent advances in cognitive ecology, our current understanding of avian cognition still largely rests on research conducted on a few model taxa. Vultures are an ecologically distinctive group of species by being the only obligate carrion consumers across terrestrial vertebrates. Their unique scavenging lifestyle suggests they have been subject to particular selective pressures to locate scarce, unpredictable, ephemeral, and nutritionally challenging food. However, substantial variation exists among species in diet, foraging techniques and social structure of populations. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on vulture cognition through a comprehensive literature review and a compilation of our own observations. We find evidence for a variety of innovative foraging behaviors, scrounging tactics, collective problem-solving abilities and tool-use, skills that are considered indicative of enhanced cognition and that bear clear connections with the eco-social lifestyles of species. However, we also find that the cognitive basis of these skills remain insufficiently studied, and identify new research areas that require further attention in the future. Despite these knowledge gaps and the challenges of working with such large animals, we conclude that vultures may provide fresh insight into our knowledge of the ecology and evolution of cognition.
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Sankar R, Rougier NP, Leblois A. Computational benefits of structural plasticity, illustrated in songbirds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:1183-1196. [PMID: 34801257 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The plasticity of nervous systems allows animals to quickly adapt to a changing environment. In particular, the structural plasticity of brain networks is often critical to the development of the central nervous system and the acquisition of complex behaviors. As an example, structural plasticity is central to the development of song-related brain circuits and may be critical for song acquisition in juvenile songbirds. Here, we review current evidences for structural plasticity and their significance from a computational point of view. We start by reviewing evidence for structural plasticity across species and categorizing them along the spatial axes as well as the along the time course during development. We introduce the vocal learning circuitry in zebra finches, as a useful example of structural plasticity, and use this specific case to explore the possible contributions of structural plasticity to computational models. Finally, we discuss current modeling studies incorporating structural plasticity and unexplored questions which are raised by such models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remya Sankar
- Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Talence, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France; LaBRI, Université de Bordeaux, INP, CNRS, UMR 5800, Talence, France
| | - Nicolas P Rougier
- Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Talence, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France; LaBRI, Université de Bordeaux, INP, CNRS, UMR 5800, Talence, France
| | - Arthur Leblois
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France.
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27
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Ersoy S, Maag N, Boehly T, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T. Sex-specific parental care during postfledging in common ravens. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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28
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Kahnau P, Guenther A, Boon MN, Terzenbach JD, Hanitzsch E, Lewejohann L, Brust V. Lifetime Observation of Cognition and Physiological Parameters in Male Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:709775. [PMID: 34539359 PMCID: PMC8442583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.709775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Laboratory mice are predominantly used for one experiment only, i.e., new mice are ordered or bred for every new experiment. Moreover, most experiments use relatively young mice in the range of late adolescence to early adulthood. As a consequence, little is known about the day-to-day life of adult and aged laboratory mice. Here we present a long-term data set with three consecutive phases conducted with the same male mice over their lifetime in order to shed light on possible long-term effects of repeated cognitive stimulation. One third of the animals was trained by a variety of learning tasks conducted up to an age of 606 days. The mice were housed in four cages with 12 animals per cage; only four mice per cage had to repeatedly solve cognitive tasks for getting access to water using the IntelliCage system. In addition, these learner mice were tested in standard cognitive tests outside their home-cage. The other eight mice served as two control groups living in the same environment but without having to solve tasks for getting access to water. One control group was additionally placed on the test set-ups without having to learn the tasks. Next to the cognitive tasks, we took physiological measures (body mass, resting metabolic rate) and tested for dominance behavior, and attractivity in a female choice experiment. Overall, the mice were under surveillance until they died a natural death, providing a unique data set over the course of virtually their entire lives. Our data showed treatment differences during the first phase of our lifetime data set. Young learner mice showed a higher activity, less growth and resting metabolic rate, and were less attractive for female mice. These effects, however, were not preserved over the long-term. We also did not find differences in dominance or effects on longevity. However, we generated a unique and valuable set of long-term behavioral and physiological data from a single group of male mice and note that our long-term data contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral and physiological processes in male C57Bl/6J mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Marcus Nicolaas Boon
- Department for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Exzellenzcluster Science of Intelligence, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Eric Hanitzsch
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vera Brust
