Individual traits influence vigilance in wild female eastern grey kangaroos

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 332 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Edwards ◽  
E. C. Best ◽  
S. P. Blomberg ◽  
A. W. Goldizen
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Wild Female ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Individual Traits ◽  
Vigilance Behaviour ◽  
Flight Initiation

Vigilance is an essential component of antipredator behaviour and is also used to monitor conspecifics, but is traded off against feeding in herbivores. This trade-off can be influenced by variation in many environmental, social and individual traits. Our aim was to test the relationship between individual-level traits, including boldness, body condition and reproductive state, and vigilance, while controlling for environmental and social variables. Using multiple 5-min video samples of 30 foraging, individually recognisable, female eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) at Sundown National Park in Queensland, we investigated individual-level variation in the duration, intensity and target of vigilance behaviour during foraging. On separate occasions, we used flight-initiation distance tests to measure boldness in our kangaroos. Females with longer flight-initiation distances (shyer females) spent more time vigilant, providing preliminary support for studies of animal personality that have suggested that boldness may covary with vigilance. Body condition did not affect the total time spent vigilant, but females in poorer body condition spent more of their vigilance time in low-intensity vigilance. Vigilance patterns were not related to reproductive state, but varied among months and differed between mornings and afternoons, and females spent more time in high-intensity vigilance when further from cover. Even after accounting for all our variables we found that 7% of the variation in total time vigilant and 14% of the variation in vigilance intensity was explained by individual identity. This highlights the importance of individual-level variation in vigilance behaviour.

scholarly journals A Multilevel Mixed Effects Analysis of Informal Carers Health in Australia: The role of Community Participation, Social Support and Trust at Small Area level.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itismita Mohanty ◽  
Theo Niyonsenga ◽  
Tom Cochrane ◽  
Debra Rickwood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
General Health ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Informal Carers

Abstract Background: Informal carers suffer from worse health outcomes than non-carers due to their caregiving role. Yet, in a society carers health is as important as that of their care recipients. This study investigated the self-assessed mental and general health outcomes of informal carers in Australia. It evaluated the influence of carers’ personal social capital- a logically linked sequence of their social behaviour such as community participation, social support and trust in others- on their health outcomes. The study estimated the magnitude of small local area (SA1) level variation along with individual level variation in carers’ health outcomes.Methods: The study used a multilevel mixed effects cross-sectional design using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia survey, wave 14. It included Australians aged 15 years and older that were surveyed in the year 2014. The sample consisted of 12,767 individuals and 5004 SA1s. The outcome measures included- mental health, general health and physical functioning, domains of the Short Form 36 Questionnaire, a widely used multi-dimensional measure of health-related quality of life.Results: Informal carers suffered from poor mental (Beta = -0.587, p=0.003) and general health (Beta = -0.670, p=0.001) outcomes compared to non-carers in Australia. These health outcomes exhibited significant variation across small areas (SA1s) in Australia, with 12-13% variation in general and mental health. However, within small local areas, differences at the individual level, accounted for most of the variation in outcomes. Moreover, levels of community participation, personal social connection and trust, as perceived by individuals in the communities, had a positive influence on both mental and general health of carers and non-carers, and were more beneficial for carers compared to non-carers. Conclusion: It seems that the positive influence of social capital for carers helps them in coping with the negative impact of their caregiving duty on health outcomes. Findings suggested that some targeted community support programs for carers to build on their personal social cohesion and trust in their community could help in improving their poor health profiles. Moreover, improved informal carers’ health may help the health system in better managing their resources.

scholarly journals A multilevel mixed effects analysis of informal carers health in Australia: the role of community participation, social support and trust at small area level

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Itismita Mohanty ◽  
Theo Niyonsenga ◽  
Tom Cochrane ◽  
Debra Rickwood
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
General Health ◽  
Small Area ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Small Area Level ◽  
Informal Carers

