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Recognition Cues (recognition + cue)
Selected AbstractsEmpirical tests of the recognition heuristicJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 3 2006Rüdiger F. Pohl Abstract The recognition heuristic postulates that individuals should choose a recognized object more often than an unrecognized one whenever recognition is related to the criterion. This behavior has been described as a one-cue, noncompensatory decision-making strategy. This claim and other assumptions were tested in four experiments using paired-comparison tasks with cities and other geographical objects. The main results were (1) that the recognized object was chosen more often than the unrecognized one when the recognition cue was valid; (2) that participants' behavior did not reflect the recognition validity of their own knowledge; (3) that a less-is-more effect (i.e., better performance with less knowledge) was either absent or of only small size; and (4) that judgments were influenced by further knowledge, which could even compensate for the recognition cue. In sum, the recognition cue represents an important piece of knowledge in paired comparisons, but apparently not the only one. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Development of individually distinct recognition cuesDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Jill M. Mateo Abstract Despite extensive research on the functions of kin recognition, little is known about ontogenetic changes in the cues mediating such recognition. In Belding's ground squirrels, Spermophilus beldingi, secretions from oral glands are both individually distinct and kin distinct, and function in social recognition across many contexts. Behavioral studies of recognition and kin preferences suggest that these cues may change across development, particularly around the time of weaning and emergence from natal burrows (around 25 days of age). I used an habituation-discrimination task with captive S. beldingi, presenting subjects with odors collected from a pair of pups at several ages across early development. I found that at 21 days of age, but not at 7 or 14, young produce detectable odors. Odors are not individually distinct, however, until 28 days of age, after young have emerged from their burrows and begun foraging. In addition, an individual's odor continues to develop after emergence: odors produced by an individual at 20 and 40 days of age are perceived as dissimilar, yet odors produced at 28 and 40 days are treated as similar. Developmental changes in odors provide a proximate explanation for why S. beldingi littermate preferences are not consolidated until after natal emergence, and demonstrate that conspecifics must update their recognition templates as young develop. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 48: 508,519, 2006. [source] Low level of cuticular hydrocarbons in a parasitoid of a solitary digger wasp and its potential for concealmentENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Johannes KROISS Abstract Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) play a role as semiochemicals in many host,parasite systems and chemical mimicry or camouflage is a well-known mechanism of parasites to evade detection by the host. The cuckoo wasp Hedychrum rutilans (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) is a parasitoid of larvae of the European beewolf Philanthus triangulum (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). Females chemically mimic the cuticular hydrocarbons of their hosts to avoid detection and countermeasures when entering the host nest for oviposition. Here we report on a possible second mechanism of the chrysidid wasp H. rutilans to evade detection: the amount of CHC/mm2 of cuticle is only approximately one-fifth compared to its beewolf host. Furthermore, we show that surprisingly large amounts of CHC of beewolf females can be found on the walls of the underground nest. Potentially, these hydrocarbons might constitute a background odor against which the cuckoo wasps or their chemical traces have to be perceived by the beewolf. The reduction in the amount of CHC of the cuckoo wasps might be equivalent to a dilution of recognition cues, especially against the background odor of the nest walls, and might provide a means to escape detection within the nest due to "chemical insignificance". [source] Wilson's Storm Petrels Oceanites oceanicus Recognise the Olfactory Signature of Their MateETHOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Pierre Jouventin Chemical signals in birds have rarely been considered as recognition cues. Nevertheless, recent experiments showed that several petrel species are able to recognize their nest by smell, and in at least one species even their mate. But the use of smell may be different across the petrel species and olfactory nest recognition appears to be dependent on species' breeding biology. To increase our knowledge of individual olfactory recognition in petrels and the relationships between breeding biology and use of smell, we tested Wilson's storm petrels Oceanites oceanicus in Antarctica. In previous experiments, these birds failed to home if rendered anosmic, but the method employed to obtain anosmia (potentially stressing birds) and the fact that they breed in 24-h daylight suggest that they might use visual, rather than olfactory, cues to recognize their nest. Our birds were tested in T-maze experiments where nest odours or partner odours were presented. Wilson's storm petrels preferred odours of their own nest and mate. Results on olfactory nest recognition confirm and complete previous results, viz. anosmic Wilson's storm petrels do not home. Storm petrels olfactory mate recognition suggests that this ability may be widespread in burrowing petrels and implements olfactory nest recognition. [source] Nest Hydrocarbons as Cues for Philopatry in a Paper WaspETHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005A. Sumana Philopatric behavior has been demonstrated in a wide taxonomic spread of animals. In temperate environments, overwintered Polistes wasp foundresses often return to their natal nest prior to initiating colony construction. Previous research has shown that these spring foundresses can identify the natal nest in the absence of landmark and gross morphological cues. Hydrocarbons are essential recognition cues for Polistes nest and nestmate discrimination, but cuticular hydrocarbon profiles can become homogenized when foundresses overwinter in mixed colony groups. We examined the hydrocarbon profiles of Polistes dominulus foundresses and nests before and after an overwintering period, and found that the hydrocarbon profiles of nests remain unique over time and that this uniqueness is influenced by the original foundresses. Our data raise the possibility that in returning to the natal nest, foundresses reacquire their colony-specific signature, which may play a role in the formation of cooperative associations. [source] Blunt egg pole holds cues for alien egg discrimination: experimental evidenceJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010L. Pola, iková Eggshell colour patterns play a crucial role in avian host,parasite coevolution. In contrast to many experiments investigating general host egg discrimination abilities, studies testing where specific recognition cues are located on the eggshells (on blunt, sharp or both egg poles) are lacking. Previous studies suggested that discrimination cues might be located at the blunt egg pole, where the shell patterning is typically concentrated. We tested this hypothesis experimentally in species subject to interspecific (great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus, reed warblers A. scirpaceus), and also intraspecific parasitism (song thrushes Turdus philomelos, blackbirds T. merula). We examined host responses towards two types of intraspecific eggs painted non-mimetic immaculate blue either at blunt or sharp poles. All four species rejected eggs manipulated at the blunt pole at significantly higher rates, indicating that they perceive the critical recognition cues in the same egg part. Thus, the presence of egg recognition cues at the blunt egg pole may be a general phenomenon in birds parasitized by both intraspecific and interspecific parasites. [source] Evolution of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon patterns in Formica antsBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008STEPHEN J. MARTIN A comparison of the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of thirteen sympatric species of Formica ants from Finland, along with a subset of five species from the British Isles, was conducted. This permitted a comparison of the evolution of these profiles within a single genus and the stability of these profiles over large geographical and evolutionary distances. The study indicated that species-specific hydrocarbon profiles remained remarkably stable between Finland and the British Isles and were not influenced by ecological factors such as soil or vegetation types. This stability allowed candidate cuticular hydrocarbons or groups of hydrocarbons to be identified that may constitute species-specific recognition cues in these ants. In Formica, cuticular hydrocarbon composition has evolved down two distinct paths, either elevated production of Z -9-alkenes or the production of various dimethylalkanes. Evolution of hydrocarbons can be predicted for the other five Formica species for which the cuticular profiles are known. The Z -9-alkenes, dienes, and various distinctive combinations of dimethylalkanes can be used as unique species recognition cues in the Formica ants and this parallels the evolution of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon composition in the Drosophila flies. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95, 131,140. [source] ,O sibling, where art thou?'- a review of avian sibling recognition with respect to the mammalian literatureBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2004Shinichi Nakagawa ABSTRACT Avian literature on sibling recognition is rare compared to that developed by mammalian researchers. We compare avian and mammalian research on sibling recognition to identify why avian work is rare, how approaches differ and what avian and mammalian researchers can learn from each other. Three factors: (1) biological differences between birds and mammals, (2) conceptual biases and (3) practical constraints, appear to influence our current understanding. Avian research focuses on colonial species because sibling recognition is considered adaptive where,mixing potential'of dependent young is high; research on a wide range of species, breeding systems and ecological conditions is now needed. Studies of acoustic recognition cues dominate avian literature; other types of cues (e.g. visual, olfactory) deserve further attention. The effect of gender on avian sibling recognition has yet to be investigated; mammalian work shows that gender can have important influences. Most importantly, many researchers assume that birds recognise siblings through,direct familiarisation'(commonly known as associative learning or familiarity); future experiments should also incorporate tests for,indirect familiarisation'(commonly known as phenotype matching). If direct familiarisation proves crucial, avian research should investigate how periods of separation influence sibling discrimination. Mammalian researchers typically interpret sibling recognition in broad functional terms (nepotism, optimal outbreeding); some avian researchers more successfully identify specific and testable adaptive explanations, with greater relevance to natural contexts. We end by reporting exciting discoveries from recent studies of avian sibling recognition that inspire further interest in this topic. [source] | ||||||||||