Evaluation of abundance of residents and immigration by irretrievable requisitioning of the bank vole (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Myodes glareolus</Emphasis> Schreber, 1780)

The activity of average statistical species was approximated by normal distribution. This is provided by calculation of the part of resident animals without repeated hatching, i.e., the edge effect. Residence beyond the space covering 99% of species activity was considered as non-residence. The appearance of non-residence in general can be considered as “excursions” and “resettlement.” The experiments on requisitioning of small settled animals from a preliminary marked site were carried out. It was shown that the number of settled small animals calculated using results of requisitioning corresponds to the number found during labeling with amendment to the edge effect, and immigration was constant and is not initiated by requisitioning. Only resettlements had an influence on the settlement of free space. The expected velocity of settling of the free space was calculated according to evaluation of the value of settlement and the share of “migrants” among immigrants. Second labeling of the place of hatching has shown that the expected and real paces of settlement are close.     

Fruit-feeding behaviour and use of olfactory cues by the fruit bat<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rousettus leschenaulti</Emphasis>: an experimental study

This paper describes the feeding behaviour ofRousettus leschenaulti Desmarest, 1820 on lychees, the preferred cultivated food of this bat in captive conditions. We found that feeding comprised 25–30% of the total activity of these animals in a flight cage and that feeding durations were not significantly different between two sexes. To evaluate the role of odor and vision in foraging behaviour, we provided animals with artificial lychees, real lychees and artificial lychees soaked in the juice of real lychees and we recorded the number of feeding approaches to the different “fruit” types. The results indicated that bats approached real fruit significantly more than artificial fruit, and that the number of approaches to the soaked artificial fruit was also significantly higher than to the unsoaked artificial fruit. There were no significant differences between sexes in approach rates to any “fruit” type. We discuss the role of different sensory cues in the foraging behaviour of these bats and emphasize that the olfactory cue is important in detecting food resources and discriminating between different kinds of food items.     

Carbohydrate tolerance,serum albumin and protein values of normal and “waster” marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

The major objective of this study was to establish standard glucose and lactose tolerance curves for the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). These data were utilized to establish criteria for detection of abnormal glucose tolerance and characterization of some aspects of the “marmoset wasting syndrome” which has been observed in this species. Glucose and lactose tolerance tests were performed on healthy animals and typical “marmoset wasters.” Eighteen normal animals were 18 to 36 months old and weighed 194–280 g. Six “wasters” were in the age range of 24 to 84 months and weighed 163–253 g. Seven experiments were carried out for each glucose tolerance test. In each trial it was observed that the serum glucose concentration (SGC) of the healthy animal after 90 min was two times higher than the pre-administration concentrations. The SGC returned to the pre-administration concentration within 150–300 min in animals administered glucose at dosages of 2 g/kg and 1 g/kg of body weight. However, at the dosage level of 5 g/kg body weight, the SGC of the animals tripled after 30 min and required 300 min to return to the pre-administration level. The 2 g/kg dosage level was chosen as typical. When similar experiments were conducted with animals identified as “chronic wasters,” all of the animals except one were observed to be inefficient in the absorption of glucose. When lactose was administered at a level of 4 g/kg, similar results were obtained. Normal and “waster” marmosets were also subjected to serum total protein, albumin and electrophoresis determinations in an effort to establish additional criteria that may be utilized in the identification of the “marmoset wasting” syndrome. Serum albumin was significantly higher in the “waster” marmosets 30 min following an oral administration of glucose than was observed in normal animals. Total protein values were not significantly lower in the “wasters” when subjected to the same tolerance test. The albumin level in normal animals was not affected by similar glucose tolerance tests. The electrophoretic patterns of serum protein for normal animals exhibited more bands than was observed in patterns of serum protein for “waster” marmosets. From these data, it seems logical that these diagnostic tests may be useful in developing a profile for the early detection of the “wasting” syndrome in marmosets.     

