scholarly journals Novel feeding and mating behaviors of a population of nautiluses, Nautilus belauensis, in Palau

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Barord ◽  
Rebecca L. Swanson ◽  
Peter D. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Mating Behaviors ◽  
Large Living ◽  
Abnormal Behaviors

AbstractThe nautiloid lineage extends back nearly 500 million years but today, is represented by only two living genera, Nautilus and Allonautilus. Behavioral observations of these living nautiluses have improved our understanding of how nautiloids, and ammonoids, behaved and interacted in their environment. These behaviors may also help to inform conservation practices. Here, we describe feeding and mating behaviors in wild nautiluses not reported from any other population. In Palau, Nautilus belauensis was observed actively preying on a large, living crab (Chaceon sp.) and performing courtship-like behaviors prior to mating. These behaviors occurred across multiple nights and from different nautiluses, suggesting that the behaviors are characteristic of at least a subset of the population, if not the entire population. Perhaps the behaviors exhibited by the Palauan nautiluses are an outlier and simply a localized characteristic of a far-removed population. Or, perhaps these apparent abnormal behaviors of Palauan nautiluses are what all nautiluses across the Indo-Pacific should be exhibiting. If the latter explanation is correct, we can start to address the potential causes of the behavioral differences, such as population size, habitat type, and prey availability. In either case, this apparent behavioral plasticity may have also been a reason that the nautiloid lineage has been able to survive throughout millions of years of environmental changes. Today, these behavioral observations could prove to be a valuable conservation tool to protect species and environments, especially in the deep-sea ecosystem the nautiluses inhabit.

scholarly journals Activity Budget Comparisons Using Long-Term Observations of a Group of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under Human Care: Implications for Animal Welfare

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2107
Author(s):  
Tim Huettner ◽  
Sandra Dollhaeupl ◽  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Katrin Baumgartner ◽  
Lorenzo von Fersen
Keyword(s):  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Activity Budget ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Training Performance ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Daily Training ◽  
Human Care ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Welfare State

Zoos and aquaria must provide optimal husbandry conditions and the highest welfare standards for their animals. How the welfare state of an animal or a group of animals can be precisely assessed is currently under debate, and new approaches are necessary to reliably evaluate changes in welfare. One particular measure that is easily applicable is behavioral observations. However, for dolphins and other cetaceans under human care, reliable behavior-based measures are rare. Using long-term observations of a group of bottlenose dolphins, we investigate how their activity budgets and different behaviors changed over time and are impacted by construction noise. Additionally, we investigate whether behavioral differences are also reflected in changes in the dolphins’ performance during daily training sessions. Our results show that construction noise significantly alters the dolphins’ behavior. Play behavior decreases during construction periods; most importantly, the frequency of fast swimming activities significantly increased, and at the same time, a decrease in training performance is found. Additionally, inter- and intraindividual behavioral differences are attributed to factors, such as age or weaning. Significant changes in a dolphin’s activity budget can also pose potential welfare concerns. Thus, this study highlights the importance of regularly assessing and analyzing the behavior of dolphins under human care. Behavioral observations are essential welfare indicators and can—when complemented with other measures, such as assessment of training performance—provide zoo staff with important information about each individual’s state of welfare.

scholarly journals The effect of a nighttime zoo event on spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darby Proctor ◽  
Michelle Smurl
Keyword(s):  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Spider Monkeys ◽  
Normal Operating ◽  
Late Night ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Zoo Animals ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The relationship between zoo animals, particularly nonhuman primates, and visitors is complex and varies by species. Adding complexity to this relationship is the trend for zoos to host events outside of normal operating hours. Here, we explored whether a late-night haunted-house style event influenced the behavior of spider monkeys. We conducted behavioral observations both on event nights and nights without the event. The spider monkeys were active and outside more frequently on event nights compared to the control nights indicating that their typical nighttime behavior was altered. However, it is difficult to definitively conclude whether the behavioral changes were a result of the event being aversive or enriching. Our findings suggest that zoos should conduct behavioral observations of and collect physiological data from their animals, especially if they are sensitive to environmental changes, when implementing new events, including those occurring outside of normal operating hours to ensure high levels of animal welfare.

