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434 results for “conspecifics”
Wild zebra finches are attracted towards acoustic cues from conspecific social groups
<p class="Normal1">Social information gathered by observing others often supplements personal information collected from direct interactions with the physical environment during decision making. Social information use may be particularly beneficial in harsh environments or if resources are distributed patchily, ephemeral and unpredictable, and hence difficult to locate. We experimentally tested the use of acoustic cues in wild zebra finches (<em>Taeniopygia guttata</em>) as they flew around their arid habitat as a way of locating conspecifics on the ground, and potentially accessing useful social information. Joining a conspecific group may reduce the predation risk, and if they are foraging may also improve foraging efficiency, as the distribution of zebra finch food (grass seed) is scattered and unpredictable in their natural habitat, the Australian arid zone. We conducted playback experiments along vegetated creek lines radiating out from an artificial dam where all birds in the population were coming for drinking water. We broadcast recordings of vocalizations from foraging conspecific groups to birds using these creek lines to move to or from the water into the wider habitat. Zebra finches were more likely to land near the loudspeaker when conspecific vocalizations were broadcast compared to white noise. Birds flying low and close to the loudspeaker were most likely to land. Our results indicate that zebra finches use acoustic cues of conspecifics as a source of social information for grouping decisions. Use of such information may also enhance foraging efficiency in environments with unpredictable and scarce foraging locations, and reduce predation risk for calling and responding individuals.</p>
Empirical tests of habitat selection theory reveal that conspecific density and patch quality, but not habitat amount, drive long-distance immigration in a wild bird
<p>Individuals that disperse long distances from their natal site must select breeding patches with no prior knowledge of patch suitability. Despite decades of theoretical studies examining which cues dispersing individuals should use to select breeding patches, few empirical studies have tested the predictions of these theories at spatial scales relevant to long-distance dispersal in wild animal populations. Here, we use a novel assignment model based on multiple intrinsic markers to quantify natal dispersal distances of Wood Thrush (<i>Hylocichla mustelina</i>) breeding in forest fragments. We show that long-distance natal dispersal in this species is more frequent than commonly assumed for songbirds and that habitat selection by these individuals is driven by density-dependence and patch quality but not the amount of habitat surrounding breeding patches. These results represent an important contribution to understanding habitat selection by dispersing individuals, especially with regards to long-distance dispersal.</p>
Do natural enemies mediate conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence of trees? A meta-analysis of exclusion experiments
<p>Conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence is believed to be one of the most important mechanisms controlling forest community assembly and species diversity globally. Plant pathogens, and insect and mammalian herbivores, are the most common natural enemy types that have been implicated in this phenomenon, but their general effects at different plant life stages are still unclear. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies that involved robust manipulative experiments, using fungicides, insecticides, or exclosures, to assess the contributions of different natural enemy types to distance- and density-dependent effects at seed and seedling stages. We found that conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence was more common at the seedling stage. Only 30% of studies showed significant conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence. Among those studies, applying fungicides significantly reduced the effect of conspecific negative distance -dependent mortality. Excluding large mammals reduced the effect of conspecifics, but with only marginal significance (p < 0.1). Our study confirms that plant pathogens have a significant impact on distance -dependent mortality and suggests that the impacts of herbivores on seedlings have been understudied. At the seed stage, large and small mammals, respectively, appear to weaken and enhance negative conspecific distance-dependent mortality. Future research should identify specific agents of mortality, investigate the interactions among different enemy types, and assess how global change may affect natural enemies and thus influence the strength of conspecific distance- and density-dependence.</p>
Demographic consequences of heterogeneity in conspecific density dependence among mast fruiting tropical trees
