Autism-Misregulated eIF4G Microexons Control Synaptic Translation and Higher Order Cognitive Functions

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Group differences in captive gorillas’ reaction to large crowds

The impact of visitor crowd size on captive animal behaviour can be difficult to interpret in many institutions due to the lack of variation in crowd size over short periods of time. In attempts to compare greater variation in crowd size, animal behaviour is often compared over conditions that create additional confounds, such as day of week or season. Fluctuations in attendance over the holiday season at Disney's Animal Kingdom^® Theme Park provided an opportunity to examine the impact of variation in crowd size on gorilla behaviour without the confounds found in many other studies. Ten western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) in a bachelor group (n = 4) and a family group (n = 6) were observed over a period of 8 weeks in late 2005. Observations were classified into Large Crowd and Small Crowd days and a repeated-measures ANOVA procedure was conducted to determine the effects of crowd size and social group on gorilla behaviour patterns. Few overall differences were found in behaviour during the Large Crowd and Small Crowd conditions. However, similar to previous research, gorillas were less visible during the Large Crowd condition (F_1,8 = 14.15, P = 0.01). There was also an interaction of crowd size and group (F_1,8 = 7.58, P = 0.01), indicating the bachelor group of gorillas was more aggressive during the Large Crowd condition, whereas the family group showed no increase in aggression with large crowds. These results indicate the importance of providing complex enclosures with visual barriers to allow animals to move away from large crowds if they choose. Future research should focus on the individual characteristics of animals and enclosures that may contribute to behavioural differences in visitor–animal interaction research, as well as the proximate cues associated with behaviour change when exposed to large crowds.     

Grazing, social and comfort behaviour of Ankole and crossbred (Ankole × Holstein) heifers on pasture in south western Uganda

The aim of this study was to assess the grazing, social and comfort behaviour of the indigenous purebred Ankole cattle breed and crossbred (Holstein × Ankole) animals under typical management conditions in south western Uganda. Twelve focal animals in each of four groups (two groups per genotype) were observed regarding their grazing, social and comfort behaviour on pasture.No significant differences in grazing behaviour patterns (eating, walking, standing) were found between the genotypes. Resting occurred only very rarely in both genotypes. Walking distances of Ankole and Ankole × Holstein crosses were also similar. There was no difference in the occurrence of agonistic interactions between the two genotypes. However, Ankole cattle engaged in more non-agonistic social interactions than their crossbred counterparts. Individual distances were lower in Ankole heifers and more herd mates were found within a radius of 5 m around the Ankole animals. The most important comfort behaviour pattern in both genotypes was self-licking, which occurred to similar frequency in Ankole and crossbred heifer groups. Crossbred animals scratched themselves and rubbed on objects more often than Ankole heifers.Although Ankole cattle and their Holstein crosses did not differ in grazing, distances walked and agonistic behaviours, the significant differences between the two genotypes in herd cohesion and comfort behaviour may pose challenges on the management of crossbred animals under extensive open grazing conditions as present in south western Uganda. Thus, apart from (re)productive performance traits, behavioural traits of both genotypes may also be taken into account for breeding decisions and management under current production conditions.     

The role of context, colour and location cues in socially learned novel food source preferences in starlings, Sternus vulgaris

Although the opportunity for errors in social learning is widely recognised, as yet little research has been directed towards understanding specific inaccuracies, biases and limitations in social learning and the mechanisms that give rise to them. In two experiments I ask how starlings, Sternus vulgaris, identify exemplars of novel feeders previously learned about socially. I find that starlings have a stronger response to feeders in the same context as that in which social learning took place, compared to identical and nonidentical feeders in a different context. Within a context that matches where social learning took place, starlings prefer feeders that show the same location and colour as the feeder demonstrated by the demonstrator starling, and show no preference when colour and location cues are dissociated. This suggests that starlings are relatively accurate social learners, since they show strong responses to novel foraging options only if they match the context, colour and location of options learned about socially, and they do so after very few trials. Furthermore, the responses of the subjects were compatible with conditioned learning-like mechanisms, which provide a useful basis for the further investigation of the origins and implications of errors in social learning.     

Habitat availability,social attraction and nest distribution patterns in longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis peltastes)

Synopsis Two forces, limited availability of preferred habitat and social attraction between conspecifics were hypothesized to explain nest aggregation in male longear sunfish. In the laboratory, males cluster their nests within a small segment of a much larger uniform area of nesting habitat. In the field, large areas of unused habitat suitable for nesting were found, suggesting that nesting aggregations are not formed as a result of limited preferred habitat. Males appear to be socially attracted during breeding, and social nesting presumably is a successful reproductive strategy for at least a portion of the population.     