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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29
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Stocker M, Prosl J, Vanhooland LC, Horn L, Bugnyar T, Canoine V, Massen JJM. Measuring salivary mesotocin in birds - Seasonal differences in ravens' peripheral mesotocin levels. Horm Behav 2021; 134:105015. [PMID: 34144393 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is involved in a broad array of social behaviours. While saliva has been used regularly to investigate the role of oxytocin in social behaviour of mammal species, so far, to our knowledge, no-one has tried to measure its homolog, mesotocin, in birds' saliva. Therefore, in this study we measured salivary mesotocin in common ravens (Corvus corax), and subsequently explored its link to three aspects of raven sociality. We trained ravens (n = 13) to voluntarily provide saliva samples and analysed salivary mesotocin with a commercial oxytocin enzyme-immunoassay kit, also suitable for mesotocin. After testing parallelism and recovery, we investigated the effect of bonding status, sex and season on mesotocin levels. We found that mesotocin was significantly more likely to be detected in samples taken during the breeding season (spring) than during the mating season (winter). In those samples in which mesotocin was detected, concentrations were also significantly higher during the breeding than during the mating season. In contrast, bonding status and sex were not found to relate to mesotocin detectability and concentrations. The seasonal differences in mesotocin correspond to behavioral patterns known to be associated with mesotocin/oxytocin, with ravens showing much more aggression during the mating season while being more tolerant of conspecifics in the breeding season. We show for the first time that saliva samples can be useful for the non-invasive determination of hormone levels in birds. However, the rate of successfully analysed samples was very low, and collection and analysis methods will benefit from further improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Stocker
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands.
| | - Jonathan Prosl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Virginie Canoine
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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30
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Romani F, Ramella Levis E, Posillico M, Opramolla G, Pavan G. Vocal repertoire of the Eurasian griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus) in the central Apennines: a baseline assessment. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1925591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Romani
- Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali, Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Eurafrica Conservation Projects, Non-Profit Organization for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Ramella Levis
- Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali, Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Eurafrica Conservation Projects, Non-Profit Organization for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Posillico
- Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità, Centro Ricerche Ambienti Montani, Castel di Sangro (AQ), Italy
| | - Giancarlo Opramolla
- Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità, Centro Ricerche Ambienti Montani, Castel di Sangro (AQ), Italy
| | - Gianni Pavan
- Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali, Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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31
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Gallego-Abenza M, Blum CR, Bugnyar T. Who is crying wolf? Seasonal effect on antipredator response to age-specific alarm calls in common ravens, Corvus corax. Learn Behav 2021; 49:159-167. [PMID: 33420703 PMCID: PMC7979661 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-020-00455-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Communication about threats including those posed by the presence of predators occurs mainly through acoustic signals called alarm calls. The comprehension of these calls by receivers and their rapid antipredator response are crucial in terms of survival. However, to avoid overreaction, individuals should evaluate whether or not an antipredator response is needed by paying attention to who is calling. For instance, we could expect adults to be more experienced with predator encounters than juveniles and thus elicit stronger antipredator responses in others when alarming. Similarly, we could expect a stronger response to alarm calls when more than one individual is calling. To test these assumptions, we applied a playback experiment to wild ravens, in which we manipulated the age class (adult or juvenile) and the number (one or two) of the callers. Our results revealed a seasonal effect of age class but no effect of number of callers. Specifically, the ravens responded with stronger antipredator behaviour (vigilance posture) towards alarm calls from adults as compared to juveniles in summer and autumn, but not in spring. We discuss alternative interpretations for this unexpected seasonal pattern and argue for more studies on call-based communication in birds to understand what type of information is relevant under which conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - Christian R Blum
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
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32
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Social Systems. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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33
