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Silva IS, Cunha-Saraiva F, Silvestre S. Acceptability and effectiveness of the "Education in Action-ABALL1" intervention program in primary school-aged children. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1163489. [PMID: 37546439 PMCID: PMC10400009 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1163489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Research has consistently shown the benefits of developing intervention programs in educational settings, enhancing the learning process and socioemotional skills. There is a growing investment in creating and supporting a healthy school environment, prioritizing learning through play. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of an innovative intervention approach-"Education in Action-ABALL1"-focused on promoting literacy and numeracy skills and socioemotional competencies of second-grade children. Methods A total of 113 children aged between 7 and 9 participated in the study and were allocated into two groups: intervention (N = 69) and control (N = 44). The intervention consisted of 24 educational games aligned with the mathematics and Portuguese curricula, applied for 3 months, twice a week; two self-report instruments were used to measure aptitudes for school learning and socioemotional skills, considering two assessment moments: before and after the program implementation. In addition, a focus group involving a subsample of children and teachers who followed the intervention in different school cohorts was carried out. Results Our results suggested a positive effect of the program concerning children's academic skills, showing a significant improvement in terms of the pre-post-intervention scores in the intervention group (Cohen's d = 0.95). Moreover, the qualitative findings also indicate the high acceptability of the program among children and head teachers, who reported a positive effect on the acquisition and consolidation of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills and on the promotion of teamwork, empathy, autonomy, and self-reflection. Conclusion Overall, the "Education in Action-ABALL1" program provides a promising intervention based on learning through play directly impacting second-grade children's academic, emotional, and interpersonal skills. Further studies are required to understand the transdisciplinary capacity of this intervention approach and its effectiveness at different school levels and curricula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel S. Silva
- Grupo Aprender em Festa, Gouveia, Portugal
- RECI-Research Unit in Education and Community Intervention, Instituto Piaget-ISEIT/Viseu, Viseu, Portugal
- Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People & the Planet (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Grupo Aprender em Festa, Gouveia, Portugal
- Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People & the Planet (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, Portugal
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Schaedelin F, Cunha-Saraiva F, Faltin C, Wagner E, Balshine S. Territorial behaviour and conflict management in a semi-social cichlid fish, Neolamprologus caudopunctatus. BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Conflict solving strategies can prevent fights from escalating and reduce the costs of aggressive encounters. Having the capacity to efficiently assess an opponent’s fighting abilities before fully committing to a fight is a useful social skill. Here, we conducted two experiments to investigate how a colony living, cichlid species, Neolamprologus caudopunctatus, changes its aggressive behaviour when faced with familiar vs unfamiliar opponents. First, we staged size matched, same-sex, dyadic resource contests and found that fights were always of low-intensity with neither familiarity nor sex influencing how quickly the conflict ended. Second, we explored the dual defence of mated territorial pairs together defending their territory boundaries against other pairs, either familiar or unfamiliar ones, and discovered that fights between two pairs were more vigorous, and that unfamiliar neighbouring pairs were attacked significantly more often than familiar pairs. We also observed that dark bars sometimes appeared on the sides of contestant’s bodies, and that these bars were far more common in winners than in losers, suggesting that these might be visual signals of dominance. However, conflicts where contestants displayed bars were of longer duration than those without. Taken together, our results further advance our understanding of territoriality and conflict resolution strategies and set the stage for future studies focusing on how animals manage to co-exist in closely aggregated breeding territories and to form colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- F.C. Schaedelin
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - F. Cunha-Saraiva
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - C. Faltin
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - E. Wagner
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - S. Balshine
- Aquatic Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
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Cunha-Saraiva F, Martins RST, Power DM, Balshine S, Schaedelin FC. Galanin and prolactin expression in relation to parental care in two sympatric cichlid species from Lake Tanganyika. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 309:113785. [PMID: 33862047 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the hormonal mechanisms underlying parental care mainly stems from research on species with uniparental care. Far less is known about the physiological changes underlying motherhood and fatherhood in biparental caring species. Here, using two biparental caring cichlid species (Neolamprologus caudopunctatus and Neolamprologus pulcher), we explored the relative gene-expression levels of two genes implicated in the control of parental care, galanin (gal) and prolactin (prl). We investigated whole brain gene expression levels in both, male and female caring parents, as well as in non-caring individuals of both species. Caring males had higher prl and gal mRNA levels compared to caring females in both fish species. Expression of gal was highest when young were mobile and the need for parental defense was greatest and gal was lowest during the more stationary egg tending phase in N. caudopunctatus. The onset of parenthood was associated with lower expression of prl and higher expression of gal in N. pulcher, but this pattern was not observed in N. caudopunctatus. Our study demonstrates that gal gene expression is correlated with changes in parental care in two biparental cichlid species and extends both knowledge and taxonomic coverage of the possible neurogenetic mechanisms underlying parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria.
