Abstract Status (preliminary - published June 20 2002)

Abstract Status (preliminary - published June 20 2002)
ADAMSOJJ ORAL Accepted FEMALE HABITAT DISTRIBUTION IN LARK SPARROWS Joel J. Adamson* EPOB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (adamsonj@ucsub.colorado.edu) Program Abstract Habitat distribution of females plays a key role in limiting mating success of males. I used discriminant function analysis (DFA) between nest sites, non-use sites (10m from nest) and random sites (randomly selected from study site) with Fretwell's Ideal Distribution model to test hypotheses of habitat selection in Lark Sparrows Chondestes grammacus: (1) females freely choose nest sites and have an ideal free distribution,(2) females are density-limited and have an ideal despotic distribution. Nests and random sites were significantly different on a habitat-wide DF, which correctly classified 64.5% of original cases. Successful nests had significantly higher habitat-level DF scores than unsuccessful nests. Successful and unsuccessful nests were not significantly different on a within-territory DF(between nests and non-use), which correctly classified 66.8% of original cases. These results suggest that females have a despotic distribution: females may be density-limited. Future research should focus on how female-female interactions affect female habitat distribution and male mating success. Media Friendly Abstract

AGOSTAA POSTER Accepted FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COLONIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL BREEDING SITES BY MALE ISOPODS Angela Agosta* & Stephen M. Shuster Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5640 USA (aaz@dana.ucc.nau.edu) Program Abstract Laboratory analysis of animal behavior requires that the performances of lab-reared and field collected individuals are the same under experimental conditions. We investigated this issue in Paracerceis sculpta, a Gulf of California isopod, which breeds in calcareous sponges in nature, as well as in artificial sponges in the laboratory. We found that juvenile environment had no effect on the rates at which males colonized artificial sponges. We found no difference in the ages of males who colonized and did not colonize sponges. When the physical characteristics of sponges were varied, sponge size, sponge complexity, and osculum diameter all increased the number of lab-reared and field-collected animals colonizing sponges within 48 hours. Our results indicate that (1) analysis of this species behavior using laboratory stocks and artificial habitats is justified, (2) repeatability of these experiments with individuals of different ages is high, and (3) considerable variation in the responses of individuals to the physical characteristics of breeding habitats exists. Media Friendly Abstract

ALEMADSD POSTER Accepted CHEMICALLY-MEDIATED ANTIPREDATOR BEHAVIOR BY PARENTALLY-DEPENDENT CONVICT CICHLID LARVAE Shireen D. Alemadi* & Brian D. Wisenden Biology Dept, Minnesota State University Moorhead, MN, USA (alemadsh@mnstate.edu) Program Abstract Injury-released chemical alarm cues are released when predators attack aquatic prey. These cues are generally released only in this context and as such, conspecific alarm cues form an important component of risk assessment. Minnows (Ostariophysi, Cyprinidae) possess a well-developed chemical alarm system. However, minnows do not respond to conspecific injury-released alarm cues until 30 to 50 d post-hatch. Non-ostariophysan fishes respond to chemical alarm cues with antipredator behavior but the ontogeny of this behavior is not known for any species. Here, we test convict cichlids (Acanthopterygii: Cichlidae), a species known to respond to alarm cues as adults. Convict cichlid parents care for their eggs and defend their developing young from predators. In our experiment, we tested the ontogeny of antipredator response to chemical alarm cues in larval convict cichlids well within and just beyond the size range typically defended by parents. We found that pre-independence larvae engaged in area avoidance and grouping behaviors in response to alarm cues and did so as effectively as young that would typically be independent of parental care. Media Friendly Abstract Cichlids are fishes that have biparental care (defense) of their eggs and their young after they hatch. The free-swimming young fish, larvae, are defended for 4 to 6 weeks before becoming independent from parental protection. It is not known if, or when, larval cichlids are able to recognize and respond to chemical cues that indicate danger. Because the young are very small and vulnerable to many predators, the ability to detect and avoid predators would benefit them greatly. We tested larval cichlids at sizes during and just after parental independence. We found that small and large young were equally adept at detecting and rsponding to chemical cues of injured cichlids. Their behavioral response was to avoid the area where the cue was released and to increase schooling behavior - both strategies that would reduce their risk of predation.

ANCIÃEM POSTER Accepted SPATIAL AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF PIN-TAILED MANAKINS (AVES: PIPRIDAE): INFERENCES FROM MIST NET DATA. Marina Anciães* & Miguel Â. Marini Natural Hist.Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence KS 66045 & Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil Program Abstract In some lekking birds, females have larger home ranges than males and use routes to visit leks. However, sex-related patterns of habitat utilization are unknown for most species. We analyzed mist net data to complement a behavioral study of lek organization in the Pin-tailed Manakin (Ilicura militaris), in Eastern Brazil. Leks were mapped on 16 pre-existing mist net grids (10-15 nets ca.20 m apart), and birds banded from 1995 to 2000. We addressed sex-related spatial segregation, movement behavior, and site fidelity comparing ratios of captures and recaptures between sexes across grids in- and outside leks. Green plumaged immature males were distinguished from females by molecular sexing and reproductive condition. Green birds (females and immature males) were captured more than adult males, especially outside leks. Estimates from molecular sexing indicated a statically significant inverse proportion of females and adult males across grid types, suggesting spatial sexual segregation. Recaptures showed that adult males visit neighbor territories, and green males float across leks. Females were recaptured in the same lek territory, same non-lek grid, and across grid types, moving farther than males. Results agree with behavioral observations and are congruent with previous studies of home ranges and movement behavior. Media Friendly Abstract

ANDRADMC ORAL Accepted TRADING OFF COURTSHIP & COMPETITION: MATING TACTICS OF DOOMED MALE SPIDERS Maydianne C.B. Andrade, Damian O. Elias & Erin M. Banta Life Sci, Univ Toronto & Neurobio & Behavior, Cornell Univ & Neurobiology & Behavior, Cornell University, USA (mandrade@utsc.utoronto.ca) Program Abstract Most male redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti*) die while searching for mates. Males that survive encounter up to 8 rivals in a female's web. Since most females mate with only 1 or 2 males, encounters do not always lead to matings. Given the high cost of failing to mate, we predicted that (1)inter-male aggression should escalate quickly and (2)males should scramble to copulate rapidly to avoid usurpation. However, males rarely fought in nature, and male courtship typically lasted >2 hours. In laboratory matings, fighting was mainly between size-matched males, and matched competitors attempted copulation more rapidly than single males. When males were size-mismatched, smaller males quickly ceased courtship and adopted a 'sneaker' tactic. In comparison, larger males courted for hours despite the risk of sneakers achieving copulations during this time. In a separate study, females discriminated against males that attempted copulation after brief courtships. Our results suggest that redback male mating behaviour may involve a trade-off between tactics that maximize competitive success and those that satisfy choosy females. Media Friendly Abstract Most male redback spiders die while searching for their cannibalistic mates. Those that survive must compete with up to 8 rivals to achieve a mating with females that typically mate only once or twice. Since most males have only one mating opportunity in their lifetime, we predicted they would attempt to mate immediately after reaching a female's web and fight viciously with any rivals that were present. Surprisingly, males rarely fight in nature, and court >2 hours before attempting copulation. In the lab, fighting mainly occurred if males were closely matched in size; these males also raced to mate with females as predicted. However, if one male was much larger, the smaller male quickly ceased courtship and adopted a 'sneaker' strategy while the larger male engaged in a lengthy courtship (despite the risk of cuckoldry by a 'sneaker'). In another study, we found that females are aggressive towards males that try to mate after brief courtships. Thus redback male mating behaviour might be a compromise between tactics for winning competitions with males and those for satisfying choosy females.

ARECHAME ORAL Accepted THE ROLE OF GUARDS IN THE DEFENSIVE RESPONSE OF HONEY BEE COLONIES Miguel E. Arechavaleta-Velasco* & Greg J. Hunt Dept. of Entomology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN 47907 (miguel@entm.purdue.edu) Program Abstract This study was conducted to identify differences in the expression of guarding behavior between defensive and gentle backcross honey bee colonies and to determine the role that guard bees play in the defensive response of a colony. Guarding behavior was performed by honey bee workers for an average of 1.9 days. No differences were found between backcross types for the average duration of guarding. Differences were found between backcross types and between colonies for the number of bees that guard for one day and for two days. The variation between colonies for these two variables was partially genetic in origin. A small proportion of the bees that stung during stinging assays were guards, and only a small proportion of the guards stung. No differences were found between backcross types, but significantly differences were found between colonies for this variable. Positive correlations were found between the number of stings with both the number of guards in the colony (r=0.41) and the proportion of guards that stung in relation to the total number of guards in the colony (r=0.46). Colonies responded with fewer stings when guards were removed in comparison to when guards were not removed from the colonies. Media Friendly Abstract

ARUNIV FOUNDERS Accepted CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF ENDANGERED GOLDEN LANGURS . Arun Srivastava* Department of Zoology, JNV University, Jodhpur, India and Primate Heritage, P. O. Box 40, Bikaner, India. Program Abstract The distribution of golden langurs, is limited to a small area of western Assam, India and the foothills of the Black mountains in Bhutan. The habitat available for these langurs consists of continuous forest reserves, restricted by rivers (Sankosh, Manas, and Brahmaputra) on three sides and the Black mountain in the north. Human population pressure, and political problems resulted in degradation of these forest reserves. Surveys carried out between 1997 and 2001 covered 150,647 hectares of forests in western Assam used stratified walk transect (733 km) and total count methods. A total population of 1500 individuals living in 180 groups was estimated in Assam. An average group size of 8.2 (range 4.0-22.0) individuals was recorded. The sex ratio was 1.9-2.5 adult females for each adult male. There is evidence of poor recruitment suggesting an unstable population. A similar population may exist in Bhutan, making a global population estimate of 3000. The langurs appear to be fairly resilient to human disturbance. However, distributed as a complex metapopulation they rely on larger forest reserves for their existence. Small group size, isolated distribution, proportionately few infants and juveniles, encroachment on forest reserves are all causes of concern. Media Friendly Abstract

ASPBURAS ORAL Accepted SAGE GROUSE LEK IN SITES WITH LOW LONG-RANGE VISIBILITY Andrea S. Aspbury* & Robert M. Gibson School of Biol. Sciences, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln (aspbury@unlserve.unl.edu) Program Abstract Lek breeding sage grouse have highly specific patterns of lek site use. Here we consider two alternate explanations for why males lek at specific sites. First, males might select sites that increase their long-range visual conspicuousness in order to attract females. Alternatively, males may use sites that decrease their visual conspicuousness to predators. If males choose sites to increase attraction of females, these sites should be more visible across long distances than non-lek sites. We used geographic information system based analyses to determine visibility of sites used as leks and visibility of non-lek sites. Visibility of lek sites is significantly less than non-lek sites at two different spatial scales. In addition, visibility of males on lek territories is significantly less than visibility of the same individuals during non-displaying times. Thus, male sage grouse may be selecting lek sites with topographic features that decrease their conspicuousness thereby decreasing the risk of predation. Media Friendly Abstract