scholarly journals Neuropeptides and Behaviors: How Small Peptides Regulate Nervous System Function and Behavioral Outputs

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umer Saleem Bhat ◽  
Navneet Shahi ◽  
Siju Surendran ◽  
Kavita Babu
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Small Peptides ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nervous System Function ◽  
Insight Into

One of the reasons that most multicellular animals survive and thrive is because of the adaptable and plastic nature of their nervous systems. For an organism to survive, it is essential for the animal to respond and adapt to environmental changes. This is achieved by sensing external cues and translating them into behaviors through changes in synaptic activity. The nervous system plays a crucial role in constantly evaluating environmental cues and allowing for behavioral plasticity in the organism. Multiple neurotransmitters and neuropeptides have been implicated as key players for integrating sensory information to produce the desired output. Because of its simple nervous system and well-established neuronal connectome, C. elegans acts as an excellent model to understand the mechanisms underlying behavioral plasticity. Here, we critically review how neuropeptides modulate a wide range of behaviors by allowing for changes in neuronal and synaptic signaling. This review will have a specific focus on feeding, mating, sleep, addiction, learning and locomotory behaviors in C. elegans. With a view to understand evolutionary relationships, we explore the functions and associated pathophysiology of C. elegans neuropeptides that are conserved across different phyla. Further, we discuss the mechanisms of neuropeptidergic signaling and how these signals are regulated in different behaviors. Finally, we attempt to provide insight into developing potential therapeutics for neuropeptide-related disorders.

The Effects of the Hypsithermal on Prehistoric Foraging Efficiency in Missouri

2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Wolverton
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Resource Depression ◽  
Human Predation

Archaeological studies of temporal changes in human predation strategy using foraging theory tend to focus on the role of overexploitation of important prey resources and resulting resource depression. An alternative use of the prey-choice model framed under foraging theory is to investigate the influence of environmental changes, such as increases in climate stress, on prey availability. Environmental change can be expected to produce many of the same effects on human predation strategy as resource depression. Here analytical techniques typically used to study the effects of over-predation and resource depression caused by humans are used to monitor their response to fluctuations in prey availability related to climate change during the Holocene in Missouri. Data and interpretations presented here add to the growing body of zooarchaeological foraging theory literature implicating environmental change as a critical factor in human diet.

scholarly journals Humpback whale song recordings suggest common feeding ground occupation by multiple populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Schall ◽  
Karolin Thomisch ◽  
Olaf Boebel ◽  
Gabriele Gerlach ◽  
Sari Mangia Woods ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Atlantic Sector ◽  
Feeding Ground ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Feeding Grounds

AbstractHumpback whale males are known to sing on their low-latitude breeding grounds, but it is well established that songs are also commonly produced ‘off-season’ on the feeding grounds or during migration. This opens exciting opportunities to investigate migratory aggregations, study humpback whale behavioral plasticity and potentially even assign individual singers to specific breeding grounds. In this study, we analyzed passive acoustic data from 13 recording positions and multiple years (2011–2018) within the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (ASSO). Humpback whale song was detected at nine recording positions in five years. Most songs were recorded in May, austral fall, coinciding with the rapid increase in sea ice concentration at most recording positions. The spatio-temporal pattern in humpback whale singing activity on Southern Ocean feeding grounds is most likely shaped by local prey availability and humpback whale migratory strategies. Furthermore, the comparative analyses of song structures clearly show a differentiation of two song groups, of which one was solely recorded at the western edge of the ASSO and the other song group was recorded throughout the ASSO. This new finding suggests a common feeding ground occupation by multiple humpback whale populations in the ASSO, allowing for cultural and potentially even genetic exchange among populations.

scholarly journals The Clock Keeps Ticking: Circadian Rhythms of Free-Ranging Polar Bears

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine V. Ware ◽  
Karyn D. Rode ◽  
Charles T. Robbins ◽  
Tanya Leise ◽  
Colby R. Weil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Daily Movement