Abstract Background Informal carers suffer from worse health outcomes than non-carers due to their caregiving role. Yet, in a society carers health is as important as that of their care recipients. This study investigated the self-assessed mental and general health outcomes of informal carers in Australia. It evaluated the influence of carers’ personal social capital- a logically linked sequence of their social behaviour such as community participation, social support and trust in others- on their health outcomes. The study estimated the magnitude of small area level variation at Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) along with individual level variation in carers’ health outcomes. Methods The study used a multilevel mixed effects cross-sectional design using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia survey, wave 14. It included Australians aged 15 years and older that were surveyed in the year 2014. The sample consisted of 12,767 individuals and 5004 SA1s. The outcome measures included- mental health, general health and physical functioning, domains of the Short Form 36 Questionnaire, a widely used multi-dimensional measure of health-related quality of life. Results Informal carers suffered from poor mental (Beta = − 0.587, p = 0.003) and general health (Beta = − 0.670, p = 0.001) outcomes compared to non-carers in Australia. These health outcomes exhibited significant variation acrossSA1s in Australia, with 12–13% variation in general and mental health. However, within small local areas, differences at the individual level, accounted for most of the variation in outcomes. Moreover, levels of community participation, personal social connection and trust, as perceived by individuals in the communities, had a positive influence on both mental and general health of carers and non-carers, and were more beneficial for carers compared to non-carers. Conclusion It seems that the positive influence of social capital for carers helps them in coping with the negative impact of their caregiving duty on health outcomes. Findings suggested that some targeted community support programs for carers to build on their personal social cohesion and trust in their community could help in improving their poor health profiles. Moreover, improved informal carers’ health may help the health system in better managing their resources.

Rainbow trout personality: individual behavioural variation in juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 205-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Elias ◽  
Frank Thrower ◽  
Krista M. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Behavioural Syndrome ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Behavioural Syndromes ◽  
Multiple Hypotheses ◽  
Developmental Shift

Abstract We evaluated the variation in dispersal, exploration, and aggression across time in juvenile progeny produced from wild caught rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at a critical developmental shift associated with the highest mortality in fish. By testing multiple ecologically relevant behaviours repeatedly in the same individuals, we simultaneously tested multiple hypotheses regarding personality, plasticity, and behavioural syndromes to better understand the innate behavioural variation in a population containing both migratory and resident life histories. There were consistent behavioural differences, or personality, between individuals across time, for dispersal, aggression, and exploration, unrelated to size or sex. The significant repeatabilities (0.10–0.46) indicate that these traits are potentially heritable. Also, we found both habituation in all behaviours and significant differences between individuals in the rate of that habituation, despite no evidence of a behavioural syndrome. The identification of this individual level variation is a step towards understanding which heritable traits selection could influence.

scholarly journals Trade-off between migration and reproduction: does a high workload affect body condition and reproductive state?

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1351-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola A. Schmidt-Wellenburg ◽  
G. Henk Visser ◽  
Brigitte Biebach ◽  
Kaspar Delhey ◽  
Martina Oltrogge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
High Workload

scholarly journals Individual-level Variation and Higher-level Interpretations of Space Use in Wide-ranging Species: An Albatross Case Study of Sampling Effects

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Gutowsky ◽  
Marty L. Leonard ◽  
Melinda G. Conners ◽  
Scott A. Shaffer ◽  
Ian D. Jonsen
Keyword(s):  
Space Use ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Individual Level

Negative covariance between parasite load and body condition in a population of feral horses

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (8) ◽  
pp. 983-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCIE DEBEFFE ◽  
PHILIP D. MCLOUGHLIN ◽  
SARAH A. MEDILL ◽  
KATHRINE STEWART ◽  
DANIEL ANDRES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Local Density ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Feral Horses ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Fecal Egg Count ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Field Season

SUMMARYIn wild and domestic animals, gastrointestinal parasites can have significant impacts on host development, condition, health, reproduction and longevity. Improving our understanding of the causes and consequences of individual-level variation in parasite load is therefore of prime interest. Here we investigated the relationship between strongyle fecal egg count (FEC) and body condition in a unique, naturalized population of horses that has never been exposed to anthelmintic drugs (Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada). We first quantified variation in FEC and condition for 447 individuals according to intrinsic (sex, age, reproductive status, social status) and extrinsic (group size, location, local density) variables. We then quantified the repeatability of measurements obtained over a field season and tested for covariance between FEC and condition. FECs were high relative to other horse populations (mean eggs per gram ± SD = 1543·28 ± 209·94). FECs generally decreased with age, were higher in lactatingvsnon-lactating females, and unexpectedly lower in males in some part of the island. FECs and condition were both spatially structured, with patterns depending on age, sex and reproductive status. FECs and condition were both repeatable. Most notably, FECs and condition were negatively correlated, especially in adult females.

