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1
Sontag, Charles Robert. "Social foraging in Bufo Americanus tadpoles." Diss., Online access via UMI:, 2007.
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Marshall, Harry. "Social foraging behaviour in a varying environment." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/11178.
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Social foraging behaviour has an important influence on individuals’ survival and reproduction through its role in the acquisition of food resources. It also determines the amount of foraging time required in differing environments, and so the amount of time available for other activities, such as socialising and resting, which have been implicated in an individual’s fitness, as well as the stability of the wider social group. In this thesis I explore the links between these two processes by investigating the drivers of social foraging behaviour, and how the foraging time budgets that this behaviour produces vary between environments. I do this using data collected from a wild population of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in Namibia, under both natural and field-experimental conditions, and through the development of an individual-based model (IBM). I show that baboon foraging decisions are influenced by social and non-social factors, but that the relative influence of these factors is dependent on the characteristics of the forager and the habitat it is in. These differences in decision-making appear to allow all individuals in a group to experience similar foraging success under natural conditions, but this pattern breaks down in extreme conditions. Using these findings to build an IBM of social foraging, I show that the time individuals need to spend foraging can increase rapidly in a deteriorating environment to the point where they are no longer able to gather enough resources. Overall, the findings of this thesis contribute to the growing appreciation that social foragers can exhibit a high degree of behavioural flexibility. These findings also emphasise the long-standing recognition that individual-level behaviours have an important influence on higher-level ecological patterns and processes and that an appreciation of this is important, not only for our understanding of these patterns and processes, but also for informing conservation and management.
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Kings, Michael. "Foraging tactics and social networks in wild jackdaws." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/34567.
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Individual variation in asocial and social behavioural traits can affect patterns of social association. Resultant individual-level variation in sociality can be quantified using social network analysis. Social network analysis has recently been applied to the study of the evolution and development of social behaviour. Though captive systems have provided useful contributions to this endeavour, investigating the factors shaping social structure in wild populations affords superior ecological relevance. The characterisation of the social structure of wild animals has been greatly aided by improvements in automated data collection methods, particularly the miniaturisation of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for the purposes of studying the social foraging behaviour of wild birds. In this thesis, I use RFID methods to examine the factors influencing between-individual variation in foraging routines (Chapter Two) and social network position (Chapter Three) in wild populations of a colonial corvid species, the jackdaw (Corvus monedula). I then relate social network position to reproductive success (Chapter Three) and investigate the developmental plasticity of jackdaw social behaviour by determining the effect of early life conditions on social network position (Chapter Four). Finally, I describe the fine-scale temporal dynamics of social foraging, the nature of accompaniment during paired foraging and the foraging benefits of social support (Chapter Five).
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Thompson, James M. "The social foraging niche of the Mbendjele Bayaka." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2018. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10054365/.
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This thesis addresses the question of how a population of modern hunter-gatherers, the Mbendjele BaYaka, utilise social behaviours to exploit high quality but difficult to acquire foods. In contrast to other primates, the human diet contains a high proportion of meat, tubers and honey which have in common not only a very high calorific density but also considerable acquisition costs. The theory that human cognition coevolved with a transition to a diet specialising in these resources is far from novel. However, the underlying proximate mechanisms that allow hunter-gatherers to exploit these foods is poorly understood. It is widely accepted that food sharing by hunter-gatherers acts as a form of reciprocal altruism, reducing the risk inherent to high variability foods such as large game. However, the underlying mechanism which maintain the reciprocity are often ignored, simply assuming humans have the capacity to calculate and act upon inequalities. Similarly, a long-standing theory explaining the extended period of juvenile dependence in humans argues that it provides the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to hunt and gather difficult to acquire foods, yet we still no relatively little about how hunter-gatherer children learn and develop. In this this thesis I address not only the well-worn question of the ultimate explanations for sharing and childhood, but also examine the proximate mechanisms underlying cooperation and social learning. I make use of a range of data on three contemporary Mbendjele camps, which offer varying social structures and levels of market integration, and compare this to previously published data on the Mbendjele as well as data on a contemporary population of fisher-gatherers, the Agta of the Philippines. The Mbendjele in this study live within a logging concession, an area that in recent years has undergone rapid development. This provides an opportunity to study the impact changes in economy have had on foraging and food sharing. In combination with analyses that make use of recent innovations in remote sensing technology and social network analysis to examine how kin and social relations facilitate cooperation, I find evidence that food sharing serves multiple functions in this society, one of which is risk reduction, but also that attitudinal reciprocity rather than calculated reciprocity may be the underlying mechanism. By observing how Mbendjele children spend their time and how this differs with both age and sex I find evidence that learning is a primary motivator of children’s activity. However, I challenge the assumption that direct experiential learning of male specific foraging is the main mode of learning for Mbendjele boys, suggesting that either learning is indirect and reliant on horizontal pathways, or that this type of learning is not the primary cause for the evolution of the extended juvenile period in humans. The key findings of this thesis highlight the important role played, not only by social behaviours, but also social structures in the hunter-gatherer economy. Affiliative relationships stabilise cooperation and facilitate social learning, and a greater understanding of the proximate mechanisms surely offers a pathway to a better understanding of human evolution.
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Valentini, Michele. "Pursue Social and Ecological Sustainability Through Urban Foraging : Design for Foraging: Plantarum, a Digital Mapping Platform." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-66814.
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Food production and food consumption have been shown to have a great impact on our ecosystem. Human beings have been exploiting the planet in order to feed themselves. This will have negative consequences for future life on the planet. Modern food production and consumption are among the main causes of natural resource exploitation and the problem is very likely to increase. Indeed, during the past thirty years, the global population has grown exponentially by almost one billion every decade, and it is still growing at the same pace. This demographic explosion means that dramatic shifts in the production and consumption of food will be required. Working with food is a great chance to achieve or at least lead towards a condition of recovering, understanding the world around us and managing our natural resourcesÅ. Increasing control and efficiency in food production and consumption cannot solve the problem. There is a much broader spectrum of causes contributing to the ecological decline. It is necessary to look beyond the technological and economic aspects. It is, therefore, necessary to focus on cultural and behavioural causes, promoting the involvement of local peopleÇ. With this in mind, this research explores the potential of urban foraging for generating social consciousness about ecological sustainability using design as method of intervention, and involving food consumers in the process of production and consumption of food in a more sustainable way. In order to do that, this research focuses on a small scale urban foraging project. In this case, by food, I refer to spontaneous food that grow in the natural urban environment of Växjö, and that can be used as a resource for citizens. In summary, this research aims to promote the involvement of local people and to support knowledge exchange in order to pursue socio-ecological sustainability. Engaging with more participants, the research gains the capacity of addressing complexity in a more coherent manner, and use its outcome as a usable resource for the local community that aims to promote its self-sustenance.
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Cowie, Alice. "Experimental studies of social foraging in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/6552.
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Many animals are social foragers. Foraging with others may confer a number of advantages, but is also likely to present a number of challenges that are not encountered by solitary foragers. For instance, whilst feeding in a group may interfere with an animal's ability to learn new foraging skills or the location of new foraging patches by itself, it may simultaneously provide it with the opportunity to acquire new skills or knowledge by means of social learning. This thesis addresses a number of questions relating to the interaction between social foraging and social learning using small groups of captive budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, as a test species. In particular, it investigates the spread of novel foraging behaviour through groups of birds under conditions that either permit or restrict a high degree of ‘scrounging' (food stealing) by naïve birds from skilled ‘producers' in their group (Chapter Three). Scrounging is found to inhibit naïve budgerigars' performance of new foraging skills, but appears to facilitate their underlying acquisition, or motivation to acquire these skills, when the need arises – for instance, when producers are lost from their group. In addition, the thesis assesses the importance of a number of different individual-level characteristics, such as age, sex, and competitive rank, in predicting birds' propensity to behave as producers rather than scroungers when foraging in a group (Chapter Four). The thesis also examines budgerigars' relative use of social and personal information when selecting foraging locations (Chapter Five), and assesses the importance of group social networks in predicting individual birds' order and latency to arrive at foraging patches (Chapter Six). Budgerigars are found to rely on social information when they lack any personal information about foraging locations. When equipped with both social information and personal information, some, but not all birds appear still to utilise social information. Birds' social networks appear to have little bearing on individuals' foraging patch visitation times.
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Carter, Julia. "Social learning and social influences on foraging decisions in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.495922.
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Sharpe, Fred. "Social foraging of the southeast Alaskan humpback whale, Megaptera novaengliae." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/NQ61679.pdf.
