Rhythmic oscillations in non-aggressive social behaviour inBandicota bengalensis (original) (raw)
Social Interaction in Fish: A Brief Review
Social behavior is a common phenomenon among vertebrates, notably in fish, birds and mammals. It has been evolved within the species purposefully to support effective foraging, predation avoidance and fitness. Although all animals have predilection to live in a group, it is very intense in a few species. In many fish species it is an obligatory behavior, whereas in many other fish species it is opportunistic during group foraging and predator avoidance. Fish express their social behavior by enhancing the locomotor activity. The synchronization in locomotor activity reflects their social behavior based on interaction among members of the same species through sensory cues, like vision and olfaction (pheromones); and also is based on phenotypic characters, such as body size, body color and gender. It has also been reported that day and night cycle affects their social behavior. Study of inter-individual interaction under laboratory conditions often helps to understand intricacies of social behavior. The factors, such as group and group size may influence circadian periodicity in fish under different environmental conditions. In summary, such studies come under the fold of interesting researches in the realm of fish biology.
All together now: behavioural synchrony in baboons
Animal Behaviour, 2009
Keywords: chacma baboon coordination group behaviour Papio ursinus sociality synchrony For group-living individuals to remain spatially coherent, coordinated behaviour across group members is essential. We investigated what factors can promote or constrain the achievement of such behavioural synchronization (measured as diversity in activities among group members) in a social primate. Two wild groups of chacma baboons, Papio ursinus, were studied in the field by instantaneous scan sampling during full-day follows to test the hypotheses that individual activity budgets, habitat constraints and group properties can all affect patterns of behavioural synchrony. Observed synchrony across individuals was variable, and analysed using a generalized linear mixed model. We found support for each of our three hypotheses. First, the probability of a group being synchronized increased with the number of pregnant females, but decreased with the number of sexually swollen females in a group. Synchrony also declined throughout the day. We interpret these two results in terms of variations in the activity budgets of both sexes related to their reproductive strategies, and changing levels of satiation among individual group members, respectively. Second, synchrony was highest in a 'closed' woodland habitat, and lowest in 'open' desert habitat. This is interpreted as a consequence of habitat differences in food patch configuration and/or predation risk. Third, we found a nonlinear relationship with increasing group cohesion, suggesting that where opportunities for information transfer are limited, behavioural synchrony may be constrained. Overall, our simple approach to quantifying behavioural synchrony highlights the role of both individual variation and the (social and ecological) environment in determining group-level patterns of behaviour. Ó
Unexpected diversity in socially synchronized rhythms of shorebirds
The behavioural rhythms of organisms are thought to be under strong selection, influenced by the rhythmicity of the environment1, 2, 3, 4. Such behavioural rhythms are well studied in isolated individuals under laboratory conditions1, 5, but free-living individuals have to temporally synchronize their activities with those of others, including potential mates, competitors, prey and predators6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Individuals can temporally segregate their daily activities (for example, prey avoiding predators, subordinates avoiding dominants) or synchronize their activities (for example, group foraging, communal defence, pairs reproducing or caring for offspring)6, 7, 8, 9, 11. The behavioural rhythms that emerge from such social synchronization and the underlying evolutionary and ecological drivers that shape them remain poorly understood5, 6, 7, 9. Here we investigate these rhythms in the context of biparental care, a particularly sensitive phase of social synchronization12 where pair members potentially compromise their individual rhythms. Using data from 729 nests of 91 populations of 32 biparentally incubating shorebird species, where parents synchronize to achieve continuous coverage of developing eggs, we report remarkable within- and between-species diversity in incubation rhythms. Between species, the median length of one parent’s incubation bout varied from 1–19 h, whereas period length—the time in which a parent’s probability to incubate cycles once between its highest and lowest value—varied from 6–43 h. The length of incubation bouts was unrelated to variables reflecting energetic demands, but species relying on crypsis (the ability to avoid detection by other animals) had longer incubation bouts than those that are readily visible or who actively protect their nest against predators. Rhythms entrainable to the 24-h light–dark cycle were less prevalent at high latitudes and absent in 18 species. Our results indicate that even under similar environmental conditions and despite 24-h environmental cues, social synchronization can generate far more diverse behavioural rhythms than expected from studies of individuals in captivity5, 6, 7, 9. The risk of predation, not the risk of starvation, may be a key factor underlying the diversity in these rhythms.