| | - Rute S T Martins
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Deborah M Power
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Sigal Balshine
- Aquatic Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Franziska C Schaedelin
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
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Cunha-Saraiva F, Balshine S, Gozdowska M, Kulczykowska E, H Wagner R, C Schaedelin F. Parental care and neuropeptide dynamics in a cichlid fish Neolamprologus caudopunctatus. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104576. [PMID: 31442428 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic neuropeptides arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) modulate social behavior across a wide variety of species. However, the role of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT, the teleost homologs of AVP and OT) in regulating biparental care especially in the context of monogamy is not well studied. Here, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we investigated how bioactive whole brain AVT and IT neuropeptide levels vary in relation to the phase of the breeding cycle and sex, in a monogamous biparental cichlid fish, Neolamprologus caudopunctatus. Since non-caring individuals of this species readily cannibalize eggs, but caring parents never do, we further investigated whether there might be changes in AVT/IT whole brain levels that correspond to the transition from a non-breeding, egg cannibal to an egg caring parent. We found that AVT levels were higher in females than in males and that AVT levels were highest when the need to defend the young was greatest. Breeding pairs that had a strong pair-bond and a higher frequency of nest care had the highest levels of AVT, whereas individuals that spent little time close to their breeding partner, displayed aggression towards their partner and neglected their nest duties (signs of a weak pair bond), had lower whole brain AVT levels. Isotocin (IT) levels did not differ between sexes and we did not detect any variation across the breeding cycle, with pair-bonding scores or with parental behavior. Our results show that whole brain AVT levels are linked to the breeding cycle, nest maintenance and pair-bonding score in this species. Furthermore, our study highlights species and sex-specific nonapeptides patterns in bi-parental caring fish and contributes to the increasing knowledge on neuroendocrinological mechanisms underlying parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sigal Balshine
- Aquatic Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Magdalena Gozdowska
- Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Ewa Kulczykowska
- Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Richard H Wagner
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska C Schaedelin
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
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Fischer S, Oberhummer E, Cunha-Saraiva F, Gerber N, Taborsky B. Smell or vision? The use of different sensory modalities in predator discrimination. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:143. [PMID: 28989227 PMCID: PMC5607904 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2371-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Revised: 08/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Theory predicts that animals should adjust their escape responses to the perceived predation risk. The information animals obtain about potential predation risk may differ qualitatively depending on the sensory modality by which a cue is perceived. For instance, olfactory cues may reveal better information about the presence or absence of threats, whereas visual information can reliably transmit the position and potential attack distance of a predator. While this suggests a differential use of information perceived through the two sensory channels, the relative importance of visual vs. olfactory cues when distinguishing between different predation threats is still poorly understood. Therefore, we exposed individuals of the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher to a standardized threat stimulus combined with either predator or non-predator cues presented either visually or chemically. We predicted that flight responses towards a threat stimulus are more pronounced if cues of dangerous rather than harmless heterospecifics are presented and that N. pulcher, being an aquatic species, relies more on olfaction when discriminating between dangerous and harmless heterospecifics. N. pulcher responded faster to the threat stimulus, reached a refuge faster and entered a refuge more likely when predator cues were perceived. Unexpectedly, the sensory modality used to perceive the cues did not affect the escape response or the duration of the recovery phase. This suggests that N. pulcher are able to discriminate heterospecific cues with similar acuity when using vision or olfaction. We discuss that this ability may be advantageous in aquatic environments where the visibility