Observations on the Amphipod Parathemisto Gaudichaudi (Guer.) off the West Coast of South Africa

Four distinct types of call are produced by male Ptychadena taenioscelis Laurent in breeding aggregations. The most common of these is the mating call. A male/male interaction or ‘chorus call’ is also produced regularly and its production is dependent on the presence of two or more individuals. A call with a territorial function and the release calls uttered by amplectant males are also described. The responses of calling males to the arrival of females and further males are discussed. Mention is made of the ovipositional behaviour of this species.     

Sex differences in the influence of social context,salient social stimulation and amphetamine on ultrasonic vocalizations in prairie voles

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are a socially monogamous rodent species and their cooperative behaviors require extensive communication between conspecifics. Rodents use ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate and because a prairie vole breeder pair must engage in extensive cooperation for successful reproduction, auditory communication may be critical for this species. Therefore, we sought to characterize USVs in adult male and female prairie voles, and to determine how these calls are influenced by social context, salient social stimuli and the psychostimulant drug of abuse amphetamine (AMPH). Here, we characterize prairie vole USVs by showing the range of frequencies of prairie vole USVs, the proportion of various call types, how these call types compare between males and females, and how they are influenced by social stimulation and AMPH. AMPH caused a robust increase in the number of USVs in both males and females and there was a dramatic sex difference in the complexity of call structures of AMPH‐induced USVs, with males emitting more elaborate calls. Moreover, we show that novel (i.e. salient) social cues evoked differential increases in USVs across sex, with males showing a much more robust increase in USV production, both with respect to the frequency and complexity of USV production. Exposure to an estrous female in particular caused an extraordinary increase in USVs in male subjects. These data suggest that USVs may be a useful measure of social motivation in this species, including how social behaviors can be impacted by drugs of abuse.     

Intersexual and intrasexual selection,sneak copulation and male ornamentation in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

To test the relative importance of female choice, sneak copulation and male dominance as determinants of male mating success in a feral guppy population, we conducted a paired-male mating experiment using the colour patterns of male progeny to score paternity. Sneak copulation and male-male aggression had no noticeable effect on male mating success. Mating success was strongly related to the frequency of female behavioural responses to both displaying and non-displaying males. Relative area of orange colouration and complexity of male colour patterns were positively related to mating success. This substantiates the observed behavioural preference for orange, and strengthens claims that female choice is integral to male mating success. Males in trials in which both females failed to produce offspring showed lower levels of black pigmentation, suggesting a threshold mating preference for this ornament despite it not being correlated with variation in male mating success or attractiveness measures. The implications of these findings for the evolution of multiple secondary sex traits in male guppies are discussed.     

Differences in mating behavior lead to asymmetric mating interactions and consequential changes in sex ratio between an invasive and an indigenous whitefly

The invasive B whitefly and the indigenous ZHJ2 whitefly in China of the Bemisia tabaci complex represent two previously allopatric cryptic species. Laboratory experiments have shown that the invasive B can displace the indigenous ZHJ2. Here, we observed the mating behavior and mating interactions between B and ZHJ2 to elucidate the behavioral mechanisms underlying their competition. The 2 species are able to mate with each other, although at a significantly lower frequency than that between males and females within the same species. Heterospecifically-mated females produce only male progeny, indicating reproductive isolation. Heterospecific mating had only a marginal effect on reproduction of females in either species. Detailed observations on mating interactions between the 2 species showed that B had higher sexual activity than ZHJ2. B males were more likely to interrupt courtships initiated by rival males than ZHJ2 males. Compared with ZHJ2 males, B males were also more likely to successfully interrupt courtships initiated by rival heterospecific males than by males of the same species. In addition, B males guarded B females post-copulation, whereas ZHJ2 males did not. When the 2 species co-occurred, the behavioral differences and interactions between them resulted in an increased proportion of females produced in the offspring of B but reduced proportion of females in the progeny of ZHJ2. These asymmetric mating interactions might be an important mechanism underlying the displacement of ZHJ2 by B. Our study shows that reproductive interference might contribute to the competitive exclusion between closely related species during biological invasions.     

Social Scents in Hand-Reared Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana)

Three male and one female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) were taken in the wild when a few hours to three days old and were hand-raised. The development of their behaviour was studied with particular emphasis on their olfactory communication. Fifty hours of field observations confirmed most of the findings in the captive animals.