AVILÉSL INVITED Accepted THE DYNAMICS OF MULTILEVEL SELECTION PROCESSES—FROM CELLULAR SLIME MOLDS TO SOCIAL SPIDERS Leticia Avilés* Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (laviles@u.arizona.edu) Program Abstract From the broad array of phenomena in which multiple levels of selection may be involved---origin of higher levels of organization, sex ratio evolution in subdivided populations, cancer, virulence, replication rates of transposable elements and intracellular organelles, etc.---I will consider two cases representing opposite extremes of the population structure spectrum: the evolution of female-biased sex ratios in highly structured metapopulations, as in social spiders, and the evolution of cooperation in single-generation associations of non relatives, as in tree-killing bark beetles, pleometrotic ants, or cellular slime molds. Using agent-based simulation models, I will illustrate the similarities and differences of multilevel selection processes acting in these two settings and show that the outcome of multilevel selection processes depends on two distinct and independent properties of the entities at each of the levels---the amount of genetic variance available among them and their relative rates of turnover. I also illustrate the dynamic nature of equilibria when opposing selective forces at two levels are involved. In particular, I present a solution to the problem of how cooperation can be maintained in the presence of freeloaders that does not depend on kinship, assortative associations, or enforcing mechanisms such as policing or punishment. Media Friendly Abstract

BAKERMB POSTER Accepted MATING COMPETITION AND FERTILIZATION SUCCESS BETWEEN COLORADO POTATO BEETLES RESISTANT OR SUSCEPTIBLE TO IMIDACLOPRID Mitchell B. Baker*, Benjamin D. Jaffe & Shana R. Dastur Biology, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA (m_baker@fandm.edu) Program Abstract Current methods to slow the evolution of resistance to transgenic and conventional insecticides rely on untested assumptions about gene flow between treated areas and untreated refuges. Resistance to insecticides is often a costly trait to maintain, and less vigorous mating behavior or less motile sperm in resistant individuals will slow the spread of resistance. We present data showing that Colorado potato beetles resistant to imidacloprid are less physiologically vigorous, as shown by slower sprint speeds. We tested mating competitiveness by placing a single resistant and a single susceptible male beetle with a virgin female in either small individual cages with a leaf clipping or large cages with a whole plant, and used behavioral and sterile males assays to measure mating competitiveness and fertilization success. Resistant males do not mate less often than susceptible males. Fertilization success did not vary in the individual cages, and the relative fertilization rates in larger cages will be presented. Media Friendly Abstract

BAKERMB ORAL Accepted WHY DO DESERT ISOPODS, HEMILEPISTUS REAUMURI, DISPERSE: HABITAT SELECTION AND THE ALTERNATIVES Mitchell B Baker* Biology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, Animal Behavior Graduate Group, UC Davis & Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel (m_baker@fandm.edu) Program Abstract Some animals have qualitative requirements for settling that determine their distribution after natal dispersal, but most are not so constrained, and understanding the settling decisions of animals that ignore apparently suitable habitat is critical to predicting how dispersal patterns will vary in different and changing habitat. Desert isopods, Hemilepistus reaumuri , emerge from their natal burrows each Spring and travel up to a few km before settling. Longer ranging before settling entails costs in survival, condition, and time. I used manipulative and observational studies to ask whether isopods selected better than average habitat and whether the variation in habitat on the scale of individuals’ movements justified observed distances traveled. Isopods settle more densely in patches with more old burrows, a reliable cue of new burrow survival, but responded more to shrub density, which was poorly correlated with survival. Isopods did not respond to natural variation in soil moisture, but settled more densely in irrigated plots. Though habitat quality varies widely in space, isopods are unable to track habitat closely enough to balance survival costs of remaining unsettled. Media Friendly Abstract

BALESKL ORAL Accepted SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE HORMONAL REGULATION OF PARENTAL CARE IN MONOGAMOUS MAMMALS Karen L. Bales* & C. Sue Carter Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago (baleskaren@aol.com) Program Abstract The parental behavior of males and females in monogamous mammals is superficially similar, but a growing body of evidence indicates that its hormonal regulation is sexually dimorphic. Steroid hormones such as testosterone and estrogen are examined most frequently; glucocorticoids are less often examined and their relationship to parental care less clear-cut. In addition, underlying many of the effects of steroids are neuropeptides including oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP). In this paper, we synthesize recent findings from a monogamous mammal, the prairie vole, which suggest sex differences in neuropeptide and glucocorticoid effects on parental care. For example, in adults female but not male parental care relies on OT; females also respond to infants with a drop in corticosterone, while males do not. Parental behavior is also dependent on developmental exposure to peptides, which may help program the nervous system to allow males to be parental. Differences may relate to sex and species differences in the need for mobility vs. immobility. This research supported by NIH grants HD38490 and F32 HD08702. Media Friendly Abstract

BALSBYTJ ORAL Accepted COURTSHIP AND QUIET VOCALIZATIONS IN WHITETHROATS (SYLVIA COMMUNIS) Thorsten J.S. Balsby* & Torben Dabelsteen Dept. of Animal Behaviour, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark (TJSBalsby@zi.ku.dk) Program Abstract Unmated male songbirds usually change their vocal behavior when females enter their territories. Here we present results from a study of whitethroats, which showed that males used diving song for courtship of females and woid-calls for deterring other males. The vocalizations associated with courtship were all characterized by very low sound pressure levels and by being very susceptible to degradation resulting in relatively short transmission ranges. Vocalizations are emitted in a communication network where multiple individuals potentially could extract information from it. That neighboring males extracted information and used it were indicated by both observations and an experiment, which showed that males were more likely to suffer intrusions during courtship compared to contexts without female presence. The intrusions were costly for the males, because the females often disappeared. There are therefore good reasons to vocalize quietly in the courtship context in order to restrict the information transfer in the communication network. Media Friendly Abstract

BARBERAM ORAL Accepted RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CORTICOSTERONE, FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND OPEN FIELD PERFORMANCE IN MERRIAM'S KANGAROO RATS Amy M. Barber* Ecol., Evol. & Conserv. Biol., Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (barberam@med.unr.edu) Program Abstract Comparative studies of closely related species or different populations of the same species have contributed greatly to our understanding of the evolutionary significance of behavior. More recently, researchers have focused on variation among individuals in the same population, belonging to the same age or sex class. Some of this variation is organized into syndromes that are correlated with differences in hormone levels; these syndromes have been described as different strategies that may be important for how individuals interact with their environment. However, most of this work has been done in the laboratory and is unable to address how these different behaviors function under natural conditions. Field observations of free-ranging Dipodomys merriami from 2001 and 2002 are used to correlate the behavior of focal individuals with their fecal corticosteriod levels. Preliminary data suggest that fecal hormone levels are inversely correlated with seed-caching (proportion of seeds scatterhoarded) of provisioned food using a fluorescent tracking technique. Focal individuals' performances in an open-field task adapted for the field may also be related to fecal corticosteriod concentrations. Measures of repeatability in hormone profiles and foraging behavior suggest within season consistency in both physiology and behavior, which may underlie the expression of particular behavioral strategies. Media Friendly Abstract

BAROTS POSTER Accepted CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE OF FLANK OVER-MARKING IN GOLDEN HAMSTERS Sabiha K. Barot, Naomi S. Schwarz & Robert E. Johnston Dept. of Psych, Cornell Univ, Ithaca NY 14850 (skb17@cornell.edu) Program Abstract The social significance of flank over-marking in golden hamsters Mesocricetus auratus* , is not well understood. This behavior involves partially or completely covering the flank scent of a conspecific with one’s own. Using a new behavioral method, we demonstrate that males actively target the flank marks of other adult males but do not target those of juvenile males or females. In contrast, females do not appear to target the flank marks of other individuals. These results suggest that over-marking in male hamsters is driven by a stimulus-response mechanism that actively targets the scents of those conspecifics that pose a sexual threat. Female mate-choice experiments in a semi-natural lab environment indicate that females may prefer the top-scent male. In sum, these findings suggest that over-marking is a competitive form of communication that is driven by sexual selection. Media Friendly Abstract

BARRYKJ INVITED Accepted CAT AGGRESSION AS A MODEL FOR EXAMINING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN BASIC AND APPLIED KNOWLEDGE Kimberly J Barry* Town Lake Animal Center, Austin, TX (Kim.Barry@ci.austin.tx.us) Program Abstract As applied animal behaviorists strive to understand behavior problems in the domestic cat, the opportunity to contribute to the basic questions regarding cat behavior becomes apparent. When we develop protocols for decreasing cat aggression in the household we are required to answer questions of function, evolution and proximate factors. In order to improve our ability to work with cat aggression cases, we need answers about dominance, territoriality, and the proximal triggers to an aggressive bout. This discussion will explore the interplay between applied and basic knowledge using aggression between cats as a central focus. Media Friendly Abstract

BASHAWMJ ORAL Accepted THE UNDERESTIMATION OF SOCIAL BONDS IN GIRAFFE Meredith J. Bashaw*, Fred B. Bercovitch & Lorie R. Tarou Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Tech, CRES/San Diego Wild Animal Park, CRES/San Diego Wild Animal Park & Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Smithsonian National Zoo (meredithjb@netzero.net) Program Abstract Early studies concluded that giraffe did not form social attachments, as they were often widely dispersed and frequently changed social partners. However, these data may have underestimated the importance of social bonds in giraffe. Giraffe may be able to maintain visual contact at great distances because of their height and the terrain in which they live, and they produce infrasound (frequencies below the level of human hearing) that may allow them to communicate over long distances. We have demonstrated that captive adult giraffe do form social attachments, as evidenced by increased stereotypic behavior upon the removal of a group member. Furthermore, preliminary data on social behavior from an ongoing study of the behavior of adult female giraffe at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (funded by the Bud Heller Foundation) support the idea that there is a pattern of social behavior and proximity among adult female giraffe. We suggest that the pattern of social relationships among giraffe indicates that they do form social bonds, and conclude by discussing some of the reasons why these patterns may have been overlooked. Media Friendly Abstract

BASILJA FOUNDERS Accepted SENSORY BIOLOGY OF THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS Jennifer Basil, Iryna Bahctinova, Tina Kuroiwa, Nandi Lee, Michael Preis & Christian Soucier Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY and The Graduate Center, the City University of New York & Department of Biology, Brooklyn (jbasil@brooklyn.cuny.edu) Program Abstract We investigated the chemosensory behavior of the Chambered Nautilus*. Nautiluses have numerous tentacles covered in putative taste receptors and a pair of presumed olfactory organs called rhinophores. We have previously found that Nautiluses consistently detected and followed turbulent odor plumes to the source over distances up to at least 10 m. Nautiluses began their distant search with a distinctive behavior called "Cat's whiskers": spreading their tentacles out laterally. Within a few body lengths of the odor source, they drop their longest digital tentacles down toward the substrate as though they are searching for a buried food item. Nautiluses cannot track odor when their rhinophores are blocked. We hypothesized that Nautiluses use their rhinophores for far-field odor detection and their tentacles for near-field search. We applied 1cc of odor to each of the animals' sense organs (rhinophore, digital tentacles, preocular tentacles, postocular tentacles; N=11 animals) in random order. The application of odor to the rhinophore immediately initiated the far-field Cat's whiskers behavior (P <0.05), while stimulation of other organs did not. Stimulation of the digital tentacles resulted in extension of the digital tentacles toward the substrate (P<0.05). Further analyses will determine the function of the pre and postocular tentacles in both odor-search and mechanosensory behaviors. Media Friendly Abstract

