Biology 342 Animal Behavior 2007
Independent Project Presentations
Does size matter? The
fight characteristics and probability of winning as predicted by relative
size differences between opponents during agonistic encounters in female
crayfish.
R. Ian Moore and Kelsey J. Wood.
Abstract Poster
We Be Jammin’: Induced
Jamming Avoidance Response in Eigemennia
Aurelia Moran, Claire Matturro & Matt
Lehet
Abstract Poster
Egr1 Expression as a Product of Social Opportunity in Astatotilapia
burtoni
Emmeline Chuu and My Linh Nguyen
Abstract Poster
Intruder Defense Response
Alice
Runkle, Laura Mulshine, and Ben Kessler
Abstract Poster
House Wren Brooding and Feeding
Behavior
Laurel Brehm & Josie Griffin
Abstract Poster
Drosophila Mate Choice
Valerie
Conrad and Hannah Smith
Abstract Poster
Snakes sex/species scent selections: conspecific
and gender pheromone preference in neonate red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis
sirtalis infernalis)
Matthew Davis
Abstract Poster
Orange is IN this season: Artificial
coloration and sexual selection in the common guppy.
Marjorie Nicholson
and Natalie Morgenstern
Abstract Poster
Drosophila Smoke
American Spirits: Nicotine and Starvation
Patrick Fink
Abstract Poster
Sex Differentiation
and Growth Rate in Haplochromis burtoni
Candice Kam and Xeno Acharya
Abstract Poster
Differences in Visual Learning Between Rover & Sitter Drosophila Larvae
Erin Smith
Abstract Poster
Affect of Age on Learning in Bombina orientalis (fire-bellied toads)
Kristy Gonyer and Karla Schultz
Abstract Poster
The Guppy Learning
Curve
Clare Parker and Helen Magee
Abstract Poster
Evoked vocal
responses (EVR) to urban and natural noise in a colony of Rock Pigeons.
Catie Uram and Jonathan Sweeney
Abstract Poster
Hungry Hungry Ducks
Jenny Eng and Austen Brown
Abstract Poster
Glacial profiling: stereotypies between Ursus maritimus and Ursus americanus
at the Oregon Zoo
Meera Patel
Abstract Poster
ABSTRACTS
Does size matter? The fight characteristics and probability of winning
as predicted by relative size differences between opponents during agonistic
encounters in female crayfish.
R. Ian Moore and Kelsey J. Wood. Previous
studies on crayfish agonistic behavior and social dominance formation
have typically paired crayfish by weight in order to minimize the effect
that size differences might have on fight outcomes and characteristics.
Other studies have used large weight differences to attempt to create
winners and losers. Both these kinds of studies rely on the assumption
that size differences between fighting crayfish influence the outcome
and that weight is the best way to measure size differences. Females
of the crayfish species Procambarus Clarkii were measured in terms of
mass, length, and claw length. Fights were staged between pairs of crayfish
either 1) mismatched by weight but matched by claw size, 2) mismatched
by claw size but matched by weight, or 3) matched by weight and claw
size. Behaviors during the agonistic encounters were scored such that
avoidance behaviors were given negative values and aggressive behaviors
were given positive values. The more aggressive behavior displayed by
the winner and the more avoidance behavior displayed by the loser, the
less time crayfish spent fighting. There is evidence to suggest that
this may be modulated by the size of the difference in length between
opponents, but not necessarily weight or claw size differences. A larger
sample size is necessary to reveal the effects of weight and claw size
if such effects exist. Even slight size differences between opponents
had an effect on outcome and characteristics, indicating that crayfish
are able to detect small differences in size or that small differences
in size are correlated with other things important to fighting such as
chemical production or maturity.
Top Poster
We Be Jammin’: Induced Jamming Avoidance
Response in Eigemennia
Aurelia Moran, Claire Matturro & Matt Lehet
The ability of electric
fish to navigate, hunt (Babineau, 2007), interact socially (Tallarovic,
2002), aggressively (Metzner, 1999), and sexually (Kramer, 1987) using
their electric pulse has been extensively studied. As in all perception
and communication systems, the electric sense is requires the ability
to discern a specific signal from other environmental noise .Electric
fish (specifically Eigenmannia virescens) produce an electric signal
from an organ in their tail. These electric organ discharges (EODs) interact
with the world and the resulting changes in the electric field provides
information to the fish. This information can be distorted though a phenomenon
called jamming, in which the fish’s own signal is matched by an
outside source, causing disorientation if not corrected. Eigenmannia
have evolved the ability to avoid jamming by conspecifics (Tan, 2005).
