Search results for "avoidance learning"
showing 10 items of 102 documents
THE EFFECT OF ALTERNATIVE PREY ON THE DYNAMICS OF IMPERFECT BATESIAN AND MÜLLERIAN MIMICRIES
2004
Both Batesian and Müllerian mimicries are considered classical evidence of natural selection where predation pressure has, at times, created a striking similarity between unrelated prey species. Batesian mimicry, in which palatable mimics resemble unpalatable aposematic species, is parasitic and only beneficial to the mimics. By contrast, in classical Müllerian mimicry the cost of predators' avoidance learning is shared between similar unpalatable co-mimics, and therefore mimicry benefits all parties. Recent studies using mathematical modeling have questioned the dynamics of Müllerian mimicry, suggesting that fitness benefits should be calculated in a way similar to Batesian mimicry; that i…
Statistical analysis of latency outcomes in behavioral experiments
2011
In experimental designs of animal models, memory is often assessed by the time for a performance measure to occur (latency). Depending on the cognitive test, this may be the time it takes an animal to escape to a hidden platform (water maze), an escape tunnel (Barnes maze) or to enter a dark component (passive avoidance test). Latency outcomes are usually statistically analyzed using ANOVAs. Besides strong distributional assumptions, ANOVA cannot properly deal with animals not showing the performance measure within the trial time, potentially causing biased and misleading results. We propose an alternative approach for statistical analyses of latency outcomes. These analyses have less distr…
Parasite resistance and avoidance behaviour in preventing eye fluke infections in fish.
2004
This paper examines the efficiency of acquired resistance in protecting the fish host, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), against the trematode parasite Diplostomum spathaceum, and the hypothesis that fish recognize areas where infective stages are aggregated and show avoidance behaviour. We found that when fish with a low level of infection were held in restricted cages in natural conditions they became infected and developed cataracts as a result of this infection. This suggests that acquired resistance is insufficient in protecting fish against the parasite or the deleterious effects of infection in conditions where fish could not avoid the parasite. Behavioural experiments in the labo…
Data from: Predators’ consumption of unpalatable prey does not vary as a function of bitter taste perception
2019
Many prey species contain defensive chemicals that are described as tasting bitter. Bitter taste perception is therefore assumed to be important when predators are learning about prey defenses. However, it is not known how individuals differ in their response to bitter taste, and how this influences their foraging decisions. We conducted taste perception assays in which wild-caught great tits (Parus major) were given water with increasing concentrations of bitter-tasting chloroquine diphosphate until they showed an aversive response to bitter taste. This response threshold was found to vary considerably among individuals, ranging from chloroquine concentrations of 0.01 mmol/l to 8 mmol/l. W…
Role of the nNOS gene in ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice
2009
Nitric oxide (NO) produced by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has a role in synaptic plasticity, and evidence suggests its role in a range of effects produced by alcohol in the central nervous system. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of the nNOS gene in the development of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice. The CPP paradigm is designed to investigate the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse and the development of maladaptive behaviors, such as conditioned response to drug-associated stimuli, following repeated drug exposure. Adult male and female wild type (WT) and nNOS knockout (KO) mice on a mixed B6; 129S genetic background were t…
Hair cortisol predicts avoidance behavior and depressiveness after first-time and single-event trauma exposure in motor vehicle crash victims
2020
The role of cortisol as a premorbid vulnerability factor for trauma sequelae remains unclear. Furthermore, the onset of long-term endocrine changes in response to first-time trauma as a function of later psychopathology is not clarified yet. Thus the predictive value of pre- and post-traumatic hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) for psychological trauma sequelae was investigated in response to motor vehicle crash (MVC). A total of
Differential effects of MDMA and cocaine on inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests in rodents.
2017
Introduction Drug addiction continues being a major public problem faced by modern societies with different social, health and legal consequences for the consumers. Consumption of psychostimulants, like cocaine or MDMA (known as ecstasy) are highly prevalent and cognitive and memory impairments have been related with the abuse of these drugs. Aim The aim of this work was to review the most important data of the literature in the last 10 years about the effects of cocaine and MDMA on inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests in rodents. Development: The object recognition and the inhibitory avoidance tests are popular procedures used to assess different types of memory. We compare th…
Glucose plus choline improve passive avoidance behaviour and increase hippocampal acetylcholine release in mice.
2001
The present study tests the effects of glucose and choline, the biosynthetic precursors of acetylcholine, on passive avoidance behaviour and hippocampal acetylcholine release measured by microdialysis in awake mice. Glucose (10 and 30mg/kg) or choline chloride (6-60mg/kg), given by i.p. injection immediately after training, dose-dependently enhanced retention in an inhibitory avoidance task. Combinations of low doses of glucose (10mg/kg) and choline chloride (20mg/kg) which alone were submaximally effective significantly increased retention latencies in a synergistic manner, an effect which was sensitive to atropine (0.5mg/kg). This beneficial effect vanished when higher doses of glucose or…
Hard to catch: Experimental evidence supports evasive mimicry
2021
Most research on aposematism has focused on chemically defended prey, but the signalling difficulty of capture remains poorly explored. Similar to classical Batesian and Müllerian mimicry related to distastefulness, such ‘evasive aposematism' may also lead to convergence in warning colours, known as evasive mimicry. A prime candidate group for evasive mimicry areAdelphabutterflies, which are agile insects and show remarkable colour pattern convergence. We tested the ability of naive blue tits to learn to avoid and generalizeAdelphawing patterns associated with the difficulty of capture and compared their response to that of birds that learned to associate the same wing patterns with distast…
Research data supporting "Social learning within and across predator species reduces attacks on novel aposematic prey"
2019
This data is from the experiment that investigated how wild-caught blue tits and great tits use conspecific and heterospecific information about unpalatable prey, published at the Journal of Animal Ecology (2020). The experiment was conducted at the Konnevesi Research Station from October to December 2017. Sheet 1 (“Main experiment”) contains data from the main avoidance learning experiment. Sheets 2 (“Symbol preference blue tits”) and 3 ("Symbol visibility blue tits") contain data of blue tits' symbol choices in initial preference and visibility tests.