<p>The role of conspecific density dependence (CDD) in the maintenance of species richness is a central focus of tropical forest ecology. However, tests of CDD often ignore the integrated effects of CDD over multiple life-stages and their long-term impacts on population demography. We combined a 10-year time series of seed production, seedling recruitment and sapling and tree demography of three dominant Southeast Asian tree species that adopt a mast fruiting phenology. We used these data to construct individual-based models that examine the effects of CDD on population growth rates (λ) across life-history stages. Recruitment was driven by positive CDD for all species, supporting the predator satiation hypothesis, while negative CDD affected seedling and sapling growth of two species, significantly reducing λ. This negative CDD on juvenile growth overshadowed the positive CDD of recruitment, suggesting the cumulative effects of CDD during seedling and sapling development has greater importance than the positive CDD during infrequent masting events. Overall, CDD varied between positive and negative across life-history stages for all species, suggesting that assessments of CDD on transitions between just two stages (e.g. seeds-seedlings or juveniles-mature trees) likely misrepresents the importance of CDD on population growth and stability.</p>
Videos from "Postural analysis reveals persistent vigilance in paper wasps after conspecific challenge"
<p>Videos of field assays demonstrating persistent effects of a simulated social challenge on the vigilance behavior of wild northern paper wasp foundresses, <em>Polistes fuscatus</em>. Untracked and tracked ("predictions.cleaned.slp") videos included.</p>
Invasive widow spiders perform differently at low temperatures than conspecifics from the native range
<p>Temperature challenges are one of the leading abiotic causes of success or failure of non-native species in a novel environment, and this is particularly true for low temperatures. Establishing and reproducing in a novel thermal environment can alter survival, behaviour, and traits related to fitness. It has been proposed that plasticity or adaptation of thermal tolerance may allow an introduced species to thrive, or that successful invaders may be those with a thermal breadth in their native habitat that encompasses their new environment. Here, we tested these hypotheses using native and invasive populations of Australian redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti). We measured how exposure to temperatures (exposure to 15°C and 25°C, respectively) common to invasive and native range habitats affected behavioural and life-history traits and tradeoffs that may underlie fitness in an invasive population detected in 1995 in Japan and a native population from Australia. We found that the critical thermal minimum (CTmin) was higher in the invasive population from Japan than in the native population, but critical thermal maximum (CTmax) did not differ between populations. Compared to the invasive population, eggs from the native population had a longer development time and lower hatching success at 15°C. Both populations performed equally well at 25 °C, as measured by egg development time and hatching success. Invasive juveniles that developed at 15 °C were slower to explore a novel environment and less bold when tested at 25 °C vs. 15 °C. In comparison, the native population showed faster average exploration, with no differences in response at the two development or testing temperatures. Overall, L. hasselti from Japan maintained hatching success and development across a wider temperature range than the native population, indicating greater thermal breadth and higher behavioural plasticity. These results support the importance of plasticity in thermal tolerance and behaviour for a successful invasion under novel environmental temperatures.</p>
Alarm cues and alarmed conspecifics: Neural activity during social learning from different cues in Trinidadian guppies
<p>Learning to respond appropriately to novel dangers is often essential to survival and success, but carries risks. Learning about novel threats from others (social learning) can reduce these risks. Many species, including the Trinidadian guppy (<em>Poecilia reticulata</em>), respond defensively to both conspecific chemical alarm cues and conspecifix anti-predator behaviours, and in other fish such social information can lead to a learned aversion to novel threats. However, relatively little is known about the neural substrates underlying social learning and the degree to which different forms of learning share similar neural mechanisms. Here, we explored the neural substrates mediating social learning of novel threats from two different conspecific cues (i.e. social cue-based threat learning). We first demonstrated that guppies rapidly learn about threats paired with either alarm cues or with conspecific threat responses (demonstration). Then, focusing on acquisition rather than recall, we discovered that phospho-S6 expression, a marker of neural activity, was elevated in guppies during learning from alarm cues in the putative homologue of the mammalian lateral septum and the preoptic area. Surprisingly, these changes in neural activity were not observed in fish learning from conspecific demonstration. Together, these results implicate forebrain areas in social learning about threat but raise the possibility that circuits contribute to such learning in a stimulus-specific manner.</p>
Figure 2 in Conspecific oophagy by the jumping spider Brettus cingulatus (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeini) in Karnataka, India
Figure 2 (continued from previous page). Intact female Brettus cingulatus occupying the nest (1-4) and later feeding on the eggs of its previous inhabitant (5-10). 8-10, At dusk few eggs remained. Note the engorged abdomen of this spider.
Figure 2 in Conspecific oophagy by the jumping spider Brettus cingulatus (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeini) in Karnataka, India
Figure 2 (continued on next page). Intact female Brettus cingulatus occupying the nest (1-4) and later feeding on the eggs of its previous inhabitant (5-10).