The jamming avoidance response (JAR) is for the fish with the higher
frequency to increase its frequency and the fish with the lower frequency
to decrease its frequency (Watanabe, 1963). In this study we attempted
to cause JARs in four individual fish through playback of there own unique
frequency, at the same rate emitted as well as with minor alterations
in rate by +/- 15%. Our work would help quantify the amount of similarity
of frequency necessary to induce jamming avoidance response. Results
were inconclusive due to a small sample size and the crude method of
recording and quantifying EODs.
Top Poster
Egr1 Expression as a Product of Social Opportunity in Astatotilapia
burtoni
Emmeline Chuu and My Linh Nguyen
Burmeister et al., 2005 demonstrated
immediate early gene expression in the pre-optic region of the hypothalamus
as a consequence of “social opportunity” in male Astatotilapia
burtoni during ascension to dominance. The “perception of social
opportunity” is defined as the elevated expression of the immediate
early gene egr1 in the hypothalamus. This experiment aimed to study whether
subordinate males can recognize the “social opportunity” when
a territory is made available due the removal of the dominant male and
whether egr1 is expressed when this occurs. It is expected that subordinate
fish that is larger in size or is healthier will express higher egr1
when ascending to dominance. Fish were allowed to acclimate for 2 weeks
before any experimentation. Daily quantification of fish behaviors determined
the social hierarchy of the fish community. There were six tanks total,
each tank contained three males (large, medium, and small) and two females.
There were three fish treatment groups: Control, Group X, and Acclimation.
The control groups were groups where the dominant male was not removed
from the social community. Group X was the treatment group in which the
dominant male was removed in the dark and subordinate males were allowed
to ascend to dominance. Once dominance was established, the ascending
male and subordinate male were sacrificed. The acclimation groups differed
from Group X in that after the removal of the dominant male, subordinate
fish and ascending fish were allowed to acclimate for one week. Experimentation
began after the removal of the dominant male in Group X. Behaviors were
quantified and physical attributes were observed in subordinate A.
burtoni to determine dominance between two subordinate males. Once dominance
was established, the ascending fish and the subordinate fish were sacrificed.
The hypothalamus was removed and RNA was extracted to look at the expression
of egr1 using Q-PCR analysis. Behavioral data showed significant differences
in the number of chases and flees between the large, medium, and small
cichlids. Large, dominant A. burtoni significantly chased frequently
than the medium and small cichlids, and the small and medium cichlids
fled more often. Large A. burtoni were significantly greater in length,
body mass, and gonad mass than the medium size and small size fish. Although,
the medium and the small fish significantly differed in length and body
mass, they did not differ in gonad mass or the number of chases and flees.
Q-PCR analysis shows no difference in egr1 expression levels between
three treatment groups of fish. This may be attributed to the crude extraction
of the hypothalamus. Future directions encompass better, precise techniques
of sampling tissues of the pre-optic region of the hypothalamus.
Top Poster
Intruder Defense Response
Alice Runkle, Laura Mulshine, and Ben Kessler
Western Harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) have highly complex
forms of communication that involve both behavior and pheromone cues
to warn the colony of an intruder. Two types of intruder responses have
previously been reported for harvester ants, a panic response where an
individual tries to “save himself” and an aggressive response
where the individual either attacks the intruder or leaves a sent trail
to recruit others to the area (Wilson and Regnier 1971). We first attempted
to find the number of intruders (crickets) that would elicit either a
panic or aggressive response in scouting ants. Our investigation then
focused on the effects of oleic acid, a chemical released during decomposition
of dead insects, on intruder responses. We tested foreign ants, spiders
and crickets as both oleic acid scented and non-oleic acid intruders
to see if intruder response would decrease as a result of the ants “smelling
death” on an active intruder. Due to the lack of overall intruder
response in the colony studied, we were unable to conclude the relationship
between number of intruders and response, or characterize the effects
of oleic acid on intruder response.
Top Poster
House Wren Brooding and Feeding Behavior
Laurel Brehm & Josie Griffin
House wrens, Troglodytes aedon, are pair-bonded passerine birds that
commonly build nests in man-made nesting boxes. Females incubate a clutch
of anywhere from 3 to 6 eggs and are responsible for the brooding, while
both parents are in charge of feeding the nestlings. Using nests equipped
with cameras, we examined brooding and feeding behavior across nests
with clutches of varying size. Previously it had been conjectured that
the number of eggs would be equivalent to the pairs’ ability to
support and feed all the nestlings equally, and we investigated the validity
of this claim. We scored incidence of feeding, amount of time spent brooding,
and amount of time spent in nest performing other duties such as nest
maintenance. We used t-tests to analyze whether there were significant
differences in behavior for clutches ranging from 1 to 4 nestlings. We
found that despite brood size, the amount of time the parents spent in
the nest, both brooding and non-brooding, was approximately equal. Most
of the in-nest time was consumed with brooding. Additionally, though
feeding rate increased as there were more nestlings, it did not increase
proportionally. There was a significant difference, by t-test, between
the groups with 1 or 2 nestlings and the groups with 3 or 4 nestlings.
