Scientists Integrate Data In Three Dimensions To Study Climate Effects On Young Fish Jul 13, 2008
Manderson and colleagues in the NEFSC s Behavioral Ecology Branch recently completed their first two-week cruise to the study area for the 2008 Ecology of Coastal Ocean Seascapes (ECOS) project. Another two-week cruise will be conducted in July, a third in September. (Science Daily)
Migrating Birds Understand "Foreign Languages" Jul 3, 2008
" Some ecologists had previously suggested that long-distance travelers pick up cues from local species to obtain information on unfamiliar predators, but evidence for this theory has been thin. To explore the possibility, researchers at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, played predator warning calls made by both local and foreign species to birds passing through on long migrations as well as to local birds and monitored their reactions. The study appears in this month's issue of Behavioral... (National Geographic)
Migrating Songbirds Learn Survival Tips On The Fly Jun 30, 2008
Findings from the study are published on-line in the current issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Also on the research team with Drs. (Science Daily)
Female albatrosses shack up May 28, 2008
These females "behave just like male-female pairs," said researcher Lindsay Young, a doctoral student studying behavioral ecology at the University of Hawaii. "If a male comes up to one female in the pair, the second female gets really possessive.". (MSNBC -- Environment)
Lizards Undergo Rapid Evolution In New Home Apr 18, 2008
What is unique about this finding is that rapid evolution can affect not only the structure and function of a species, but also influence behavioral ecology and natural history, says Irschick. Results of the study were published March 25 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Science Daily)
Do Attractive Women Want It All? Mar 25, 2008
According to studies, published this week in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, the human eye color. . (Science Daily)
Rwanda conservation effort to link isolated chimps to distant forest Mar 18, 2008
Begin a study of the behavioral ecology of the Gishwati chimpanzee population to determine population size, resource and space use, patterns of social and reproductive behavior, degree of genetic relatedness, patterns of tool use and communication, health and nutritional status and degree of human conflict. Expand the existing Gishwati core forest by at least 200 hectares (500 acres). (EurekAlert!)
Male spiders 'play dead for sex'... Feb 28, 2008
Not all male nursery web spiders looking for a little arachnid sex adopt this technique, but those that do more than double their chances of hitting the jackpot, according to new study in Behavioral Ecology, reported Wednesday in the British magazine New Scientist. In experiments designed by Trine Bilde of the University of Aaarhus in Denmark, researchers set up date-and-mate opportunities for Pisaura mirabilis, a species native to Europe. (The Drudge Report)
'Eyespots' Mimic The Eyes Of Predators' Enemies Feb 26, 2008
26, 2008) Circular markings on creatures such as butterflies are effective against predators because they are conspicuous features, not because they mimic the eyes of the predators own enemies, according to research in the journal, Behavioral Ecology ... Journal reference: Conspicuousness, not eye mimicry, makes eyespots effective antipredator signals (Martin Stevens, Chloe J. Hardman, and Claire L. Stubbins) Behavioral Ecology doi:10. (Science Daily)
Insect "Eyespots" Don't Mimic Eyes, Study Says Feb 23, 2008
The study appears in the March issue of Behavioral Ecology. Visual Loudness. (National Geographic)
Letters for Wednesday, January 2, 2008 Jan 3, 2008
As an anthropologist with specialization in behavioral ecology and psychology, I have also worked as a counselor and conducted research that reveals human beings in sickness and in health. To be well, humans must remain part of nature and take their place in it, which is among (not above) all the other species that exist on our planet. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Evolving Bigger Brains through Cooking: A Q&A with Richard Wrangham Dec 20, 2007
I had a gap year between high school and college in Zambia, and that set off an interest in behavioral ecology I was an assistant to a biologist there working for the game department. It was an amazing place, miles and miles of bush with all sorts of animals. (Scientific American)
Older Children More Likely To Develop Vision Disorders, Study Suggests Nov 17, 2007
According to studies, published this week in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, the human eye color. (Nov. (Science Daily)
Crows Make and Use Tools Nov 13, 2007
Behavioral Ecology Research Group. Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. (Suite101.com)
Antioxidants can change fish behaviour Nov 9, 2007
m, J. & Metcalfe, N. B. Behavioral Ecology 18, 1100-1105 (2007). . (Nature News Service)
Social standing influences elephant movement Oct 30, 2007
The new findings, published in the October issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, suggest that fencing can have other impacts not previously known on the social behavior of the elephants. "What happens when elephant groups are forced into close contact with each other all the time" That's not yet clear," said Wittemyer. "Current elephant management plans do not yet consider the impact on social relationships. (EurekAlert!)