Four scents are important in the social life of the pronghorn: They originate with the paired subauricular and ischiadic glands, the single dorsal gland and the odour of urine. The subauricular and dorsal scents are produced by males only. Urine is an important component of the sniffing - pawing -urinating - defecation sequence of the males. The ontogeny of this sequence is described. An experiment with an artificial marking post demonstrated that the subauricular scent of a male one rank lower released the strongest response in other bucks. Preliminary gas chromatographic analysis of the subauricular scent has been carried out.     

An optimized high quality male DNA extraction from spermatophores in open thelycum shrimp species

The crucial step of most of the current genetic studies is the extraction of DNA of sufficient quantity and quality. Several genomic DNA isolation methods have been described to successfully obtain male DNA from shrimp species. However, all current protocols require invasive handling methods with males for DNA isolation. Using Aristeus antennatus as a model we tested a reliable non‐invasive differential DNA extraction method to male DNA isolation from spermatophores attached to female thelycum. The present protocol provides high quality and quantity DNA for polymerase chain reaction amplification and male genotyping. This new approach could be useful to experimental shrimp culture to select sires with relevant genetic patterns for selective breeding programs. More importantly, it can be applied to identify the mating pairs and male structure in wild populations of species as A. antennatus, where males are often difficult to capture. Our method could be also valuable for biological studies on other spermatophore‐using species, such as myriapods, arachnids and insects.     

Ontogenese des Sexualverhaltens von Ziegen*

A large number of young goats of both sexes were obseiaed from birth for a period of several weeks. The mating behaviour of young males at one month of age did not differ from that oj adults neither in the sequence of movements nor in intensity. At this age sexual maturity begins in the male goat according to the criteria of behavioural biology, although sexual potency does not develop until several months later. The interpretation of these biological eaents as play is not justifiable.     

On the Sexual Cycle of Mature Bachelor Bontebok Rams at the Bontebok National Park,Swellendam

The morphology of Cephalochlamys namaquensis (Cohn 1906) Blanchard (1908), a diphyllid^a cestode from the African clawed toad, Xenopus laevis, is examined with respect to variability reported in the literature. The parasite has a high prevalence of infection (68,9%) in the X. laevis population studied and shows a preference for attachment in the anterior duodenum. Approximately 76% of the worms recovered were juveniles. Coracidia had an LT50 of 6 h and transmission is thought to take place in darkness at the sediment/water interface. The copepod Eucydops gibsoni serves as an intermediate host and it is suggested that chaoborid larvae may act as paratenic hosts.     

长翅熊蜂雄性蜂下唇腺分泌物特性分析

雄性蜂头部下唇腺分泌物在蜂王和雄性蜂交尾行为中发挥着重要作用。为探究雄性蜂下唇腺分泌物组成特性,本研究以青藏高原地区特有物种长翅熊蜂Bombus longipennis雄性蜂为材料,利用气相色谱-质谱联用和气相色谱技术对其下唇腺分泌物挥发性成分进行定性和定量分析。结果表明,长翅熊蜂雄性蜂下唇腺分泌物挥发性成分共28种,其中3,7,11-三甲基-6,10-十二碳二烯-1-醇为其主要成分,相对含量为38.45%。研究结果为深入探究熊蜂交尾行为的化学通讯机制奠定了基础,也为利用下唇腺分泌物进行熊蜂物种鉴定提供了依据。     

Histidine and carnosine reduce muscle fatigue in Xenopus laevis

The inclusion of either histidine or carnosine in a frog Ringer’s perfusate at a concentration of 20 mmol/dm³ reduced fatigue in the gastrocnemius muscle ofXenopus laevis significantly. Histidine was superior to carnosine in this respect. The evidence also suggests that muscles perfused with histidine exhibit superior recovery, accumulate less lactic acid and lose significantly less K⁺ from the intracellular fluid. The implications of these findings in future research on capture myopathy are discussed.     

Sexual disparity in activity patterns and time budgets of angulate tortoises (Chersina angulata) on Dassen Island,South Africa

Behavioural frequencies and time budgets for male and female Chersina angulata were recorded in spring, September 2004. The daily activity of the population was 10.51 ± 0.42 h (mean ± CI), but individual males and females were in the open for 2.57 ± 1.12 h and 1.58 ± 1.44 h, respectively. Both sexes spent nearly 3.5 h per day basking with 90% of the basking time in the cover of sparse vegetation. Feeding and walking were the most frequent active behaviours. The activity pattern of the sexes differed between 10:00 and 12:00 in the morning when males spent more time out of cover on active behaviours, particularly feeding, than females did. The daily activity pattern of the population peaked between 10:00 and 12:00, reflecting the activity pattern of the more active sex, males. Females were out of cover, active, and feeding at higher temperatures than were males. The high temperatures probably allowed females to complete activities more efficiently, reducing their exposure time and predation risk. Although fighting and mating represented small fractions of male time budgets, the extended physical presence through walking and feeding may help males to establish dominance hierarchies and enhance mating success.     

