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Dissegna A, Borrelli L, Ponte G, Chiandetti C, Fiorito G. Octopus vulgaris Exhibits Interindividual Differences in Behavioural and Problem-Solving Performance. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1487. [PMID: 38132313 PMCID: PMC10740590 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
By presenting individual Octopus vulgaris with an extractive foraging problem with a puzzle box, we examined the possible correlation between behavioural performances (e.g., ease of adaptation to captive conditions, prevalence of neophobic and neophilic behaviours, and propensity to learn individually or by observing conspecifics), biotic (body and brain size, age, sex) and abiotic (seasonality and place of origin) factors. We found more neophilic animals showing shorter latencies to approach the puzzle box and higher probability of solving the task; also, shorter times to solve the task were correlated with better performance on the individual learning task. However, the most neophilic octopuses that approached the puzzle box more quickly did not reach the solution earlier than other individuals, suggesting that strong neophilic tendency may lead to suboptimal performance at some stages of the problem-solving process. In addition, seasonal and environmental characteristics of location of origin appear to influence the rate of expression of individual traits central to problem solving. Overall, our analysis provides new insights into the traits associated with problem solving in invertebrates and highlights the presence of adaptive mechanisms that promote population-level changes in octopuses' behavioural traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dissegna
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.); (C.C.)
| | - Luciana Borrelli
- Animal Physiology and Evolution Lab, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Giovanna Ponte
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Chiandetti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.); (C.C.)
| | - Graziano Fiorito
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy;
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Zanoli A, Raimondi T, De Gregorio C, Valente D, Carugati F, Torti V, Friard O, Miaretsoa L, Giacoma C, Gamba M. "The song remains the same": not really! Vocal flexibility in the song of the indris. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:2009-2021. [PMID: 37792125 PMCID: PMC10769932 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01826-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
In studying communicative signals, we can think of flexibility as a necessary correlate of creativity. Flexibility enables animals to find practical solutions and appropriate behaviors in mutable situations. In this study, we aimed to quantify the degree of flexibility in the songs of indris (Indri indri), the only singing lemur, using three different metrics: Jaro Distance, normalized diversity, and entropy. We hypothesized that the degree and the co-variation of the flexibility of indris singing together would vary according to their status and sex. We found that dominant females were more flexible than dominant males when concatenating elements into strings (element concatenation). The number of different elements in a song contribution normalized by the contribution length (contribution diversity) of dominant individuals positively co-varied for seven duetting pairs. Non-dominant individuals were more variable in element concatenation than dominant individuals, and they were more diverse in phrase type than dominant females. Independently from sex and status, individual contributions did not differ in entropy (a measure of the predictability of contributions). These results corroborate previous findings regarding the dimorphism by sex and by status of individual contributions to songs. Thus, they shed light on the presence and expression of flexibility in the behavior of a non-human primate species. Indeed, they potentially show an effect of social features in shaping vocal flexibility, which underlies many communication systems, including human language. We speculate that this degree of flexibility may account for creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Zanoli
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy.
| | - Teresa Raimondi
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy.
| | - Chiara De Gregorio
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
| | - Daria Valente
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
- Parco Natura Viva Garda Zoological Park, Bussolengo, Verona, Italy
| | - Filippo Carugati
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Torti
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
| | - Olivier Friard
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
| | - Longondraza Miaretsoa
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
- Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche Sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Cristina Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin, Italy
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Rowell MK, Rymer TL. Problem solving of wild animals in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Misha K. Rowell
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
| | - Tasmin L. Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
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Both age and experience are important for successful problem solving in juvenile fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rats Melomys cervinipes. Anim Cogn 2022; 26:781-789. [PMID: 36401051 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01718-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Problem solving ability is affected by many factors, including physiology, personality, and cognition. However, how age and experience influence problem-solving ability during development is harder to untangle. We tested how age and experience affected problem solving in a native Australian rodent, the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. Juveniles were divided into two groups (different ages at start of testing) and then received a food-baited cardboard matchbox every 10 days for a total of three tests. We compared the problem-solving ability of individuals from both groups, which allowed us to separate the effects of age and experience. Juveniles with more experience solved the task faster than juveniles with less experience. Furthermore, inexperienced older juveniles interacted with the problems more than inexperienced younger juveniles. Previous solving experience may be important for short-term solving success, while age, in the absence of experience, might be associated with increased exploration, leading to increased investigation of novel problems. Previous experience at manipulating objects generally may also be important for problem-solving success, which likely provides an advantage as resources and habitats change seasonally and annually.