conditions strongly vary over time. Significance statement The ability to rapidly discriminate between dangerous predators and harmless heterospecifics is crucial for the survival of prey animals. In seasonally fluctuating environment, sensory conditions may change over the year and may make the use of multiple sensory modalities for heterospecific discrimination highly beneficial. Here we compared the efficacy of visual and olfactory senses in the discrimination ability of the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher. We presented individual fish with visual or olfactory cues of predators or harmless heterospecifics and recorded their flight response. When exposed to predator cues, individuals responded faster, reached a refuge faster and were more likely to enter the refuge. Unexpectedly, the olfactory and visual senses seemed to be equally efficient in this discrimination task, suggesting that seasonal variation of water conditions experienced by N. pulcher may necessitate the use of multiple sensory channels for the same task. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00265-017-2371-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Fischer
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB, Liverpool, UK
| | - Evelyne Oberhummer
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Konrad-Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department for Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinarian Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nina Gerber
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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Kasper C, Vierbuchen M, Ernst U, Fischer S, Radersma R, Raulo A, Cunha-Saraiva F, Wu M, Mobley KB, Taborsky B. Genetics and developmental biology of cooperation. Mol Ecol 2017. [PMID: 28626971 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite essential progress towards understanding the evolution of cooperative behaviour, we still lack detailed knowledge about its underlying molecular mechanisms, genetic basis, evolutionary dynamics and ontogeny. An international workshop "Genetics and Development of Cooperation," organized by the University of Bern (Switzerland), aimed at discussing the current progress in this research field and suggesting avenues for future research. This review uses the major themes of the meeting as a springboard to synthesize the concepts of genetic and nongenetic inheritance of cooperation, and to review a quantitative genetic framework that allows for the inclusion of indirect genetic effects. Furthermore, we argue that including nongenetic inheritance, such as transgenerational epigenetic effects, parental effects, ecological and cultural inheritance, provides a more nuanced view of the evolution of cooperation. We summarize those genes and molecular pathways in a range of species that seem promising candidates for mechanisms underlying cooperative behaviours. Concerning the neurobiological substrate of cooperation, we suggest three cognitive skills necessary for the ability to cooperate: (i) event memory, (ii) synchrony with others and (iii) responsiveness to others. Taking a closer look at the developmental trajectories that lead to the expression of cooperative behaviours, we discuss the dichotomy between early morphological specialization in social insects and more flexible behavioural specialization in cooperatively breeding vertebrates. Finally, we provide recommendations for which biological systems and species may be particularly suitable, which specific traits and parameters should be measured, what type of approaches should be followed, and which methods should be employed in studies of cooperation to better understand how cooperation evolves and manifests in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Kasper
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Ulrich Ernst
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Aura Raulo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kenyon B Mobley
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Verheyen E, Abila R, Akoll P, Albertson C, Antunes D, Banda T, Bills R, Bulirani A, Manda AC, Cohen AS, Cunha-Saraiva F, Derycke S, Donohue I, Du M, Dudu AM, Egger B, Fritzsche K, Frommen JG, Gante HF, Genner MJ, Härer A, Hata H, Irvine K, Mwapu PI, de Bisthoven LJ, Jungwirth A, Kaleme P, Katongo C, Kéver L, Koblmüller S, Konings A, Lamboj A, Lemmel-Schaedelin F, Schiaffino GM, Martens K, Mulungula PM, Meyer A, More HL, Musilova Z, Bukinga FM, Muzumani R, Ntakimazi G, Okello W, Phiri H, Pialek L, Plisnier PD, Raeymaekers JAM, Rajkov J, Rican O, Roberts R, Salzburger W, Schoen I, Sefc KM, Singh P, Skelton P, Snoeks J, Schneider K, Sturmbauer C, Svardal H, Svensson O, Dowdall JT, Turner GF, Tyers A, van Rijssel JC, Van Steenberge M, Vanhove MPM, Weber AT, Weyl O, Ziegelbecker A, Zimmermann H. Oil extraction imperils Africa's Great Lakes. Science 2017; 354:561-562. [PMID: 27811261 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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