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Thornton, James Alexander Nicholas. "Social influences on the development of foraging behaviour in meerkats." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.613195.
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Smith, Rebecca. "Together for better or worse? : why starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) forage in groups." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.275205.
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Dornhaus, Anna. "The role of communication in the foraging process of social bees." Doctoral thesis, [S.l. : s.n.], 2002. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=966204484.
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Turbé, Anne. "Foraging decisions and space use in a social mammal, the meerkat." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614362.
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Jin, Xiaoyu. "A Social Information Foraging Approach to Improving End-User Developers’ Productivity." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1512039659764376.
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Lee, Jennifer. "Through a foraging lens : legal, economic and social change in England." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2012. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/8473/.
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Foraging is a popular modern pastime, as evidenced by the growing number of books, television programmes and websites dedicated to wild foods. Yet foraging - that quintessential activity of early man - is no longer relevant to our survival, nor is it even of peripheral importance to our social and economic system. It may still hold meaning for our psychosocial wellbeing, but only in ways that illustrate our disassociation from the past, rather than our connection to it. This thesis begins by examining the biological imperatives that once drove foraging behaviours but that now have a negligible effect on most of humanity. It then moves to examine the legal and historical contexts in which the harvests take place and the life experiences of the people who have gathered wild foods. Today, we still cling to the long-established ideal that wild foods are ‘inherently public property,’ or free for all to gather for personal use. The environment in which the process takes place, however, is profoundly changed: the institutional setting is hostile and there has been a wholesale loss of general knowledge as to the location and use of foods that were once core to our diet. Those foraging today - often middle aged, well educated women – continue to gather for a complex array of personal reasons, and do so irrespective of prevailing laws and in spite of conservation issues. This research finds that the wild harvest today is a socially and culturally negotiated symbol tied to perceptions of the self, identity and sense of place. The transformation of the symbolic meaning of foraging is highlighted via an analysis of the social history of the bilberry harvest and through the narratives of bilberry gatherers and heath land wardens, both of which reveal the unravelling of the social nexus in which the harvest once occurred. The thesis concludes with a call for a food culture that suits our landscape and ecology and that reconnects us with the food that sustains us.
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Bluff, Lucas. "Tool use, foraging ecology and social dynamics in New Caledonian crows." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.670047.
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Dawson, Erika H. "Social information use in social insects." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2014. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7980.
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Social learning plays a valuable role in the lives of many animal taxa, sometimes allowing individuals to bypass the costs of personal exploration. The ubiquity of this behaviour may arise from the fact that learning from others is often underpinned by simple learning processes that also enable individuals to learn asocially. Insects have proven to be particularly valuable models for investigating parsimonious hypotheses with regards to social learning processes, due to their small brain sizes and the prevalence of social information use in their life histories. In this thesis, I use social insects to further investigate the mechanisms underlying more complex social learning behaviours and explore the circumstances under which social information use manifests. In the first chapter, I investigate the proximate mechanisms underlying social learning and demonstrate that even seemingly complex social learning behaviours can arise through simple associative learning processes. In Chapter two, I investigate whether bees are more predisposed to learning from conspecific cues and discover that social information is learnt to a greater extent than information originating from non-social sources. In Chapter four, I demonstrate that classical conditioning also underpins learning from evolved social signals in honeybees. Finally, I investigate whether social information is used adaptively by bumblebees: Chapter three demonstrates that joining behaviour in free-flying bees is contingent upon whether flowers are familiar or not, and in Chapter six, I show that when social information is costly to acquire, bees are more likely to rely on social information to make foraging decisions. Taken as a whole, my findings suggest that bees may be specially adapted for receiving social information, but the ability to learn from others arises through general associative learning mechanisms.
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Cook, Zoe. "The effects of decentralisation on foraging and organisation in social insect colonies." Thesis, University of York, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5634/.
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Social insect colonies demonstrate some of the most striking social behaviours that are seen in nature. Social interaction in these species defines their behaviour and has a large impact on their success. A number of ant species organise their colony over several socially interacting, but spatially separated nests. This behaviour is known as polydomy. I used simulation modelling to investigate the costs and benefits of this behaviour. The results showed that colony organisation interacts with both foraging strategy and resource distribution to determine the effect of polydomy on foraging success. Importantly, I show that there are previously undiscussed costs to polydomy. I also addressed questions of how the social connections between the nests in a colony are organised. Complex interacting systems such as the trail system formed between nests in a polydomous colony can be represented as a network. I review the use of this representation in studies of social insects and provide suggestions for future studies on how social insect systems may provide insight into the construction and use of effective network systems in general. By representing the trail systems found between nests as networks I show that the systems formed by ants are highly efficient for the transportation of resources but balance this efficiency with the cost of producing trails. A number of simple mechanisms have been proposed for the construction of these networks. I test these theories and show that the simplest mechanisms suggested may not be sufficient to replicate the natural systems. This thesis contributes to the understanding of the behaviour of ants in polydomous colonies and to the understanding of distributed biological systems more generally. The work also provides a basis for future research on how efficient systems can be constructed using simple rules.
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Ratnam, Jayashree. "Ecological and social correlates of foraging decisions in a social forager, the bonnet macaque, Macaca radiata diluta." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/syr/main.
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Lee, David S. "The ecological and social dynamics of Inuit narwhal foraging at Pond Inlet, Nunavut /." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=85182.
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Research over the past several decades on the nature of Inuit hunting of narwhals has focused upon harvesting technologies and the traditional ecological knowledge of modern hunting of the species. However, as much as such work has contributed to our understanding of Inuit and narwhal interaction, less is known about contemporary Inuit hunting behaviour of narwhal. The research presented in this dissertation redresses this gap by providing a detailed behavioural description and analysis of the Inuit narwhal hunting in two critical environments utilized by the Inuit of Pond Inlet---those of the spring floe-edge and the summer open water.This information and its analysis are presented through three manuscripts. The first manuscript forms the analytical basis of the behavioural description by presenting through the use of a decision flow chart, the parameters that affect narwhal hunting. The second and third manuscript explore different foraging strategies involved in several major decisions the Inuit typically face when pursuing narwhal at the floe-edge (Manuscript Two) and in the open water environment (Manuscript Three). The data pertinent to the major decision factors influencing actions in both environments were obtained through participant observation, supplemented by interviews with hunters and elders.
The main results of this research pertain to the different, but complementary, strategies employed by Mittimatalingmiut (Pond Inlet Inuit) hunters during the floe-edge and ice free seasons, as well as during the transition between the two. Before break-up, the most frequent method employed in floe-edge and outpost camp hunts is an ambush or a sit-and-wait strategy. Interestingly, during the transition between floe-edge and complete open water, Pond Inlet Inuit utilized both sit-and-wait and pursuit hunting strategies to maximize their hunting opportunities.
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Devas, Frederic Seymour. "The influence of social relationships on foraging success in chacma baboons (Papio ursinus)." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/284056.
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Evans, Julian Claude. "Group-foraging and information transfer in European shags, Phalacrocorax aristotelis." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/18537.
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Many animals including marine mammals and several seabird species dive in large groups, but the impacts that social interactions can have on diving behaviour are poorly understood. There are several potential benefits to social diving, such as access to social information or reduced predation risk. In this body of research I explore the use of social information by groups of diving animals by studying the behaviour of European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) diving in “foraging rafts” in the Isles of Scilly. Using GPS tracking I establish where shags regularly forage in relation to bathymetry and areas where foraging rafts frequently formed. Using these data I show that the foraging ranges of different colonies overlap and that foraging ranges of individual shags are often predictable. This suggests that social information will be of less value while searching for foraging patches. However, using observational studies to further explore the conditions and areas in which foraging rafts formed, I show that advantages such as anti-predation or hydrodynamic benefits are unlikely to be the main drivers of rafting behaviour in the Scillies. I therefore suggest that access to social information from conspecifics at a foraging patch may be one of the main benefits diving in groups. Using a dynamic programming model I show that individuals diving in a group benefit from using social information, even when unable to assess conspecific foraging success. Finally I use video analysis to extract the positions and diving behaviour of individuals within a foraging raft and compare this to simulated data of collective motion and diving behaviour. The results of these studies indicate that an individual being able to utilise dives of conspecifics to inform their own diving decisions may be one of the main advantages of social diving.
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Boates, J. S. "Foraging and social behaviour of the oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus in relationship to diet specialization." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.381288.
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Robinette, Renee L. "Social and ecological influences on decision-making by beach-foraging northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus) /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/9131.
