Publication search

The impact of turbidity on foraging and risk taking in the invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and a threatene...

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractAnthropogenic activity can increase water turbidity, changing fish behaviour by reducing visibility. The spread of invasive species is also facilitated by human activity, further increasing the pressure on native species. In two experiments, we measured the foraging efficiency, risk perception and inter-individual consistency of risk-taking...

Repeatable differences in exploratory behaviour predict tick infestation probability in wild great tits

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractEcological factors and individual-specific traits affect parasite infestation in wild animals. Ixodid ticks are important ectoparasites of various vertebrate hosts, which include passerine bird species such as the great tit (Parus major). We studied various key ecological variables (breeding density, human disturbance) and phenotypic traits...

Infection threat shapes our social instincts

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

We social animals must balance the need to avoid infections with the need to interact with conspecifics. To that end we have evolved, alongside our physiological immune system, a suite of behaviors devised to deal with potentially contagious individuals. Focusing mostly on humans, the current review describes the design and biological innards of th...

Effect of diet and rearing density on contest outcome and settlement in a field cricket

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractThe ability to win fights is expected to be influenced by the rearing and nutritional conditions experienced by individuals. We hypothesized that crowded rearing conditions would foreshadow intense competition for resources in adult male Gryllus firmus (Scudder) field crickets and thus favour greater investment in mandibular weaponry. In li...

Specialist predation covaries with colour polymorphism in tawny owls

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractUnderstanding intraspecific phenotypic variation in prey specialisation can help to predict how long-term changes in prey availability affect the viability of these phenotypes and their persistence. Generalists are favoured when the main food resources are unpredictable compared to specialists, which track the availability of the main prey ...

Undergraduate behavioral biologists keep science careers in focus through pandemic challenges—but need support

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Tail autotomy is associated with boldness in male but not female water anoles

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractSex differences in personality traits, such as boldness, are often driven by differences in life history strategies. Specifically, in a polygynous mating system where males defend territories to acquire mates, it may be beneficial for males to exhibit higher levels of boldness compared to females. However, males may also suffer a higher cos...

Radical change: temporal patterns of oxidative stress during social ascent in a dominance hierarchy

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractDominant individuals have priority access to mates and resources. However, high rank can be costly too, especially when it is maintained by intense agonistic behavior. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a potential cost of social dominance. However, social dominance hierarchies can be dynamic, and few studies have examined the cost of so...

Composition and compound proportions affect the response to complex chemical signals in a spiny lizard

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractMost animal signals across sensory modalities are multicomponent traits that can be broken down into discrete elements. If different elements are perceived as unique, independent units (elemental perception), instead of as integrated percepts (configural perception), single changes in the presence/absence or the abundance of specific elemen...

Tick parasitism impairs contest behavior in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

AbstractParasites may impair host behavior in ways that reduce host fitness, especially when access to territories or mates becomes disrupted. Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) are a key host to western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus). Males are highly aggressive during the mating season, competing with rivals through displays of...