Zoology Research This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 23.

Deglycosylation effect of the mammalian sperm maturation antigen (SMA2) on serological reaction and acrosome reaction.
Abstract Spermatozoal membrane proteins are considered to possess several immunological unique characteristics as the cell is formed behind the blood-testes barriers. Major goat sperm maturation antigen (SMA2) contains one hexosamine along with mannose, galactose and glucose. In the present study, effects of deglycosylation of SMA2 antigen on immuno-reactivity and the serological activity was investigated. SMA2 glycoantigen showed positive immunoreactivity after treatment with sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)) and moreover this generated a 44kDa protein band which was negative for periodic acid Schiff reagent. Trifluoro...
Source: Animal Reproduction Science - July 7, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Das T, Chatterjee T Tags: Anim Reprod Sci Source Type: research

Intra-prostatic injection of botulinum toxin type A in treatment of dogs with spontaneous benign prostatic hyperplasia.
This study investigated the effect of BT-A in the canine prostate and on the semen. Eight sexually intact male dogs with BPH (detected radiographically and ultrasonographically), and with clinical signs of BPH (e.g. hematuria or tenesmus) were used. Each lobe of the prostate received an injection of 125U of BT-A with one-needle pass under transabdominal ultrasound guidance. The clinical results were evaluated at baseline and after treatment. No local complications or systemic adverse effects were reported. At 4weeks, the mean prostate volume (PV) was not significantly changed after BT-A (from 17.70±6.34 to 16.48±5.98cm(3...
Source: Animal Reproduction Science - July 6, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Mostachio GQ, Apparício M, Motheo TF, Alves AE, Vicente WR Tags: Anim Reprod Sci Source Type: research

Microvascular anatomy of the esophagus in larval and adult Xenopus laevis Daudin: a scanning electron microscope study of microvascular corrosion casts and correlative light microscopy
AbstractLarval to adult microvascular anatomy of the esophagus was studied in the South African Clawed Toad, Xenopus laevis (Daudin) by scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts and correlative light microscopy of paraplast embedded stained tissue sections. Analyses of vascular corrosion casts of tadpole esophaguses at premetamorphosis revealed a wide‐meshed, but mature looking capillary bed which during following prometamorphosis increased in density and gained the adult‐like pattern during late metamorphic climax by sprouting and nonsprouting angiogenesis. In adult Xenopus, the esophageal mucosa posses...
Source: Acta Zoologica - July 6, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Alois Lametschwandtner, Heidi Bartel, Bernd Minnich Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Historical and Ecological Controls on Phylogenetic Diversity in Californian Plant Communities.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 257-269, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Linking Topological Structure and Dynamics in Ecological Networks.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 186-199, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Linking the Investigations of Character Evolution and Species Diversification.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 225-245, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

The Imprint of Cenozoic Migrations and Evolutionary History on the Biogeographic Gradient of Body Size in New World Mammals.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 246-256, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Spatial Structure of Ecological Opportunity Drives Adaptation in a Bacterium.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 270-283, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Integrating Theoretical Climate and Fire Effects on Savanna and Forest Systems.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 211-224, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Herbivores Modify Selection on Plant Functional Traits in a Temperate Rainforest Understory.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page E42-E53, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article E-Article Source Type: research

Anthropogenic Harvesting Pressure and Changes in Life History: Insights from a Rocky Intertidal Limpet.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 200-210, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Explaining Variation in the Effect of Floral Density on Pollinator Visitation.
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 153-166, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Direct and Indirect Ecosystem Effects of Evolutionary Adaptation in the Trinidadian Guppy (Poecilia reticulata).
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page 167-185, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Articles Source Type: research

Announcements
The American Naturalist, Volume 180, Issue 2, Page ii, August 2012.
Source: The American Naturalist - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: research

Front Cover
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Volume 85, Issue 4, Page Front Cover-Inside Front Cover, July/August 2012.
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: research