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Kaplan G. Play behaviour, not tool using, relates to brain mass in a sample of birds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20437. [PMID: 33235248 PMCID: PMC7687885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76572-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Play behaviour and tool using in birds, two well-delineated and amply researched behaviours, have generally been associated with cognitive abilities. In this study, these behaviours were related to relative brain mass in a sample of Australian native birds. Despite suggestive research results so far between cognition and tool using, this study found no significant difference in relative brain mass or in lifespan between tool-using birds and non-tool users. By contrast, in play behaviour, subdivided into social players and non-social players, the results showed statistically very clear differences in relative brain mass between social, non-social and non-players. Social play was associated with both the largest brain mass to body mass ratios and with the longest lifespans. The results show that play behaviour is a crucial variable associated with brain enlargement, not tool using. Since many of the tool using species tested so far also play, this study suggests that false conclusions can be drawn about the connection between tool using and cognitive ability when the silent variable (play behaviour) is not taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
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34
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Horn L, Bugnyar T, Griesser M, Hengl M, Izawa EI, Oortwijn T, Rössler C, Scheer C, Schiestl M, Suyama M, Taylor AH, Vanhooland LC, von Bayern AMP, Zürcher Y, Massen JJM. Sex-specific effects of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting on prosociality in corvids. eLife 2020; 9:e58139. [PMID: 33079060 PMCID: PMC7609055 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation of prosocial behavior is of particular interest from an evolutionary perspective. Comparisons of prosociality across non-human animal species have, however, so far largely focused on primates, and their interpretation is hampered by the diversity of paradigms and procedures used. Here, we present the first systematic comparison of prosocial behavior across multiple species in a taxonomic group outside the primate order, namely the bird family Corvidae. We measured prosociality in eight corvid species, which vary in the expression of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting. We show that cooperative breeding is positively associated with prosocial behavior across species. Also, colonial nesting is associated with a stronger propensity for prosocial behavior, but only in males. The combined results of our study strongly suggest that both cooperative breeding and colonial nesting, which may both rely on heightened social tolerance at the nest, are likely evolutionary pathways to prosocial behavior in corvids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Marietta Hengl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Eulen- und Greifvogelstation HaringseeHaringseeAustria
| | | | - Tim Oortwijn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Christiane Rössler
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Clara Scheer
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports, University of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryJenaGermany
| | - Masaki Suyama
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Hokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Alex H Taylor
- School of Psychology, University of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | | | | | - Yvonne Zürcher
- Department of Anthropology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jorg JM Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Animal Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
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35
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Pardo MA, Walters EL, Koenig WD. Experimental evidence that acorn woodpeckers recognize relationships among third parties no longer living together. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Triadic awareness, or knowledge of the relationships between others, is essential to navigating many complex social interactions. While some animals maintain relationships with former group members post-dispersal, recognizing cross-group relationships between others may be more cognitively challenging than simply recognizing relationships between members of a single group because there is typically much less opportunity to observe interactions between individuals that do not live together. We presented acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), a highly social species, with playback stimuli consisting of a simulated chorus between two different individuals, a behavior that only occurs naturally between social affiliates. Subjects were expected to respond less rapidly if they perceived the callers as having an affiliative relationship. Females responded more rapidly to a pair of callers that never co-occurred in the same social group, and responded less rapidly to callers that were members of the same social group at the time of the experiment and to callers that last lived in the same group before the subject had hatched. This suggests that female acorn woodpeckers can infer the existence of relationships between conspecifics that live in separate groups by observing them interact after the conspecifics in question no longer live in the same group as each other. This study provides experimental evidence that nonhuman animals may recognize relationships between third parties that no longer live together and emphasizes the potential importance of social knowledge about distant social affiliates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Pardo
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eric L Walters
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Hastings Reservation, University of California Berkeley, Carmel Valley, CA, USA
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36
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Bastos APM, Taylor AH. Macphail’s Null Hypothesis of Vertebrate Intelligence: Insights From Avian Cognition. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1692. [PMID: 32733351 PMCID: PMC7360938 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Macphail famously criticized two foundational assumptions that underlie the evolutionary approach to comparative psychology: that there are differences in intelligence across species, and that intelligent behavior in animals is based on more than associative learning. Here, we provide evidence from recent work in avian cognition that supports both these assumptions: intelligence across species varies, and animals can perform intelligent behaviors that are not guided solely by associative learning mechanisms. Finally, we reflect on the limitations of comparative psychology that led to Macphail’s claims and suggest strategies researchers can use to make more advances in the field.