BASURTD POSTER Accepted CORAL REEF ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURE AND TERRITORIAL DAMSELFISH (POMACENTRIDAE) BEHAVIOR Dorina Basurto-Lozano* & Rogelio Macias-Ordonez Faculty of Biology, Univ. Nacional Autonoma de Mexico & Instituto de Ecologia, A.C., Xalapa, Mexico (doriniux@yahoo.com) Program Abstract This project took an integrative approach of community and behavioral ecologies through the study of coral reef fish assemblage structure, damselfish behavior and substrate use. The fish assemblage's species distribution, richness and relative abundance were assessed for the back reef of Ixlache, Contoy National Park, Mexican Caribbean. Seventy one species were recorded, out of which five damselfish species ranked among the ten most abundant. The use of five substrates was recorded for the most abundant damselfish species. Territory distribution of Stegastes diencaeus, S. dorsopunicans, S. leucostictus, S.planifrons,, S. variabilis and Microspathodon chrysurus was non-random, suggesting that individuals may show species-specific substrate preference, or exclude congenerics from high quality territories. Herbivory and territorial aggressive defense were recorded for adults of S. leucostictus, and S. planifrons. No difference in foraging rate or defense effort were found between these species when defending territories on rubble. However, S. planifrons individuals defending territories on this substrate had higher foraging rate and defense effort than conspecifics defending territories on elkhorn coral. Such difference is probably due to substrate-specific differences in architecture and algal availability, resulting in different energetic costs and benefits. We propose behavioral mechanisms during settlement and territorial defense as determinants of community structure. Media Friendly Abstract

BAUEREB POSTER Accepted ROLE REVERSAL AND SELF-HANDICAPPING DURING PLAY-FIGHTING IN DOMESTIC DOGS Erika B. Bauer* & Barbara B. Smuts Dept. of Psych., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (ebbauer@juno.com) Program Abstract During mammalian play, role reversal and self-handicapping are common, though few studies have investigated these behaviors systematically. It is generally thought that in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) larger or otherwise more dominant individuals engage in role reversal and self-handicapping to facilitate play with less dominant individuals. Dyadic play bouts were videotaped and coded for asymmetric behaviors. In dyads with substantial size, age or dominance differences, smaller, younger, and subordinate individuals self-handicapped more often, while larger, older, dominant dogs initiated more attacks and pursuits. This suggests that it is actually the less dominant individuals that self-handicap most often, thus it may function to communicate playful intent or reinforce dominance relationships. Role reversal occurs often, but there are apparent rules dictating which behaviors can be used when roles reverse. For example, role reversals occur in chasing and tackling, but were never observed during mounts, muzzle bites, or muzzle licks. These latter behaviors may be invariant indicators of formal dominance. Media Friendly Abstract

BEALD POSTER Accepted DOMINANCE BEHAVIOR VARIES WITH AGE AND GENDER IN CAMPBELL'S DWARD HAMPSTERS. Deborah L. Beal* & Cathy Schnelton Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 (dbeal@ic.edu) Program Abstract Juvenile Campbell's Dwarf Hampsters (Phodopus sungoris Campbell) demonstrates a type of play behavior which is a pre-cursor of courtship, and may be involved sex recognition and possibly dominance behavior. In this study we describe the sequence of wrestling and flipping behavior in juvenile, sub-adult and adult hampsters. The number of flipping incidences significantly varies with age and gender. Flipping behavior appears random in juveniles with both males and females practicing flipping and being flipped. Fisher's Exact test showed no significant differences in Males flipping males; Males flipping females, Females flipping males or females flipping females in juveniles. However, as hampsters mature, 99% of flipping is done by males with females and occasionally small males being the target. Mature males and females have fewer incidences of flipping but both sexes participate. In addition, there were sequential changes in flipping behavior as hampsters mature. We conclude that wrestling behavior in juveniles may help develop skills needed for gender recognition and assessing reproductive status in sub-adult and adult Campbell's Dwarf Hampsters. Media Friendly Abstract Juvenile Campbell's Dwarf Hampsters (Phodopus sungoris Campbell), demonstrates a type of play behavior which is a pre-cursor of courtship, and may be involved sex recognition and possibly dominance behavior. In this study we describe the sequence of wrestling and flipping behavior in juvenile, sub-adult and adult hampsters. The number of flipping incidences significantly varies with age and gender. Flipping behavior appears random in juveniles with both males and females practicing flipping and being flipped. There was no significant differences in Males flipping males; Males flipping females, Females flipping males or females flipping females in juveniles. However, as hampsters mature, 99% of flipping is done by males with females and occasionally small males being the target. Mature males and females have fewer incidences of flipping but both sexes participate. In addition, there were sequential changes in flipping behavior as hampsters mature. We conclude that wrestling behavior in juveniles may help develop skills needed for gender recognition and assessing reproductive status in sub-adult and adult Campbell's Dwarf Hampsters.

BEALORMT ORAL Accepted BEHAVIORAL ASYMMETRY, PREY CAPTURE, AND CONSTRICTION BEHAVIOR IN COMMON KINGSNAKES, LAMPROPELTIS GETULA Matthew T. Bealor* Dept. of EPO Biology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (matthew.bealor@colorado.edu) Program Abstract Several species of animals are known to exhibit behavioral asymmetry or "handedness" that may reflect cerebral hemispheric lateralization or constraints on neuromuscular development and control. Previous work has suggested that individual snakes exhibit side dominance in coil application during constriction behavior (i.e., direction in which loops of the snake's body are applied to subdue prey). I recorded numerous aspects of constriction behavior in common kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula, in controlled laboratory experiments. Under these conditions, I found no evidence of asymmetry in the direction of coil application at the individual or species level. However, other aspects of prey capture (e.g. approach and S-curve direction, body alignment) appear to be correlated with the direction of coil application. I present findings of detailed analyses of constriction and prey handling behavior in kingsnakes, including a previously undescribed behavior that appears to facilitate ingestion of prey in this species. This newly reported behavior might prove to be a useful character in comparative analyses of constriction behavior in snakes. Media Friendly Abstract

BEDNEKPA ORAL Accepted THE VALUE OF COORDINATED VIGILANCE: EFFECTS OF PERIPHERAL VIGILANCE AND IMPERFECT COLLECTIVE DETECTION Peter A. Bednekoff* Biology Department, Eastern Michigan University (peter.bednekoff@emich.edu) Program Abstract Animals frequently raise their heads to check for danger. In a group, individuals generally raise their heads independently. Earlier models suggest that all could gain by coordinating their vigilance, i.e. each animal could gain by raising its head when others are not. I re-examine these suggestions in light of empirical findings that: 1) Animals can sometimes detect a predator without raising their heads; and 2) When one member of a group detects a predator, the information is not always available to other members of the group. Including these effects in models decreases the value of coordinated vigilance. When animals can detect some attacks without raising their head, the value simply decreases by a fraction. When information flow is very faulty, however, coordinated vigilance can have a negative value. For normal vigilance, my calculations suggest that coordinated vigilance will be of very little value. This is compounded in groups because each group member can only realize a fraction of the value of coordination through its own actions. This framework helps explain why regular vigilance is not coordinated and also why sentinel vigilance is coordinated. Media Friendly Abstract Animals seemingly could benefit by taking shifts in watching for predators. For most groups, they instead watch independently. I calculate how two previous findings affect the value of coordinated watching for predators. Both the ability to detect predators while feeding and faulty information flow decrease the value of coordination. The value of coordination is likely to be very small in most circumstances.

BEEBEEMD ORAL Accepted SONG SHARING BY YELLOW WARBLERS DIFFERS BETWEEN TWO MODES OF SINGING: IMPLICATIONS FOR SONG FUNCTION Martin D. Beebee* Department of Biology, Duke University (mdb9@duke.edu) Program Abstract I investigated the pattern of song sharing for the two singing modes (Type I and Type II) of yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia). There is indirect evidence that males use Type I singing to attract females, and Type II singing to interact with other males, but how males use these singing modes for these functions is unknown. One way in which males might use Type II singing to interact with neighboring males is through the use of “shared songs.” I tested the prediction that Yellow Warblers should share more of their Type II songs with neighbors compared to non-neighbors, but that there should be no such relationship for Type I songs. I found that males in a Pennsylvania population shared significantly more of their Type II song repertoire with neighbors than with non-neighbors, and that sharing between males declined with distance between their territories. There was no spatial relationship for sharing Type I song types. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that yellow warblers use Type II singing to interact with other males using strategies such as song type and repertoire matching. Media Friendly Abstract

BEECHEMD INVITED Accepted SOCIAL FACTORS IN SONG LEARNING Michael D. Beecher* Departments of Psychology & Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, & WA 98195 (beecher@u.washington.edu) (beecher@u.washington.edu) Program Abstract Classical studies of bird song learning, following an ethological model, identified a sensitive period and an innate sensory filter (aka the song template) as the key features of song learning. Social and ecological factors were controlled out of these studies in the interest of experimental control: young birds were brought into the laboratory and tape recorders substituted for actual birds as song tutors. Recent studies in the lab and the field have switched the focus to social and ecological variables and have shown that these factors are crucial to song learning, in some instances overriding the effects of the classical temporal and auditory factors. In western populations of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), a young male typically learns the songs sung by adult males in his post-dispersal neighborhood. Our studies have revealed several correlates and potential advantages of having songs similar to those of one's neighbors: males who share more songs with neighbors enjoy longer territory tenures; shared songs are preferentially used in countersinging with neighbors; and females prefer neighborhood songs. Our field and lab studies of song learning suggest that a key factor in song learning is song interaction between the adult tutor and the young bird, and that this factor may trump the factors of timing and extent of song exposure. Finally, I will discuss reported differences between eastern and western song sparrow song sparrow populations that may relate to underlying differences in innate song learning programs. Media Friendly Abstract

BEECHIS FOUNDERS Accepted BEHAVIORAL CORRELATES OF GROUP SIZE IN ATLANTIC COASTAL MIGRATORY DOLPHINS, TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS Simon C. Beeching, Albert F. Answini, Wendy L. Ryan & David Schofield Marine Science Consortium. Wallops Island, VA (simon.beeching@rockmail.sru.edu) Program Abstract Many fundamental questions about cetacean biology remain unanswered because of the difficulty in making focused, continuous observations of free-ranging whales. We collected and analyzed behavioral observations of Atlantic coastal, migratory Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus*) as part of an ongoing, long-term study. Free-ranging groups of Bottlenose Dolphins were observed by boat between 1998 and 2000 in the Wallops Island-Assateague Island region of Virginia, USA. The occurrence of stereotypical activities was recorded, along with group size and composition, weather and ocean conditions, and several ecological and environmental parameters. Both group size and composition affected dolphin behavior. Several activities (flukeslap, chuff, jump, and sexual behavior) occurred significantly more often in larger groups, and in groups with juveniles. These data suggest a social, communicative function for many dolphin activities, and may provide an opportunity to determine the functional significance of some dolphin behavior. Further investigation of dolphin group dynamics will provide needed data for conservation and stock management of coastal migratory dolphins in the mid-Atlantic. Media Friendly Abstract Much of what is known about bottlenose dolphin behavior is the result of studies on captive and trained dolphins. Surprisingly little data are available on the behavior of wild dolphins. We studied, along several other groups along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the behavior, group size and composition, and habitat use of migratory, coastal bottlenose dolphins. We found that group size generally increased through the study season, as did the incidence of young. Several typical dolphin activities (such as flukeslap) were found to occur much more frequently in large groups. This suggests that some activities function as social signals that are more necessary or appropriate in larger groups than small ones. The health and stability of the coastal migratory dolphin along the eastern seaboard depends on our success in understanding the complex group dynamics and migratory patterns of dolphins.