In the sequence of mating behaviours of male crickets there is a fixed time-interval between two behaviours: spermatophore protrusion and courtship stridulation . During the fixed time-interval , courtship activities are specifically suppressed and self-maintenance activities such as feeding, drinking and aggressive stridulation appear. This paper reports on an experiment to investigate an interval timing mechanism controlling behavioural time sharing. Isolation experiments revealed that the presence of a female was necessary as a releaser for a male to stridulate the courtship song. However, the presence or absence of a female did not affect the length of the interval between the two behaviours. Even when spermatophore protrusion was postponed or the spermatophore was removed, the time-interval from spermatophore protrusion to courtship stridulation was unaffected. The interval seemed to depend on an interna l mechanism, because (I) sensory feedbacks from genita l organs were not necessary, (2) the interval length was about 1 h, and (3) the temperature coefficient QIO was 2·0.
Sleep Science, 2016
South American subterranean rodents are mainly described as solitary and mutual synchronization was never observed among individuals maintained together in laboratory. We report that a single birth event was capable of disrupting the robust nocturnal activity rhythm of singly housed tuco-tucos from northwest Argentina. "Around-the-clock activity" was displayed by 8 out of 13 animals whose cages were closer to the newborn pups. However, experimental exposure to a pup vocalization did not produce a similar effect on the rhythms of adult animals. Our results indicate an effect of social interaction in the expression of biological rhythms even in solitary animals.
Daily Rhythms Related to Distinct Social Tasks inside an Eusocial Bee Colony
Chronobiology International, 2007
A bee colony is often compared to a multicellular organism, mainly because of its spatial organization. We propose that a temporal organization of equal importance is also present. To support this view, we studied the reproductive processes of two closely related species of stingless bees. Stingless bees enable observations of daily rhythms that are performed by distinct social classes. The emergent process, POP, is cyclic and consists of the building and provisioning of brood cells by the worker bees and egg-laying by the queen. Colonies were kept in the laboratory under constant conditions with the exit tube opening to the environment; thus, foragers had direct access to environmental cycles. At a later stage of the experiment, the exit tube was closed by a sieve; in this case, bees had their own stock of food, but the environmental LD cycle could still be detected when they were inside the exit tube. Daily POP rhythms were present and showed distinct temporal patterns in each species. A third condition was imposed on one of the species only: the exit tube was closed by a sieve and maintained inside a box that was provided with constant illumination. In this colony, the POP rhythm was perturbed by the destruction of the brood cells. Restoration of POP consisted of a rapid reconstruction of cells followed by a late oviposition in the same day. As different rhythmic patterns were detected, but showed regular timings with respect to one another, an interpretation based upon the concept of an internal temporal order is suggested.