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37
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Boucherie PH, Blum C, Bugnyar T. Effect of rearing style on the development of social behaviour in young ravens ( Corvus corax). Ethology 2020; 126:595-609. [PMID: 32612316 PMCID: PMC7317586 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Early social experiences can affect the development and expression of individual social behaviour throughout life. In particular, early-life social deprivations, notably of parental care, can later have deleterious consequences. We can, therefore, expect rearing procedures such as hand-raising-widely used in ethology and socio-cognitive science-to alter the development of individual social behaviour. We investigated how the rearing style later affected (a) variation in relationship strength among peers and (b) individuals' patterns of social interactions, in three captive groups of juvenile non-breeders consisting of either parent-raised or hand-raised birds, or a mix of both rearing styles. In the three groups, irrespectively of rearing style: strongest relationships (i.e., higher rates of association and affiliations) primarily emerged among siblings and familiar partners (i.e., non-relatives encountered in early life), and mixed-sex and male-male partners established relationships of similar strength, indicating that the rearing style does not severely affect the quality and structure of relationships in young ravens. However, compared to parent-raised ravens, hand-raised ravens showed higher connectedness, i.e., number of partners with whom they mainly associated and affiliated, but formed on average relationships of lower strength, indicating that social experience in early life is not without consequences on the development of ravens' patterns of social interaction. The deprivation of parental care associated with the presence of same-age peers during hand-raising seemed to maximize ravens' propensity to interact with others, indicating that besides parents, interactions with same-age peers matter. Opportunities to interact with, and socially learn from peers, might thus be the key to the acquisition of early social competences in ravens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Blum
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Haidlhof Research StationUniversity of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
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38
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Johnson-Ulrich L, Holekamp KE. Group size and social rank predict inhibitory control in spotted hyaenas. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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39
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van Overveld T, Gangoso L, García-Alfonso M, Bouten W, de la Riva M, Donázar JA. Seasonal grouping dynamics in a territorial vulture: ecological drivers and social consequences. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2807-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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40
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Morales Picard A, Mundry R, Auersperg AM, Boeving ER, Boucherie PH, Bugnyar T, Dufour V, Emery NJ, Federspiel IG, Gajdon GK, Guéry J, Hegedič M, Horn L, Kavanagh E, Lambert ML, Massen JJM, Rodrigues MA, Schiestl M, Schwing R, Szabo B, Taylor AH, Horik JO, Bayern AMP, Seed A, Slocombe KE. Why preen others? Predictors of allopreening in parrots and corvids and comparisons to grooming in great apes. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Roger Mundry
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Platform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Alice M. Auersperg
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Emily R. Boeving
- Department of Psychology Florida International University Miami FL USA
| | - Palmyre H. Boucherie
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien University of Strasbourg Strasbourg France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Valérie Dufour
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements INRA‐CNRS Université de Tours‐IFCE Nouzilly France
| | - Nathan J. Emery
- School of Biological & Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Ira G. Federspiel
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Gyula K. Gajdon
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Matjaž Hegedič
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Lisa Horn
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Megan L. Lambert
- Department of Psychology University of York York UK
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Animal Ecology Group Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Michelle A. Rodrigues
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology University of Illinois Urbana IL USA
| | - Martina Schiestl
- School of Psychology University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Raoul Schwing
- Messerli Research Institute University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Medical University Vienna University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Birgit Szabo
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney Australia
| | - Alex H. Taylor
- School of Psychology University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Jayden O. Horik
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology University of Exeter Exeter UK
| | | | - Amanda Seed
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
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41
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Miyazawa E, Seguchi A, Takahashi N, Motai A, Izawa E. Different patterns of allopreening in the same‐sex and opposite‐sex interactions of juvenile large‐billed crows (
Corvus macrorhynchos
). Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eri Miyazawa
- Department of Psychology Keio University Tokyo Japan
| | - Akiko Seguchi
- Department of Psychology Keio University Tokyo Japan
- Japan Society of the Promotion for Science Tokyo Japan
| | - Nana Takahashi
- Department of Psychology Keio University Tokyo Japan
- Japan Society of the Promotion for Science Tokyo Japan
| | - Ayumi Motai
- Department of Psychology Keio University Tokyo Japan
| | - Ei‐Ichi Izawa
- Department of Psychology Keio University Tokyo Japan
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42
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Sierro J, Loretto M, Szipl G, Massen JJM, Bugnyar T. Food calling in wild ravens (
Corvus corax
) revisited: Who is addressed? Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sierro
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University UK
- Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Matthias‐Claudio Loretto
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Georgine Szipl
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Behavioural Biology University of Vienna Austria
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Department of Biology Animal Ecology Group Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
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Triki Z, Levorato E, McNeely W, Marshall J, Bshary R. Population densities predict forebrain size variation in the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192108. [PMID: 31744435 PMCID: PMC6892052 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'social brain hypothesis' proposes a causal link between social complexity and either brain size or the size of key brain parts known to be involved in cognitive processing and decision-making. While previous work has focused on comparisons between species, how social complexity affects plasticity in brain morphology at the intraspecific level remains mostly unexplored. A suitable study model is the mutualist 'cleaner' fish Labroides dimidiatus, a species that removes ectoparasites from a variety of 'client' fishes in iterative social interactions. Here, we report a positive relationship between the local density of cleaners, as a proxy of both intra- and interspecific sociality, and the size of the cleaner's brain parts suggested to be associated with cognitive functions, such as the diencephalon and telencephalon (that together form the forebrain). In contrast, the size of the mesencephalon, rhombencephalon, and brain stem, assumed more basal in function, were independent of local fish densities. Selective enlargement of brain parts, that is mosaic brain adjustment, appears to be driven by population density in cleaner fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegni Triki
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Levorato
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - William McNeely
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Bobrowicz K, Osvath M. Social context hinders humans but not ravens in a short‐term memory task. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science Lund University Lund Sweden
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Medina L, Abellán A, Desfilis E. Evolution of Pallial Areas and Networks Involved in Sociality: Comparison Between Mammals and Sauropsids. Front Physiol 2019; 10:894. [PMID: 31354528 PMCID: PMC6640085 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds are extremely interesting animals for studying the neurobiological basis of cognition and its evolution. They include species that are highly social and show high cognitive capabilities. Moreover, birds rely more on visual and auditory cues than on olfaction for social behavior and cognition, just like primates. In primates, there are two major brain networks associated to sociality: (1) one related to perception and decision-making, involving the pallial amygdala (with the basolateral complex as a major component), the temporal and temporoparietal neocortex, and the orbitofrontal cortex; (2) another one related to affiliation, including the medial extended amygdala, the ventromedial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, the ventromedial striatum (largely nucleus accumbens), and the ventromedial hypothalamus. In this account, we used an evolutionary developmental neurobiology approach, in combination with published comparative connectivity and functional data, to identify areas and functional networks in the sauropsidian brain comparable to those of mammals that are related to decision-making and affiliation. Both in mammals and sauropsids, there is an important interaction between these networks by way of cross projections between areas of both systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loreta Medina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida - Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida), University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Antonio Abellán
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida - Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida), University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ester Desfilis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida - Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida), University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
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Lee VE, McIvor GE, Thornton A. Testing relationship recognition in wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula). Sci Rep 2019; 9:6710. [PMID: 31040366 PMCID: PMC6491552 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43247-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the social intelligence hypothesis, understanding the challenges faced by social animals is key to understanding the evolution of cognition. In structured social groups, recognising the relationships of others is often important for predicting the outcomes of interactions. Third-party relationship recognition has been widely investigated in primates, but studies of other species are limited. Furthermore, few studies test for third-party relationship recognition in the wild, where cognitive abilities are deployed in response to natural socio-ecological pressures. Here, we used playback experiments to investigate whether wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula) track changes in their own relationships and the relationships of others. Females were presented with 'infidelity simulations': playbacks of their male partner copulating with a neighbouring female, and their male neighbour copulating with another female, against a congruent control. Our results showed substantial inter-individual variation in responses, but females did not respond more strongly to infidelity playbacks, indicating that jackdaws may not attend and/or respond to relationship information in this experimental context. Our results highlight the need for further study of relationship recognition and other cognitive traits that facilitate group-living in the wild, particularly in non-primates and in a wider range of social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Lee
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - Guillam E McIvor
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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47
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The role of habitat configuration in shaping social structure: a gap in studies of animal social complexity. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2602-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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