Domestic dogs' (Canis familiaris) choices in reference to agreement among human informants on location of food.
Abstract When interacting with others, informants may offer conflicting information or information of varying accuracy. Recent research suggests that young children do not trust all informants equally and are selective in both whom they solicit for information and whose claims they support. We explored whether domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are similarly sensitive to agreement among informants. To this end, we utilized a common human gesture, pointing, to which recent research suggests dogs are sensitive. We conducted two experiments in which an experimenter secretly hid food in one of two clear containers while ...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 5, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Kundey SM, German R, De Los Reyes A, Monnier B, Swift P, Delise J, Tomlin M Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Effects of FSH and LH on ovarian and follicular blood flow, follicular growth and oocyte developmental competence in young and old mares.
Abstract Objectives of the experiment were to determine the effects of mare age and gonadotropin treatments on dominant follicle vascularity, ovarian blood flow and dominant follicle growth and to associate follicular vascularity with oocyte developmental capacity. Growing follicles >30mm from young (4-9 years) and old (>20 years) mares were assessed for blood flow using color Doppler ultrasonography before maturation induction with recombinant equine LH (eLH) and immediately prior to oocyte collection at 20-24h after eLH. Pulsed Doppler was used to obtain resistance indices of ovarian arteries ipsilateral to...
Source: Animal Reproduction Science - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Altermatt JL, Marolf AJ, Wrigley RH, Carnevale EM Tags: Anim Reprod Sci Source Type: research

Head Colour and Age Relate to Personality Traits in Gouldian Finches
AbstractColour polymorphism is a widespread phenomenon in vertebrates and has often been linked with differences in behaviour such as aggression or boldness, behaviours that are often part of personality traits in monomorphic species. However, up to now, very few studies have looked whether colour morphs just differ in average behaviour or whether specific combinations of behaviours are favoured in relation to a particular morph therefore signalling personality traits. This was tested in the highly social and polymorphic Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae). Tests were performed in pairs of a red‐headed and a black‐head...
Source: Ethology - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Claudia Mettke‐Hofmann Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Acoustic Features Indicate Arousal in Infant Giant Panda Vocalisations
AbstractInfant giant pandas are highly vocal during the first few weeks of life, producing vocalisations that are characterised by noisy, aperiodic segments. The aperiodic character of many animal vocalisations results from irregular vibratory regimes of the vocal folds, and one proposed function of this so‐called nonlinear phenomena (NLP) in animal vocalisations is to convey information about the caller's arousal state. This hypothesis was tested in the vocalisations of six hand‐reared giant panda cubs recorded during handling and feeding procedures that had been categorised into low‐ and high‐arousal contexts ba...
Source: Ethology - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Angela S. Stoeger, Anton Baotic, Desheng Li, Benjamin D. Charlton Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

The Return of the Intruder: Immediate and Later Effects of Different Approach Distances in a Territorial Songbird
AbstractMale songbirds often maintain territories throughout the breeding season, and one of the main functions of song is to deter invaders. Therefore, the distance of an unknown singing rival should play a crucial role within territorial singing interactions of males. This distance is expected to be assessed as more threatening the closer the rival approaches. Here, we tested this assumption by conducting nocturnal playbacks from two different distances in territorial Common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos). Immediate vocal responses of birds were examined by analysing changes in song structure as well as temporal re...
Source: Ethology - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Conny Bartsch, Michael Weiss, Silke Kipper Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Effects of Simultaneous vs. Sequential Settlement on the Territorial Behaviour of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
In this study, we test the predictions of these contrasting hypotheses by releasing 12 juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) either simultaneously, all on 1 d, or sequentially, two per day for 6 d, in artificial streams. After the fish spent an average of 1 wk in the streams, we quantified the number of territories established, territory size, aggression rate and growth rate. There was evidence of a prior residency effect – early arrivers were more aggressive and grew faster than late arrivers – but this effect did not alter the number or size of territories established. We concluded that the temporal pattern...
Source: Ethology - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Amanda A. Lindeman, James W. A. Grant Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Assessment Strategies and the Effects of Fighting Experience on Future Contest Performance in the Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
This study investigated the impact of fighting experience on future contest performance and outcome in the green anole lizard and investigated the assessment strategies used by anoles during contests of different intensities. To determine whether the green anole expresses winner or loser effects, focal animals engaged in a primary contest with a smaller (larger) opponent to gain a winning (losing) experience; opponent size asymmetries were a significant predictor of contest outcome. Focal individuals were isolated for 2 d before being given a secondary contest with a size‐matched, naïve opponent. We found no evidence o...
Source: Ethology - July 4, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Mark J. Garcia, Laura Paiva, Michelle Lennox, Boopathy Sivaraman, Stephanie C. Wong, Ryan L. Earley Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Characterisation of the Melatonin Receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene in the Rasa Aragonesa sheep breed: Association with reproductive seasonality.
Abstract The ovine Melatonin Receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene was structurally characterised and association between its variants and the reproductive seasonality was examined in a daughter design comprising three families of Rasa Aragonesa sheep breed. Sequencing of six Rasa Aragonesa ewes with extreme values for seasonality trait revealed 28 polymorphisms: 11 SNPs in the coding region (all in Exon 2), and 17 SNPs in the promoter region MTNR1A. All the substitutions in the coding region were found most likely lacking any phenotypic effect, because they are conservative mutations or were not part of the transmembrane doma...
Source: Animal Reproduction Science - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Martínez-Royo A, Lahoz B, Alabart JL, Folch J, Calvo JH Tags: Anim Reprod Sci Source Type: research