Age Increases Chance Of Success As Two-timer For Coal Tit Males Oct 27, 2007
26, 2007) Older coal tit males conceive significantly more offspring with a 'bit' on the side than younger ones. The coal tit appears to live a strictly monogamous life. (Science Daily)
The Secret Lives of Tool-Wielding Crows Oct 5, 2007
CANDID CAMERA: Researchers from the Behavioral Ecology Research Group in Oxford's Department of Zoology tagged wild New Caledonian crows with video cameras, which protruded through the central tail feathers. What's the best way to find out what crows living in the really do when people aren't watching. (Nature News Service)
Wild Salmon Endangered By Failure To Contain Sea Lice From Salmon Farms Sep 25, 2007
D., Professor and Director, Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University. Mark A. Lewis, Ph. (Science Daily)
NATHANIEL T. WHEELWRIGHT: Bird by bird, the avian population is shrinking Aug 24, 2007
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright studies the behavioral ecology of birds and teaches biology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Share this story. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Springer launches Theoretical Ecology Aug 8, 2007
Theoretical Ecology will provide for the in-depth discussion of theoretical research in all areas of ecology, including ecophysiology, population ecology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary ecology, ecosystem ecology, community ecology, as well as ecosystem and landscape ecology. Theoretical papers that focus on applied ecological questions will also be featured, for example the development of ecological theory for resolving societal problems. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Ichthyologist, animal behaviorist George Barlow has died UCB, Jul. 30 Jul 31, 2007
He added that Barlow always maintained "a proper historical perspective on the evolution of behavior, but always keeping abreast of changing perspectives in the field, which, during his tenure as a faculty member, moved from the classical ethology of Lorenz and Tinbergen through a sociobiological phase represented by E. O. Wilson and others and on to contemporary investigations of behavioral ecology." ... He also was editor of the journal Ethology from 1987 until 1990, and served on the... (University of California Newswire, CA)
Undergraduate research shows leaderless honeybee organizing Jun 12, 2007
Schneiders lab studies the honeybee and its behavioral ecology. Like humans, honeybees are remarkable for living in large organized groups where highly developed social behaviors coordinate the efforts of thousands of individuals to accomplish complex tasks manufacturing, community defense, environmental control and maintenance, food production, brood-rearing and education. (EurekAlert!)
New research shows sharks use their noses and bodies to locate smells May 30, 2007
The Boston University Marine Program (BUMP) is a hands-on, research-oriented curriculum in marine biology, with emphasis on marine ecology, molecular ecology, behavioral ecology, sensory biology, ichthyology, and oceanography. BUMP is currently undergoing a transition from a section within Boston Universitys Biology Department to a new interdepartmental major in Marine Science, offering month-long block courses in biology, earth sciences and geography in Boston and at various field sites. (EurekAlert!)
Humans and monkeys, center stage Apr 7, 2007
Begun by zoologist in 1968, the , set in the evergreen forests of Sri Lanka, studies the behavioral ecology, sociobiology, and population biology of (Macaca sinica). Zellnik, who is young, sharp, and exceptionally friendly, first visited Polonnaruwa in 2004 after deciding on a whim to volunteer for the non-profit. (The Scientist)
Behavioral Ecology: Late Breeding Female Birds Surprisingly Had More Offspring Apr 7, 2007
Starting to breed late in life is a bad idea if you want to maximise the number of offspring that you produce - or so the theory goes. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Bristol). (Science Daily)
Iran Hostage Redux?: Mar 27, 2007
Matt at the Behavioral Ecology Blog "an environmentalist, I try to conserve and be respectful of nature. I completely agree that human consumption vastly oversteps production, and that this is not sustainable. We are the primary cause of global working, contemporary mass extinctions, and most other bad things. There are MANY ways to go about changing things, ceasing to wipe you ass for an entire year is not one of them." JBert at group blog Gimme the Mic echoes the sentiment and skipping the... (Slate)
Fertility planning makes male chimps fight Mar 17, 2007
The findings are detailed in the March issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. The researchers speculate that do this to strive to have sex with the best males. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Stealth camouflage at night Mar 11, 2007
"The scarcity of studies on visual predator/prey interactions at night constitutes a major gap in sensory and behavioral ecology," he says. Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) equipped with a video camera, Hanlon and his team observed the giant Australian cuttlefish, Sepia apama, on their southern Australian spawning grounds over the course of a week. (EurekAlert!)
Female Chimps Keep The Bullies At Bay Mar 9, 2007
The findings have just been published online in Springer s journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Most studies of primates to date have suggested that females synchronize their reproductive activities. (Science Daily)
Tracking sperm whales and jumbo squid Mar 9, 2007
"The central Gulf of California is a uniquely advantageous location to study the behavioral ecology of sperm whales and their squid prey," the authors wrote. "Sperm whales are abundant year-round and appear to feed heavily on jumbo squid, a species that is easily captured and amenable to tagging. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to simultaneously study a mesopelagic predator and its prey using electronic tagging techniques.". (EurekAlert!)