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Klotz, Jared Lee. "OPTIMAL GROUP SIZE IN HUMANS: AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF THE SIMPLE PER CAPITA MAXIMIZATION MODEL." OpenSIUC, 2016. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1312.
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The current study utilized two experiments to assess Smith's (1981) simple per capita-maximization model, which provides a quantitative framework for predicting optimal group sizes in social foraging contexts. Participants engaged in a social foraging task where they chose to forage for points exchangeable for lottery prizes either alone or in a group that has agreed to pool and share all resources equally. In Experiment 1, groups (“settlements”) of 10 or 12 participants made repeated group membership choices. Settlements were exposed to three conditions in which the optimal group size was either 2, 5, or 2 for the 10 person settlement or 3, 4, or 6 for the 12 person settlement. A linear regression of the data from Experiment 1 revealed a strong relationship between the observed group sizes and group sizes predicted by the simple per capita maximization model. Experiment 2 was a systematic replication of Experiment 1 in which single participants foraged for shared resources with groups of automated players in a computerized simulation. Automated player group choices mirrored group choices of participants in Experiment 1; excluding the data for the best performing participant. Thus, the participant acted essentially in the stead of the best performing participant for each condition. Two logistic regressions provided mixed support for the model, while failing to replicate the results of Experiment 1, providing mixed support for the use of the simple per capita maximization model in predicting group sizes in social foraging contexts.
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Gilbert-Norton, Lynne Barbara. "The Effects of Social Status and Learning on Captive Coyote (Canis latrans) Behavior." DigitalCommons@USU, 2009. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/514.
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Many canids live within hierarchical social systems that could promote differences in learning or in behavior between ranked individuals. Differences in foraging and territorial behavior have been observed between ranked coyotes (Canis latrans), yet effects of learning and social status on coyote behavior are not thoroughly understood. I explored a) coyote response to an artificial scent boundary and whether response differed by status, b) how foraging coyotes tracked temporal resource change, and c) how coyotes find spatially distributed food, and the effect of dominance on foraging behavior. I used male/female pairs of captive coyotes at the National Wildlife Research Center Predator Research Facility in Utah. Prior to testing, I identified social rank within pairs by testing for food dominance. In study 1, I laid a scent boundary and monitored space use with GPS and observed behavioral responses directly. All coyotes investigated and crossed the boundary, but were repelled more by human presence. Subordinates investigated and marked the boundary more than dominants. Further investigation is needed to mimic natural boundaries for management purposes. In study 2, I gave eight individual coyotes an operant test with concurrent variable interval (VI) schedules. I varied the ratio of resources and measured the time spent on two choices, then fitted the generalized matching equation to the data. I found that all coyotes efficiently tracked changes in resource ratios and matched their relative rate of foraging time to relative rate of resources. Matching theory provides an effective methodology to explore foraging strategies and behavioral flexibility in coyotes. In study 3, I tested 16 coyotes in a spatial foraging task. Coyotes searched for food in eight potential locations, and were tested individually and in respective pairs. I recorded the area and number of locations searched, approach time, and frequency of marking by dominant and subordinate coyotes. Results showed individual subordinates increased efficiency by relocating, but their efficiency decreased when foraging in pairs. Dominant coyotes did not increase efficiency in company by following subordinates. Coyotes marked the correct feeder more than incorrect feeders. Results suggest coyotes use memory and odor (scent marks) to find food, but that social status overrules information use.
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Gomes, Bruno. "Diversidade de vespas sociais (Vespidae, Polistinae) na Amazônia ocidental e relação dos ciclos ambientais abióticos sobre o forrageio." Universidade de São Paulo, 2013. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/59/59131/tde-30102013-141657/.
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Este trabalho foi dividido em dois capítulos em formato de artigo científico, que fornecem informações sobre diversidade e ecologia de vespas sociais (Polistinae) em três áreas de floresta amazônica no estado de Rondônia. No primeiro capítulo comparamos índices de diversidade de áreas com diferentes níveis de interferência antrópica e apresentamos uma lista de espécies para a região. No segundo observamos a relação de alguns fatores ambientais abióticos (temperatura, umidade relativa do ar e intensidade luminosa) com o forrageio das vespas sociais durante a fotofase (06:00 18:00 h). Foram realizadas 42 coletas ativas com auxílio de solução atrativa (água, sal, açúcar), totalizando 504 horas de coleta de dados. Foram coletadas 2983 espécimes de vespas sociais, distribuídas em 76 espécies de Polistinae, sendo um dos trabalhos com maior diversidade de vespas sociais coletadas no Brasil. As vespas mais abundantes foram Agelaia Lepeletier e com maior riqueza de espécies Polybia Lepeletier. A área com maior interferência antrópica teve os índices de diversidade similares aos da área com menor interferência, com isto, concluímos que a diversidade de vespas sociais (Polistinae) não é um bom parâmetro para indicar o nível de preservação ambiental de fragmentos de floresta, uma vez que estes resultados já foram observados em áreas de Mata Atlântica. Quanto aos fatores abióticos, apenas a temperatura foi significante (P<0.05) e observamos que as atividades de forrageio de Polistinae ocorrem durante todo o período da fotofase, não priorizando horários específicos.This study was divided into two chapters in format of scientific papers, which provide information about ecology and diversity of social wasps (Polistinae) in three areas of Amazon rainforest in state of Rondônia. In the first chapter we compare diversity indices of areas with different levels of human interference as well show a list of species for the region. In the second we present the relation between the abiotic environmental factors (temperature, relative humidity and light intensity) during the photophase (06:00 to 18:00 h) with the foraging of social wasps through statistical analysis. This study was conducted using active collection with an attractive solution (water, salt, sugar) in 42 collections, totaling 504 hours of data collection. We collected 2983 specimens of social wasps, distributed in 76 species of Polistine, being a survey with the greatest diversity of wasps collected in Brazil. The more abundant wasps were Agelaia Lepeletier and the greater richness was Polybia Lepeletier. Samples were taken in the area with the highest anthropogenic interference had diversity indexes near the area with less interference, it concluded with the diversity of social wasps (Polistine) is not a good parameter to indicate the level of environmental preservation of forest fragments, as well has been observed in surveys in the Atlantic forest. Regarding abiotic factors only temperature was significant (P<0.05), and we observed that the activities of Polistine occur throughout the entire photophase period do not prioritizing any specific times.
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Dumke, Marlis [Verfasser], and Jutta [Akademischer Betreuer] Schneider. "Social foraging and exploitative behaviour in group-living crab spiders / Marlis Dumke ; Betreuer: Jutta Schneider." Hamburg : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1166315398/34.
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Dorning, Joanne Rose. "Social structure and utilisation of food patches in the red fox, a solitary foraging canid." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.715772.
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Philippe, Anne-Sophie. "Etude de la variation génétique et de la plasticité des comportements sociaux chez la drosophile." Thesis, Paris 11, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015PA112089/document.