BEEMA ORAL Accepted MECHANISMS FOR PLASTICITY OF AGGRESSIVE SIGNALLING IN MALE SPRING PEEPERS, PSEUDACRIS CRUCIFER (ANURA, HYLIDAE) Mark A. Bee*, Sarah C. Humfeld & Vincent T. Marshall Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri & Divisi (Mark.Bee@uni-oldenburg.de) Program Abstract Acoustic communication plays important roles in maintaining inter-male spacing in frog choruses. Because male density varies temporally and spatially, we should expect males to modify aggressive signalling in ways that balance female attraction and call-site defense. We conducted three playback experiments to investigate plasticity in aggressive signalling in choruses of the spring peeper. We found a positive correlation between the amplitude of the nearest neighbor’s calls and the threshold amplitude at which males switched to aggressive calls. Repeated stimulus presentations resulted in decreases in aggressive signalling and temporary elevations of aggressive thresholds. Short-term habituation of aggression toward a neighbor could function as a proximate mechanism to allow males to track fluctuations in the local density of calling males. Females preferences for advertisement calls over aggressive calls were weak, suggesting that female preference is a weak source of selection on plasticity in aggressive signalling. Our data suggest energetic constraints as an additional source of selection. Media Friendly Abstract Historically, frog communication has been considered rather simple in comparison with other vertebrates. More recent studies, however, indicate that frog communication systems are much more dynamic than previously thought and even incorporate both short-term and long-term forms of learning. In our study, we investigated "plasticity" in a communication system by asking how and why males of the spring peeper, a common frog throughout eastern North America, modify their aggressive signalling behavior in the context of attracting females and defending their calling site against rival males. We used field sound playbacks to investigate how male aggressive behavior changes with changes in the local density of other calling males. In the laboratory, we tested female mating preferences as a possible explanation for the evolution of plasticity in male aggressive behavior. Our results suggest that a simple form of short-term learning allows males to track changes in the density of other nearby calling males. Female mating preferences alone appear to be an inadequate explanation for the evolution of plasticity in male aggression. We suggest that energetic limitations play an important role in mediating a male's aggressive responsiveness in a chorus.

BELLAM ORAL Accepted BEHAVIORAL SYNDROMES IN THREESPINED STICKLEBACK (GASTEROSTEUS ACULEATUS): POPULATION DIFFERENCES AND HORMONAL PERTURBATION Alison M. Bell* Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis (ambell@ucdavis.edu) Program Abstract What is the source and significance of behavioral syndromes, or correlations among behavioral traits? The source underlying a behavioral syndrome can be found by perturbing a suspected mechanism and measuring whether the correlation among behaviors changes. The evolutionary significance of behavioral syndromes can be assessed by comparing syndromes within and between populations. I investigated these hypotheses in threespined stickleback by rearing fish from two geographically isolated populations in each of two hormonal treatments. Fish from the two populations differ in levels of aggression toward conspecifics and antipredator behavior and it has been suggested that a common hormonal mechanism influences behavior in both contexts. There was a syndrome common to fish from both populations: more active fish were more aggressive toward conspecifics and more 'bold' under predation risk. However, hormonal manipulation by a synthetic gonadal steroid (ethinyl estradiol) affected different behaviors, suggesting that this syndrome is not the result of just one hormonal mechanism. Moreover, exposure to estradiol affected fish from the two populations differently and, in some cases, in opposite directions. Because ethinyl estradiol is an endocrine disrupter found at low levels in the environment, these results contribute to the growing literature on the effects of endocrine disrupters on behavior. Media Friendly Abstract

BELTHOJR POSTER Accepted MAMMALIAN DUNG IN BURROWING OWL NESTS: POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON NEST PREDATION, BURROW MICROCLIMATE, AND OWL ECTOPARASITES Ryan S. Brady, Colleen E. Moulton & James R. Belthoff* Dept. of Biology, Boise State University, Boise ID 83725 (jbeltho@boisestate.edu) Program Abstract Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) regularly incorporate mammalian dung into their nest burrows. To elucidate the potential function(s) of this unusual behavior, we conducted field experiments in southwestern Idaho. We examined the following hypotheses. (1) Anti-predation: dung masks owl scent and nest contents and thus deters terrestrial predators. (2) Optimal microclimate: dung creates a more suitable burrow microenvironment by providing thermal insulation or altering relative humidity or carbon dioxide levels within nest chambers; and (3) Anti-ectoparasite: dung reduces ectoparasites (fleas) on owls. We found no relationship between dung and likelihood of nest predation; dung volume in nest chambers correlated with lower temperatures, higher relative humidity, and lower carbon dioxide concentrations; and no relationships between ectoparasite loads and volume of dung in nest chambers. Therefore, initial results suggest that nest-lining behavior potentially alters microclimates of burrowing owl nests. Determining if and how this benefits burrowing owls is part of our continuing research. Media Friendly Abstract

BENSONKE ORAL Accepted GRAVID MOSQUITOFISH SHOW OFF THEIR SPOTS. Kari E. Benson* School of Sciences, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA (benson@lynchburg.edu) Program Abstract Female mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) have gravidity spots that increase in size with gravidity and disappear post-parturition. Males respond to the gravidity spot with increased reproductive behavior. However, females with larger spots do not exhibit increased response to males. These dark, ventral spots are highly visible and may increase the female's predation risk. I tested whether female response to a predator varied with reproductive condition. Females were sequentially introduced to a tank with a predator chamber that was either occupied or empty. All females in the predator treatment responded similarly, they remained stationary and distant from the predator compartment. However, in the no-predator treatment, there was a positive correlation between gravidity spot size and the time that the females spent toward the middle of the tank. Although previous results suggest that females do not exhibit increased response to males with increased spot size; these data suggest that female behavior is sensitive to reproductive status; females may enhance male attraction by remaining more visible when gravid. Media Friendly Abstract

BERNSTPL ORAL Accepted ACOUSTIC FEATURES OF LAUGHING GULL (LARUS ATRICILLA) LONG CALLS Penny L. Bernstein* & Michael Owren Biological Sciences,Kent State Univ.Stark,Canton OH 44720 & Dept. of Psych., Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853 (pbernstein@stark.kent.edu) Program Abstract Previous research has suggested that individual laughing gulls (Larus atricilla) can be recognized by their long calls, yet evidence indicating what aspects of the call could produce such recognition has been lacking. Acoustic analysis of long calls given by known individual laughing gulls, banded for recognition across situations and years, has begun to yield such information. Duration, frequency, and amplitude characteristics all play a role, but we also found that each component reflects changes in underlying "modes" of production. Both individual distinctiveness and note-type variation are discussed in terms of the production modes. Media Friendly Abstract

BIRONSA FOUNDERS Accepted COURTING BEHAVIOR OF LOSER MALE SIAMESE FIGHTING FISH (BETTA SPLENDENS): THEIR RESPONSE TO EAVESDROPPER AND NAIVE FEMALES Suzanne A. Biron, Brodie M. Herb & Michael Kidd Department of Zoology, University of New Hampshire (sabiron@cisunix.unh.edu) Program Abstract Communication takes place within a complex network. Eavesdropping is gathering information without being the intended signaler or receiver. Female Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, use information gathered from eavesdropping to choose the winner of male-male aggressive interactions as her mate. Females naïve to the interaction show no preference towards either the winner or loser male. This suggests that loser males would be more successful in courting a naïve female. We tested the courting preference of the winner and loser male. The amount of time spent near and the duration of gill flaring directed towards the eavesdropper and naïve female were recorded. We found that loser male B. splendens courted the naïve female more than the eavesdropper female, shown by a longer duration of gill flaring (p<0.05) and a strong trend to spend more time near the naïve female. The winner male showed no preference. An appreciation of complex communication networks will broaden our understanding of sexual selection. Media Friendly Abstract

BLACK-PA POSTER Accepted BROCKET DEER IDENTIFY AND SCENT MARK FOREIGN DUNG IN DUNG PILES Patricia Black-Decima* & Mirta Santana Fac. Ciencias Naturales, Univ. Nac. de Tucuman, Argentina & Facultad de Medicina, Univ. Nac. de Tucuman, Argentina (pblack@csnat.unt.edu.ar) Program Abstract Brown brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira are small solitary deer that live in thorn scrub and dry forests in South America; they maintain numerous small dung piles that are re-marked daily and maintained for long periods. These experiments tested reactions of 8 bucks and 5 nonoestrous does in captivity to different classes of dung placed near their dung heaps. Two introductions were made simultaneously of 1) own dung and unknown male dung 2) own dung and unknown female dung and 3) unknown male and unknown female dung. Both males and females sniffed both types of introduced dung significantly more than own introduced dung or their dung pile and investigated male and female dung equally. Both males and females marked more (urinating or defecating near) introduced dung from unknown males or females; they did not mark their own introduced dung but did re-mark their dung heap. In conclusion, both males and females discriminate own from foreign dung of both males and females and preferentially mark near but not on top of foreign dung. Media Friendly Abstract

BLEAKLBH FOUNDERS Accepted NATURAL LEVELS OF PRODUCTION AND DEPOSITION OF A LIZARD CHEMICAL SIGNAL. Bronwyn H. Bleakley, Erin French, Katy Gonzales & Emilia P. Martins Dept. of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405 & CISAB, Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405 (hbleakle@indiana.edu) Program Abstract As indicated by the genus name, Sceloporus* lizards produce chemical secretions via pores in their thighs. These secretions appear on preferred perches and reflect UV light. They are thus thought to serve as both visual and chemical markers of territorial boundaries. Femoral pore secretions (FPS) have been shown to exhibit individual, sex, population, and species differences in chemical structure, and the quantity of FPS that can be extracted from green iguanas correlates positively with levels of testosterone. In this study, we describe natural patterns of FPS production and deposition in the sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus). Although both males and females produce several FPS spots each day, there is usually one large spot and several smaller spots. Quantity also varies cyclically with an approximate 7-day period. A burst of production on one day will be followed by very few spots on the next several days. Although males produce slightly more spots than do females, females spread their spots over a larger total area. We also describe relationships between the number and size of FPS spots, the fine structure of individually-distinctive headbob displays produced by the same animal, and the levels of steroid hormones deposited in their feces. Media Friendly Abstract

BOCKELA ORAL Accepted DO MALES AND FEMALES RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO THE LOSS OF THEIR MATES? Angela K. Bockelman* & Murray Itzkowitz Dept. of Biol. Sciences, Lehigh Univ. Bethlehem PA 18015 (akk4@lehigh.edu) Program Abstract We examined how the loss of a mate, prior to egg-laying, influences the subsequent reproductive and parental behavior of male and female convict cichlids . This is a monogamous species and we predicted that the sexes may react differently. A female may (1) reject a new mate, but be required to expel ripened eggs, (2) reject a new mate, but does not lay eggs, (3) accept the new mate and spawn with him. A male may (1) reject a new mate (2) accept a new mate. After the pre-spawning loss of a mate, those females that mated with a novel male did so within 1.4 days on average. Males that lost mates required more than twice as long to spawn with a new mate than males who did not lose their mates. Despite successfully producing offspring, these pairs did not exhibit normal intra-pair while the parental behaviors did seem normal. Media Friendly Abstract