What makes decomposition faster under conspecific trees? The factors controlling the magnitude of home-field advantage
<p>The "home-field advantage (HFA)" for decomposition means that leaf litter decomposes faster on soils under the conspecific species (i.e., the home field) than on soils under different species (i.e., "away"). Many previous studies have demonstrated the HFA, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We conducted a reciprocal litter-decomposition experiment using two species with different leaf traits: <em>Abies mariesii</em>, an evergreen conifer, and <em>Fagus crenata</em>, a deciduous broad-leaved tree. The dominance of these species shifts along an elevation gradient with a transition zone where both species coexist. In mixed forests of the transition zone along the elevation gradient, we explored how the magnitude of HFA between these two species was influenced by temperature, soil properties, or leaf litter traits which could directly affect the decomposition rate. The magnitude of HFA observed between the two species varied widely from -3.89% to 28.3%. Our modeling showed that the magnitude of HFA increased with decreasing soil pH and leaf litter N, i.e., in more acidic soil and for less decomposable litter. Soil pH affected leaf litter decomposition in the home plots of each species, whereas leaf litter N did not. The magnitude of the HFA increased as the difference in soil pH between the <em>F. crenata </em>and <em>A. mariesii</em> plots at the same elevation became greater, but decreased as the difference in soil C became greater. Thus, the response of leaf litter decomposition to environmental changes might vary not only through direct effects of vegetation traits but also through indirect effects of the HFA. This highlights the importance of considering HFA for accurately predicting the response of local carbon and nutrient cycles to climate change, particularly in communities where a replacement of dominant species by others is expected due to climate change.</p>
Fig. 3 in Skin extract from Rhamdia quelen (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) does not promote stress in conspecifics
Fig. 3. Locomotion displayed by Rhamdia quelen. Symbols
Leaf area predicts conspecific spatial aggregation of woody species
<p><strong>Aim:</strong> Addressing how woody plant species are distributed in space can reveal inconspicuous drivers that structure plant communities. The spatial structure of conspecifics varies not only at local scales across co-existing plant species but also at larger biogeographical scales with climatic parameters and habitat properties. The possibility that biogeographical drivers shape the spatial structure of plants, however, has not received sufficient attention.</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> Global synthesis.</p> <p><strong>Time period:</strong> 1997 - 2022.</p> <p><strong>Major taxa studied:</strong> Woody angiosperms and conifers.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We carried out a quantitative synthesis to capture the interplay between local scale and larger scale drivers. We modelled conspecific spatial aggregation as a binary response through logistic models and Ripley's L statistics and the distance at which the point process was least random with mixed effects linear models. Our predictors covered a range of plant traits, climatic predictors and descriptors of the habitat.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> We hypothesized that plant traits, when summarized by local scale predictors, exceed in importance biogeographical drivers in determining the spatial structure of conspecifics across woody systems. This was only the case in relation to the frequency with which we observe aggregated distributions. The probability of observing spatial aggregation and the intensity of it was higher for plant species with large leaves but further depended on climatic parameters and mycorrhiza.</p> <p><strong>Main Conclusions:</strong> Compared to climatic variables, plant traits perform poorly in explaining the spatial structure of woody plant species, even though leaf area is a decisive plant trait that is related to whether we observe homogenous spatial aggregation and its intensity. Despite the limited variance explained by our models, we found that the spatial structure of woody plants is subject to consistent biogeographical constraints and that these exceed beyond descriptors of individual species, which we captured here through leaf area.</p>
Still-air olfactometer responses of Argentine Stem Weevil to odours from ryegrass, frass, and conspecifics in New Zealand
<p>This dataset contains data from two still-air olfactometer trials, one on diapausing Argentine stem weevils (Listronotus bonariensis) and one on reproductive, gravid, weevils. It also contains dissection data on the weevils that made a choice in the olfactometer. This data set is associated with the manuscript:</p> <p><span>Vereijssen J, Rosta´ s M, van Tol R, van Koten C and Goldson S (2024) Olfactometer-measured responses of Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to feeding-induced grass volatiles and conspecific frass as influenced by the weevil’s seasonality. Front. Ecol. Evol. 12:1470023. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1470023</span></p>
No evidence for conspecific recruitment for cooperative hunting in lionfish Pterois miles
Lionfish are common piscivores in the Indo-Pacific and invasive in the Caribbean. A fin flaring pattern, involving a rapid undulation of the caudal fin and sequential turning of both pectoral fins, was described in zebra lionfish as a signal to initiate cooperative hunting, and it was hypothesized that such hunting tactics may also exist in other lionfish species and contribute to their successful invasion in the Caribbean. Here, we investigated one of those invasive species, <i>Pterois miles</i>, in its natural range in the Red Sea. We did not observe evidence for cooperative hunting in the field. We complemented field observations with a laboratory experiment aimed at inducing subjects to recruit partners for cooperative hunts, exposing subjects to inaccessible prey in a transparent housing as well as to a potential partner. We regularly observed the fin flaring pattern, but importantly it was not directed at the partner. Thus, rather than being a signal, the fin flaring movement pattern seems to be a swimming mode in a confined environment. Furthermore, the two lionfish did not aggregate at the prey housing, reinforcing the field results that this species in the Red sea does not depend on cooperation to hunt fish.
