Analysis of Profiles Based on Ordinal Classification Functions and Rank Tests

In this article a test for the comparison of K groups of independent profiles is suggested. It is based on rank tests, in which the criterion is obtained by using a suitably chosen ordinal classification function. This function represents a specific view on the profiles. The test, which is easy to use, can be regarded as a generalisation of other well known tests and can be applied within a variety of situations. The relationships to other procedures for the analysis of profiles are described. Some properties are discussed.     

Patterns of sexual behavior in male macaques

One large social group of each of three species of macaques (Macaca mulatta, M. fascicularis, M. radiata), housed in half-acre field cages at the California Primate Research Center, were observed for a total of 150 h. Data on sexual behavior and dominance interactions were recorded by pairs of experienced observers using a focal animal technique. Single or multiple mount-to-ejaculation sequences, number of thrusts per mount, number of mounts per sequence, duration of mounts per sequence, duration of sequences, social rank and frequency of sexual activity were recorded for each adult male. M. mulatta used a multiple mount-to-ejaculation (MME) pattern in 91% of their copulations. M. radiata used a single mount-to-ejaculation (SME) pattern in 91% of their copulations. M. fascicularis used both patterns—53% MME and 47% SME. A positive correlation was found between rank and sexual activity in fascicularis and mulatta males. A negative correlation between rank and sexual activity was found in radiata males and also a positive correlation between rank and age indicating that the youngest and most subordinate radiata males were the most sexually active males. In reviewing the literature, a relationship between degree of intermale competition, intermale tolerance and type of mounting pattern was revealed. Macaque species that primarily use an SME pattern also show sa high degree of intermale tolerance and little interrnale competition. Macaque species that primarily use an MME pattern typically show a high degree of intermale competition and a low degree of intermale tolerance. Possible events leading to such relationships are discussed.     

Estimates of a Treatment Effect Based on Censored Data Rank Tests

Linear rank test statistics are applied to the problem of estimating a treatment effect if two sets of censored failure time data are compared and the distributions of the log-failure times of the two samples are assumed to differ only in location. Rank tests for this accelerated failure time model are reviewed and Hodges-Lehmann type estimates for the shift parameter are proposed. Properties of these estimates are investigated, computational aspects are discussed and an example is presented.     

Mating Resets Male Cricket Aggression

An animal’s motivational state can significantly impact its behavior. We examined the effects of mating on the aggression of male Acheta domesticus crickets. Pairs of males were allowed to establish dominance and subordinance and were then physically separated. Subordinate males were then allowed to either copulate with a female or to have chemo-tactile contact with, but to not copulate with, a female. Less than 15 min after separation, all male pairs engaged in a second agonistic encounter. Subordinate males that copulated with females were significantly more aggressive toward their dominant partners than un-mated subordinate males. Many mated subordinates became dominant. Allowing a subordinate male to contact, but not copulate with, a female had a similar effect, suggesting that chemo-tactile cues from the female are sufficient to elicit this change in aggression.     

Stream hierarchy defines riverscape genetics of a North American desert fish

Global climate change is apparent within the Arctic and the south‐western deserts of North America, with record drought in the latter reflected within 640 000 km² of the Colorado River Basin. To discern the manner by which natural and anthropogenic drivers have compressed Basin‐wide fish biodiversity, and to establish a baseline for future climate effects, the Stream Hierarchy Model (SHM) was employed to juxtapose fluvial topography against molecular diversities of 1092 Bluehead Sucker (Catostomus discobolus). MtDNA revealed three geomorphically defined evolutionarily significant units (ESUs): Bonneville Basin, upper Little Colorado River and the remaining Colorado River Basin. Microsatellite analyses (16 loci) reinforced distinctiveness of the Bonneville Basin and upper Little Colorado River, but subdivided the Colorado River Basin into seven management units (MUs). One represents a cline of three admixed gene pools comprising the mainstem and its lower‐gradient tributaries. Six others are not only distinct genetically but also demographically (i.e. migrants/generation <9.7%). Two of these (i.e. Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly) are defined by geomorphology, two others (i.e. Fremont‐Muddy and San Raphael rivers) are isolated by sharp declivities as they drop precipitously from the west slope into the mainstem Colorado/Green rivers, another represents an isolated impoundment (i.e. Ringdahl Reservoir), while the last corresponds to a recognized subspecies (i.e. Zuni River, NM). Historical legacies of endemic fishes (ESUs) and their evolutionary potential (MUs) are clearly represented in our data, yet their arbiter will be the unrelenting natural and anthropogenic water depletions that will precipitate yet another conservation conflict within this unique but arid region.     

The Exact Distribution of the Anderson-Kannemann Statistic

The Anderson-Kannemann test is a rank test for treatment effects in a randomized block design with K treatments and N blocks. In this paper, an algorithm for computing the exact distribution of the Anderson-Kannemann test statistic under the null hypothesis is deduced. Then, the exact distribution is compared with the asymptotic χ²-distribution, and it is shown that the exact distribution is approximated fairly well by the asymptotic distribution. Tables of the exact distribution are given for K = 3, N = 3(1)15; K = 4, N = 3(1)11; K = 5, N = 3(1)7; and K = 6, N = 3(1)5.