- Diary: Jon Henley Mar 7, 2007
To Bonn University, now, where a team of researchers writing in the journal Behavioral Ecology have discovered, and we quote, that "more than 80% of male spiders leave the tip of their sex organs inside their female partner when withdrawing". Partly, the scientists conjecture, this seems an inevitable consequence of the somewhat hasty post-coital getaway needed by the average small male spider to avoid getting iced by the larger female. (Guardian Unlimited)
Spiders: Chastity Belts Protect Paternity Mar 6, 2007
Biologists from the universities of Bonn and Hamburg report on this amazing mechanism in the journal Behavioral Ecology (vol. 18, pages 174-181, 2007). (Science Daily)
Researchers find spider chastity belt Mar 6, 2007
"By breaking off parts of their intromittent organs inside a virgin female, males can reduce sperm competition and thereby increase their paternity success," the Bonn University researchers wrote in the journal Behavioral Ecology. After setting the tone by shaking the female's web, the male has only seconds to have sex before the larger female kills him. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Horganism: Christian Fatalism, Continued Jan 26, 2007
Behavioral ecology, particularly as informed by life history theory, is a more useful approach than the old debates ('Do most people need God in order to be good. Was Hitler a Christian. (Discover Magazine)
Bumblebee house warming -- it takes a village Jan 19, 2007
It was published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. For more information, contact O'Donnell at (206) 543-2315 or. (EurekAlert!)
Mexican research lab honors biologist Burney Le Boeuf Dec 11, 2006
Le Boeuf has conducted extensive research on the behavioral ecology and physiology of marine mammals. In particular, he is known for his work on the social and reproductive behavior of elephant seals, as well as their diving, foraging, and migratory behavior. (US Santa Cruz Currents, CA)
Picking a mate: Eyes have it? Nov 8, 2006
Bruno Laeng and colleagues at the University of Tromso, Norway, wrote that blue eye color "can provide a highly visible and salient cue to the child's heredity." The study was published in the October issue of the Journal of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. "If men choose women with characteristics that promote the assurance of paternity, then blue-eyed men should prefer and feel more attracted towards women with blue eyes," the researchers wrote. (Sun-Sentinel.com)
* World News Quick Take Oct 25, 2006
"Blue-eyed men may have unconsciously learned to value a physical trait that can facilitate recognition of own kin," Bruno Laeng and colleagues at the University of Tromso said in the study, published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. A group of students were asked to rate the attractiveness of models based on picture. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Blue-eyed men prefer blue-eyed women: researchers Oct 24, 2006
Science & Technology at Scientific American. CURRENT ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS. (Scientific American)
Blue Eyes -- A Clue To Paternity Oct 24, 2006
Their studies1, published in the Springer journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, show that blue-eyed men find blue-eyed women more attractive than brown-eyed women ... (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology DOI 1007. (Science Daily)
Study: Eye Color Can Reveal Faithfulness Oct 24, 2006
"Blue-eyed men may have unconsciously learned to value a physical trait that can facilitate recognition of own kin," the scientists said in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Story Continues Below. (Newsmax)
Look of love Oct 24, 2006
Blue-eyed men may have unconsciously learned to value a physical trait that can facilitate recognition of own kin, the scientists said in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. The scientists asked 88 students to rate the attractiveness of models based on pictures manipulated so that half of them had blue eyes and the other half had brown eyes. (MSNBC -- Health)
Remote Island Provides Clues On Population Growth, Environmental Degradation Aug 26, 2006
This idea is detailed in a chapter of "Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture," a book Kennett co-edited and which was published earlier this year by the University of California Press. Archeological evidence, described in the Antiquity paper, showed that Rapa's earliest occupants lived in coastal rock shelters. (Science Daily)
Bees search out hot flowers for warm nectar Aug 3, 2006
Scientists discovered bees' preference for warmer nectar while trying to explain the cone-shaped cells often found on a flower's surface, said Lars Chittka, a professor of sensory and behavioral ecology at the University of London and the senior researcher on the study. The cone-shaped cells focus light on the pigment stored in their centers, turning the flower surface darker and increasing the plant's ability to absorb light and convert it to heat. (Newsday)
Elephants "Hear" Warnings With Their Feet, Study Confirms Feb 17, 2006
O'Connell-Rodwell and her colleagues reported the finding this month in the online edition of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. O'Connell-Rodwell first theorized that elephants use vibrations to communicate in 1992, but this is the first scientific evidence to support her theory. (National Geographic)
Experimental Economists Find Brain Regions That Govern Fear Of The Economic Unknown Jan 13, 2006
Much is already known about how people deal with risk from the standpoint of social sciences and behavioral ecology, but greater understanding of how the brain structures are involved provides new insights on how certain behaviors are connected. "The amygdala has been hypothesized as a generalized vigilance module in the brain," he explains. (Science Daily)
