Academic literature on the topic 'Newts sexual behaviour'

Courtship display characteristics are described and compared for the newts Triturus cristatus and T. marmoratus and patterns of male competitive behaviour are recognized. In interpreting the data, the operational sex ratio has to be taken into account, which was highly biased towards males in both species, more in T. marmoratus than in T. cristatus. When sexual active, males of cristatus had more encounters than males of marmoratus, whereas the latter spent more time residing mating places. The male’s display towards a female differed in time structure, variability and in behaviour characteristics. T. marmoratus display follows a fixed pattern; males succeeded better in restraining a female than males cristatus did. Courting males cristatus allowed other males to intrude. Malemale encounters were longer and playful in T. cristatus, more violent in T. marmoratus. Comparison with data from the literature indicates that courtship of T. marmoratus has more features in common with that of T. vittatus than it has with the courtship of T. cristatus. It is suggested that in the course of evolution T. marmoratus adopted a strategy of Sexual Defense by means of territoriality and overt fighting, whereas T. cristatus in contrast adopted a strategy of Sexual Interference by female mimicry. Male display components that played a major role during the adaptation of competitive strategy are identified as the “whip” behaviour in T. marmoratus and the “rocking” behaviour in T. cristatus.

AbstractThe sexual behaviour of the marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus) is similar to that of the crested newt (T. cristatus), but differs from it by a different temporal patterning of a number of display behaviours. Furthermore there are differences in frequency/intensity of certain displays. 'Rocking' is virtually absent in the marbled newt behaviour, whereas in the crested newt this is the most developed form of courtship movement. The marbled newt shows a less extreme 'catbuckle' display than the crested newt and a higher frequency of 'tail-lashes'. The courtship display of the marbled newt is then described in more detail and compared with that of T. cristatus and T. vittatus.

AbstractThe sexual behaviour of Bosca's newt, Triturus boscai is characterized by an extended phase of static display, during which tail fanning is the main display. This behaviour is similar to that of another species, T. italicus. During the static display phase males may also push the females' throat with the snout, and perform tail flicking movements. Unlike the other small-bodied Triturus species, T. boscai males receive very little or no indication on the part of the female signalling them to begin the spermatophore transfer phase, and do not perform retreat display. As in T. italicus, the tail-touch behaviour by the female of T. boscai appears to be less stereotyped than in the T vulgaris-helveticus-montandoni group. Spermatophore transfer success was highest at the beginning of the sexual encounters, the so-called early sequences. These sequences had little or no fanning behaviour before the spermatophore transfer. Luring behaviours are often performed, mainly during the spermatophore transfer phase.

The sexual behaviour of the Italian Newt Triturus italicus is characterized by an extended phase of static display. Tail fanning is the predominant movement during this stage. Shortly before creeping, a flicking tail movement is inserted in the display. Occasionally the male retreats in front of the female before turning to the spermatophore transfer phase. This behaviour is comparable to the retreat display of the T. vulgaris-helveticus-montandoni group. The long phase of static display resembles the behaviour of another species, T. boscai. In T. italicus, behaviours like retreat and tail touch by the female appear to be less stereotyped than in the T. vulgaris-helveticus-montandoni group.

Sexual selection based on visual stimuli was recently studied in several amphibian species with permanent or temporary dichromatism. The Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) is a Caudate species with prominent sexual dichromatism during the breeding period. We focused on the intersexual differences in the orange, carotenoid-base ventral colouration of this widespread European species. We used an image analysis approach to compare the content of the red colour and saturation of the belly in 80 male and 62 female aquatic adult newts captured during spring migration in two localities in the Czech Republic. Both studied colour parameters of the ventral side of the Alpine newt are connected with sex. Males have significantly higher values of saturation on both localities, but the relationship with red content was not so clear. Individual characteristics (body condition, body length) affect colour variables of males and females similarly. Effect of body condition on colour variables was not demonstrated. Therefore we presume that the pronounced colouration of males is a cue facilitating detection, localisation or interspecies identification, rather than a direct component of male quality as assessed by females.

Critical examinations of sexualities in Gabriel García Márquez’s work have often been metaphoric in nature and intended to highlight the experience of colonial oppression and other embedded postcolonial experiences. The current article refers to five selected works to situate García Márquez’s work in lived experience as opposed to allegory. The focus is on the concrete realities of such key issues as prostitution and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The representations of specific sexual practices in their social contexts and drawn from the five novels discussed clarify this aspect of García Márquez’s work, an aspect that has been largely silenced. The article examines previously unremarked-upon concerns such as brothel life, legal issues versus social practice, the link between labour and capital, child commercial sexual exploitation (including by women), the lack of social safety nets, ‘risky’ sex and sexually transmitted infections and the absence of serious reflection on HIV and AIDS. The reflections on prostitution and child exploitation are placed at the core of the present analysis to counteract the more recent common dismissal of some of García Márquez’s works as pornographic. Through a vigorous analysis of the selected works, the article offers a complex and shifting take on the traditional views of García Márquez’s apparent championing of sexual freedom.