Are Animals Just Noisy Machines?: Louis Boutan and the Co-invention of Animal and Child Psychology in the French Third Republic

Historians of science have only just begun to sample the wealth of different approaches to the study of animal behavior undertaken in the twentieth century. To date, more attention has been given to Lorenzian ethology and American behaviorism than to other work and traditions, but different approaches are equally worthy of the historian’s attention, reflecting not only the broader range of questions that could be asked about animal behavior and the “animal mind” but also the different contexts in which these questions were important. One such approach is that represented by the work of the French zoologist Louis Boutan (1859–1934). This paper explores the intellectual and cultural history of Boutan’s work on animal language and the animal mind, and contextualizes the place of animal behavior studies within late-nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century French biology. I explore the ways in which Boutan addressed the philosophical issue of whether language was necessary for abstract thought and show how he shifted from the idea that animals were endowed with a purely affective language to the notion that of they were capable of “rudimentary” reasoning. I argue that the scientific and broader socio-cultural contexts in which Boutan operated played a role in this transition. Then I show how Boutan’s linguistic and psychological experiments with a gibbon and children provide insights into his conception of “naturalness.” Although Boutan reared his gibbon at home and studied it in the controlled environment of his laboratory, he continued to identify its behavior as “natural.” I specifically demonstrate the importance of the milieu of the French Third Republic in shaping Boutan’s understanding not only of animal intelligence and child education, but also his definition of nature. Finally, I argue that Boutan’s studies on the primate mind provide us with a lens through which we can examine the co-invention of animal and child psychology in early-twentieth-century France.     

Social facilitation does not reduce neophobia in Chestnut-sided Warblers (Parulinae:Dendroica pensylvanica)

Chestnut-sided Warblers (Dendroica pensylvanica) show aversion to feeding at a familiar food source if placed next to a novel object. I have suggested that neophobia is an adaptation of specialized animals to reduce wasteful exploration. In this experiment I tested whether social facilitation mitigates the fear and decreases the latency to forage at a novel foraging site. As far as I know, the effect of social factors on neophobia has not been previously investigated. Because Chestnut-sided Warblers are intraspecifically solitary during the non-breeding season, I examined their response to novel foraging sites in the presence of a Bay-breasted Warbler (D. castanea) “trainer”. Chestnut-sided Warblers commonly join flocks with this more generalized and less neophobic congener. Chestnut-sided Warblers showed no tendency to feed in the presence of a Bay-breasted Warbler that is freely feeding from the unfamiliar microhabitat. Specialized animals may be more resistant to social facilitation and observational learning than more generalized species.     

Dive form and function in belugas Delphinapterus leucas of the eastern Canadian High Arctic

The underwater behaviour of 11 belugas or white whales was examined during summer using time-at-depth records relayed by satellite-linked data-loggers. Simultaneous tracking information was obtained for each whale. Eight distinct dive profiles were identified in submergences made to depths of >40 m. Four of these, together comprising 84% of these “deep” dives, were of a square profile. They were characterised by a continuous descent to a particular depth (usually the sea bed), a “bottom phase” at or near that depth, and a direct ascent to the surface. These dives are presumed to be made for benthic foraging. Other, much less common, dive shapes were “V”-shaped, parabolic and trapezoidal. “Shallow” dives (15–40 m depth) were of a variety of shapes, short duration and high average horizontal speeds. Many probably occurred during periods of directed travel. This population of belugas treats most of the water column as dead space separating resources of oxygen and nutrition. Received: 8 January 1998 / Accepted: 27 April 1998     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraliparis</Emphasis> (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) from the Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Liparidae from stomachs of Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni Norman, 1937 (Nototheniidae) caught in the Ross Sea (Pacific sector of Antarctica) have been identified. Two new species of deep-water liparids of the genus Paraliparis Collett, 1879—P. caninus sp. nov. (at a depth of 1182–1651 m) and P. vipera sp. nov. (1700 m)—were described. Both species that turned out to be most similar to P. neelovi Andriashev, 1982, from the Kerguelen area (the Indo-Oceanic sector of the South Ocean) are combined with it into a species group “P. neelovi.” According to meristic characters, pattern of dentition, and the size of gill opening, species of “P. neelovi” are close to the species group “P. copei.” In collections from a depth of 1700 m, also two individuals of P. andriashevi Stein et Tompkins, 1989, known previously from only two types from the northern boundary of the Ross Sea were found. The new finding supports species validity and extends the known limits of its range. The wide distribution of bathybenthal Paraliparis having low fecundity and leading a near-bottom mode of life can be explained by the presence of mesopelagic juveniles and their dispersal via currents.     