BODASIM ORAL Accepted THERMAL ADVANTAGE OF NEST SITE SELECTION IN THE SOCIAL SPIDER, STEGODYPHUS MIMOSARUM (ARANEAE, ERESIDAE) Marilyn Bodasing, Rob Slotow & Tanza Crouch Sch. of Life & Environmental Sci.Univ.of Natal South Africa & Durban Natural Science Museum, Durban, South Africa Program Abstract Significantly more nests of the social spider, Stegodyphus mimosarum* occurred within the northern quadrant of a tree, indicating active nest site selection. Selection of a microhabitat may confer an improved competitive ability. We tested whether temperature influenced nest site selection. In each trial,we attached three nests on the north and three nests on the south side of a tree. Nest core and ambient temperatures were datalogged for each nest over 48 hours(nest positions were swapped after 24 hours). Heating and cooling curve slopes were selected on the basis of consistent heating and cooling of ambient temperatures. The difference between nest core temperature slope and ambient temperature slope was constrasted for the same nest for the north and south sides of a tree. Nests on the north side attained higher maximum temperatures and cooled more gradually than those in the south. In an ectothermic animal, the effect of temperature is critical to the maintenance of physiological functions. Winter temperatures at the study site could reduce body temperature of the spiders to a chill-coma, which prevents feeding and escape from predators. A gradual cooling of the nest would result in higher nest temperatures for longer into the cool nights. Ultimately, higher temperatures translate into a higher metabolic rate for longer, conferring a thermal advantage to the spiders. Media Friendly Abstract

BRAATERF POSTER Accepted GLOBAL AND LOCAL PERCEPTION OF SONG IN 40-DAY-OLD AND ADULT ZEBRA FINCHES Richard F. Braaten* & Aimee Colbath Dept. of Psych., Colgate University, Hamilton NY 13346 (rbraaten@mail.colgate.edu) Program Abstract Previous research on song learning suggests that zebra finches first learn about the local structure of song syllables and later about the global temporal structure among song syllables. In the present study, perception of global and local song structure was assessed in 40-day-old and adult zebra finches in an operant go-nogo discrimination task. Zebra finches initially learned to discriminate a conspecific song (Forward song) from the same song presented in reverse (Reversed song) by hopping to a perch upon hearing the Forward song. After learning the discrimination, the birds were presented with two types of probe songs on occasional unreinforced probe trials. Globally Reversed probe songs reversed the temporal order of song syllables, and maintained the local order within syllables. Locally Reversed probe songs reversed the local order within song syllables, and maintained the temporal order of syllables. Both 40-day-olds and adults learned the discrimination between Forward and Reversed songs, primarily on the basis of local cues. The dominance of local over global cues was accentuated in 40-day-olds relative to adults. Media Friendly Abstract

BRANDTJM ALLEE Accepted AN EXPERIMETAL FRAMEWORK FOR TESTING QUALITY HANDICAPS: AN EXAMPLE USING LIZARD THREAT DISPLAYS Yoni Brandt* Biology Department and CISAB, Indiana University (ybrandt@indiana.edu) Program Abstract Using side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana), this study investigated the relationship between lateral compression, a distinctive postural feature of iguanian threat displays, and locomotor endurance, a predictor of dominance. Mirror presentation in a neutral arena revealed a correlation between the duration of lateral compression and endurance, while an experimental reduction of endurance reduced the duration of lateral compression. These results are consistent with a role for lateral compression in advertising endurance. Endurance measured after giving subjects an opportunity to display was lower than baseline levels, indicating that display production may erode endurance. Lateral compression may constrain the ventilatory movements of the ribcage, predicting an increased reliance on anaerobic metabolism. Consistent with this mechanism, plasma lactate concentration was elevated above baseline after allowing lizards to perform threat displays. Lateral compression appears to function as a quality handicap, advertising endurance reliably by interfering with respiration, consequently exacting a costly reduction in endurance. Media Friendly Abstract

BREITWR POSTER Accepted MELANIN ORNAMENTS, HONESTY, AND SEXUAL SELECTION Jodie M. Jawor & Randall Breitwisch* Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 (breit@notes.udayton.edu) Program Abstract Many studies of sexual selection in birds have focused on the function of carotenoid ornaments. Melanin ornaments have tended to be neglected, under the assumption that they are less informative to potential mates and/or sexual competitors than carotenoid ornaments. We question this assumption and review pertinent literature. We demonstrate (1) diversity of melanin ornaments is much broader than commonly assumed, (2) metabolic pathways to the formation of the two different categories of melanins [eu- & pheomelanin] are intriguingly different, (3) there are likely to be both physiological benefits and costs to melanin production, which may differ for the two types of melanins, and (4) the physiological literature on melanins provides evidence that melanin ornaments are plausible indicators of individual quality. Investigators should spend more effort studying avian melanin ornaments and the information communicated by each class of ornament. Intrasexual competition precedes or constrains mate choice in many species of birds, and the use of different ornaments in these two processes should receive equal investigative effort. Media Friendly Abstract

BRODMAB ORAL Accepted HOW SMALLMOUTH SALAMANDER LARVAE COEXIST WITH THEIR UNISEXUAL POLYPLOID COUNTERPARTS. Bob Brodman* & Heidi D. Schwarz Biology Department, Saint Joseph's College (bobb@saintjoe.edu) Program Abstract Species of pond-breeding salamanders in the Great Lakes region often coexist with unisexual (all-female) populations that are sexual parasites of males of other species. Competition for mates and competition among larvae may negatively effect populations of those species that interact with unisexual populations. We evaluated the effects of interactions with the larvae from unisexual salamander populations on smallmouth salamander larvae. Observations of behaviors in natural ponds were coupled with mesocosms and laboratory approaches to experimentally investigate the roles of competition, predation, microhabitat partitioning and behavior on the coexistence of these populations. Unisexual salamander larvae reduce the survival and growth of smallmouth salamander larvae, however, smallmouth larvae increase activity and use refuge in the presence of larger intraguild predators. As a result of this microhabitat partitioning intraspecific competition the most important interaction. Our hypothesis that microhabitat partitioning and altered activities are factors that minimize the effects of competition and predation was supported. The results of this study will have an impact on how rare salamander populations that interact with unisexual populations are protected and will aid in understanding the basic mechansims that influence community structure, biodiversity stability, and the coevolution of pond-breeding salamanders. Media Friendly Abstract Species of pond-breeding salamanders in the Great Lakes region often coexist with unisexual (all-female) populations that are sexual parasites of males of other species. Competition for mates and competition among larvae may negatively effect populations of those species that interact with unisexual populations. We evaluated the effects of interactions with the larvae from unisexual salamander populations on smallmouth salamander larvae. Observations of behavior in natural ponds were coupled with artificial ponds and laboratory approaches to experimentally investigate the roles of competition, predation, microhabitat partitioning and behavior on the coexistence of these populations. Unisexual salamander larvae reduce the survival and growth of smallmouth salamander larvae, however, smallmouth larvae increase activity and use refuge in the presence of larger intraguild predators. As a result of this microhabitat partitioning intraspecific competition the most important interaction. Our hypothesis that microhabitat partitioning and altered activities are factors that minimize the effects of competition and predation was supported. The results of this study will have an impact on how rare salamander populations that interact with unisexual populations are protected and will aid in understanding the basic mechansims that influence community structure, biodiversity stability, and the coevolution of pond-breeding salamanders.

BROSNASF ORAL Accepted A CONCEPT OF VALUE IN CHIMPANZEES, PAN TROGLODYTES Sarah F. Brosnan* & Frans B. M. de Waal Graduate Division of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta GA & Living Links Center, Yerkes & Psych. Dept., Emory University (sbrosna@emory.edu) Program Abstract A general concept of value seems a prerequisite for reciprocity and cooperation. Since chimpanzees engage in some form of these behaviors, it is important to establish whether they can associate value with different goods or services. To investigate this, the response of chimpanzees to two differentially-valued tokens was evaluated using an exchange paradigm. Once food preferences were established, the apes were trained to associate one token with low-value food and another token with high-value food (the "valuable" token). The experimenter then held up a reward for which the subjects had to return the token that matched to be rewarded. In one case, the supply of valuable tokens was unlimited, while in the second case it was limited. In neither case did subjects return the token that matched the reward, but instead showed a preference for the high value tokens. Chimpanzees appear to follow a simple strategy for the acquisition of high value rewards in which they relate the worth of the tokens to each other, rather than to the appropriate reward. This is similar to the strategy followed by monkeys. Media Friendly Abstract

BROSTEJL POSTER Accepted THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED COMPETITION ON FOOD STORAGE IN LEAST CHIPMUNKS (TAMIUS MINIMUS) Jennifer L. Brostek* & Lynn Devenport Dept. of Psych., Univ. of Oklahoma., Norman OK 73072 (jbrostek@ou.edu) Program Abstract Literature suggests that animals may benefit using flexible caching strategies. For example, animals competing for food might gain an advantage by scatter-caching at a higher rate. To test this prediction, we compared the caching behavior of wild-caught least chipmunks foraging alone or in the presence of a conspecific. Experimental sessions took place in a foraging room divided by a Plexiglas barrier. This set-up allowed us to provide a focal animal with evidence of potential competition but prevent direct interference by the competitor. The floor of the foraging room was covered with sand to provide a substrate for caching and all sessions were monitored and videotaped from a remote location. We found that least chipmunks began caching sooner and faster in the presence of a conspecific. Consequently, animals made more caches and hid more seeds during competitor-present sessions compared with counterbalanced competitor-absent sessions. These results suggest that the rate of caching in not fixed. Instead caching behavior is adjusted in response to perceived competition. Media Friendly Abstract

BROWNJL POSTER Accepted SYNERGISTIC INTERACTION BETWEEN CHEMICAL AND VISUAL INDICATORS OF PREDATION RISK Jason L. Brown* & Brian D. Wisenden Biology Dept, Minnesota State University Moorhead, MN, USA (jasonleebrown@hotmail.com) Program Abstract Fishes of the superorder Ostariophysi have epidermal cells that contain chemical alarm cues. These cues alert fish to the presence of predation threat. Fishes do not rely on chemical information alone. The visual presence of a predator also indicates predation risk. Here, we test the interaction between chemical alarm cues and visual presence of a predator. Two glowlight tetras were placed in 37 L tanks. A second 37-liter tank, adjacent to the first one but separated by an opaque barrier, contained a convict cichlid or nothing (control). Each test consisted of three equal periods: 1) the pre-stimulus period; 2) injection of the chemical stimulus period, and 3) the visual stimulus period. We observed: 1.) activity, 2) vertical distribution, and 3) proximity to the "predator". Tetras decreased activity, and increased time near the bottom in response to alarm substance. When the barrier was removed, tetras conditioned with alarm substance showed greater intensity of avoidance behavior of the predator than tetras conditioned with water, indicating that the antipredator response to visual stimuli is primed by chemical information. Media Friendly Abstract Predation is usually the final arbiter of natural selection. Selection for effective information gathering about predation, and the risk of predation is steep and unforgiving. Aquatic animals use chemical cues as a source of information about risk, but they also use visual information. Here, we present the results of a lab study in which we tested glowlight tetras (fish) for their response to the combined effects of chemical and visual information. Tetras were first given alarm cue (skini extract) or water. Alarm cue caused them to reduce activity and move to the bottom. These behaviors reduce the risk of predation. Then, a barrier was removed that separated the tetras from a second tank that contained either a big fish (potential predator) or nothing (control). Tetras increased their distance from the predator, but those previously exposed to alarm cue showed a significantly more intense response to the predator. This shows that the chemical alarm cue primed their response to a stimulus in another sensory modality.