Chorusing Behaviour in the Lusitanian Toadfish: Should I Match My Neighbours' Calling Rate?
In this study, we test the hypothesis that chorusing fish males compete actively to increase attractiveness to females. We first describe vocal interactions in natural choruses of Lusitanian toadfish males. Our analysis found positive correlations between the calling rates of neighbouring males in several occasions. However, we also found that males that showed an overall low vocal activity throughout the observation period exhibited peaks of increased calling activity when neighbours decreased their calling rate, suggesting an opportunistic maximisation of attractiveness. We further test with playback experiments how toad...
Source: Ethology - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Joana M. Jordão, Paulo J. Fonseca, Maria Clara P. Amorim Tags: Research Paper Source Type: research

Effects of long‐term in vitro exposure of ejaculated boar sperm to zearalenone and α‐zearalenol in sperm liquid storage medium
ABSTRACTThe effects of in vitro exposure of porcine spermatozoa to zearalenone (ZEN) and α‐zearalenol (α‐ZOL) were studied by evaluating several parameters of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) system. For this purpose, boar spermatozoa cultured with semen storage medium containing 0 (control), 10 and 1000 µg/L of ZEN and α‐ZOL for 1 week at 5°C were used for IVF of in vitro matured oocytes. Overall, there were no significant differences in the rates of total penetration, monospermic fertilization, and polyspermic fertilization of oocytes inseminated with spermatozoa from the different groups. Similarly, ZEN an...
Source: Animal Science Journal - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Rentsenkhand SAMBUU, Mitsuhiro TAKAGI, Zhao NAMULA, Masahiro NII, Masayasu TANIGUCHI, Seiich UNO, Emiko KOKUSHI, Chenga TSHERING, Regiane Rodrigues dos SANTOS, Johanna FINK‐GREMMELS, Takeshige OTOI Source Type: research

New strategies of boar sperm cryopreservation: Development of novel freezing and thawing methods with a focus on the roles of seminal plasma
ABSTRACTCryopreservation of boar spermatozoa offers an effective means of long‐term storage of important genetic material. Many researchers have investigated how to improve reproductive performance by artificial insemination (AI) using cryopreserved boar spermatozoa. Recently, we and other groups reported that high conception rates (70–80%) can be achieved by AI with frozen‐thawed boar spermatozoa using a modified temperature program during freezing, or a novel cryopreservation extender to improve sperm quality (including sperm survivability, motility, membrane status and fertilization ability) after thawing, or a no...
Source: Animal Science Journal - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Tetsuji OKAZAKI, Masayuki SHIMADA Source Type: research