A Zooarchaeological Test for Dietary Resource Depression at the End of the Classic Period in the Petexbatun,Guatemala

Zooarchaeological analyses of animal remains from the Petexbatun sites in the Guatemalan lowlands provide proxy evidence to test a hypothesis of dietary insufficiency during the Maya “collapse.” Ecological foraging theory and resource depression models are used to interpret animal use patterns before and after the disintegration of the Petexbatun polity at the end of the Late Classic period (around a.d. 800). Environmental failure models of the Maya “collapse” at the end of the Late Classic imply that a dietary insufficiency, and particularly a lack of animal resources, was associated with the political and social transitions of this period. However, the results of this zooarchaeological study do not support this hypothesis and point instead to very limited early reductions of only highest-ranked dietary species. The lack of evidence for specific resource depression associated directly with the period of political collapse does not support a model of environmental failure during political disintegration in the Petexbatun. Correlations are found between animal use patterns and the specifics of site size and periods of peak political activity, suggesting that small-scale resource depressions might have resulted at some sites during early periods of human population growth, site expansion, and increasing political activity.     

Analysis of callouts made in relation to wild urban marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) and their implications for urban species management

In this study, we investigated what problems urban marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) face in a city environment through the analysis of responses to callouts (N = 348) made by the environmental police of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the period from 2002 to 2007. Our objective was to characterise the problems faced by the marmosets and human city dwellers. The environmental police responded to two types of callouts: (1) solicitation whereby a person called them to report a problem (N = 218); and (2) the report of a hurt or injured animal (N = 127). On average, one callout per week was made in relation to urban marmosets. We found no time of year effects in relation to callouts, or any effect of gender or age of the person making the callout (P > 0.05). Furthermore, we found no environmental (e.g. percentage of “green area”) or socioeconomical variables (e.g. salary levels) of the city’s administrative regions associated with callouts (P > 0.05). The majority of callouts resulted in the attempt to capture marmosets (N = 345), and usually, only one animal was captured (N = 309). Many of these animals were released into city forest fragments (N = 146). Some sick animals were sent to veterinary clinics (N = 25) whereas others or confiscated animals were sent to the government’s wildlife processing centre (N = 143). From this data, we were able to make a series of recommendation about how the management of urban marmosets could be improved.     

“Girney” vocalizations among Japanese macaque females: Context and function

One vocalization in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) system of communication is the “girney.” Previous studies indicated that the “girney” is used for short range communication and that it tends to occur when subordinate animals approach and groom dominant ones and when females without infants approach females who have infants. Data were collected on the social behavior of adult female Japanese monkeys of the Arashiyama-A troop in Texas in order to test those results. The study indicates that “girneys” are the most frequently occurring vocalizations of females during and following the birth season and that they occur primarily in two contexts. Those are the proximity of a female to another female with a new infant and the proximity of a lower ranking animal to a higher ranking one. The contexts are ones in which the risk of aggression is high, and the “girneys” appear to function as appeasement gestures to reduce the risk.     

Use of microsatellite DNA and otolith Sr:Ca ratios to infer genetic relationships and migration history of four morphotypes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhinogobius</Emphasis> sp. OR

The genetic diversity and relationship among four morphotypes of Rhinogobius sp. OR, Gobiidae (“Tōshoku,” “Shinjiko,” “Gi-tōshoku,” and “Shimahire”) were investigated with seven microsatellite DNA loci, and amphidromy of these morphotypes was verified by strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) deposition in the otolith. Samples of “Tōshoku,” “Shinjiko,” “Gi-tōshoku,” and “Shimahire” were collected from, respectively, three, three, two, and four locations in Japan. Microsatellite analysis detected high genetic diversity (based on the number of alleles, allelic richness, and average observed heterozygosity) in the “Tōshoku” and “Shinjiko” morphotypes relative to the “Shimahire” morphotype; the “Gi-tōshoku” morphotype had an intermediate level of variation. Almost all pairwise F _ST values were significantly different from zero (P < 0.001), except between two populations of “Tōshoku.” Clear genetic independence was observed between the “Shinjiko” and “Shimahire” morphotypes in the Maruyama River. A principle component analysis based on microsatellite data indicated that the “Tōshoku,” “Shinjiko,” and “Gi-tōshoku” morphotypes were genetically similar. Furthermore, the three populations of “Tōshoku” were closely related each other, and two of those collected from the Lake Biwa system were a single population. There was, however, a high degree of genetic differentiation between “Shimahire” and the other morphotypes; moreover, there was high genetic divergence among four populations of the “Shimahire” morphotype. Amphidromous migratory histories were indicated by Sr:Ca ratios in two of three populations of the “Shinjiko” morphotype and in one of two “Gi-tōshoku” morphotypes, whereas all populations of the “Shimahire” morphotype were freshwater residents. The large genetic divergence and low genetic diversity in “Shimahire” are likely related to migration history.     