Louisiana black-bellied whistling-duck clutch characteristics in the presence of conspecific and interspecific brood parasitism
<p>Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis; hereafter Whistling-Duck) are undergoing a rapid range expansion northward and now breed throughout the southeastern United States. As a facultative cavity-nesting species, they have the potential to compete with Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) and Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) for nest sites. Little is known about Whistling-Duck breeding biology, and estimates of clutch characteristics and rates of conspecific and interspecific brood parasitism (hereafter, CBP and IBP respectively) are lacking. We monitored Whistling-Duck nests in Louisiana to describe nesting chronology, clutch size of parasitized and unparasitized (hereafter, normal) nests, and hatchability (i.e., the portion of eggs that hatched) for clutches of different sizes and types. We monitored a total of 558 nest boxes 2020–2021 and determined the presence of brood parasitism for 231 Whistling-Duck nests. CBP was detected in 73 (31.6%) nests, and IBP was observed in 51 (22.1%) nests parasitized by Wood Ducks, 2 (0.9%) nests parasitized by Hooded Mergansers, and 1 nest contained eggs from all three species. Normal clutches were smaller (15.4 ± 4.4 eggs) than CBP clutches (26.1 ± 8.8 eggs) and mixed clutches (22.2 ± 5.3 eggs; clutches containing Wood Duck or Hooded Merganser eggs; all pairwise P < 0.0001). However, within-clutch repeatability estimates for egg morphology data (i.e., length, width, and mass) were low (< 0.40) for normal clutches, suggesting CBP went undetected. Of 180 fated nests used to determine hatchability, 66 (36.7%) were successful, 49 (27.2%) were abandoned, 64 (35.6%) were depredated, and 1 (0.6%) was nonviable. Considering successful nests, hatchability was high for all clutch size bins ranging from 67.4% (41-45 eggs) to 81.6% (11-15 eggs). This study is the first to document Whistling-Ducks successfully hatching mixed-species broods, and such high productivity could be contributing to whistling-duck range expansion.</p>
Data from: Highlighting potential physical and chemical cues involved in conspecific recognition system in a predator nematode, Seinura caverna
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Conspecific recognition is the ability to distinguish and respond to individuals of the same species. In nematodes, this behavior can mediate aggregation, feeding behavior, or mating. Here, we investigated whether and how the predatory nematode <em>Seinura caverna</em> recognizes and avoids conspecifics to prey on. In predation assays, <em>S. caverna</em> did not kill conspecifics, but killed nematodes of three heterospecific species. Interestingly, <em>S. caverna</em> did not kill <em>Ektaphelenchoides</em> <em>spondylis</em> nematodes. <em>S. caverna</em> did not eject its stylet when encountering conspecifics or <em>E. spondylis</em>. The characterization of the internal cuticle structure of 13 nematode species suggested that the cuticle may play a role in the preying decision, as <em>E. spondylis</em> and <em>S. caverna</em> exhibited similar, type III, cuticle layers. Chemical extracts from <em>S.</em> <em>caverna</em> further repelled conspecifics. We discuss the potential hierarchical use of physical and chemical cues in <em>S. caverna</em> predation behavior and provide insights into the evolutionary adaptations and behavior of this organism. </span></p>
Recognition of conspecific immunological status in a neotropical paper wasp
<p><span>Host immune activation is common under a pathogen invasion. This physiological response can promote changes in body surface compounds, thus providing chemical cues related to health that might be useful to conspecifics. By recognizing the current immunological status of social partners, individuals can modulate their behavior to minimize the risk of infection. Tegument wounding, an immune elicitor, is a required step for many parasites to become established in a host. By using the neotropical eusocial paper wasp <em>Mischocyttarus metathoracicus</em> as a model organism, we first performed a lure presentation experiment in the field to test if wasps discriminate conspecific immunological status (experimentally manipulated by wounding) during on-nest social interactions. Then, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses to test if immunostimulation by wounding alters the wasps' cuticular hydrocarbon profile. We found that wasps reduce the duration of aggressive physical contact when interacting with wounded lures, despite displaying a similar frequency of inspective and aggressive behaviors toward both the wounded and the control lures. Besides, we found a subtle increase in a single cuticular hydrocarbon in the wounded wasps. Thus, wasps recognize conspecific immunological status, likely by chemical cues, and modulate their behavior in order to defend the colony against intruders while minimizing the personal risk of infection.</span></p>
Effects of tree species diversity and conspecific seedling density on insect herbivory and pathogen infection on big-leaf mahogany seedlings