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La variation des comportements sociaux est une problématique très importante pour appréhender l’évolution de la socialité dans le règne animal. Par l’étude des interactions entre les paramètres génétiques et environnementaux sur les comportements sociaux de la drosophile (Drosophila melanogaster), cette thèse s’inscrit dans cette problématique et cherche à mettre en évidence les paramètres déterminants pour la expliquer la variation des comportements sociaux des individus. Au cours de ce travail de recherche, on a pu étudier et mettre en évidence l’existence de comportements sociaux chez la drosophile tels que l’apprentissage et l’utilisation des informations sociales dans un contexte de recherche spatiale, le comportement d’agrégation et l’établissement de nombreuses interactions. Ces comportements sont les premiers pas vers plus de socialité et leur étude est indispensable pour comprendre l’évolution vers plus de coopération et de communication entre les individus. L’utilisation de deux lignées issues du polymorphisme génétique du gène foraging (phénotypes Rover et Sitter) a permis de mettre en évidence des différences de comportements entre les individus et d’étudier les interactions entre paramètres génétiques et environnementaux. Les individus de phénotype Sitter témoignent d’un comportement plus social que les individus Rover, utilisant préférentiellement l’information sociale, ils forment aussi des agrégats plus importants semblant attirés par le plus grand nombre. On note aussi que la variation de la composition génétique du groupe entraine une modification du comportement d’agrégation du groupe. Ainsi, les variations interindividuelles influencent le comportement collectif. Le dernier volet de cette thèse s’intéresse aux interactions entre les individus au sein de 12 populations différentes de l’espèce Drosophila melanogaster. Cette approche a permis de révéler une grande variation de l’organisation sociale des individus au sein d’une même espèce et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour étudier l’évolution de la socialité.Ce travail de recherche permet d’apporter de nouveaux éléments sur les facteurs influençant la variation des comportements sociaux et de mettre en avant de nouvelles perspectives pour l’étude de leur évolutionThe social behavior variation is a very important issue for understanding evolution of sociality in animal kingdom. By studying genetic and environmental interactions influence on social behavior in Drosophila melanogaster, this thesis fits with this problematic and focus on the parameters which could explain the social behavior variations. In this research work, we studied and highlighted the existence of social behavior in Drosophila like learning and using social information in a spatial learning task, aggregation behavior and numerous social interactions. These behaviors are the first step before more sociality and their study with no-social species is essential to understand the evolution toward more sociality. The use of two lines from genetic polymorphism of the foraging gene (Rover and Sitter phenotypes) reveals differences in behavior between individuals and enable us to study the influence of genetic and environment parameters. Sitter individuals show more social behavior than Rover ones, using more social information and adopting more aggregation behavior. Variation of the genetic composition of the group influence the aggregation level of Rover individuals. They show more gregarious behavior with majority of Sitter individuals. These observations raise the question of the effects of the information source variations on the social behavior and their implication in interactions variations. The last part of this thesis focuses on the interactions between individuals in 12 different populations of Drosophila melanogaster. This approach revealed an important variation in social organization within species and opens new perspectives to study the evolution of sociality.This research bring new elements on factors influencing the change in social behavior and highlight new perspectives for the study of their evolution
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Creasey, Matthew John Stanley. "Social specialists? : personality variation, foraging strategy and group size in the chestnut-crowned babbler, Pomatostomus ruficeps." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/33703.
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Although group-living is widespread in animals, the degree of social complexity varies markedly within and among taxa. One important precondition for the evolution of higher forms of social complexity is increasing group size. However, this imposes a challenge: finding sufficient food for growing numbers of individuals. One hypothesis is that the (in)ability to avoid resource competition as group size increases, could partly explain variation in social complexity among vertebrates. Increasingly, evidence suggests that resource competition can be reduced via three forms of individual specialisation. These are foraging niche specialisation, specialisation to a role under division of labour (DoL), and as a mediator of these two, personality variation. Yet few studies have directly investigated the role of these specialisations in mediating the costs of increasing group size in social vertebrates. In this thesis, I first review the evidence to date that specialising to a foraging niche, and/or to a task under DoL, is (1) mediated via personality variation and (2) can be a means of reducing competition, generated by increasing group size, in social species (Chapter 2). Then, using the cooperative breeding chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) as my model system, I empirically test some of the hypotheses posed in this review, regarding foraging niche specialisation and associations with personality variation. In Chapter 3, I show that babblers do show personality variation in traits likely to facilitate niche segregation, and in Chapter 4 that variation among individuals within groups is sufficient to lead to intragroup niche specialisation. However, I find that the level of variation within groups is not associated with group size. Then in Chapter 5, I show that in a direct measure of foraging niche, there is only limited evidence for intragroup specialisation, and again that any specialisation is not associated with larger group sizes. I therefore find no evidence that niche specialisation is a means through which babblers can overcome the costs of increasing group size. I discuss the implications of these results for the rise of social complexity in this system, and social vertebrates generally.
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Elliott, Jennifer Theresa. "Territorial defense and mate attraction in isolated and social white-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis): tests of stochastic dynamic programming models." The Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1110207825.
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Holmsen, Katherine. "Out of the Forest and Into the Market: Social and Economic Transformations in a Bornean Foraging Society." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/196088.
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This dissertation is an account of a Bornean hunting and gathering group, the Punan of Long Suluy, as it transitions from an economy based primarily in subsistence foraging to one increasingly oriented to the market and about the accompanying social shifts associated with that transition. It focuses on the period stretching from the mid-1960s until 2004 during which time an Arab Indonesian trader managed to establish and maintain what constituted a one-man monopoly over the Punans' trade in commercialized forest products. The relationship between the Punan and this trader began as one based solely in economics and eventually transformed into a type of patron-client relationship embedded in terms of mutual obligations and quasi-kin relations. As the Punan became increasingly involved in market relations and to adopt values based in material accumulation and an identity referenced outside of their own social group, they became increasingly adversarial with the trader, transitioning from subservient laborers to competitors in the forest product trade. This dissertation investigates both the shifting political economy of the Punan during this time period and their internal social dynamics as they negotiate their increasing participation in the market.
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Yeates, Samuel H. M. "Optimal Foraging and Population Dynamics: An Archaeological Investigation at the Birch Creek Rockshelters, Idaho." DigitalCommons@USU, 2019. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7460.
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This thesis aims to integrate the study of population change with the expectations of foraging models, and to test whether expectations resulting from integrating these two bodies of theory have greater predictive power than foraging models alone. To compare these models, I monitored prey age, butchery practice, and prey desirability in five prehistoric occupations of the Birch Creek rockshelters of Idaho. I modeled hunting pressure with a human population density estimate based on radiocarbon dates from Idaho archaeological sites, and modeled prey abundance with a model of historic effective moisture. Both models predicted younger prey, lower average prey desirability, and more intensive extraction of nutrients from prey when human hunting pressure is high and when prey are scarce. However, unlike the prey model, the Forager-resource Population Ecology (FPE) model predicts that similarly desirable prey with different reproductive rates should show different degrees of resilience to hunting pressure. Contrary to FPE model predictions, statistical analyses of the Birch Creek faunal materials did not indicate that human hunting pressure disproportionately stressed populations of slowly reproducing prey compared to quicker-reproducing prey. While the faunal specimens from Birch Creek provided a limited and flawed dataset, my results did not support the use of the FPE model.
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Van, Nest Byron N. "Time-Memory Behavior Yields Energetically Optimal Foraging Strategy in Honey Bees." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2010. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1709.
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Classical experiments on honey bee time-memory showed that foragers trained to collect food at a fixed time of day return the following day with a remarkable degree of time-accuracy. A series of field experiments revealed that not all foragers return to a food source on unrewarded test days. Rather, there exist two subgroups: "persistent" foragers reconnoiter the source; "reticent" foragers wait in the hive for confirmation of source availability. A forager's probability of being persistent is dependent both on the amount of experience it has had at the source and the environmental conditions present, but the probability is surprisingly high (0.4-0.9). Agent-based simulation of foraging behavior indicated these high levels of persistence represent an energetically optimal strategy, which is likely a compromise solution to an ever-changing environment. Time-memory, with its accompanying anticipation, enables foragers to improve time-accuracy, quickly reactivating the foraging group to more efficiently exploit a food source.
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Jönsson, Johan. "The effect of rope and an activation ball on the performance of harmful social behaviors in pigs." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Biologi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-79001.
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A widespread problem in the housing of captive animals is the occurrence and development of abnormal behaviors. In the pig breeding industry the abnormal behaviors causing the biggest welfare problems are stereotypies such as tail-biting, ear-biting, equipment-biting and belly-nosing. In this study a rope and an activation ball were tested as curative treatments to reduce the performance of these stereotypies by inducing the underlying innate behaviors. A total of 141 pigs spread over 18 pens were used as test-subjects. They were divided into three groups which were introduced to one of the two enrichments or no enrichment at all. Both the enrichments contained characteristics which mostly targeted exploratory and foraging needs and, if functional, were thought to mainly have an effect on tail-biting, ear-biting and equipment-biting. The pigs were observed both at initial contact with the enrichments and after having familiarized with them for three days, and the amount of registered enrichment interaction and performed stereotypies were used to evaluate the effect of the enrichment objects. In both enrichment treatments the enrichments occupied the pigs both on day one and after three days. The presence of equipment-biting was successfully reduced on both day one and day three while the presence of tail-biting and ear-biting only were initially reduced. No effect was found on belly-nosing in either enrichment treatment. This suggests that both enrichments are functional over time and efficient in reducing some types of harmful social behaviors. However, belly-nosing would need to be targeted with a different kind of object.
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Bonin, Marcela Reinecke 1981. "Modelos matemáticos de emergência na organização social para ação coletiva : forrageamento de formigas." [s.n.], 2012. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/306713.