Resource distribution influences mating system in the bobuck (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichosurus cunninghami</Emphasis>: Marsupialia)

Mammalian mating systems are thought to be shaped by the spatial distribution and abundance of key resources, which in turn influence the spacing behaviour of individuals. In particular, female home range size is predicted to reflect the availability of key resources. We documented the availability and distribution of food and shelter resources for two neighbouring populations of bobucks, or mountain brushtail possums, Trichosurus cunninghami, that were characterised by different mating systems: our “forest population” was socially monogamous, whereas the “roadside population” was polygynous. Both silver wattle, Acacia dealbata, the main food resource for bobucks, and den-trees, which provided shelter, occurred at significantly higher density at the roadside site. The pattern of distribution of these two resources also differed between the sites. Both food and den-trees were scattered evenly throughout the roadside habitat. In contrast, den-trees were located predominantly at one end of the forest site, while silver wattle trees were located at the other. There was no significant difference in the amount of silver wattle, or in the number of den-trees, located within the home ranges of individual females at the two sites. However, forest females had home ranges, on average, almost three times the size of those of roadside females. At the roadside site, the size of female home ranges varied inversely with the density of silver wattle, indicating that these females ranged over as large an area as necessary to gain access to sufficient silver wattle trees. There was no such relationship among forest females. These populations provide a clear example of resource distribution determining female home range size. This influenced the number of female home ranges a male’s home range overlapped with, which in turn determined the mating system. Such clear links between resource availability and mating system have not previously been established in a marsupial.     

Practical definition of territory and its application to the spatial distribution of voles

The utility of the definition of territory proposed by Davies (1978) (individual animals or groups are spaced out more than would be expected from a random occupation of suitable habitats) was tested by applying it to an analysis of spacing behavior in voles,Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae (Thomas). The examination of the Nearest Neighbor Distance and spatial distribution of home range suggested that, by this definition, adult females had territories in both winter and spring, while adult males had them only in winter. Davies' (1978) definition includes not only exculsive spacing, of which the functions are known, but also some kinds of spacing of which the functions are unknown, while the more rigid definition of Burt (1943) (“any defended area”) excludes the idea of spacing behavior without observation of the maintenance mechanism, even though the functions are known. InC. rufocanus bedfordiae, it seems more practical to consider exclusive spacing as territory, especially when the functions of their spacing behavior have some points in common with the facts already ascertained as functions of territoriality.     

pH-Induced Molten Globule State of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizopus niveus</Emphasis> Lipase is More Resistant Against Thermal and Chemical Denaturation Than Its Native State

Here, we have characterized four pH-dependent states: alkaline state, “B” (pH 9.0), native state, “N” (pH 7.4), acid-induced state, “A” (pH 2.2) and molten globule state, “MG” (pH 1.8) of Rhizopus niveus lipase (RNL) by CD, tryptophanyl fluorescence, ANS binding, DLS, and enzyme activity assay. This “MG” state lacks catalytic activity and tertiary structure but it has native-like significant secondary structure. The “R _h” of all the four states of RNL obtained from DLS study suggests that the molecular compactness of the protein increases as the pH of solution decreases. Kinetic analysis of RNL shows that it has maximum catalytic efficiency at state “B” which is 15-fold higher than state “N.” The CD and tryptophanyl fluorescence studies of RNL on GuHCl and temperature-induced unfolding reveal that the “MG” state is more stable than the other states. The DSC endotherms of RNL obtained at pH 9.0, 7.4, and 2.2 were with two transitions, while at pH 1.8 it showed only a single transition.     

A graphical method for analysing the dynamics of three-species systems

We report a series of experiments with three competing species and a novel graphical analysis that explores the dynamics of this simple multi-species system. The three competing species (Drosophila hydei, D. immigrans and D. virilis) were maintained in five very large cages, on a natural fruit resource. The analytic method involved constructing a “dynamic surface”, by interpolation, from the population trajectories. Within the dynamic surface constructed from the five experiments a small “equilibrium area” (an area of point vectors) could be identified. The implications of both the method and the results are discussed. Received: 22 July 1996 / Accepted: 29 April 1997     

Do chimpanzees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan troglodytes</Emphasis>) use cleavers and anvils to fracture <Emphasis Type="Italic">Treculia africana</Emphasis> fruits? Preliminary data on a new form of percussive technology

Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are renowned for their use of tools in activities ranging from foraging to social interactions. Different populations across Africa vary in their tool use repertoires, giving rise to cultural variation. We report a new type of percussive technology in food processing by chimpanzees in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea: Treculia fracturing. Chimpanzees appear to use stone and wooden “cleavers” as tools, as well as stone outcrop “anvils” as substrate to fracture the large and fibrous fruits of Treculia africana, a rare but prized food source. This newly described form of percussive technology is distinctive, as the apparent aim is not to extract an embedded food item, as is the case in nut cracking, baobab smashing, or pestle pounding, but rather to reduce a large food item to manageably sized pieces. Furthermore, these preliminary data provide the first evidence of chimpanzees using two types of percussive technology for the same purpose.     