Goat-sheep hybrid born under natural conditions in Botswana

In Botswana it is common practice to rear goats (Capara hircus) and sheep (Ovis aries) together in one kraal. Under such conditions it is also not uncommon to see the two species mating, but such matings have never been reported to produce a viable offspring. In this field observation a viable offspring was born naturally from a mating between a female goat and a male sheep. Chromosomal analysis showed that the hybrid had 57 chromosomes, intermediate between the 60 possessed by its dam and the 54 possessed by its sire. In August 1999 the hybrid was five years old.     

Male attacks on infants and infant death during male takeovers in wild white‐headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus)

Infanticide was first observed in langurs nearly 50 years ago, and this rare phenomenon has been inferred to have either an evolutionarily adaptive function or to be a pathological and non‐functional behavior. In this study, we report 5 male takeover events in one‐male groups of white‐headed langurs in the Nongguan Karst Hills, Guangxi, China from 1998 to 2006. We recorded 13 attacks on 9 infants by extra‐group males or new resident males. During the male takeovers, all of the infants younger than 6 months (with an average age of 3.6 months [N = 11]) in the groups disappeared. The infant death rate during the 4.2 months after takeover by a new male was significantly higher than the infant death rate calculated for most of the year. Older infants that were still nursing (with an average age of 14.1 months [N = 7]) were often attacked and seriously wounded by the extra‐group males or new resident males, but all of them survived. The interbirth intervals of females whose infants were assumed to be killed by males were significantly reduced relative to those of females in groups with stable male tenure (mean = 10 months vs 25 months). Our data suggest that males kill unrelated and unweaned infants during the takeover period to decrease the time until the infants’ mothers resume fertility. Thus, infanticide would support sexual selection theory in white‐headed langurs. The data also show that infanticidal behavior was directed toward the infants, especially those who were still nursing. Female dispersal may function as a counter‐strategy to avoid infanticide.     

Sex‐specific participation in inter‐group conflicts within a multilevel society: the first evidence at the individual level

Inter‐group conflicts are common among many group‐living animals and involve potentially complex motivations and interactions. Mammals living in multilevel societies offer a good opportunity to study inter‐group conflicts. This study is the first to explore the function of sex‐specific participation during inter‐group conflicts within a multilevel society at the individual level. The Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an endangered seasonal breeding species living in a multilevel society. From Sep 2007 to May 2008 we recorded 290 inter‐group conflicts of a free‐ranging provisioned band of R. roxellana in the Qinling Mountains of China to investigate the function of individual aggression during inter‐group encounters. Our findings show that adult males were the main participants in inter‐group conflicts, while females took part in them only occasionally. The male participation rate during the mating season, when adult females were estrous, was significantly higher than that during the non‐mating season. Furthermore, males directed their aggression to other males, and directed more intense aggression towards bachelor males than towards other resident males. For both sexes, the participation rate as initiators was higher in the winter than that in the spring; and there was a significant positive correlation between group size and the participation rate as initiators. Our results suggest that inter‐group aggression in Sichuan snub‐nosed monkeys is linked to both mate defense and resource defense.     

Effects of male body weight,strain and dietary protein content on fertility and musculo‐skeletal disease in naturally mated broiler breeder males

1. The effects of male body weight at mating and different rates of gain on overall fertility were studied in two strains of broiler breeder males fed on a diet containing 160 or 120 g crude protein/kg. Sexual activity, musculo‐skeletal disease and culling were also assessed.

2. There were no differences in early fertility between males weighing 3–0 or 3–5 kg at the start of the mating period, or between males gaining 1.0 or 1.5 kg body weight from mating to 60 weeks of age.

3. There were no differences in fertility between males fed on the two diets differing in crude protein content.

4. One strain of male had lower fertility than the other and this was associated with a greater weight of breast muscle, lower frequency of observed copulations and a higher number of incompleted matings.

5. Sexual activity declined and the number of spermatozoa trapped on the perivitelline membrane increased with age.

6. There were no differences among the treatments in the prevalence of musculo‐skeletal lesions (destructive cartilage loss). As a proportion destructive cartilage loss occurred in 0^‐67 of the males at 66 weeks of age. Degeneration of the antitrochanter was present in 3 of 50 females examined and a cartilage flap in the medial condyle of the tibiotarsus occurred in 15 of these birds.