BROWNSG ORAL Accepted FACTORS IN EGG MASS LAYING AND SNAIL EMERGENCE IN ENDEMIC HAWAIIAN SNAILS Susan G. Brown* Dept. of Psych., University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo HI 96720 (susanb@hawaii.edu) Program Abstract This research examined the factors related to egg mass laying and snail emergence in two endemic Hawaiian snails, Succinea thaanumi and Succinea cepulla. Data on egg mass laying, snail emergence, whether embryos were laid with visible shells and microhabitat fluctuations within the reserve were obtained. Embryos laid with visible shell formation emerged sooner than embryos laid without visible shells. The gel surrounding the embryos protected them from dehydration. When drought occurred, the gel contracted and embryos were found glued to the backs of leaves without visible gel. As rains resumed the gel expanded and snails emerged. Egg mass laying was negatively correlated to weekly fluctuations in temperature, humidity and rainfall. Snail emergence was negatively related to fluctuations in rainfall and positively related to the number of masses laid 28 days previously. A snail’s decision to lay a mass depends more on fluctuations in microhabitat variables rather than absolute temperature, humidity or rainfall. Additionally snails must decide whether to lay embryos with visible shell development. Media Friendly Abstract This research examined factors related to egg mass laying and snail emergence in endemic Hawaiian snails living in a tropical rainforest. Although tropical rainforests seem like stable environments, their microclimates can fluctuate dramatically across a week. For example, humidity can change by as much as 50 percent, temperature by as much as 20 degrees F, and rainfall by as much as 13 cm each week. We found that the snails were more sensitive to these climatic fluctuations than to absolute temperature, humidity and rainfall. The snails were more likely to lay egg masses when conditions were stable than when they were fluctuating and snails were more likely to emerge from their masses when rains were more stable. Additionally adult snails could retain their developing embryos and lay them with visible shells. Embryos laid with visible shells emerged from masses in fewer days than those laid without visible shells. Therefore, the snails appear to monitor microhabitat fluctuations within the rainforest and decide whether to lay embryos with or without visible shells.

BRUMLEMR POSTER Accepted TURKEY VULTURE ORIENTATION AND POSITION PREFERENCE ON A PRE- AND POST-ROOST TOWER SITE Michele R. Brumley* & Scott R. Robinson Dept. of Psych., Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City IA 52242 Program Abstract Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) at Malheur NWR in SE Oregon often gather at a traditional pre- and post-roost site during sunrise and sunset. The site is located on a tower near the P-Ranch Station, which is adjacent to trees used for overnight roosting. Previous research has suggested that communal gatherings before and after roosting may serve maintenance, thermoregulatory, social or information-sharing functions in vultures. In this study, we recorded the position and orientation of vultures at the tower at 10-min intervals from 20-min before to 20-min after sunrise and sunset. Vultures were positioned non-randomly on the tower. However, spatial patterns differed between sunrise and sunset. Post-roosting vultures did not prefer perches that afforded better access to the sun, but did prefer perches farthest from the roosting trees. Pre-roosting vultures showed preferences to face toward the sun, roosting trees, and other birds on the tower. Vultures also preferred perches higher on the tower, where social interactions such as supplanting were common. These data suggest that pre-roost and post-roost gatherings may serve different adaptive roles in turkey vultures. Media Friendly Abstract

BURGHAGM ORAL Accepted OBJECT MANIPULATION AND PLAY IN A CAPTIVE-REARED KOMODO DRAGON Gordon m. Burghardt, Jennifer Manrod, James Murphy, Trooper Walsh & John Romano Depts of Psych & Ecol Evol Biol, Un. TN, Knoxville, TN 37996, Dept. of Ecol. & Evol. Biol., Un. Tenn., Knoxville, TN 37996, National Zoological Park, Washington DC 20008 & National Zoological Park, Washingto (gburghar@UTK.edu) Program Abstract Play behavior has been little studied in non-avian reptiles, but anecdotal reports from over 50 years ago suggest that Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis*) engage in playful activities. The first captive born Komodo dragon housed at the National Zoo (D.C.) engaged in much spontaneous interaction with objects and with familiar keepers that would be considered play if seen in a dog or cat, mammalian rather than reptilian carnivores. Subsequently, a series of 31 tests were performed with her over 2 years in which objects (e.g., shoe, ring, Frisbee) were introduced with or without the keeper present. The ring was also presented with different odors such as perfume, linseed oil, corn oil, and rat blood. The videotaped presentations were for 30 minutes each preceded and followed by 10-minute control periods. Behavior patterns were quantified (7 event, 9 state) with The Observer. Results to be presented document differences among objects in their salience and the kind of manipulations employed, habituation, the importance of social interaction (and "social play")with the keeper, and also disprove the view that object play is just food motivated predatory behavior. Media Friendly Abstract Play is a fascinating behavior that even most scientists view as restricted to mammals and perhaps a few birds. This presentation will document through description and experiment that the world's largest lizard species, the Komodo dragon, can engage in sustained and complex play behavior. Such observations on 'atypical' animals suggest that play behavior is an ancient phenomenon and not one only associated with large brains and warm-blooded animals.

BYRNER ORAL Accepted HANDEDNESS IN OCTOPUS VULGARIS Ruth A. Byrne*, Michael J. Kuba, Daniela V. Meisel & Ulrike Griebel Konrad Lorenz Institute, Austria (a9303751@unet.univie.ac.at) Program Abstract Since handedness so far has only been studied in vertebrates, this study will examine arm preference in octopuses. As all eight arms of an octopus are capable of fulfilling the same tasks, there is not only a discrimination of behavioral asymmetries between left and right arms but also between frontal and hind arms. 8 octopuses were tested using a T-maze that allowed the insertion of only one arm at a time. The arm at the first contact and the first and second choice arm inside the T-maze were recorded. Over all animals a highly significant preference for frontal arms at the first contact and choice, but not for the second arm after the choice was found. There were two different approaches to fulfill the task. 5 octopuses significantly used their frontal arms throughout a trial, while 3 first touched the T-maze with their frontal arms, but then used their hind arms to reach into it. A strong correlation was found between the direction of approach to the maze and the arms used at first contact. 3 animals were found having a significant lateral preference of arm use throughout the trials. 2 of them were left-'handed' and one right-'handed'. Media Friendly Abstract

CAREYMD POSTER Accepted FIFTEEN YEARS OF OLD-FIELD SUCCESSION AND ITS EFFECTS ON BREEDING AND REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR IN A POPULATION OF FIELD SPARROWS Michael Carey* Dept. of Biol., Univ. of Scranton, Scranton PA 18510 (careym1@scranton.edu) Program Abstract Since 1986, breeding behavior in a color-banded population of Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) on an adjacent set of old fields in northeastern PA has been followed. In that time, the study fields have changed from open shrubby areas to fields heavily overgrown with large shrubs and trees. The sparrow population has declined steadily on all fields, regardless of their age since last cultivation. However, with one exception, these population size changes are not associated with any changes in settlement dates of adults, philopatry, mating dates, mating success, reproductive success, nestling growth, or territory size. There was, however, a significant decline in rates of extra-pair fertilizations (EPF's). Thus it appears that Field Sparrow territories following this succession do not differ greatly in quality from those at the start of the study. Media Friendly Abstract

CARIELMO POSTER Accepted POSSIBLE USE OF EGGSHELL PATTERN AND EGG MORPHOMETRY TO DETERMINE MATERNITY IN COMMUNAL CLUTCHES OF GUIRA CUCKOOS Mariana O. Cariello, Regina H. F. Macedo, Marcos R. Lima & Hubert G. Schwabl Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil & Sch. Biol.Sci., Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164 (mcariel@unb.br) Program Abstract In avian communal breeding systems or in cases of conspecific parasitism, more than one female lays eggs in a single nest. In these situations, it is crucial to determine maternity of eggs to understand the strategies of laying females and their benefits. For this purpose, many studies have used egg characteristics (e.g. shape, volume), and have reported similar eggs as belonging to the same female. Here, we use eggshell spot patterns and egg morphometry to verify their applicability for ascribing egg ownership in communal clutches of guira cuckoos (Guira guira*), a species where up to seven females may lay eggs in a joint nest. We monitored 48 nests in two years, collected fresh eggs, photographed them, measured their length and width, and then broke them to separate the yolk and egg white. Egg shape, volume and two egg shell variables (percentage and average width of spots covering the egg) are used in discriminant analyses to verify if eggs laid by the same female are similar but different from eggs laid by distinct females. The analyses consider the correct maternity of eggs as determined by electrophoresis of yolk proteins. Media Friendly Abstract

CASSILDL ORAL Accepted DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENCE: A MECHANISM OF SELF-ORGANIZATION IN A NON-HUMAN SOCIETY Deby L. Cassill* Center for Insect Science, Univerisity of Arizona (cassill@stpt.usf.edu) Program Abstract The most thought-provoking feature of an insect society is its ability to organize itself without a central authority. The current, popular paradigm for self-organizing systems states that simple-minded individuals respond to simple cues with simple rules of thumb. Here, I report the mechanisms by which scouts collectively recruit nestmates to food in the fire ant, . Scouts assessed the quality of food with taste buds located at the tips of their antennae. If sufficiently stimulated by food quality, scouts ingested a small quantity, returned to the nest and initiated a complex recruitment display. Scouts employed head waggles, antennal brushes, fast walks, advertising and leading with a chemical trail to initiate a collective response from nestmates. In turn, nestmates assessed the information provided by scouts including the quality of the advertised food and the scout’s sales pitch. Then nestmates integrated this information with their level of hunger and their employment status before making a decision to follow the scout to the food site. Nestmates made recruitment decisions independent of other nestmates; thus, their decisions were not a simple-minded “follow-the-herd” response. In conclusion, the mechanism underlying a graded collective response to graded food quality in the fire ant is distributed intelligence, not distributed stupidity as implied by the current self-organizing paradigm. Media Friendly Abstract The most thought-provoking feature of an insect society is its ability to organize itself without a central authority. The current, popular paradigm for self-organizing systems states that simple-minded individuals respond to simple cues with simple rules of thumb. Here, I report the mechanisms by which scouts collectively recruit nestmates to food in the fire ant, . In conclusion, I show that the mechanism underlying a graded collective response to graded food quality in the fire ant is distributed intelligence, not distributed stupidity as implied by the current self-organizing paradigm.