Reproductive morphology of the male Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus
AbstractOver the past decade, studies on reproductive morphology in the Squamata (snakes and lizards) have expanded tremendously. With the accumulation of these studies and revisions of the terminology based on structural similarities and differences, it is imperative to review the work on tuataras to determine whether the structural organization fits the revised terminology of vertebrates. We investigated the morphology of the male reproductive system in the Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus (Rhynchocephalia), the sister taxon to the Squamata. Previous studies on the Tuatara used a nomenclature for the testicular ducts differe...
Source: Acta Zoologica - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Justin L. Rheubert, Alison Cree, Matthew Downes, David M. Sever Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Effect of long‐term injection of dopamine on the ovarian growth of Cherax quadricarinatus juvenile females (Parastacidae, Decapoda)
This study was aimed at evaluating whether the long‐term injection of DA affects ovarian growth in the freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Three experiments were performed with females of different mean initial size: 4.15 g (Group A); 9.65 g (Group B); and 13.98 g (Group C). Treated females were injected with DA and control females with physiological saline twice a week for 90 (Group B), 105 (Group A) and 120 (Group C) days. At the end of the experiments, the animals were killed, and the stage of ovarian development, gonadosomatic index, and mean oocyte diameter were determined. DA had a differential effect ac...
Source: Acta Zoologica - July 3, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Carolina Tropea, Laura S. López Greco Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Rats can make relative perceptual judgments about sequential stimuli.
This study is the first demonstration of the use of a sequential "more than versus less than" rule in rats and provides a well-controlled paradigm for studying abstract comparisons in a rodent model system. PMID: 22350084 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Perry C, Felsen G Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Alternate behavioural measurements following a single operant training regime demonstrate differences in memory retention.
Abstract Frequently studies of learning and memory measure a single focal behaviour; however it is likely that any learning paradigm will alter multiple behavioural traits in the same animal. We used video footage of the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis), collected immediately prior to both training and testing for memory in response to operant conditioning to reduce aerial respiration, to measure two additional alternate behavioural traits: reducing the size of the pneumostome (breathing orifice) opening and shell tilt to cover the pneumostome. Typically, the training regime used here results in memory to reduc...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Dalesman S, Lukowiak K Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Tool-use in the brown bear (Ursus arctos).
Abstract This is the first report of tool-using behaviour in a wild brown bear (Ursus arctos). Whereas the use of tools is comparatively common among primates and has also been documented in several species of birds, fishes and invertebrates, tool-using behaviours have so far been observed in only four species of non-primate mammal. The observation was made and photographed while studying the behaviour of a subadult brown bear in south-eastern Alaska. The animal repeatedly picked up barnacle-encrusted rocks in shallow water, manipulated and re-oriented them in its forepaws, and used them to rub its neck and muzzle....
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Deecke VB Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Associative memory or algorithmic search: a comparative study on learning strategies of bats and shrews.
Abstract Two common strategies for successful foraging are learning to associate specific sensory cues with patches of prey ("associative learning") and using set decision-making rules to systematically scan for prey ("algorithmic search"). We investigated whether an animal's life history affects which of these two foraging strategies it is likely to use. Natterer's bats (Myotis nattereri) have slow life-history traits and we predicted they would be more likely to use associative learning. Common shrews (Sorex araneus) have fast life-history traits and we predicted that they would rely more heavily on routine-based...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Page RA, von Merten S, Siemers BM Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Erratum to: Further evidence for addition and numerical competence by a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus).
PMID: 22402776 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Pepperberg IM Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Responses toward a trapped animal by wild bonobos at Wamba.
Abstract Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest living relatives of humans and diverged relatively recently in their phylogenetic history. However, a number of reports have suggested behavioral discrepancies between the two Pan species, such as more cooperative and tolerant social interaction and poorer tool-using repertoires in bonobos. Concerning hunting behavior and meat consumption, recent studies from the field have confirmed both behaviors not only in chimpanzees but also in bonobos. The present study reports an encounter by wild bonobos at Wamba with a duiker trapped in a snare. Bonobos interacted with the ...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Hayashi M, Ohashi G, Ryu HJ Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