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Effects of early-life experience on innovation and problem-solving in captive coyotes. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03251-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Rowell MK, Santymire RM, Rymer TL. Corticosterone Metabolite Concentration Is Not Related to Problem Solving in the Fawn-Footed Mosaic-Tailed Rat Melomys Cervinipes. Animals (Basel) 2021; 12:ani12010082. [PMID: 35011188 PMCID: PMC8749903 DOI: 10.3390/ani12010082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals can respond physiologically, such as by adjusting glucocorticoid hormone concentrations, to sudden environmental challenges. These physiological changes can then affect behavioural and cognitive responses. While the relationships between adrenocortical activity and behaviour and cognition are well documented, results are equivocal, suggesting species-specific responses. We investigated whether adrenocortical activity, measured using corticosterone metabolite concentration, was related to problem solving in an Australian rodent, the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys cervinipes). Mosaic-tailed rats live in complex environments that are prone to disturbance, suggesting a potential need to solve novel problems, and have been found to show relationships between physiology and other behaviours. We measured problem solving using five food-baited puzzles (matchbox and cylinder in the home cage, and activity board with pillars to push, tiles to slide and levers to lift in an open field), and an escape-motivated obstruction task in a light/dark box. Faecal samples were collected from individuals during routine cage cleaning. Adrenocortical activity was evaluated non-invasively by measuring faecal corticosterone metabolites using an enzyme immunoassay, which was biochemically and biologically validated. Despite varying over time, adrenocortical activity was not significantly related to problem solving success or time spent interacting for any task. However, as adrenocortical activity is reflective of multiple physiological processes, including stress and metabolism, future studies should consider how other measures of physiology are also linked to problem solving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misha K. Rowell
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia;
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Tasmin L. Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia;
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
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Rochais C, Hotte H, Pillay N. Seasonal variation in reversal learning reveals greater female cognitive flexibility in African striped mice. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20061. [PMID: 34625648 PMCID: PMC8501043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99619-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility describes the ability of animals to alter cognitively mediated behaviour in response to changing situational demands, and can vary according to prevailing environemental conditions and individual caracteristics. In the present study, we investigated (1) how learning and reversal learning performance changes between seasons, and (2) how cognitive flexibility is related to sex in a free-living small mammal. We studied 107 African striped mice, Rhabdomys pumilio, in an arid semi-desert, 58 during the hot dry summer with low food availability, and 49 during the cold wet winter with higher food availability. We used an escape box task to test for learning and reversal learning performance. We found that learning and reversal learning efficiency varied seasonally by sex: females tested in summer were faster at solving both learning and reversal tasks than males tested in winter. Performance varied within sex: males tested in winter showed faster learning compared to males tested in summer. During reversal learning, females tested in summer were more efficient and solve the task faster compared to females tested in winter. We suggest that seasonal cognitive performance could be related to sex-specific behavioural characteristics of the species, resulting in adaptation for living in harsh environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Rochais
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Hoël Hotte
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,ANSES, Plant Health Laboratory - Nematology Unit, Domaine de la Motte Au Vicomte, BP 35327, 35653, Le Rheu Cédex, France
| | - Neville Pillay
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Seasonal changes in problem-solving in wild African striped mice. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:401-413. [PMID: 34591197 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01559-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Innovative problem-solving ability is a predictor of whether animals can successfully cope with environmental changes. These environmental changes can test the limits of animals, for example when energy availability decreases seasonally and, hence, problem-solving performance decreases because less energy is available for cognitive processes. Here, we investigated: (1) how problem-solving performance changed between seasons that differed significantly in food availability; (2) whether these changes were related to environmentally induced physiological changes in blood glucose and ketone levels, indicators of energy availability; and (3) whether individual variation in problem-solving was related to sex differences. We studied 99 free-ranging African striped mice, Rhabdomys pumilio, in the Succulent Karoo, South Africa, 55 during the hot dry summer with low food availability and 44 during the cold wet winter with higher food availability. We measured their problem-solving abilities using a food extraction task and found no seasonal differences in problem-solving success. However, mice solved the problem faster in summer versus winter. In summer, food availability was reduced and blood ketones increased but there was no seasonal difference in blood glucose levels. There were no correlation between problem-solving performance and blood glucose or ketone levels. Overall, more males solved the task than females. It appears that in striped mice cognitive functions can be maintained under harsh environmental conditions.
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