CASTOJM POSTER Accepted INDIRECT EFFECTS OF ELEVATED TESTOSTERONE ON IMMUNITY IN DARK-EYED JUNCOS Joseph M. Casto, Ian M. Parker-Renga, Ellen D. Ketterson & Val Nolan Jr. Department of Biology, Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN 47505 (jcasto@indiana.edu) Program Abstract Some life history trade-offs are mediated by sex steroids. For example, elevation of testosterone (T) in free-living male dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis*) suppresses immunity but enhances male attractiveness to females. In addition, elevated T suppresses male parental behavior, but indirectly induces parental compensation by females. We tested whether the effects of elevated T extend beyond the treated males and indirectly influence immune function of their social mates and offspring. Cell-mediated immunity was assessed in free-living female juncos mated to T-treated males (T-males) or controls (C-males) and in the offspring of those matings. Immune function was significantly suppressed in mates of T-males (41% lower) and their offspring (19% lower) as compared to those of C-males. Combining these results with earlier findings, we suggest that the costs to males of T-induced attractiveness may go beyond immunosuppression. Reductions in T-nestling immunity may explain why T-males produce fewer fledglings than C-males. Additionally, the consequences for females of choosing males with traits enhanced by T appear to be more detrimental than previously thought. Media Friendly Abstract

CERCHIS ORAL Accepted ASSESSMENT OF PATERNITY AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF HUMPBACK WHALES IN THE ARCHIPIÉLAGO REVILLAGIGEDO, MEXICO, 1997 - 2001 Salvatore Cerchio*, Jeffrey K. Jacobsen, Danielle M. Cholewiak, Erin A. Falcone & D. Andrew Merriwether Dept. of EEB, UMMZ, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, Humboldt State Univ., Arcata, CA, Dept. of NBB, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14883 & Dept. of Anthr., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (sal@umich.edu) Program Abstract Paternity data are critically missing in understanding mysticete breeding systems. Regardless, researchers assume polygyny for humpback whales due to their breeding ecology. To address this, we collected 924 skin samples of humpback whales during 1997-2001 at the Islas Revillagigedos, Mexico. All samples were genotyped at 13 microsatellite loci, resulting in 619 unique genotypes, including 141 calves (122 with mother), 178 females and 297 males. The program CERVUS was used for paternity assessment, and two datasets of putative fathers were assembled applying conservative and relaxed criteria. In the conservative analysis, 41 calves (34%) were assigned a putative father, and 4 males sired 2 calves. In the relaxed analysis 52 calves (43%) were assigned a father, 2 males sired 3 calves, and 4 males sired 2 calves. Computer simulations indicated that RS distribution in the relaxed analysis varied slightly but significantly from expected in a random mating model. Thus we conclude this population may be mildly polygynous, but successful males are not dominating R.S. The behavior of putative fathers indicated successful males employ a variety of alternative mating tactics. Media Friendly Abstract

CHENGK ORAL Accepted INTERFERENCE IN LANDMARK-BASED SPATIAL MEMORY IN HONEYBEES (APIS MELLIFERA) Ken Cheng* & Dagong Zhang Dept. of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney (kcheng@axon.bhs.mq.edu.au) Program Abstract Honeybees use a sequence of memory-based servomechanisms to reach a target location. Different memories need to be retrieved, each at the right time. It is thought that appropriate contextual cues guide memory retrieval (context-memory link). One corollary is that learning two tasks in the same context should prove difficult. In lab experiments, free flying bees flew to a table in a lab for reward (sugar water) whose location was specified by a landmark. The landmark-reward array was moved from trial to trial. This ensured that the landmark was the only valid predictor of the exact location of reward. Bees learning two landmark-based tasks in succession (e.g., search to the right of a blue landmark in phase 1, search to the left of a green landmark in phase 2), showed that learning the second task interfered with memory for the first task (retroactive interference). Bees learning two different tasks in the same phase showed confusion between the two target locations for the two different landmarks. Results support the context-memory link. Media Friendly Abstract Honeybees have tiny brains of fewer than a million brain cells. But they use many memories to do their jobs, especially when out looking for food. To get to a flower patch, a whole series of memories of the route and what places look like need to be retrieved in sequence. To be useful, the right memory has to be retrieved at the right time. How do they do it? The going thinking is that the contextual conditions guide the bee to retrieve the right memory. These context cues include the distant panorama, how far the insect has already flown, and its motivation (out to get food or bring food back home). We reasoned that if one context is linked primarily to one memory, then bees should have trouble learning two tasks in the same context, which in our case was a lab room. We found that learning two tasks in the same lab room led to confusions between the two tasks. Learning one task was easy. Context cues probably plays an important role in human memory as well. We may do well to use such cues to help us remember.

CHUL ORAL Accepted USING CONSUMER-DEMAND THEORY TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL ENRICHMENTS TO LABORATORY RABBITS Ling-ru Chu*, Joseph P. Garner & Joy A. Mench Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis (ldchu@ucdavis.edu) Program Abstract Recent concerns about the welfare of laboratory rabbits have led to increased interest in strategies for environmental enrichment. We conducted a consumer-demand based preference test in order to determine the relative importance of physical and social enrichments to female laboratory rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Prior to testing, rabbits were housed singly (N=3) or in pairs (N=3 pairs). A rabbit was then placed in a test apparatus for 14 days, during which time she could access four resources (the pairmate, an unfamiliar rabbit, food, or enrichments) by pushing a weighted door to enter the appropriate tunnel. The weights on the doors were increased gradually during the 14-day trial. Tunnel doors were wired to a computer, allowing the movement of the test rabbit to be recorded electronically. Rabbits showed the strongest preferences for food and the unfamiliar conspecific both in the amount of weight pushed to gain access to each resource (repeated measures GLM: F3,9=10.52; p<0.003) and the time spent with each resource (F3,72=18.27; p<0.0001). The rabbits? preference for the unfamiliar conspecific emphasizes the importance of both social contact and novelty in an enrichment program. Media Friendly Abstract

CLARKAB POSTER Accepted ROOST LOCATION PATTERNS AND ROOST CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG AMERICAN CROWS (CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS). Anne B. Clark*, Kevin J. McGowan, Rachel Curtis, Jennifer Senecal & Douglas A. Robinson Dept.Biol. Sci., Binghamton Univ., Binghamton, NY 13902, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, NYS Dept.of Health,Ithaca, NY. & Dept. Biol. Sci., Binghamton Univ., Binghamton, NY 13902 (aclark@binghamton.edu) Program Abstract Cooperatively breeding American crows maintain year-round family territories, but are known for their huge (>50,000) winter communal roosts. Migrants contribute to these roosts but residents may also join, roosting on home territories only part of the time. We determined roost sites of 14 radio-tagged juvenile crows from 5 families in a well-studied population (Ithaca, NY), Sep 01 - Mar 02. All used deciduous trees until late Oct. when all abruptly shifted to evergreens. Unlike large urban crow roosts that are often in bare deciduous trees, Ithaca crows roosted deep in foliage, out of view. They were on territory most nights. Crows showed some preference for specific roost trees, but all used multiple sites throughout their territories. Several small communal roosts (200-500) occurred in the area & 5 crows used these regularly. Two focal crows vanished from the Ithaca area by Jan 02, both subsequent to using communal roosts after long periods of roosting at home. One was located in a communal roost 27 km away for 2 nights before vanishing, but returned in Apr. All crows sleeping off territory used multiple sites & roosts. Feeding location before roosting, on territory or off, did not predict roost site choice. Media Friendly Abstract

CLARKAB INVITED Accepted INTRODUCTION Anne B. Clark* (aclark@binghamton.edu) Program Abstract Media Friendly Abstract

CLARKAB INVITED Accepted GENERAL DISCUSSION Anne B. Clark* (aclark@binghamton.edu) Program Abstract Media Friendly Abstract

CLARKEMR INVITED Accepted MANAGING MONKEYS USING EVOLUTIONARY PRINCIPLES MAXIMIZES REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS. Margaret R. Clarke* Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Covington LA 70433 and Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans LA. 70118 (mrclarke@tulane.edu) Program Abstract Rhesus monkeys have been colony-raised in the United States since the ban on exportation from India in the mid-1970’s. Early management was done by lab animal staff, and early successes frequently resulted in later disasters. An understanding of rhesus monkey natural history in conjunction with evolutionary principles of behavior elucidated many of the mechanisms for the unsuccessful outcomes. This presentation is based on 11 years experience and research at the Tulane Primate Center, during which time we had the opportunity to carry out a number of studies to actually test some of our theoretically-based ideas. The sometimes surprising results of a number of studies on reproductive suppress, animal movements between groups, and adult social dynamics will be presented. These will be applied to the management of group composition and matrilines, group introductions, “culling” and “harvesting” and associated disruptions, and maintenance of normal migration patterns in captive animals. Particular emphasis will be placed on the predictability of certain behaviors based on evolutionary principles. A captive population, no matter what size, will reproduce optimally if the behaviors occuring through natural selection are allowed to occur. Media Friendly Abstract

CLARKRL POSTER Accepted DOMINANCE RANK CORRELATES WITH SOME MEASURES OF “INHIBITED” TEMPERAMENT IN YOUNG JAPANESE MACAQUES, MACACA FUSCATA Randall Clark*, Daniel R. Dehaze, Lisa M. Selthon, Judy L. Cameron & Kristine Coleman Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006 Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006 & Oregon N (Clarkra@ohsu.edu) Program Abstract Behavioral inhibition is an important construct of temperament, yet little work has been done to examine correlates to this trait. In this study, we examined the correlation between temperament and dominance rank in 40 young (approximately 4 months of age) Japanese macaques. The monkeys lived in a 2-acre outdoor corral in a stable social environment. We utilized 3 temperament tests designed to measure behavioral inhibition, which assessed the monkeys’ reactions to a novel food item, a novel environment, and a threatening social stimulus. Monkeys were categorized as to whether or not they inspected the novel food or environment, and whether or not they reacted to the threatening stimulus. We also categorized animals into three groups based on their dominance status: high (top third), moderate (middle third) and low (bottom third). Fewer low ranking monkeys inspected the novel food compared to more dominant animals (chi square = 10.64, df= 2, p=0.005). There were no differences in exploration of the novel environment or in reaction to the threatening social stimulus in animals of different ranks. Thus, dominance status appears to be related to some, but not all, aspects of inhibited temperament in this population. Media Friendly Abstract

CLOTFEED POSTER Accepted WINNER EFFECT IS INDUCED IN BYSTANDERS TO AGGRESSIVE CONTESTS BETWEEN MALE FIGHTING FISH Ethan D. Clotfelter* & Aaron D. Paolino Dept. of Biology, Providence College, Providence RI 02918 (eclotfel@providence.edu) Program Abstract We performed two experiments in which we allowed some male fighting fish, Betta splendens, to observe aggressive interactions between male conspecifics (we called the former fish bystander males). Other males (naïve males) observed an empty tank or two nonaggressive males, depending on the experiment. Immediately after these observation periods we allowed bystander and naïve males to interact in a neutral area. In both experiments, bystander males were dominant over naïve males in a significant number of the encounters. Differences in dominance were not due to chance differences in body size. These findings demonstrate that observing aggression between conspecifics increases aggressive motivation and induces a winner effect in bystander male fighting fish. Media Friendly Abstract

CLOTFEED ORAL Accepted MOUTH COLOR SIGNALS THERMAL STRESS IN NESTLING DARK-EYED JUNCOS Ethan Clotfelter, Kristin A. Schubert, Val Nolan Jr. & Ellen D. Ketterson Dept. of Biology, Providence College, Providence RI, Dept. of Biology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg VA & Dept. of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN (eclotfel@providence.edu) Program Abstract We investigated the significance of red mouth color in dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis*) nestlings. Previous research on other avian species has suggested that mouth color communicates information about offspring need (hunger) or offspring quality (immunocompetence) to parents. We devised two experiments to test the hypothesis that mouth color is an indicator of nestling hunger. We found that mouth color changed over time, but changes in color were not explained by nestling satiation or food deprivation. We did find, however, that mouth redness was negatively correlated with ambient temperature. A third experiment confirmed these correlative data; mouths increased in redness following nestlings' removal from their nests and then decreased in redness when they were warmed in an artificial nest. These findings suggest that mouth color indicates thermal stress in nestling dark-eyed juncos and may function as a signal to the female to brood them. Media Friendly Abstract

CLUCASBA POSTER Accepted CHICK-A-DEE CALL SYNTAX, SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, AND SEASON AFFECT VOCAL RESPONSES OF CAROLINA CHICKADEES (POECILE CAROLINENSIS) Barbara Clucas*, Todd M. Freeberg & Jeffrey R. Lucas Dept. of Biol. Sci., Purdue Univ., W. Lafayette IN 47907 (barbara1@purdue.edu) Program Abstract Chick-a-dee calls consist of four notes, A, B, C, and D, that typically given in that order, once, possibly repeated several times, or not at all. These simple rules for note ordering and composition generate a call system with an enormous number of unique call types. We used field playbacks to ask whether violations of these simple note-ordering rules affected vocal responses of receivers in the environment. Vocal responses of chickadee receivers differed if the playback had normal compared to atypical syntax. In the fall/winter, the response to normal playbacks was affected by the presence or absence of heterospecifics. No effect of social environment was detected in the spring. Atypical syntax playbacks did not elicit variable responses, irrespective of the presence of heterospecifics in either season. These results suggest that call syntax and the presence of other species in the environment affect receiver vocal responses. Furthermore, the physical properties of note propagation potentially affect the use of notes under different social conditions. Media Friendly Abstract