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Orientador: Wilson Castro Ferreira JuniorDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matemática, Estatística e Computação Científica
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Resumo: O objetivo central desta Dissertação de Mestrado é propor um Modelo Matemático Minimalista para explicar a Dinâmica Forrageadora das Formigas que possa ser desenvolvido em outros modelos, dependendo dos comportamentos analisados. No primeiro capítulo foi feito um levantamento bibliográfico de Modelos Matemáticos Básicos de Dinâmica de Populações que descrevem comportamentos e que podem ser interpretados de diferentes maneiras e, consequentemente, aplicados a uma ampla variedade de situações biológicas. Os modelos abordados neste capítulo são: Modelo de Decaimento Poisson-Malthus (Reação Unimolecular de Decaimento); Modelo de Ação de Massas (Holling I); Modelo de Reações Enzimáticas (Michaelis-Menten); Modelo Presa Predador de Holling II e Holling III. No Capítulo 2 foram abordadas a etologia e a sociobiologia das formigas que serviram como fundamentos para a construção dos modelos propostos no Capítulo 3. Simulações numéricas foram realizadas para confirmar a coerência dos modelos com dados biológicos. As três primeiras, e mais simples, simulações foram realizadas levando-se em consideração somente as interações entre os grupos de formigas (internas, escoteiras, exploradoras e recrutadoras), comparando a importância do recrutamento para o forrageamento. Uma quarta simulação levou em consideração a degradação e volatização dos feromônios nas trilhas, e as duas últimas simulações mostram como a variação na quantidade de alimento (seja ela linear ou cíclica) influenciam na dinâmica populacional das formigas. Observou-se, contudo, que é possível fazer pequenas adequações no modelo proposto para que ele se adapte a diferentes situações, sejam elas provenientes de variações comportamentais das formigas ou variações ambientais. Além disso, é importante destacar que modelos similares, com as devidas interpretações e alterações, podem ser aplicados à dinâmica de outras populações sociais, bactérias, insetos sociais e além deles
Abstract: The main goal of this Dissertation is to propose and analyze minimalistic Mathematical Model to explain the social phenomema arising during Ant Colony Foraging. In the first chapter we review some of the basic mathematical models of Population Dinamics that describe fundamental interactive social processes which can be interpreted in many diferent ways and thus, are applied to construct a wide variety of biological situations. The models covered in this chapter are: Poisson-Malthus Model (Unimolecular Reaction); Law of Mass Action (Holling I); Enzimatic Reaction Model (Michaelis-Menten); Predator-Prey Models (Holling II and Holling III). In Chapter 2 we discuss the ethology and sociobiology of ants that serve as foundations for the construction of the proposed models in Chapter 3. Numerical simulations were performed to confirm the consistency between the mathematical models and the social organization of foraging ants, comparing the importance of recruiting in foraging. Simulations also took into account volatilization and degradation of pheromones from the trails. The last two simulations showed how the change of the food resources (either linearly or cyclic) influence the population dynamics of the ants. It was observed, also, that it is possible to make small adjustments to the proposed model so that it can be adjusted to different situations, whether from ants behaviour changes or environmental variations. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that similar models, with appropriate interpretation and modification, can be applied to other social populations dynamics, bacteria, social insects and beyond
Mestrado
Matematica Aplicada
Mestre em Matemática Aplicada
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Prescott, Mark John. "Social learning in mixed-species troops of Saguinus fuscicollis and Saguinus labiatus : tests of foraging benefit hypotheses in captivity." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/12554.
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The selective costs and benefits affecting the evolution of group living have long interested behavioural ecologists because knowledge of these selective forces can enhance our understanding not only of why organisms live in groups, but also why species exhibit particular patterns of social organisation. Tamarins form stable and permanent mixed-species troops providing an excellent model for examining the costs and benefits hypothesised for group living. However, testing hypotheses in the wild is difficult, not least because participating species are rarely found out of association. In contrast, in captivity it is possible to compare matched single- and mixed-species troops and also to study the same individuals in single and mixed-species troops to see what effect the presence of a congener has on behaviour. In this way, captive work can help us confirm, reject, or refine the hypotheses, and aids in the generation of new ones, for relating back to the wild. The utility of this approach is demonstrated in this thesis which explored some of the foraging benefit hypotheses and, in particular, the underlying notion that individuals in tamarind mixed-species troops can increase their foraging efficiency through social earning. Single and mixed-species troops of Saguinus fuscicollis and S. labiatus were studied at Belfast Zoological Gardens. It was found that social interaction with conspecifics and congeners facilitated learning by individuals of various types of food-related information (food palatability, location, and method of access). However, although social learning operated in mixed-species troops, it did so under the shadow of inter-specific dominance. The results were used, in conjunction with field observations in Bolivia, to make inferences about the adaptive function of social learning in the wild. These findings strengthen the hypotheses which suggest that increased opportunity for social learning, through an increase in troop size and as a result of species divergence in behaviour, is an adaptive advantage of mixed-species troop formation in tamarins.
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Jones, Theresa. "Social Network Dynamics and Information Transmission in Wild Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/34974.
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Animals exhibit a wide variety of social behaviours that are shaped by the external group social structure. Thus, understanding social behaviours and processes requires examining the individual social associations that form the basis of a group’s social network. The first objective of this thesis was to assess the consistency of social position within wild networks of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and to evaluate the effects of individual behavioural traits (exploratory personality and social dominance) on network position. Intra-annual social position was found to be repeatable and centrality increased with dominance rank, suggesting that dominant individuals occupy more central positions. The second objective of this thesis was to evaluate how network position and individual traits influence the transmission of social information through groups; the use of information acquired by other group members is expected to be an important benefit to group living. Social information regarding the location of novel foraging patches was observed to be transmitted through all eight chickadee groups. The rate of information transmission was found to be positively associated with dominance rank, but was not influenced by exploratory personality, indicating that dominant individuals may have greater access to social information than more subordinate individuals. The final aim of this thesis was to assess if social information transmission varied between urban and rural environments, as increased resource variability in more rural sites was expected to lead to higher reliance on social foraging cues. However, no effect of level of urbanisation was detected on the transmission of social information regarding novel food sources, which may indicate a habitat-independent strategy of social information use in chickadees. In general the results from this thesis indicate the importance of dominance status on individuals’ position within a social group, which can lead to differential exposure to social processes, such as social information transmission.
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Tiemeier, Mark L. "The Roles of Feeding State, Aggression and Habitat Structure on Group Foraging in a California Orb Weaving Spider." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321888727.
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Moum, Rieser Anja. "Exploring the phenomena “foraging” in urban green spaces : examples from Järva City District and Stockholm County." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-178768.
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As cities globally experience rapid urbanization, the pressure on urban green areas increases and simultaneously opportunities for human-nature interactions decrease, which are crucial for urban citizens’ wellbeing. Urban foraging- the gathering of plant or fungal materials in urban areas- is a common human-nature interaction that has been inadequately studied and overlooked in urban policy, planning, and design. The objective of this thesis is to gain insights into the practices, motivations, and barriers of foragers in Järva City District and Stockholm County. Through an exploratory mixed methodology approach, this study demonstrated that urban foraging is perceived as a recreational activity that motivates people to get out in nature and connects them to biodiversity in forests and parks within the city. Foraging links people to high quality and local food and encourages the sharing of local ecological knowledge. Foragers investigated display care for nature, indicating that foraging can nurture a bond between nature and urban citizens. The expressed barriers to foraging were time, proximity, lack of knowledge, and fear of pollution. The findings show that foraging provides various benefits for citizens in Stockholm County and Järva City District, implying that urban foraging should not be overlooked in future research and assessments, and should be considered and incorporated into urban policy, planning, and design.Green Access
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Winandy, Mariana Mascarenhas. "O período juvenil em macacos-prego (Sapajus sp.): ontogenia das relações sociais e do forrageamento." Universidade de São Paulo, 2012. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47132/tde-19072012-105740/.