The Thatcher illusion in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).
Abstract Like humans, Old World monkeys are known to use configural face processing to distinguish among individuals. The ability to recognize an individual through the perception of subtle differences in the configuration of facial features plays an important role in social cognition. To test this ability in New World monkeys, this study examined whether squirrel monkeys experience the Thatcher illusion, a measure of face processing ability in which changes in facial features are difficult to detect in an inverted face. In the experiment, the monkeys were required to distinguish between a target face and each of t...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Nakata R, Osada Y Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) use social information to learn new foraging techniques.
In conclusion, redfronted lemurs appear to use social information in acquiring a novel task, and animals in at least in one group without training developed a group preference for one technique, indicating that they have the potential to develop behavioural traditions and conformity. PMID: 22426747 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Schnoell AV, Fichtel C Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Visual discrimination and object categorization in the cichlid Pseudotropheus sp.
This study assessed form discrimination abilities and object categorization skills in the African cichlid Pseudotropheus sp. Fish could discriminate between a variety of two-dimensional geometrical shapes, forms and sizes and learned to distinguish between two categories, "fish" versus "snail". Performance remained undisturbed by extensive modifications to the stimuli, as long as key features were maintained. Results indicate that fish not only memorized the features of the positive stimulus (categorized the positive stimulus), but also categorized the negative stimulus. During transfer trials involving a previously unknow...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Schluessel V, Fricke G, Bleckmann H Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Delaying gratification for food and tokens in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): when quantity is salient, symbolic stimuli do not improve performance.
Abstract Capuchin monkeys have been tested for the capacity to delay gratification for accumulating rewards in recent studies and have exhibited variable results. Meanwhile, chimpanzees have consistently excelled at this task. However, neither species have ever been tested at accumulating symbolic tokens instead of food items, even though previous reports indicate that tokens sometimes facilitate performance in other self-control tasks. Thus, in the present study, we tested capuchin monkeys and chimpanzees for their capacity to delay gratification in a delay maintenance task, in which an experimenter presented item...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Evans TA, Beran MJ, Paglieri F, Addessi E Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Two strings to choose from: do ravens pull the easier one?
Abstract There are simple co-occurrences as well as functional relationships between events. One may assume that animals detect and use causation rather than mere co-variation. However, understanding causation often requires concepts of hidden forces. In string pulling, obstacles may hamper the access to food. Here, I studied whether ravens have an abstract concept of effort. First, in a competitive situation, ravens (Corvus corax) could choose one out of two strings. The strings differed in whether they were baited with meat and in how far away the meat was. Ravens pulled mainly the string containing meat and wher...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Pfuhl G Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Social learning and acquired recognition of a predator by a marine fish.
In this study, we examined the role of social learning in predator recognition for a tropical damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus. This species was found to not only possess and respond to conspecific chemical alarm cues, but naïve individuals were able to learn a predators' identity from experienced individuals, the process of social learning. Fish that learned to associate risk with the olfactory cue of a predator responded with the same intensity as conspecifics that were exposed to a chemical alarm cue from a conspecific skin extract. PMID: 22453926 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Manassa RP, McCormick MI Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