Emerging infectious diseases and animal social systems

Emerging infectious diseases threaten a wide diversity of animals, and important questions remain concerning disease emergence in socially structured populations. We developed a spatially explicit simulation model to investigate whether—and under what conditions—disease-related mortality can impact rates of pathogen spread in populations of polygynous groups. Specifically, we investigated whether pathogen-mediated dispersal (PMD) can occur when females disperse after the resident male dies from disease, thus carrying infections to new groups. We also examined the effects of incubation period and virulence, host mortality and rates of background dispersal, and we used the model to investigate the spread of the virus responsible for Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which currently is devastating African ape populations. Output was analyzed using regression trees, which enable exploration of hierarchical and non-linear relationships. Analyses revealed that the incidence of disease in single-male (polygynous) groups was significantly greater for those groups containing an average of more than six females, while the total number of infected hosts in the population was most sensitive to the number of females per group. Thus, as expected, PMD occurs in polygynous groups and its effects increase as harem size (the number of females) increases. Simulation output further indicated that population-level effects of Ebola are likely to differ among multi-male–multi-female chimpanzees and polygynous gorillas, with larger overall numbers of chimpanzees infected, but more gorilla groups becoming infected due to increased dispersal when the resident male dies. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of social system on the spread of disease in wild mammals.     

Cultural values on CSR patterns and evolution: A study from the biplot representation

Based on institutional and stakeholder theory, this study aims to observe the influence the cultural system has on the degree of responsibility of business behaviour and examines how normative isomorphism influences the Corporate Social Responsibility practices at the country level. We use the Hofstede model because its dimension group highlights the cultural similarities and differences between countries, and we measure CSR along five indicators referring to environmental and social dimensions. This study contributes to the literature by adopting a multi-region approach considering a sample of 6600 observations of 600 publicly-listed companies headquartered in 18 countries in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia, during the period 2004–2014. Given the multidimensional character of the data, we use the exploratory statistical techniques X-STATIS and HJ-biplot, since this allows us to approximate a large group of variables in a low-dimensional space, providing us with a useful visualisation of the structure of the data of the sample relative to the variables. Our main conclusion is that cultural dimensions exert important pressures on firms and their commitment, so, companies located in collectivist societies and, even more, in feminist ones, are characterised by the pursuit of the common good and place greater emphasis on social and environmental issues, thereby showing best CSR practices. Overall, the data does point to more activity in Northern than in Southern Europe, and show that companies respond to what is important in their own countries; for example, the Nordic countries give priority to social policies, while Japanese companies are more committed to the environment. Finally, our results evidence that companies worldwide adopt similar patterns of CSR practices, but their degree of development is strongly determined by the normative institutional characteristics.     

Sympatric speciation and radiative evolution of socially parasitic ants - Heretic hypotheses and their factual background

According to current hypotheses the main types of social parasitism among ants, namely slavery, temporary parasitism, and inquilinism, arose from such features as predation on other ants, or territorial behavior, both presumed precursors of slavemaking, and polygyny, a presumed precursor of temporary parasitism and inquilinism. The latter is believed also to represent a final instar in several evolutionary pathways leading from slavery, temporary parasitism, and xenobiosis to this permanently parasitic, workerless condition. Speciation, the origin of parasitic species from their usually closely related host species, is suggested to occur due to temporary geographic isolation and subsequent transition of one of the newly formed daughter species to parasitism in the nests of the other. Evidence is presented suggesting that the main types of social parasitism originated independently of each other. 15 ant genera are parasitized exclusively by inquilines, Eve other genera exclusively by temporary parasites. Only four groups of non-parasitic ant species (Formica, Tet-ramorium, Leptothorax subgenera Leptothorax and Myrafant) have parasites of several types each. Within these roups, however, there is little evidence of evolutionary transitions from one type to another. The few exceptions, mainly workerless species of the genera Epimyrma and Chalepoxenus, represent parasites which clearly derive from slave-making congeners, but differ from ordinary inquilines in that they eliminate the host colony queens like their actively dulotic ancestors. The new hypothesis suggests that all forms of interspecific true social parasitism (excluding xenobiosis) orginated from a common “preparasitic” stage, a subpopulation of reproductives in polygynous colonies and species, with diverging sexual behavior (near-nest mating vs. swarming) and caste ratios (production of more sexuals vs. workers). Arguments for sympatric speciation are compiled. Various features of the ancestral, and then host species (colony sizes, population density and structure, transition from polygyny to monoyny, etc.), and of the “preparasite” (production of few, or no workers, etc.) may shape the developing parasite to become a slave-maker, inquiline, or temporary parasite. These features usually leave open only one, or in a few genera, several options. The different types of parasitism within one host species group thus may have developed in a radiative manner from the common, preparasitic stage, which explains that independent colony foundation is a common feature of all true social parasites among ants.