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Primatas apresentam maturação tardia em relação a outros mamíferos, com infância e, particularmente, juventude prolongadas. Duas hipóteses para explicar esta característica da ordem são a hipótese da necessidade de aprendizagem, que aponta a necessidade de aquisição de habilidades sociais ou de forrageamento como fator-chave, e a hipótese de aversão a riscos, segundo a qual primatas apresentam crescimento lento de modo a reduzir suas taxas metabólicas, uma vez que sofrem com a competição por alimento com indivíduos adultos devido à baixa posição hierárquica ou a uma menor eficiência no forrageamento. O presente trabalho analisou o desenvolvimento comportamental de jovens macacos-prego (Sapajus sp.) de um grupo que vive em semi-liberdade no Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo, de outubro de 2007 a maio de 2010. Os dados foram obtidos com os métodos Focal de Varredura e Todas as Ocorrências. Os resultados mostram uma hierarquia de dominância, de modo geral, herdada da mãe entre as fêmeas e dependente de idade entre os machos. O grande número de indivíduos com pouca participação em interações agonísticas e de díades sem relações de dominância e o baixo número de coalizões, que envolveram principalmente indivíduos dominantes, sugerem um mecanismo de evitação de conflitos por parte dos subordinados. Ao longo do desenvolvimento, houve uma redução na agressão sofrida pelos jovens, sugerindo que esse mecanismo de evitação é aprendido ao longo do desenvolvimento. As relações afiliativas de proximidade e catação dependeram fortemente do parentesco entre os indivíduos e de sua posição hierárquica, sendo que nas relações de proximidade houve também efeito da idade, com jovens mantendo-se próximos entre si. Jovens fêmeas investiram mais na construção e manutenção de redes afiliativas, por meio da catação, do que os jovens machos, e foram mais toleradas. O orçamento de atividades e o comportamento alimentar diferiram entre as categorias etárias, porém houve pouca influência do sexo. Houve evidências de sincronia de atividades entre os jovens e seus vizinhos mais próximos, porém as diferenças na dieta entre jovens e adultos sugerem que a aprendizagem social não foi o principal fator influenciando o comportamento alimentar dos jovens. Sua maior dedicação a recursos de fácil obtenção (frutos) do que a recursos mais difíceis de obter (invertebrados) indica menor eficiência no forrageamento. A menor dedicação a alimentos aprovisionados, por sua vez, sugere desvantagem na competição intra-grupo. O comportamento dos jovens no grupo estudado dá suporte ao modelo de aversão a riscos, embora haja evidências de que a aquisição de habilidades sociais e de forrageamento seja um fator importante no seu desenvolvimentoPrimates exhibit delayed maturation in comparison to other mammals, with a long juvenile period. Two attempts to explain this characteristic are the needing to learn hypothesis, which points towards the need to acquire social or foraging skills as important challenges for juveniles, and the juvenile risk aversion hypothesis, according to which primates have slow growth rates in order to reduce metabolic rates, because they have a disadvantage in the competition for resources against adults, due to lower hierarchical position or to less foraging efficiency. The present work analyses the behavioral development of juvenile capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp) from a semi-freeranging group at Parque Ecológico do Tietê (PET), São Paulo, Brazil, from October 2007 to May 2010. Data was obtained using scan sampling and all occurrences methods. Results show that the dominance hierarchy was mostly inherited from the mother, for juvenile females, and age-related, for males. The large number of individuals with little or no participation in agonistic interactions and of 0x0 ties, and the low number of coalitions, which involved mostly dominant individuals, suggest that a conflict-avoidance mechanism is being used by subordinates. There was a reduction in the aggression suffered by juveniles through time, suggesting that this mechanism is learned throughout the development. Affiliative relationships were highly dependent on kinship and hierarchical position, and in proximity there was also an effect of age, with juveniles close to one another. Juvenile females invested more in building and maintaining social networks, through grooming, than male juveniles, and were more tolerated in proximity. The activity budget and feeding behavior differed among age categories, but there was little influence of sex. There was evidence of synchrony of activities between juveniles and individuals in proximity, but differences in diet between juveniles and adults suggest that social learning was not the main influence on juveniles\' foraging behavior. They allocated more foraging time to resources easy to obtain (fruits) than to more difficult to obtain resources (invertebrates), which indicates they are less efficient in foraging. They also dedicated less time to provisioned food, suggesting a disadvantage in intra-group competition. The behavior of the juveniles observed in this study supports the risk aversion model, although there are evidences that the acquisition of social and foraging skills also plays an important role on their development
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Miranda, Maria Alice Loreto de. "Estratégias de forrageio e uso de informação por macacos-prego (Sapajus sp.) semi-livres." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47132/tde-08012016-083312/.
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O comportamento observado de animais não humanos sugere processamento de informação e tomada de decisão. Diferentes espécies exibem diferenças qualitativas quando a como informação é processada e utilizada, parcialmente graças ao contexto ecológico. Macacos-prego são animais que forrageiam socialmente, com cada indivíduo vivendo em um contexto social distinto, o que afeta suas oportunidades de alimentar-se. O presente projeto propôs um experimento de campo, com plataformas de madeira e amendoins como recompensa, com o objetivo de identificar diferenças quanto à estratégia de forrageio. Ainda, compreender se fatores sociais como hierarquia, parentesco e proximidade influenciam na oportunidade de um animal forragear e utilizar fontes de informação distintas. Encontramos que hierarquia foi um fator crucial quanto à estratégia adotada e no tipo de informação utilizada. Ao utilizar informação social, indivíduos foram seletivos quanto à identidade da fonte de informação, mostrando uma preferência por seguir as escolhas de animais jovens e batedores ativosWhen foraging, non-human animals are observed performing actions suggestive of information processing and decision making. Different species show qualitative differences as to how information is processed and used, partially due to its ecological context. Capuchin monkeys are primates that forage socially, with each individual living in a single social context, what affects its opportunity to forage. This project proposes an experimental protocol, aided by wooden platforms and peanuts as rewards, to identify differences in foraging strategies and understand if social factors, such as hierarchy, kinship and proximity, influence ones opportunities to forage and use distinct sources of information. We found that hierarchy play a major role on the strategy adopted and this is reflected on type of information used. Also when using social information, individuals were selective with respect to the identity of the source of information, showing a preference for following young and active foragers
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Mansur, Filho Júlio César. "Modelos computacionais para o processo de forrageamento e facilitação social em cupins." Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 2007. http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/4280.
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Previous issue date: 2007-07-30Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
There is much current interest in understanding the dynamic principles that generate patterns in space and time. In biology, the complexity of self-organized patterns are seen from colonies of bacterias, of social insects to the human society. Among these, animal foraging patterns associated to the strategies of systematic search for food sources are included. In this dissertation we propose a model for the foraging of underground termites; such model consists of termites that build tunnels in a infinite two-dimensional space subject to a fixed density of food distributed at random. Each tunnel advances for successive segments of unitary length, with directions deviating from that of it predecessor for an aleatory angle evenly distributed between . -α and α . Each termite is characterized by a gain factor gk, and an activity A(t) that evolves in time according to expression: Ak(t + 1) = tanh(Ak(t)gk). If this activity reaches a minimum value, the termite returns to the nest, restoring your activity to the maximum (A=1). Each tunnel is characterized by quantity of pheromone trail that increases when a termite finds food or enters in that tunnel. However, the quantity of pheromone in a tunnel is reduced at a given rate after each time step, that is, after the progress of all tunnels. After tl time steps, new termites penetrate in tunnels; the choice in which of them to enter is proportional to the amount of pheromone. Finally a tunnel can bifurcate, creating a new one, if the amount of termites in it overcome a fixed value. In addition to the structure of the foraging tunnels, we modeled the social facilitation in termites inside a tunnel of size L. In this model, a termite will be inactive if your activity reach a minimum value Amin. If two termites encounter, their activities are restored to the maximum. The foraging efficiency associated to the tunnels is characterized as a function of the maximum deviation angle α , the pheromone decay rate and the number of termites inside of a tunnel necessary for the creation of a new one. For the process of social facilitation we presented the evolution in time of density of active termites. The spatio-temporal patterns for tunnels formation and social facilitation process are also presented.