Top Poster
Snakes sex/species scent selections: conspecific and gender pheromone
preference in neonate red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis
sirtalis infernalis)
Matthew Davis
Past studies have firmly established snakes’ ability
to sense conspecific odors, and snakes prefer areas soiled by conspecific
snakes versus neutral areas. Presumably, this enables snakes to locate
conspecifics during the cold winter months, which is vital to initiate
aggregation for shared warmth among this cold-blooded species. Also,
scent detection is utilized for location of the opposite sex, and mating
is promoted upon meeting. Neonate conspecific odor trailing has been
shown in other species of snakes, but not T. sirtalis infernalis. Furthermore,
sex discrimination mediated through pheromone cues is shown in adult
T. sirtalis infernali, but not neonates. This study investigates the
preference of red-sided gartner snakes for conspecific pheromones versus
no pheromones, through a free-range area preference test, with side preference
measured through time and tongue flick activity. This establishes a novel
ability of neonate T. sirtalis infernalis. Also, the same behavior test
is used to determine the sex discrimination ability of neonates, which
is previously uninvestigated for snakes in general. Results show a clear
preference for conspecific soiled areas over neutral areas, but there
is no significant preference for same-sex or opposite-sex soiled areas.
Top Poster
Drosophila Mate Choice
Valerie Conrad and Hannah Smith
Natural variations
of the for gene yield two strains of Drosophila with different food-search
strategies, rovers and sitters. The strains have been found to display
differences in areas other than food-search, such as olfactory response,
but no studies have been preformed exploring the effect of strain on
courtship and mating behaviors. We used female and male mate choice paradigms
in an effort to determine if strain affects mate choice and if the strains
practice self-assortative mating. Females were placed in individual food
bottles with a male of each strain, and the offspring genotyped using
electrophoresis in order to identify the strain of the father. Males
were placed in individual tubes with a female and observed for 30 minutes
while scoring for courtship behaviors. Courtship vigor, defined as the
number of wing songs and abdomen curls preformed by the male within the
30 minute period, was assumed to indicate male mate preference. Due to
technical difficulties extracting DNA for PCR, the female mate choice
experiment failed to yield any data. A shortage of male Drosophila due
to high mortality rates resulted in a small sample size for the male
mate choice paradigm, resulting in insignificant data. Because of these
difficulties, we were unable to accept or reject the effect of strain
on courtship behavior, as we found no evidence for or against the presence
of self-assortative mating.
Top Poster
Orange is IN this season: Artificial coloration and sexual selection
in the common guppy.
Marjorie Nicholson and Natalie Morgenstern
The common
guppy Poecilia reticulata, found in the Carribean and certain parts of
South America, displays sexual dimorphic characteristics. The males of
this species display an attractive orange coloring, while females in
contrast look dull and grey. Orangeness is adaptive in that it makes
males more attractive to females, but maladaptive because it makes males
more visible to predators. Naturally, a balance between visibility and
sexual attractiveness is reached in the wild. However, if researchers
increase the amount of orange in a male guppy to the point of total susceptibility
to predation, will females find him more attractive or will they see
how this puts their male progeny at risk? Experimenters subcutaneously
injected male guppies with orange dye using .27 gage needles, and then
measured attractiveness to females by determining her preference between
a normal male and an artificially colored male. Based on results, most
females preferred the naturally colored male. However, two strategies
were uncovered, as when 1/3 of the data was separated, that subset of
the population showed preference for artificially colored males. This
follows the speciation model, as different preferences within a population
are known to lead to reproductive isolation.
Top Poster
Drosophila Smoke American Spirits: Nicotine and Starvation
Patrick Fink
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the Nightshade family of plants, and
it is often used as a natural insecticide. Nonetheless, humans choose
to intake this toxic chemical on a regular basis to the obvious detriment
of their health. Working with Drosophila melanogaster, as it is easy
to work quickly with large numbers of individuals, we investigated the
power of addiction to drive individuals towards choices contrary to their
health and well-being. An experimental group of flies was divided by
sex and the repeatedly exposed to tobacco smoke for 5 days. Each time
that the smoke was administered, it was preceded by the introduction
of raw tobacco into the environment so as to train the flies to associate
the smell with the coming smoke. After the training period the flies
were then starved for variable amounts of time before being given the
choice between a chamber containing raw tobacco and one containing food.