Life in the Arctic presents organisms with multiple challenges, including extreme photic conditions, cold temperatures, and annual loss and daily movement of sea ice. Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) evolved under these unique conditions, where they rely on ice to hunt their main prey, seals. However, very little is known about the dynamics of their daily and seasonal activity patterns. For many organisms, activity is synchronized (entrained) to the earth’s day/night cycle, in part via an endogenous (circadian) timekeeping mechanism. The present study used collar-mounted accelerometer and global positioning system data from 122 female polar bears in the Chukchi and Southern Beaufort Seas collected over an 8-year period to characterize activity patterns over the calendar year and to determine if circadian rhythms are expressed under the constant conditions found in the Arctic. We reveal that the majority of polar bears (80%) exhibited rhythmic activity for the duration of their recordings. Collectively within the rhythmic bear cohort, circadian rhythms were detected during periods of constant daylight (June-August; 24.40 ± 1.39 h, mean ± SD) and constant darkness (23.89 ± 1.72 h). Exclusive of denning periods (November-April), the time of peak activity remained relatively stable (acrophases: ~1200-1400 h) for most of the year, suggesting either entrainment or masking. However, activity patterns shifted during the spring feeding and seal pupping season, as evidenced by an acrophase inversion to ~2400 h in April, followed by highly variable timing of activity across bears in May. Intriguingly, despite the dynamic environmental photoperiodic conditions, unpredictable daily timing of prey availability, and high between-animal variability, the average duration of activity (alpha) remained stable (11.2 ± 2.9 h) for most of the year. Together, these results reveal a high degree of behavioral plasticity in polar bears while also retaining circadian rhythmicity. Whether this degree of plasticity will benefit polar bears faced with a loss of sea ice remains to be determined.

scholarly journals Empirically modelling the potential effects of changes in temperature and prey availability on the growth of cod larvae in UK shelf seas

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1559-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie G. Pitois ◽  
Clive J. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Zooplankton Community Structure ◽  
Shelf Seas

Abstract Pitois, S. G., and Fox, C. J. 2008. Empirically modelling the potential effects of changes in temperature and prey availability on the growth of cod larvae in UK shelf seas. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1559–1572. It has been hypothesized that changes in zooplankton community structure over the past four decades led to reduced growth and survival of prerecruit Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and that this was a key factor underlying poor year classes, contributing to stock collapse, and inhibiting the recovery of stocks around the UK. To evaluate whether observed changes in plankton abundance, species composition and temperature could have led to periods of poorer growth of cod larvae, we explored the effect of prey availability and temperature on early larval growth using an empirical trophodynamic model. Prey availability was parameterized using species abundance data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder. Our model suggests that the observed changes in plankton community structure in the North Sea may have had less impact on cod larval growth, at least for the first 40 days following hatching, than previously suggested. At least in the short term, environmental and prey conditions should be able to sustain growth of cod larvae and environmental changes acting on this early life stage should not limit stock recovery.

scholarly journals Similar foraging energetics of two sympatric albatrosses despite contrasting life histories and wind-mediated foraging strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (23) ◽  
pp. jeb228585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin E. Kroeger ◽  
Daniel E. Crocker ◽  
Rachael A. Orben ◽  
David R. Thompson ◽  
Leigh G. Torres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Ocean Environment