Há um grande interesse no entendimento dos princípios dinâmicos que dão origem aos padrões espaço-temporais gerados por organismos vivos. Padrões auto-organizados complexos são vistos desde colônias de bactérias, de insetos sociais até a sociedade humana. Entre eles encontram-se os padrões de forrageamento animal associados a estratégias de busca sistemática por fontes de alimento. Nesta dissertação propomos um modelo para o forrageamento de cupins subterrâneos; tal modelo consiste de cupins que constroem túneis em um plano bidimensional infinito sujeito a uma densidade fixa de alimento distribuída aleatoriamente. Cada túnel avança por sucessivos segmentos lineares de comprimento unitário cujas direções desviam-se das dos seus antecessores por um ângulo aleatório distribuído uniformemente entre. -α e α. Cada cupim é caracterizado por um fator de ganho gk e uma atividade A(t) que evolui no tempo de acordo com a expressão: Ak (t+1) = tanh (Ak(t) gk). Se essa atividade atingir um valor mínimo, o cupim volta para o ninho, restaurando sua atividade ao máximo (A=1). Cada túnel é caracterizado por uma quantidade de feromônio de trilha que aumenta quando um cupim encontra comida ou entra nesse túnel. Porém, a quantidade de feromônio no túnel é reduzida em uma dada taxa depois de cada passo de tempo, isto é, após ser feito o avanço de todos os túneis. A cada tl passos de tempo, novos cupins penetram nos túneis; a escolha em qual deles entrar é proporcional à quantidade de feromônio. Finalmente um túnel poderá bifurcar, dando origem a um novo túnel, se a quantidade de cupins neste superar um valor fixado. Além da estrutura dos túneis de forrageamento, modelamos a facilitação social em cupins dentro de um túnel de tamanho L. Nesse modelo um cupim ficará inativo se sua atividade atingir um valor mínimo Amin. Caso dois cupins se encontrem, suas atividades são restauradas ao máximo. A eficiência do forrageamento por meio de túneis é caracterizada em função do ângulo máximo de desvio α , da taxa de decaimento de feromônio e do número de cupins dentro de um túnel necessários para a criação de um novo túnel. Para o processo de facilitação social apresentamos como a densidade de cupins ativos variam no tempo. Os padrões espaço-temporais tanto para a formação de túneis quanto para o processo de facilitação social também são apresentados.
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Johnson, Joseph S. "Foraging and Roosting Behaviors of Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) at the Northern Edge of the Species Range." UKnowledge, 2012. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_etds/5.
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Bat populations in the eastern United States are currently declining at unprecedented rates as a result of habitat loss, commercial wind energy development, and white-nose syndrome. Effective conservation of these declining populations requires knowledge of several aspects of summer and winter ecology, including daytime habitat use (day-roost selection and social behaviors), nocturnal habitat use (foraging habitat selection, prey selection, and prey abundance), and winter hibernation (torpor) patterns. This dissertation addresses these questions for Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii), a species of conservation concern in the southeastern United States. Kentucky represents the northern edge of the range of Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, and summer and winter behaviors in Kentucky are likely to differ from what has been observed in southern portion of the range, where available habitats and climate are different. My research occurred in two study areas in Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky, and the Ballard Wildlife Management areas in western Kentucky. This dissertation includes all of the work done in western Kentucky, where I radio-tagged 48 adult big-eared bats and documented daytime and nighttime habitat use. Also included is a portion of the work done in central Kentucky, focusing on hibernation patterns of 14 adult big-eared bats radio-tagged during the winter at Mammoth Cave. Data disseminated in this dissertation provide insights into the summer and winter ecology of Rafinesque’s big-eared bat in Kentucky, and can be used to manage populations threatened by habitat loss and white-nose syndrome.
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Bastian, Anna [Verfasser]. "Acoustic basis for biodiversity: Variability in echolocation, foraging behaviour, social interactions and genetic markers in two morphotypes of the Cuban bat, Macrotus waterhousii / Anna Bastian." Hannover : Bibliothek der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1024339122/34.
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Lidmark, Jonna. "(Un)forbidden fruits : The influence of culture, nature and place on fruit and berry picking in Skarpnäck." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-169417.
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Standardised systems of food production where food is brought into cities from far away is accompanied with high emissions from both production and transport. Simultaneously, food growing in the urban surroundings is not picked and left to rot. This thesis is concerned with urban foraging, the practice of picking edibles in the urban landscape, a practice often overlooked by research and policymakers. The case study area is Skarpnäck, southern Stockholm and the focus is specifically on foraging of fruit and berries from public vegetation. Using a qualitative mixed methods approach where a questionnaire was followed by interviews, the aim has been to assess how the practice is perceived in the case study area and if there are certain cultural norms that limit picking activities. Results suggest that foraging is perceived to be out of place in the urban area. Although some people do pick, others feel it is inappropriate and do not want to be seen picking fruit or berries and therefore limit picking. The thesis concludes that urban foraging has the potential to increase urban sustainability, but efforts are needed for foraging to be a culturally accepted practice.
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Cardoso, Raphael Moura. "O efeito de novidade alimentar e comportamentos associados ao forrageio em um grupo semi livre de macacos-prego (Cebus libidinosus)." Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, 2008. http://localhost:8080/tede/handle/tede/1807.
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Previous issue date: 2008-09-19Pesquisas prévias indicam que os processos de facilitação social e intensificação do estímulo podem aumentar a aceitação de um item alimentar desconhecido dentro de grupos de macacos-prego. Os macacos-prego forrageiam em grupo e o sucesso individual é afetado pelo comportamento de outro membro do grupo. Ademais, os adultos de macacos-prego são socialmente tolerantes, principalmente em relação aos imaturos. Por exemplo, durante o processamento de frutos encapsulados os imaturos permanecem próximos ao indivíduo que processa o alimento, ou mesmo surrupiam pequenos pedaços de alimentos consumidos pelos companheiros. A tolerância, por sua vez, é considerada como um aspecto que favorece a troca de informações sociais em um grupo. Em Cebus nigritus, por exemplo, a emissão de assobios afeta o comportamento da audiência em relação à escolha de onde buscar alimento. Em contextos de exploração de uma fonte alimentar, o macaco-prego do cerrado (Cebus libidinosus) também emite assobios que, em geral, atraem outros indivíduos à fonte alimentar. No presente trabalho, realizamos experimentos envolvendo a apresentação, em uma estação alimentar (EA), de 20 itens alimentares conhecidos e 20 desconhecidos a um grupo semi-livre de Cebus libidinosus do Bosque Laranjeiras em Goiânia (16°43 S: 49°13 W). durante as sessões, registrávamos: o sexo e a faixa etária dos indivíduos em contato com a EA, a 05m e a 10 m da EA, em intervalos de 1 minuto; todas as ocorrências de interações que envolviam o interesse pelo alimento em posse de outro, e a identidade dos sujeitos envolvidos. Todas as sessões foram filmadas e gravadas digitalmente. Para cada indivíduo filmado na EA somamos o número de notas e sílabas de assobios foram contabilizadas a partir de sonogramas gerados pelo programa Avisoft LabPro 4.39. O tamanho e composição do grupo presente na área experimental foram similares entre as duas condições (alimento familiar e alimento novo), e indicou tolerância em relação à proximidade de imaturos. Os macacos mostraram-se sensíveis à novidade alimentar, emitindo mais comportamentos exploratórios e menos de familiaridade nesta condição. A probabilidade de ocorrência de interações do tipo Interesse pelo Alimento do Outro foi significativamente maior na condição onde o alimento apresentado era desconhecido ao grupo. A emissão de assobios foi maior na condição em que o alimento era familiar e apresentou uma correlação negativa com comportamentos de inspeção (uma medida indireta de novidade alimentar). Nossos resultados corroboram a ideia de que a tolerância e a troca de informações entre os indivíduos podem compensar os custos associados à competição durante o forrageio social, em particular no caso de informações sobre novos recursos. Sugerimos novas investigações sobre o papel das vocalizações associadas ao alimento no processo de aprendizagem de quais itens desconhecidos são seguros ou não.
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Elisei, Thiago. "Atividade forrageadora da vespa social Polistes versicolor (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) em plantio de eucalipto no município de Juiz de Fora, MG." Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), 2008. https://repositorio.ufjf.br/jspui/handle/ufjf/4456.