After 45 seconds the number of flies in each chamber was recorded. The
data was then contrasted with data obtain from a control group that had
not been exposed to smoke, yet had been starved and given the test in
the same manner. As expected, addicted flies chose the tobacco over food
until a certain period (~7hrs) of starvation is reached, at which point
they choose food instead. Further investigation into the mechanism of
this choice could help lead to a better understanding of nicotine addiction,
and how individuals (humans especially) can make choices contrary to
their well being.
Top Poster
Sex Differentiation and Growth Rate in Haplochromis burtoni
Candice
Kam and Xeno Acharya
Many different reptiles show the characteristic
of having temperature dependent sex-determination. Turtles, Lizards,
and some crocodiles are examples of animals that have this trait, and
we were interested in whether Haplochromis burtoni exhibits this trait
as well. In this experiment, we wanted to see if there were differences
in sex ratios of Haplochromis burtoni which were raised immediately after
spawning in two different temperatures. Although we were unable to determine
the sex of the Haplochromis Burtoni, we were able to see a significant
difference in growth rate between the two rearing temperatures. There
have also been studies that have shown that there is a difference in
growth rate when Haplochromis burtoni are raised either in group or isolated
environments. The previous studies found that group-housed Haplochromis
burtoni grew at a faster rate than the isolated fish. However, the results
from our experiment show a different trend because the individually housed
fish had a significantly larger growth rate than the group-housed fish.
One reason why our results may have suggested an opposing conclusion
is because the individually housed fish had a larger tank area than the
group-housed fish if measured by area per fish. Overall, the data shows
that there are many different factors that influence the growth rate
of Haplochromis burtoni. Because growth rates show dependency on different
factors, the sex determination of these fish may be affected by these
variables as well since size and sex are directly correlated. Further
experimentation must be conducted in order to see if this is in fact
true.
Top Poster
Differences in Visual Learning Between Rover & Sitter
Drosophila Larvae
Erin Smith
The for allele in drosophila melanogaster encodes
a cGMP-dependent protein kinase(PKG). Mercy and others (2007) found that
this gene affects olfactory learning in Drosophila melanogaster. The
PKG encoding genotype forr creates the rover phenotype, which has been
observed to move more between feeding patches, the other genotype fors
creates a sitter phenotype, which results in less movement. Mercy and
others have suggested for may mediate an evolutionary tradeoff between
a short-term memory rover and long-term memory sitter. Here we tested
this hypothesis using a modified visual learning protocol from Gerber
(2003) to test in differences between long-term associative learning.
Larvae were exposed to ten training sessions of alternation between dark/sweet
and light/plain environments. Flies were then tested twenty-four hours
later for a preference between light and dark quadrants. We found no
difference in behavior between rover and sitter groups and no difference
in behavior between trained and untrained groups, thus we cannot show
any differences between rover and sitter groups because the training
was ineffective. However there was a difference in random distribution
between light and dark, flies spent more time in the dark quadrants than
light ones.
Top Poster
Affect of Age on Learning in Bombina orientalis (fire-bellied
toads)
Kristy Gonyer and Karla Schultz
It has previously been shown that
Bombina orientalis are capable of learning to successfully navigate through
a maze. Other studies have shown that aging decreases the ability to
learn in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva) and in rats. Our study investigates
whether B. orientalis shows a similar effect of age on learning. We obtained
two groups of frogs. One group consisted of offspring bred from wild
caught B. orinetalis from 2003, while the other group consisted of offspring
from a 2006 breeding. Subjects were placed in a complicated maze and
presented with aversive stimuli in the form of lamps placed over the
maze. The frogs’ exploration of the maze was scored according to
right and wrong decisions made in the maze until they reached the end
of the maze where the subjects were rewarded with rest in cool damp conditions.
If the subjects were unsuccessful in completing the maze within 20 minutes
they were transferred to the end of the maze to avoid excessive stress.
The subjects were each tested in up to 14 trials over 2 weeks. We found
an overall trend in learning, however we did not find a difference in
learning between the older and younger groups.