Impacts of simulated livestock grazing on Utah prairie dogs (Cynomys parvidens) in a low productivity ecosystem

Allometric foraging theory suggests that herbivores of greatly differing size should co-exist through niche segregation, but a few studies of large–small herbivore foraging relationships have reported competitive interactions. This study addresses the potential roles of habitat productivity and large herbivore grazing intensities on large–small herbivore foraging interactions. We examined effects of different intensity simulated grazing treatments on forage abundance and quality for Utah prairie dogs (Cynomys parvidens) in a low productivity ecosystem, and consequent effects on prairie dog individual growth rates, foraging preferences, and activity budgets. We hypothesized that simulated grazing would have predominantly facilitative impacts on Utah prairie dogs, as was found for black-tailed prairie dogs in higher productivity ecosystems. To test this hypothesis, we measured the effects of simulated grazing on forage nitrogen, digestibility, and biomass. Simulated grazing increased average forage nitrogen and digestibility while decreasing forage biomass. These effects were associated with reduced individual growth rates, increased juvenile foraging time, and reduced juvenile vigilance. Results suggest that the negative effects of reduced vegetation biomass greatly outweighed positive treatment effects in this study. However, prairie dogs in the moderate intensity defoliation treatment showed some preference for “grazed” plots over “ungrazed” plots, and this preference increased with time. Our study lends support to the idea that habitat productivity and herbivore densities may mediate shifts between facilitative and competitive interactions between different-sized herbivores.     

Rapid shifting of foraging pattern by Yakushima macaques ( Macaca fuscata yakui ) in response to heavy fruiting of Myrica rubra

We describe short-term changes in foraging behavior by wild Yakushima macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui),which inhabit a warm-temperate broad—leaved forest on Yakushima Island (30°N, 131°E), Japan. Rapid changes of dietary composition, activity budget, and range use by the monkeys occurred from May to June, apparently associated with changes in the availability of the fruit of Myrica rubraBefore the fruit ripened, monkeys spent less time moving and more time feeding on many species of leaves, which accounted for 40% of feeding time. However, when M. rubrabegan to ripen, they fed intensively on the fruit, which accounted for three-fourths of feeding time,though the activity budget remained unaffected As fiuit of M. rubradecreased,the monkeys fed more on the fruit of other species and on insects, and spent more time moving at higher speeds. There marked shifts in foraging pattern occurred within only two months. In terms of moving cost and dietary quality,Yakushima macaques shifted their foraging pattern according to the availability of M. rubrafrom a “low-cost, low-yield” strategy to a “low-cost, high-yield” strategy, and then to a more costly strategy. The ability to make such rapid shifts in foraging pattern may allow the macaques to effectively use the highly variable food supply within their small range.     

Seeds and seedlings of two neotropical montane understory shrubs respond differently to anthropogenic edges and treefall gaps

Edges resulting from forest clear-cutting and treefall gaps can affect plant populations and consequently the distribution of species across landscapes. These two types of disturbance might interact to exacerbate or ameliorate “edge effects”, a rarely tested possibility. We focused on the effects of distance from forest edge (0–10, 30–40, 60–70, and 190–200 m) and habitat within forest fragments (treefall gaps and intact forest) on the early stages of development of Palicourea gibbosa and Faramea affinis, two common shrubs of montane forests in southwest Colombia. Seed germination and seedling growth did not change with distance from forest edge. Within forest fragments, however, seed germination and seedling growth were higher in treefall gaps than in intact forest understory for both species. In contrast, seed predation was influenced by distance from forest edge and in P gibbosa it depended on habitat. Seed predation was highest in the forest interior (190–200 m from forest edge) and in P. gibbosa this was true only in treefall gap habitats. These results suggest that animal mediated processes such as post-dispersal seed predation are more likely than physiological processes to be affected by anthropogenic edges. Our results provide some evidence that treefall gaps may interact with “edge effects”, however, they are inconclusive as to whether they exacerbate or ameliorate them. Received: 31 August 1998 / Accepted: 18 February 1999