7. Beak lesions were the most important cause of male culling which averaged 0–24 as a proportion of the males at the start of the experiment.     

Toll-like receptor mRNA expression, <Emphasis Type="Italic">iNOS</Emphasis> gene polymorphism and serum nitric oxide levels in indigenous chickens

Toll-like receptor (TLR) family is one of the important members of innate immune system that recognizes conserved microbial patterns and induces innate immune response. They also act as a link to adaptive immune response. Nitric oxide (NO) is a multi-functional mediator with diverse physiological and immunological roles. In the present study TLR mRNA expression in heterophils, serum nitric oxide level and iNOS (inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase) gene polymorphism were investigated in cockerels of two Indian native chicken breeds, Aseel and Kadaknath. TLR (4 and 5) mRNA expression as quantified by real time RT-PCR revealed Kadaknath males expressed significantly (P < 0.01) higher TLR4 mRNA than Aseel males. iNOS gene polymorphism analyzed by PCR-RFLP method revealed difference in allele frequency. Kadaknath males had higher allele B frequency (0.81) than Aseel males (0.56). However, there were no genotype and breed effect on serum nitric oxide level. Based on the present study we conclude that Kadaknath has comparatively higher innate immunity levels than Aseel, however further investigations are needed.     

Temperature and mass scaling affect cutaneous and pulmonary respiratory performance in a diving frog

Global climate change is altering patterns of temperature variation, with unpredictable consequences for species and ecosystems. The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) provides a powerful framework for predicting climate change impacts on ectotherm metabolic performance. MTE postulates that physiological and ecological processes are limited by organism metabolic rates, which scale predictably with body mass and temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine if different metabolic proxies generate different empirical estimates of key MTE model parameters for the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis when allowed to exhibit normal diving behavior. We used a novel methodological approach in combining a flow-through respirometry setup with the open-source Arduino platform to measure mass and temperature effects on 4 different proxies for whole-body metabolism (total O₂ consumption, cutaneous O₂ consumption, pulmonary O₂ consumption, and ventilation frequency), following thermal acclimation to one of 3 temperatures (8°C, 17°C, or 26°C). Different metabolic proxies generated different mass-scaling exponents (b) and activation energy (E_A) estimates, highlighting the importance of metabolic proxy selection when parameterizing MTE-derived models. Animals acclimated to 17°C had higher O₂ consumption across all temperatures, but thermal acclimation did not influence estimates of key MTE parameters E_A and b. Cutaneous respiration generated lower MTE parameters than pulmonary respiration, consistent with temperature and mass constraints on dissolved oxygen availability, SA:V ratios, and diffusion distances across skin. Our results show that the choice of metabolic proxy can have a big impact on empirical estimates for key MTE model parameters.     

Notes on the “wheaten” plumage phenotype of the domestic fowl

1. A study was made using a Light Sussex bantam hen to determine the allele present at the E locus. Conflicting results occurred on mating with different males suggesting the presence in one case of the dominant allele e^Wh and, in the other, of the recessive e^y.

2. Further examination of these apparently conflicting results suggests the possibility that there may be a single gene producing the wheaten phenotype which appears to be dominant if melanin restriction genes are present at other loci, or recessive by interaction with melanin intensifier genes. This gene may also require the presence of down‐diluting gene(s) to produce the wheaten phenotype.     

Major histocompatibility complex and mate choice in the polygynous primate: the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

The highly polymorphic genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) not only play a major role in immunity resistance, but also seem to provide hints for mate choice in some animal populations. In the present study we investigated MHC‐related mate choice in a small natural population (group size 40–55 individuals) of a polygynous primate, the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana). We found that there was no evidence either for MHC‐disassortative mating, or for females to mate with males based on MHC heterozygosity or specific alleles. Nevertheless, of the 11 alleles identified, we found that the frequencies of 2 alleles, Rhro‐DRB2 (P < 0.01) and Rhro‐DRB5 (P < 0.05) were higher in offspring than in their parents. These findings suggest that MHC‐DRB in this population of R. roxellana is unlikely to be associated with mating preferences. Limited female opportunities for mate choice are likely due, in part, to the harem breeding structure present in R. roxellana, and the relatively small number of resident adult males in our study band (N = 4–6). In addition, we suggest that differences in the frequency of particular alleles across generations may be linked to parasite resistance in a fluctuating environment; however, confirmation of this finding requires further study.