The integration of biology and behavior in the socialization of macaca sylvana of Gibraltar
1972
Original pagination has been retained. The proper name for this species is now recognized as Macaca sylvanus.) Socialization operates on the total organism within a specific context. The processes of socialization are ongoing and may be termed "maturation within the social milieu." These processes can effect or develop the proper behaviors only in the measure that the organism is receptive to them. This receptivity is directly a function of a concatenation of personal events at a particular moment. These events are simply summarized as biological development. The inherent qualities of protoplasm-irritability, reproduction, energy utilization, and so on-are specifically organized as the zygote becomes embryo becomes fetus within the limits of the genotype. The particular form this organization takes within the range of possibilities available is influenced by its exogenous and endogenous environments. These range from the state of the mother nutritionally, emotionally, and endocrinologically, and the nature of the maternal feedback system to the particular nature of the zygote's cells and the genic system that affects them. The more differentiated the tissue, the greater the organization of the systems, and thus the more susceptible the organism to a wider range of diversified influences. Susceptibility refers to sensitive periods-the moment(s) at which the matter, or target structure, has developed sufficiently to respond by growth, differentiation, and so on, to a given influence-exogenous or endogenous. The neonate emerges with a repertoire of abilities and a range of potentialities as Coghill (1929), Carmichael (1928), Kuo (1967), and others have illustrated with their researches. For example, Carmichael (1928), in studying the fetal guinea pig, observed ontogenetic motor development similar to that which Coghill found in the salamander, and Kuo in the chick. The first movements occur as thrusts from the heart's beating. Body movements, as in the bird embryo, are myogenic and originate anteriorly and progress caudally. It is of great importance to note that these movements are myogenic and not neurally inspired. The myelinization of the nervous system permits increasing integration of movements, which in turn allows for new coordinations within the limits of the morphological potentials (monkeys cannot fly; dogs cannot grasp). Seen from this, the epigenetic view (Kuo, 1967), the conjecture of fully CONDITIONS OF THE STUDY Two troops of M. sylvana range freely on Gibraltar. They are the charges of the Gibraltar regiment of the British army and are provisioned to approximately one-third of their nutritional needs. The provisioning is not only to supplement their natural diet but also to limit to some extent their foraging in the built-up areas. The natural habitat of these two troops Frances D. Burton 31 includes rock faces, vegetational growth including shrub trees and bushes, and terraces made primarily of concrete. The Middle Hill (MH) troop may range from the summit of the rock at 1,350 feet to approximately 200 feet, while the Queen's Gate (QG) troop tend to restrict themselves to approximately 1,040 feet to 520 feet. Although free-ranging, both troops are tame; that is, they permit approach from humans, hand-feeding, and, in the case of the QG troop, will jump on people. Members of both troops do not permit humans to touch them, and will threaten and occasionally bite if such a gesture is made. The presence of humans, whether tourists, residents, or military personnel, is a daily event. The extent of this contact is greater for the QG troop, which is maintained as a tourist attraction. The MH troop, which roams over a larger area, receives less contact, as they frequent inaccessible areas and remain in the forest growth, partially out of view, even when they are in their "tourist location." The monkeys are tended by an officer of the Gibraltar regiment and are the responsibility of this regiment. Effects of disease and injury are, therefore, attenuated. The number of animals is controlled, both in absolute size and sex ratio, surplus animals being sent to toes. This factor no doubt accounts for the great longevity of the animals, mitigating against the natural predation of disease, injury, and fighting. Observations were made almost daily, generally from 7:00 A.M., when the animals first appeared from their sleeping shelters in the rock face, until they returned to their sleeping places at 8:00 or 9:00 P.M., depending on the seasonal setting of the sun, with a break at some time during the forenoon. it was possible to accumulate 462 contact hours, 278 hours with the MH and 184 with the QG troop, during the period April 28 to July 30, 1970. Four people were engaged in observation, and the contact hours represent the total period of continuous observation irrespective of the number of field workers present at any one time. Observation distance ranged from 2 or 3 feet to 400 yards for which 8 x 40, 9.5" binoculars were employed. Still and motion pictures were taken and vocalizations recorded. Further observations in October 1970, and December 1970 through January 1971 were made and have been drawn upon for this report. GROUP COMPOSITION 1 At the end of the 1970 birth season, the troops together numbered thirtythree animals, both troops having a male to female adult ratio of 1 to 5. 'See Table 1, p. 58.
A comparison of intergroup behavior inCebus albifrons andC. apella
Primates, 1982
Comparative studies of free-ranging groups ofCebus albifrons andCebus apella in eastern Colombia showed strong differences in the manner in which groups of each species interacted.Cebus albifrons troops were large and multi-male; they showed strongly aggressive tendencies towards neighboring groups of the same species and they defended a territory with little overlap of neighbors, both by means of long-distance spacing calls and by fighting. In contrast,Cebus apella troops were small, sometimes containing only one adult male; they exhibited pacific interactions and curiosity towards neighboring groups of the same species and did not defend a territory, allowing extensive overlapping with their neighbors. Such social differences in closely related species which are found in identical habitats call into question purely ecological interpretations for such differences.