Top Poster
The Guppy Learning Curve
Clare Parker and Helen Magee
Female guppies choose their mates based
in part on the amount of orange color the male has. If a male is colored
more on one side than the other, he will preferentially display his more
colorful side when courting females. Males learn what their good side
is based on female response. We were interested in testing guppies’ memory
and learning ability. Can males learn or remember what their good side
is? We first tested whether males can improve their asymmetric display
when exposed to females repeatedly. Males were placed in a tank with
a female, separated by a clear divider, and their display recorded with
JWatcher. They were then re-exposed to females at set intervals and their
display recorded. Our second experiment tested whether males are able
to remember their good side if female response is negated. In this test,
the males were first exposed to a responsive female to teach the males
their good side. They were then exposed at set intervals to a female
that was anaesthetized with clove oil to eliminate her influence on his
display. Male displays were again recorded with JWatcher. Our results
indicate that guppies cannot learn, but can remember their good side.
However, our analysis also reveals that the two groups we tested were
not initially equal, which would make our results unreliable.
Top Poster
Evoked
vocal responses (EVR) to urban and natural noise in a colony of Rock
Pigeons.
Catie Uram and Jonathan Sweeney
Previous studies have shown
that animals can regulate their vocalization is response to environmental
sounds, often modulating amplitude, emission rate, and durations of vocalizations
to communicate in the presence of noise. We examined a whether colony
of 20 Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) exhibited different evoked vocal responses
(EVR) to natural and synthetic noises. We tested street, wind, and pigeon
call noises on the EVR of the colony. After analysis of 21 trials for
number of cage rattles, warble frequency, duration, and amplitude, we
found that habituation has a significant effect on EVR. This habituation
could be to the noises used in playback or to presence of the experimenters.
Further, we found that pigeons respond similarly to natural and synthetic
noises. This study leads us to ask about the ontogeny of EVR, specifically,
how it varies between urban pigeons and pigeons raised away from the
city.
Top Poster
Glacial profiling: stereotypies between Ursus
maritimus and Ursus
americanus at the Oregon Zoo
Meera Patel
Stereotypic behavior is defined
as repetitive locomotor behavior that does not serve a purpose or function
and is found in many captive animals such as canaries, primates, and
elephants. While members of the genus Ursus share evolutionary roots,
polar bears are the only species that exhibit stereotypic behavior in
captivity. Here, I observed the behavior of polar bears and American
black bears at the Oregon Zoo to better understand the frequency of stereotypy
between the two species. I learned that stereotypic behavior occurs rarely
in black bears compared to polar bears. I hypothesized that polar bears
may show more frequent stereotypies due to unusual daylight conditions
compared to their natural habitats. In the Arctic, daylight hours are
distributed seasonally such that the summer includes nonstop daylight
whereas in the winter there is no daylight altogether. To answer this
question, I observed the difference in the frequency of stereotypy between
a sunny day and an overcast day at the zoo. I determined that the relationship
between stereotypic behavior and presence of sunlight is statistically
significant in the case of polar bears, but not black bears based on
the data I compiled over the course of six hours of observation.
Top Poster
Hungry Hungry Ducks
Jenny Eng and Austen Brown
The feeding behavior of Mallards
(Anas platyrhynchos) was observed at two Portland area ponds, the urban
Westmoreland Park, and the more naturalistic Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.
Concurrently, we observed feeding behavior of Northern Shovelers (A.
clypeata) at Oaks Bottom. Mallards at Oaks Bottom spent significantly
more time foraging than those at Westmoreland, and more time feeding
with their heads underwater. Time spent foraging has been directly correlated
with aquatic invertebrate abundance, a possible explanation for the difference
in time budgets (3). As underwater feeding prevents ducks from seeing
predators, a higher threat of predation at Westmoreland could explain
the difference in specific foraging behaviors (2). Shovelers and mallards
at Oaks Bottom showed no significant difference in frequencies of foraging
behaviors. Increased intraspecies competition is demonstrated to increase
species niche adherence, thus the lack of niche distinctions could indicate
low competition and relative food abundance (1). Due to beaks specialized
for straining, Shovelers have shown preference for ponds where surface
feeding is the dominant foraging behavior. However, Shovelers at Oaks
Bottom engaged primarily in deeper foraging (ft), a less-favored foraging
behavior shown to increase as surface invertebrate populations decline
during the winter (2). Thus Oaks Bottom is probably not an ideal Shoveler
habitat, although it appears to be better than Westmoreland, as suggested
by the complete absence of Shovelers at that location. As specialist
feeders, Shovelers are a good indicator of protein-rich aquatic invertebrates,
as opposed to more generalist Mallards who feed on seeds and vegetation
as well as invertebrates. A greater abundance of invertebrates at Oaks
Bottom could explain not only the presence of Shovelers but also our
observation of higher frequencies of females at Oaks Bottom; females
rely primarily on aquatic invertebrates as a protein source for egg production
(3).
Top Poster