The cognitive capabilities of farm animals: categorisation learning in dwarf goats (Capra hircus).
Abstract The ability to establish categories enables organisms to classify stimuli, objects and events by assessing perceptual, associative or rational similarities and provides the basis for higher cognitive processing. The cognitive capabilities of farm animals are receiving increasing attention in applied ethology, a development driven primarily by scientifically based efforts to improve animal welfare. The present study investigated the learning of perceptual categories in Nigerian dwarf goats (Capra hircus) by using an automated learning device installed in the animals' pen. Thirteen group-housed goats were tr...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Meyer S, Nürnberg G, Puppe B, Langbein J Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Does the A-not-B error in adult pet dogs indicate sensitivity to human communication?
Abstract Recent dog-infant comparisons have indicated that the experimenter's communicative signals in object hide-and-search tasks increase the probability of perseverative (A-not-B) errors in both species (Topál et al. 2009). These behaviourally similar results, however, might reflect different mechanisms in dogs and in children. Similar errors may occur if the motor response of retrieving the object during the A trials cannot be inhibited in the B trials or if the experimenter's movements and signals toward the A hiding place in the B trials ('sham-baiting') distract the dogs' attention. In order to test these ...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Kis A, Topál J, Gácsi M, Range F, Huber L, Miklósi A, Virányi Z Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Cuttlefish rely on both polarized light and landmarks for orientation.
In this study, cuttlefish were trained to solve a Y-maze with the e-vector of a polarized light and landmarks as redundant spatial information. The results showed that cuttlefish can use the e-vector orientation and landmarks in parallel to orient and that they are able to use either type of cue when the other one is missing. When they faced conflicting spatial information in the experimental apparatus, the majority of cuttlefish followed the e-vector rather than landmarks. Differences in response latencies in the different conditions of testing (training with both types of cue, tests with single cue or with conflicting in...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Cartron L, Darmaillacq AS, Jozet-Alves C, Shashar N, Dickel L Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Domestication has not affected the understanding of means-end connections in dogs.
Abstract Recent studies have revealed that dogs often perform well in cognitive tasks in the social domain, but rather poorly in the physical domain. This dichotomy has led to the hypothesis that the domestication process might have enhanced the social cognitive skills of dogs (Hare et al. in Science 298:1634-1636, 2002; Miklósi et al. in Curr Biol 13:763-766, 2003) but at the same time had a detrimental effect on their physical cognition (Frank in Z Tierpsychol 5:389-399, 1980). Despite the recent interest in dog cognition and especially the effects of domestication, the latter hypothesis has hardly been tested a...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Range F, Möslinger H, Virányi Z Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Threat perception in the chameleon (Chamaeleo chameleon): evidence for lateralized eye use.
Abstract Chameleons are arboreal lizards with highly independent, large amplitude eye movements. In response to an approaching threat, a chameleon on a vertical pole moves so as to keep itself away from the threat. In so doing, it shifts between monocular and binocular scanning of the threat and of the environment. We analyzed eye movements in the Common chameleon, Chamaeleo chameleon, during avoidance response for lateralization, that is, asymmetry at the functional/behavioral levels. The chameleons were exposed to a threat, approaching horizontally from clockwise or anti-clockwise directions, and that could be vi...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Lustig A, Keter-Katz H, Katzir G Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently.
We examined whether eight capuchins and eight chimpanzees were able to retrieve a reward placed inside a tube, of varying length, by selecting the correct stick from different sets of three sticks differing in length (functional feature) and handle (non-functional feature). Moreover, to investigate whether seeing the stick inside the tube (visual feedback) improves performance, half of the subjects were tested with a transparent apparatus and the other half with an opaque apparatus. Phase 1 included (a) Training 1 in which each stick had a different handle and (b) Transfer 1 in which the handles were switched among sticks,...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Sabbatini G, Truppa V, Hribar A, Gambetta B, Call J, Visalberghi E Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Amplitude modulation of sexy phrases is salient for song attractiveness in female canaries (Serinus canaria).
Abstract Song discrimination and recognition in songbird species have usually been studied by measuring responses to song playbacks. In female canaries, Serinus canaria, copulation solicitation displays (CSDs) are used as an index of female preferences, which are related to song recognition. Despite the fact that many studies underline the role of song syntax in this species, we observed that short segments of songs (a few seconds long) are enough for females to discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific songs, whereas such a short duration is not sufficient to identify the syntax rules. This suggests that...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Pasteau M, Ung D, Kreutzer M, Aubin T Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Does syntax contribute to the function of duets in a parrot, Amazona auropalliata?
Abstract Complex acoustic signals in many animal species are characterized by a syntax that governs how different notes are combined, but the importance of syntax to the communicative function of signals is not well understood. Mated pairs of yellow-naped amazons, Amazona auropalliata, produce coordinated vocal duets that are used for territory maintenance and defense. These duets follow rules that specify the ordering of notes within duets, such as a strict alternation of sex-specific notes and a defined progression of note types through each duet. These syntactical rules may function to define sex-specific roles,...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Dahlin CR, Wright TF Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Auditory contagious yawning in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): first evidence for social modulation.
Abstract Dogs' capacity to 'catch' human yawns has recently attracted the attention of researchers in the field of animal cognition. Following recent studies suggesting that contagion yawning in humans, and some other primates, is empathy-related, some authors have considered the possibility that the same mechanism may underlie contagious yawning in dogs. To date, however, no positive evidence has been found, and more parsimonious hypotheses have been put forward. The present study explored the 'contagion-only' hypothesis by testing whether the mere sound of a human yawn can be sufficient to elicit yawning in dogs,...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Silva K, Bessa J, de Sousa L Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research

Cross-modal recognition of human individuals in domestic horses (Equus caballus).
This study has shown that domestic horses are capable of cross-modal recognition of familiar humans. It was demonstrated that horses are able to discriminate between the voices of a familiar and an unfamiliar human without seeing or smelling them at the same moment. Conversely, they were able to discriminate the same persons when only exposed to their visual and olfactory cues, without being stimulated by their voices. A cross-modal expectancy violation setup was employed; subjects were exposed both to trials with incongruent auditory and visual/olfactory identity cues and trials with congruent cues. It was found that subj...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 1, 2012 Category: Zoology Authors: Lampe JF, Andre J Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: research