Effect of visibility on time allocation and escape decisions in crimson rosellas

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. Boyer ◽  
Laura L. Hass ◽  
Matthew H. Lurie ◽  
Daniel T. Blumstein
Keyword(s):  
Time Allocation ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Flight Initiation Distance ◽  
Perception Of Risk ◽  
White Sheet ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Flight Initiation

Most studies of antipredator behaviour have focused on a single behaviour at a time, but ubiquitous factors may simultaneously influence a variety of activities. Habitat structure influences visibility, which influences both the ability of prey to detect and respond to their predators. We studied how habitat visibility influenced time allocation and escape decisions of crimson rosellas (Playcercus elegans). We examined the effect of visibility on time allocated to looking, locomotion and foraging. We measured escape decisions by experimentally approaching rosellas until they fled. We measured visibility by standing 12 m away from a 1-m2 white sheet containing 36 points and counting the number of points that were visible. As measured, visibility influenced time allocated to both foraging and locomotion. However, there was no effect of visibility on flight-initiation distance or two other related measures of escape (a measure of the latency to detect an approaching threat or the latency to flee once the threat was detected). Therefore, crimson rosellas modified their behaviour as a function of visibility, but this did not influence their decision to flee from an approaching human. We infer that they are sensitive to variation in visibility, but that this does not influence their overall perception of risk as we measured it. These two stages of antipredator behaviour may thus be largely independent; ubiquitous factors need not have ubiquitous effects on different aspects of antipredator behaviour.

scholarly journals Implication of backward contact tracing in the presence of overdispersed transmission in COVID-19 outbreaks

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Akira Endo ◽  
Quentin J. Leclerc ◽  
Gwenan M. Knight ◽  
Graham F. Medley ◽  
Katherine E. Atkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Branching Process ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Primary Case ◽  
Typical Size ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Outbreak Control ◽  
Incremental Effectiveness ◽  
Parameter Values

Introduction: Contact tracing has the potential to control outbreaks without the need for stringent physical distancing policies, e.g. civil lockdowns. Unlike forward contact tracing, backward contact tracing identifies the source of newly detected cases. This approach is particularly valuable when there is high individual-level variation in the number of secondary transmissions (overdispersion). Methods: By using a simple branching process model, we explored the potential of combining backward contact tracing with more conventional forward contact tracing for control of COVID-19. We estimated the typical size of clusters that can be reached by backward tracing and simulated the incremental effectiveness of combining backward tracing with conventional forward tracing. Results: Across ranges of parameter values consistent with dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, backward tracing is expected to identify a primary case generating 3-10 times more infections than a randomly chosen case, typically increasing the proportion of subsequent cases averted by a factor of 2-3. The estimated number of cases averted by backward tracing became greater with a higher degree of overdispersion. Conclusion: Backward contact tracing can be an effective tool for outbreak control, especially in the presence of overdispersion as is observed with SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals PhenoBR: a model to phenotype body condition dynamics in meat sheep

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiphaine Macé ◽  
Eliel González-García ◽  
György Kövér ◽  
Dominique Hazard ◽  
Masoomeh Taghipoor
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Accretion Rate ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Negative Energy ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Meat Sheep

AbstractIn situations of negative energy balance (NEB) due to feed scarcity or high physiological demands, body energy reserves (BR), mainly stored in adipose tissues, become the main sources of energy for ruminants. The capacity to mobilize and restore such BRs in response to different challenges is of major concern in the current context of breeding for resilience. Body condition score (BCS) is a common, practical indicator of BR variations throughout successive productive cycles, and quantitative tools for characterizing such dynamics at the individual level are still lacking. The main objective of this work was to characterize body condition dynamics in terms of BR mobilization and accretion capacities of meat sheep during their productive lifespan through a modelling approach.The animal model used in this work was the reproductive meat ewe (n = 1478) reared in extensive rangeland. Regular measurements of BCS for each productive cycle were used as the indicator of BR variations. A hybrid mathematical model and a web interface, called PhenoBR, was developed to characterize ewes’ BCS variations through four synthetic and biologically meaningful parameters for each productive cycle i: BR accretion rate , BR mobilization rate , plus the time of onset and the duration of the BR mobilization, and ΔTi, respectively.The model converged for all the ewes included in the analysis. Estimation of the parameters indicated the inter-individual variability for BR accretion and mobilization rates, and for the length of the mobilization period. Body reserve mobilization rates were closely correlated between productive cycles. Significant correlations between BR mobilization and accretion rates suggest that the two processes are biologically linked. Parameters kp and kb decreased as parity increased. BR mobilization rate and duration increased as litter size increased, while BR accretion rate decreased.Individual characterization of animals by these parameters makes it possible to rank them for their efficiency in the use of body reserves when facing NEB challenges. Such parameters could contribute to better management and decision-making by farmers and advisors, e.g. by adapting feeding systems to the individual characteristics of BR dynamics, or by geneticists as criteria to develop future animal breeding programs including BR dynamics for more robust and resilient animals.

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