Abstract1. The predatory behaviour of the smooth newt (Triturus vulgaris) on the isopod Asellus aquaticus was studied and the typical predatory sequence described. 2. Male Asellus in precopula experience a reduced risk of predation relative to single males. They seem to show an antipredator behaviour which 'confuses' the newt. 3. Precopula was probably influenced by both natural and sexual selection during the course of its evolution in this isopod.

Recently, the news media have been saturated with reports of sexual assault of women by men of high social status. In this article, the author examines sexual abuse from an evolutionary and socio-psychological perspective. The piece is based on a desk research (as opposed to a field research). It draws upon evolution as well as literature on human and animal behaviour, so as to re-examine how men may have evolved psychological mechanisms that compel them to sexually dominate women. Of particular concern to the author is the mating game apparently inherited from the lower animals. The article questions the persistence in modern society of such primitive attitude towards sexual relationship between men and women. Finally, it calls for further discussion and research enquiry about the human socialization process as a way of deconstructing the prehistoric mating game. While the issues highlighted in this paper are global in nature, they are pertinent to the Asian context – where there have been widespread reports of sexual abuse against women. It is important for readers in the South East Asian region to be informed of such transnational perspective on this world-wide phenomenon.Keywords: Gender, mating game, rape, sex in animals, sexual abuseCite as: Ibhakewanlan, J.O. (2017). Evolving a consent-based sexual encounter. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 2(2), 107-117.

AbstractThe carrying of feathers to adorn the nest has been recently described as a female behaviour that indicates quality in a passerine bird — the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) —, but the consequences that the variability of this trait may have on breeding success are still unknown. The feather-carrying behaviour is a sexual behaviour that is performed in response to a male display: the carrying of green plants. In this paper we explore whether foreign feathers affect male investment on chick rearing or reinforce the pair mating bonds. The experimental addition of feathers to nests caused an increase in clutch size and a reduction of nestling mortality, although it did not affect feeding rates or the removal of faecal sacs by males or females. Nest feathers did not increase the frequency with which females laid a second clutch in the same nest and with the same male. Thus, our results do not support the sexual selection hypothesis for the evolution of the carrying feathers behaviour. An alternative hypothesis that deserves to be addressed in specifically designed studies is that foreign feathers may be taken to nests as a sort of chemical warfare against nest parasites. The sexual selection and the chemical defence hypotheses are, however, not mutually exclusive and future research should evaluate whether the pre-existence of a behavioural trait arising by natural selection may drive the evolution of a signalling trait.

This chapter explores the intersection between athletic practices and sexual expression, primarily in the Western world, beginning with the same-sex eroticism of gymnasia in ancient Greece and the charged atmosphere of gladiatorial contests in Rome. After brief mentions of jousting and the Renaissance celebration of chiseled torsos, the chapter focuses on sports’ nineteenth-century reemergence as a chaste antidote to sexual desire, particularly in the movement known as “muscular Christianity.” Already by the early 1900s, however, athletes had begun to cultivate highly sexualized images. The heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson, in particular, epitomized white fears of the athletically indomitable and sexually insatiable black athlete. Even as heterosexual behavior in sports became headline news in the twentieth century, homosexuality remained hidden in the shadows until the first female tennis players began coming out in the 1980s. The chapter concludes with the rise of the athlete as sex symbol over the past three decades.

This chapter considers the egg from its conception, through laying and incubation, to hatching; and chicks. It begins with the genetic determination of sex in birds, the resultant secondary sexual characteristics, and associated reproductive behaviours. The chapter then considers the structure and function of the egg. The evolution of clutch size and the trade-offs related to food availability and predator risk that birds make when optimizing clutch size are discussed. Egg shell colouration, camouflage, and mimicry are explored as are the impacts of urban living and of anthropogenic pollution upon egg shell thickness and strength. Nest building and the function of nests are described and incubation behaviours are discussed. Embryonic development is considered as are hatching and post-hatching behaviours.

This chapter focuses on confronting violence, by analysing humanity's capacity for ‘evil’. It asserts the importance of confronting a sad truth — the reality that it is currently not possible to imagine a world fully free of human violence and aggression. The seeming inexplicability of much violent behaviour may often generate a sense that the world today is somehow bereft of a common morality or mutual sense of compassion. Certainly the internet, print, and TV news media are often fixed on unsettling stories of murder, gang violence, riots, sexual assaults, child abuse, domestic violence, civil war, and terrorism. The seeming ubiquity of violence in society, and the apparent appetite for it, when packaged up as a consumer product, might help in understanding why many people hold the view that violence is ingrained in people's nature.

The degree to which people experience threats to their survival shapes their basic values. Throughout history, most people lived just above the starvation level, but in the years after World War II, unprecedented prosperity and social welfare safety nets launched an intergenerational shift from survival to self-expression values. When the first postwar birth cohort reached adulthood in the 1960s, student protests erupted, inaugurating pervasive cultural changes. Historically, a coherent set of pro-fertility norms evolved that limits women to producing as many children as possible and that stigmatizes any other form of sexual behavior not linked with reproduction. Because pro-fertility norms require people to repress strong drives, there is a built-in tension between them and their polar opposite, individual-choice norms. Throughout history, societies that lacked pro-fertility norms tended to die out, but in recent decades, a growing number of societies have attained high existential security, long life expectancy, and low infant mortality, opening the way for a shift from pro-fertility norms to individual-choice norms.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.