COLEPD ALLEE Accepted THE DOCUMENTATION AND ONTOGENY OF WATER AND FOOD PORTAGE TOOL-USE IN A CROW (CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS) Patricia D. Cole* Dalhousie University (pdcole@is2.dal.ca) Program Abstract In 1965 Hess reported instances of a captive crow using a cup to transport water to moisten its food (as told to Beck, 1980). Unfortunately, how this skillful tool-use developed is unknown. A similar behavior has been documented, and investigated, in our laboratory. The dry food provided to our captive crow was repeatedly, but mysteriously, found moistened. Closer inspection revealed that two novelty objects (a Frisbee and a water bottle nozzle) were in use by the crow as water portage devices. Subsequent observation revealed that food was also being carried. A small plastic cup was then introduced, and its development into a portage-tool was documented, thereby illuminating the ontogenetic path of this complex behavior. Media Friendly Abstract

COULDRVC FOUNDERS Accepted SPECIES RECOGNITION BASED ON COLOR PATTERNS IN FOUR MALAWIAN CICHLID SPECIES Vanessa C.K. Couldridge* University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (Vanessa@caspar.bgsu.edu) Program Abstract Interspecific mating preferences in four closely related species of cichlid from the Pseudotropheus zebra species complex of Lake Malawi were examined. The ability of both males and females to distinguish between conspecifics and heterospecifics was determined by presenting individuals with a choice of four mates, one of the same species and three others that were each of a different species. Individuals were also given a choice between the three heterospecifics only, to evaluate preferences in the absence of conspecifics. In all four species, females showed a significant preference for conspecific males when these were available and preferred the male with the most similar color pattern to the conspecific when these were not available. Males were able to distinguish among females on the basis of color patterns in a similar fashion, although their ability to do so was more limited than it was in females. Media Friendly Abstract

CRISTODA POSTER Accepted EFFECT OF PRIOR RESIDENCE ON SOCIAL STATUS IN WINTERING SPARROWS Daniel A. Cristol* & Emilie C. Snell-Rood Dept. of Biology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg VA (dacris@wm.edu) Program Abstract The objective of this study was to determine how prior residence affects social rank and contest outcome in social systems with loose organization, specifically, in wintering flocks of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). Prior residence, in terms of fall arrival date, was a significant determinant of social rank in a large flock. For residents without previous experience on the site, duration of residence (i.e., difference in arrival dates between contestants) was a significant determinant of contest outcome. However, there was no influence of duration of residence on contest outcome for individuals that had been on the site in previous years. A secondary study revealed, through ptilochronology, that social rank may influence nutritional condition in free-living White-throated Sparrows. These results, coupled with those from a simultaneous delay-of-arrival experiment, suggest that there should be selection for mechanisms that increase an individual's probability of gaining prior residence in a wintering area. Media Friendly Abstract The early bird gets the worm, and a lot more. What is the importance of being there first? Among animals, individuals that arrive at a place first are usually dominant to those that come later. This was the case for a population of sparrows on a college campus in Virginia. Early arrivals were at the top of the pecking order and appeared to be in better shape at the end of the winter, probably because their high social rank allowed them the best access to food. We examined exactly what about arriving early provides the benefit. In a simultaneous study (Snell-Rood and Cristol presented at the same meetings) we delayed early birds and observed what happened to them when they arrived late. The experimental late-comers suffered a drop in social status, just as if they had arrived late naturally. Thus, being early, in and of itself, is enough to give a bird a boost.

CROWEML INVITED Accepted INTEGRATING PHYSICS AND BIOLOGY BY INVESTIGATING THERMAL ECOLOGY Mary L. Crowe* Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University (crowe@coastal.edu) Program Abstract One frequently overlooked aspect of science is the connection between the biological and physical world. During this presentation Indiana high school teachers will examine how temperatures influence the behavior of a variety of ectothermic animals. The content will address Indiana Science Standards and a variety of pedagogical methods will be used: lecturing, inquiry-based and group learning. Using a simple experimental design and animals collected from the Indiana landscape, teachers will learn about thermal ecology and applications to animal behavior. Lesson plans will be provided so that educators can easily incorporate the activity into their classroom with minimal cost and time. Media Friendly Abstract

CROWEML POSTER Accepted THERMAL CONDITIONS EXPERIENCED BY FORAGING FIDDLER CRABS Mary L. Crowe* & Brian Helmuth Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University & Department of Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia (crowe@coastal.edu) Program Abstract The sand fiddler crab Uca pugilator employs two different foraging strategies. They either forage solitary close to their burrow opening or in droves (groups containing 30-1100 individuals) on exposed mud flats, far from burrow locations. Previous studies on foraging behavior have found that although drove foragers experience a higher risk of predation they benefit from higher nutrient availability in the drove areas. The objective of this study was to document the thermal conditions experienced by solitary burrow foragers and droving crabs. To determine the thermal conditions of drove and burrow areas thermocouples were concurrently placed: on the surface of drove area, in receding tidal pools in the drove area, on the surface of burrow area and inside fiddler crab burrows. Additionally we monitored the temperatures of live crabs equipped with thermocouples. Thermal conditions were monitored for 30-min periods. Temperatures were measured every second and averaged each minute using a Campbell CR 10X datalogger. We also monitored the behavior of thermocouple-equipped crabs. We found that the thermal conditions were similar in the drove and burrow areas. Surprisingly crab temperatures did not always reflect ambient temperatures and male crab temperatures appear to fluctuate less than female crab temperatures. Media Friendly Abstract

CUENCALM POSTER Accepted CAN MONANDROUS PUPAL MATING IN HELICONIUS CHARITONIUS BE EXPLAINED BY INDIRECT FEMALE CHOICE? Luis Mendoza-Cuenca* & Rogelio Macías-Ordóñez Dept. Ecol. Compt. Animal, Inst. Ecología A.C.Xalapa,México (mendozal@ecologia.edu.mx) Program Abstract Sexual conflict over traits such as male and female optimal mating rate has been considered virtually ubiquitous. In those cases where males have the advantage, high rates of mating are expected, while the opposite is expected if the advantage has shifted toward females. Predominance of polyandrous mating systems in insects seems to refute such pattern, and the evolutionary maintenance of polyandry in insects can be explained through direct effects, without invoking additional indirect female benefits. That’s why the evolution of monandry in insects like butterflies, where males provide nutritious ejaculates, is particularly intriguing. We suggest that the monandrous pupal mating system observed in a population of Heliconius charitonius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), studied near Xalapa, Veracruz, México, could be explained in terms of indirect mate choice theory. In this population, the female’s pupal receptivity restricts the potential mates toward the biggest males, avoiding mating costs with “low quality” males. Published information about pollen feeding, genetic background and life history traits, along with our own data, may explain the maintenance of true monandry in these butterflies in terms of female benefits; therefore females seem to lead the sexual conflict in this case. Media Friendly Abstract

CULPJJ POSTER Accepted TEMPORAL EFFECTS OF PREDATOR CUES ON REFUGE USE BY THE SNAIL PHYSA GYRINA. Jacob Culp* Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40506 (jacobculp@hotmail.com) Program Abstract Many experiments have determined that animals, when exposed to chemical cues that indicate predation risk, will respond with distinct anti-predator behaviors. The freshwater snail, Physa gyrina, has been shown to respond to cues associated with predation by the freshwater crayfish, Orconectes juvenilis. We hypothesized that Physa gyrina, if given a chemical cue simulating predation by crayfish at the same time every day, would become sensitized to the onset of predation cue and respond accordingly with anti-predator behaviors. As expected, the snails in the treatment groups that were given cues responded with anti-predator behaviors, while the control group that received only water every day at the given time did not respond with anti-predator behaviors. After 4 weeks of exposure to predator cues, half the treatment snails were switched to the control treatment. The behavior of the switched snails changed significantly, while the behaviors of the control and the continuously treated snails did not. Further testing is necessary to determine the importance of temporal effects and how long-term exposure to a predator cue influence behavioral patterns of prey. Media Friendly Abstract

CZARNOMR POSTER Accepted DIRECTIONAL BIAS IN TREE SWALLOW COPULATIONS: MALE PREFERENCE OR FEMALE DECISION? Matthew R. Czarnowski* Dept. of Ecol., Evol., and Nat. Res., Rutgers University (mrsteele@eden.rutgers.edu) Program Abstract A recent study has shown that cloacal contact during copulation in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)occurs twice as frequently from the left as from the right. Given that only one ovary is functional in birds, it is possible that the direction of the cloacal contact may have an effect on the fertilization of the eggs, and consequently on the successful reproduction of the male. It is therefore important to know whether the direction of copulation is preferred by the male or if the female presents on the side she chooses, giving her more control over paternity. To detect any male preference for copulation direction two female models, one presenting to the left and one to the right, were placed in front of males' nestboxes and their approaches and interactions were noted. Media Friendly Abstract

DAGLEYR POSTER Accepted SONG VARIATION IN SEASIDE SPARROWS Rebecca Dagley* & Melissa Hughes College of Charleston, Charleston SC 29424 (ecrive_toi@hotmail.com) Program Abstract Although song is known to play a role in both territory defense and mate attraction in seaside sparrows, little is known about the functional significance of song variation in this species. We recorded individually-marked sparrows in a brackish marsh, to determine song repertoire size and to describe song variation within and between males. In addition, we mapped territorial boundaries, to determine the degree to which territorial neighbors share songs or song elements, and whether such sharing is greater among neighbors than in the general population. These data will serve as the basis for further studies of significance of song variation in seaside sparrows. Media Friendly Abstract

DANIELA ALLEE Accepted CAUSES OF VARIATION IN PATERNITY: DIFFERENTIAL SPERM RELEASE VERSUS SPERM STRATIFICATION IN TWO ORB-WEAVING SPIDERS Anne M. Danielson-Francois* Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Arizona (adaniels@u.arizona.edu) Program Abstract Paternity patterns (P2) are typically variable both within and between species. Such variation in P2 might be explained by: (i) precedence resulting from sperm stratification within female sperm storage organs (SSO), (ii) differential sperm release, and/or (iii) cryptic female choice. Clearly, it is difficult to isolate the mechanisms underlying their potential influence on P2. I took advantage of unique features of sperm release in spiders to assess the relative influence of sperm release and sperm stratification upon P2 variation in two orb-weavers, which exhibit differences in female SSO morphology and male mating behavior. Sperm release by each male to his mate was quantified and used to generate paternity predictions. A subset of males was irradiated, generating marked males, in order to assess paternity. Overall, sperm release predictions match observed paternity patterns and suggest that differential sperm release, rather than female SSO morphology, explains much variation in P2. Sperm mixing was common, but individual cases of first- or last-male advantage predicted by sperm release were observed. Media Friendly Abstract

DARDENSK POSTER Accepted IDENTITY CODING IN A SWIFT FOX VULPES VELOX VOCALIZATION? Safi K. Darden* & Torben Dabelsteen Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (s-kdarden@zi.ku.dk) Program Abstract Vocal individuality has been fo

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