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the environmental and behavioral factors that influence how organisms maintain energy balance can inform us about their potential resiliency to rapid environmental changes. Flexibility in maintaining energy balance is particularly important to long-lived, central-place foraging seabirds that are constrained when locating food for offspring in a dynamic ocean environment. To understand the role of environmental interactions, behavioral flexibility and morphological constraints on energy balance, we used doubly labeled water to measure the at-sea daily energy expenditure (DEE) of two sympatrically breeding seabirds, Campbell (Thalassarche impavida) and grey-headed (Thalassarchechrysostoma) albatrosses. We found that species and sexes had similar foraging costs, but DEE varied between years for both species and sexes during early chick rearing in two consecutive seasons. For both species, greater DEE was positively associated with larger proportional mass gain, lower mean wind speeds during water take-offs, greater proportions of strong tailwinds (>12 m s−1), and younger chick age. Greater proportional mass gains were marginally more costly in male albatrosses that already have higher wing loading. DEE was higher during flights with a greater proportion of strong headwinds for grey-headed albatrosses only. Poleward winds are forecasted to intensify over the next century, which may increase DEE for grey-headed albatrosses that heavily use this region during early chick rearing. Female Campbell albatrosses may be negatively affected by forecasted slackening winds at lower latitudes due to an expected greater reliance on less energy efficient sit-and-wait foraging strategies. Behavioral plasticity associated with environmental variation may influence future population responses to climate change of both species.

The influence of structural clutter on activity patterns of insectivorous bats

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Brigham ◽  
S. D. Grindal ◽  
M. C. Firman ◽  
J. L. Morissette
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Lasiurus Cinereus ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
And Control ◽  
Lasionycteris Noctivagans

We experimentally tested the hypothesis that three-dimensional structural clutter is a major factor affecting habitat choice by insectivorous bats. To do this we artificially increased clutter at two sites used by bats without affecting prey availability. Our measure of available insect prey did not differ between treatment and control sites, indicating that only the spatial complexity of the habitat type was manipulated. Artificial clutter negatively affected foraging activity by small bats (Myotis spp.), supporting the hypothesis that physical clutter does affect foraging by bats. In direct contrast to our expectation, large bats (Eptesicus fuscus, Lasiurus cinereus, Lasionycteris noctivagans) were apparently unaffected by the clutter treatment. We suggest that this may be an artifact of our experimental design, because our ultrasonic detectors probably recorded large bats flying above the artificial clutter.

scholarly journals Re-evaluating the salty divide: phylogenetic specificity of transitions between marine and freshwater systems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara F. Paver ◽  
Daniel J. Muratore ◽  
Ryan J. Newton ◽  
Maureen L. Coleman
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
16S Rrna Gene ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Minimum Entropy ◽  
Habitat Types

AbstractMarine and freshwater microbial communities are phylogenetically distinct and transitions between habitat types are thought to be infrequent. We compared the phylogenetic diversity of marine and freshwater microorganisms and identified specific lineages exhibiting notably high or low similarity between marine and freshwater ecosystems using a meta-analysis of 16S rRNA gene tag-sequencing datasets. As expected, marine and freshwater microbial communities differed in the relative abundance of major phyla and contained habitat-specific lineages; at the same time, however, many shared taxa were observed in both environments. Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria sequences had the highest similarity between marine and freshwater sample pairs. Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria contained the highest number of Minimum Entropy Decomposition nodes shared by marine and freshwater samples. Shared nodes included lineages of the abundant alphaproteobacterial group SAR11 that have not previously been reported in 16S rRNA gene surveys of freshwater lakes. Our results suggest that shared taxa are numerous, but tend to occur sporadically and at low relative abundance in one habitat type, leading to an underestimation of transition frequency between marine and freshwater habitats. Lineages with a high degree of shared taxa or habitat-specific diversification represent targets for genome-scale investigations into microbial adaptations and evolutionary innovations. Rare taxa with abundances near or below detection, including lineages that appear to have crossed the salty divide relatively recently, may have novel adaptations enabling them to exploit opportunities for niche expansion when environments are disturbed or conditions change.ImportanceThe distribution of microbial diversity across environments yields insight into processes that create and maintain this diversity as well as potential to infer how communities will respond to future environmental changes. We integrated datasets from dozens of freshwater lake and marine samples to compare diversity across open water habitats differing in salinity. Our novel combination of sequence-based approaches revealed phyla and proteobacterial classes inferred to include more or less recent transitions across habitat types as well as specific lineages that are shared by marine and freshwater environments at the level of 16S rRNA sequence types. Our findings contribute to understanding the ecological and evolutionary controls on microbial distributions, and open up new questions regarding the plasticity and adaptability of particular lineages.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document