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CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Na procura por recursos as vespas interagem com diversas espécies da fauna e flora do ambiente onde reside. A importância deste grupo como entomofauna associada à diversas espécies de plantas têm sido corroborada por estudos que evidenciam os visitantes dos nectários florais de diversas espécies de vegetais. Além disso, diversos autores trazem informações da ação de predação de vespas sociais em diversos grupos de invertebrados, utilizando a proteína animal provinda destas presas na alimentação de suas crias. Desta forma, o estudo do horário de forrageio, material forrageado e a transferências de colônias para outras áreas, utilizando a espécie Polistes versicolor como teste, objetivos deste estudo, podem evidenciar características da espécie que revelem seu potencial em planos de manejo que visam sua utilização como agente de controle de pragas do eucalipto. Além disso, as informações acerca do horário de atividade de forrageio da espécie estudada pode auxiliar táticas de manejo integrado envolvendo controle e biológico e químico. No período de janeiro a dezembro de 2007, foram realizadas 24 observações da atividade forrageadora de colônias de P. versicolor presentes em um eucaliptal, no município de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, totalizando 240 horas de registros. Durante 10 horas de observação diária foram registradas, a cada 30 minutos, a luminosidade, velocidade do vento, umidade e temperatura do ar nas proximidades da colônia, além disso, foram registrados e qualificados, também a cada 30 minutos, os retornos das operárias, seguindo metodologia já aplicada no estudo comportamental de vespas sociais. No mesmo período foram transferidas 20 colônias de P. versicolor, em estágio de pós-emergência, retiradas de edificações humanas e transferidas para abrigos artificiais instalados na plantação de eucalipto estudada. A atividade forrageadora de P. versicolor iniciava por volta das sete horas e trinta minutos e se estendia até ás 18 horas. As vespas saiam em média por hora 9,62 ±16,67 (0-84) com um total de 1792 saídas nas 240 horas de observação, e retornaram também em média por hora, 9,76 ±18,14 (0-87) com um total de 1809 nas horas de observação. A atividade das colônias foi mais intensa no período compreendido entre as 10 horas e ás 15 horas. O teste de correlação de Spearman revelou que as saídas de operárias de P. versicolor foram estimuladas pelo aumento da luminosidade e temperatura do ar, e pela diminuição da umidade relativa do ar. O teste de regressão linear múltipla mostrou que a temperatura do ar é a variável que a mais influenciou a atividade forrageadora. Foram registrados 1809 retornos sendo que 51,63% foram com néctar; 6,85% água; 4,7% fibra vegetal; 19,40% improdutivos e 17,41% com presas. As operárias de P. versicolor predaram exclusivamente lagartas de lepidópteros, sendo estas a única fonte de proteína animal oferecidas aos imaturos que se desenvolviam na colônia. As 20 colônias P. versicolor transferidas no trabalho obtiveram 85% de sucesso, evento caracterizado pelo fato de após o estabelecimento da colônia no abrigo artificial, os indivíduos permaneceram no ninho. O presente estudo revelou que P. versicolor apresentou características que possibilitam seu uso em programas de manejo integrado de pragas empregando vespas como agentes de controle biológico.
On the development and maintenance of a social wasp colony, need to search and use environmental resources, as the water, used in the control of the temperature; vegetable fiber, utilized on the construction and repair of cells and comb; carbohydrate to feeding larvae and adults, obtained mainly in nectary and fruits; and animal protein, used to feeding larvae, proceeding, most of the time, to predation of caterpillar. On this way, the study of the forage schedule, material foraged and to transfers colonies to other areas, using the species Polistes versicolor as test, objectives of this study, can evidence characteristics of the species that reveal its potential in programs that aiming its use as agent control of eucalyptus plagues. On the period of January to December of 2007, were accomplished 24 observations of the P. versicolor foraging activity colonies were present in an eucaliptal, on the municipal district of Juiz de Fora, MINAS GERAIS, totalizing 240 hours. During 10 hours were registered, to every 30 minutes, intensity light, wind speed, air humidity and temperature on the colony proximities; also were registered and qualified, the workers' returns according to methodology proposal for Prezoto et al. (1994). On the same period, were transferred 20 P. versicolor colonies, in post-emergency, retreats of human constructions and transferred for artificial shelters installed in eucalyptus plantation. The P. versicolor foraging activity began about the seven hours and thirty minutes and it extended even 18 hours. The workers average of departures/hour were 9.62 ±16.67 (0-84) with a total of 1792 on 240 hours observation, and returns/hour 9.76 ±18.14 (0-87) with a total of 1809 on the observation hours. The colonies activity pick happened on the period understood between the 10 hours and even 15 hours. The Spearman correlation test revealed that the P. versicolor workers exits were stimulated by the increase of the light intensity and air temperature; and decrease of the humidity. The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that air temperature is the variable that most influence on the P. versicolor foraging activity. On this work was registered 1809 returns, being 51.63% were with nectar; 6.85% water; 4.7% vegetable fiber; 19.40% unproductive and 17.41% with preys. P. versicolor workers preying exclusively caterpillars, being this only animal protein offered to the immature ones that were developed in the colony. The 20 P. versicolor colonies used in the work was collected and transferred with 85% of success, due to the fact of after the establishment of the colony in the artificial shelter, the individuals stayed in the nest. The present study revealed that P. versicolor offered characteristics that make possible its use in programs of handling integrated plagues using wasps as agents of biological control.
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Belguermi, Ahmed. "Comment profiter au mieux de l’information ? Étude chez le canari domestique, Serinus canaria et le pigeon biset Columba livia." Thesis, Paris 10, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011PA100030/document.
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La prise d’information est très importante pour les animaux. En effet, le comportement sera mieux adapté s’il s’appuie sur l’évaluation précise des paramètres du milieu. Notre étude porte sur l’utilisation de l’information sociale chez deux espèces d’oiseaux. Deux expériences ont été menées sur le canari domestique (Serinus canaria) en laboratoire, au sein du LECC de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense. Quatre expériences portant sur le pigeon biset (Columba livia) ont eu lieu en milieu urbain au Jardin des Plantes au centre de Paris.Chez le canari, nous avons démontré une utilisation de l’information sociale, ceci en utilisant des indices visuels et/ou acoustiques dans une activité d’approvisionnement. Les ambiances de chants ont été plus utilisées par les canaris que les cris ; les oiseaux ont été par ailleurs sensibles aux informations ambigües. Chez les pigeons nous avons observé une capacité de discrimination et de reconnaissance d’individus hétérospécifiques (nourrisseurs humains). Deux profils comportementaux ont été mis en évidence (régulier vs occasionnel), ces profils étaient corrélés aux caractéristiques morpho-physiologiques des pigeons. Les pigeons ont été capables aussi d’utiliser des indices acoustiques tel que des cris de prédateurs (cris de : corneilles, goélands et faucons crécerelle), bruit d’envol des congénères et même des cris d’alarme hétérospécifique (merle noir) afin de détecter la présence de danger. Enfin nous avons constaté que la quantité de nourriture disponible influençait le comportement d’approvisionnement des pigeons. En conclusion, les canaris domestiques et les pigeons bisets sont capables d’utiliser différents types d’indices sociaux pendant leurs approvisionnements et extraient des informations à partir de ces indices afin de mieux exploiter les sources de nourrissageSocial information, foraging behaviour, urban area, Serinus canaria, Columba liviaGetting information is very important for animals. Indeed, the behavior will be better suited if based on accurate assessment of environmental parameters. Our study focuses on the use of social information in two species of birds. Two experiments were conducted on the domesticated canary (Serinus canaria) in laboratory conditions, at the LECC of the University Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (France). And four others were conducted on the rock dove (Columba livia) in urban area “Jardin des Plantes” in Paris.In canaries, we demonstrated the use of social information, this by using visual and acoustic cues in foraging activities. The songs noises were more used by the canaries that calls. The birds were still susceptible to ambiguous information. In pigeons, we observed a capacity of discrimination and recognition of heterospecific individuals (human feeders). Two behavioral profiles were identified (regular vs. occasional), these profiles linked to the morpho-physiological characteristics of pigeons. The pigeons were also able to use acoustic cues such as predator calls (crows, gulls, and kestrels), flight noise of conspecifics and even heterospecific alarm calls (Blackbirds) to detect the presence of danger. Finally we found that the quantity of food available played a role on foraging behavior of pigeons.In conclusion, domestic canaries and feral pigeons are able to use different types of social cues when foraging and extract information from these cues for an efficient exploitation of the feeding sources
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Sjöberg, Johanna. "The Effect of Extra Food Stimulation on Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) Kept at Kolmården Zoo." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-69943.
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Stereotypic behaviors in all animals are more often than not associated with poor welfare. Limited access to perform species specific behaviors is often a reason for the development of stereotypies. Elephants with their great intelligence and need of social contact, coupled with a destructive a behavior are especially difficult to house in captivity. To decrease the occurrence of stereotypic behaviors in elephants, environmental enrichment in form of food enrichment is a good option, since elephants have a great need of foraging. The aim of this study was to investigate if an extra supply of food enrichment could decrease the presence of stereotypic behaviors at night in three Asian elephants at Kolmården zoo. Already existing hay nets attached to wires in the roof were used and connected to a timer. The hay nets were lowered to vision trunk reach between 6:00 am and 6:30 am during five days and the frequencies of selected behaviors were compared with the frequencies of the same behaviors during five preceding baseline nights. The animals were filmed using mounted cameras with IR lights. There was a significant decrease of stereotypic behavior for one of the elephants, but all three showed an increase in foraging whereof the increases were significant for two of them. One of the elephants showed no stereotypic behaviors at all during the study. To keep in mind is that the elephants have different backgrounds and experiences which might have influenced the results.