<p>The Janzen-Connell Hypothesis (JCH) predicts that attack by specialist enemies on seedlings increases with conspecific seedling density, but studies have rarely experimentally tested for the contingency of such effects on tree community context (e.g., diversity, composition) and measured responses by different enemies (e.g. herbivores, pathogens). We conducted a field study in a large-scale system evaluating tree species diversity and conspecific density effects on leaf damage on mahogany (<em>Swietenia macrophylla</em>) seedlings. We established quadrats of eight levels of seedling density across mahogany tree monocultures and species polycultures including mahogany, and recorded percent leaf damage by insects and percent leaf necrosis by a pathogenic fungus on mahogany seedlings. We found contrasting effects of tree species diversity on insects and pathogens. Whereas diversity did not affect leaf damage by insects, it had a significant negative effect on leaf necrosis by pathogens. On average, percent leaf necrosis on mahogany seedlings in polyculture was half of that observed in monoculture. We discuss the potential influences of changes in mahogany tree density vs. frequency (relative to other tree species) driving this diversity effect. Unexpectedly, we found no effect of seedling conspecific density on either leaf insect or pathogen damage (i.e., density-independent attack). Likewise, we found no significant tree diversity by seedling density interaction, indicating that attackers were consistently unresponsive to variation in seedling density across two levels of tree diversity. Overall, this study provides a unique test of the JCH by experimentally evaluating seedling density and tree diversity effects on contrasting plant enemies, shedding light on enemy controls over plant recruitment.</p>
Seedling performance in a dioecious tree species is similar near female and male conspecific adults despite differences in colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
<p>Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) are a key driver of species diversity and composition in plant communities worldwide; however, the factors that may cause feedbacks to vary within species are rarely examined. In dioecious species, the strength of feedbacks may differ near female plants that produce seed versus near male plants (which do not) because repeated inputs of seeds and high seedling densities near females may cause accumulation of host‐specific soil microbes that influence seedling performance. To test whether conspecific seedling performance is reduced near seed‐producing female trees relative to male or heterospecific trees, we conducted shadehouse and field experiments with a dioecious tropical tree species, Virola surinamensis (<em>Myristicaceae</em>), on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The shadehouse experiment isolated the effect of soil microbial communities on seedling growth and allowed us to quantify colonization by mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, while the field experiment allowed us to assess seedling survival and growth in the presence of nearby conspecific adults and seedlings. In both experiments, seedling performance was similar between seedlings grown in the soil microbial communities and field environments underneath female conspecific, male conspecific, and heterospecific trees. However, contrary to expectation, seedling colonization by AM fungi was higher in male conspecific soil microbial communities than in female or heterospecific soil microbial communities at the end of the shadehouse experiment. Together, our experiments show that while differences among female and male plants in dioecious species may influence the association of conspecific seedlings with AM fungi in their soils, this variation does not necessarily translate directly to differences in seedling performance, at least over the time frame of our experiments. Studies of additional dioecious species are needed to help determine differences in soil microbial communities beneath male and female plants and to assess the role of seed input versus adult root systems in driving PSFs.</p>
Neighbours matter and the weak succumb: chalara ash dieback infection is more severe in trees with fewer conspecific neighbours and lower prior growth rate
<p>The epidemiology and severity of ash dieback (ADB), the disease caused by the ascomycete fungus, <em>Hymenoscyphus</em> <em>fraxineus</em>, has been linked to a variety of site conditions, however, there has been a lack of analysis at an individual-tree scale. <br> <br>Symptoms of ADB were scored on ca. 400 trees of <em>Fraxinus</em> <em>excelsior</em> (ash) in permanent sample plots during two successive years in a UK natural woodland reserve. Using comprehensive plot records maintained since 1945, and detailed spatial records updated since 1977, we assembled an array of potential explanatory variables, including site environment factors, ash tree density, previous and present tree condition and near neighbourhood summary statistics (NNSS), such as species mingling and size dominance. Their impact on the severity of ADB of focal ash trees was tested with generalised linear mixed effects models (GLMM).<br> <br>The severity of ADB was much greater in the lower slope parts of the site with moister soils and least in a managed area subject to tree thinning in the previous 35 years. Severity of ADB had a negative association with focal ash tree prior relative growth rate over a period of a decade immediately before the disease was detected at the site. Greater ADB severity was also significantly associated with smaller diameter-at-breast-height of ash trees. Additionally, ADB was significantly positively associated with a greater proportion of heterospecific trees amongst the six nearest neighbours of the focal tree. <br> <br><em>Synthesis</em>. The relationship of the severity of ADB disease with site environment, tree condition and neighbourhood is complex but nevertheless important in the progression of the disease. The findings suggest some silvicultural interventions, such as thinning to increase the vigour of retained ash trees, might reduce the impact of ADB.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
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The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
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