Abstract
One of the main problems in comparative studying animal behavior is searching for an adequate mathematical method for evaluating the similarities and differences between behavioral patterns. This study aims to propose a new tool to evaluate ethological differences between species. We developed the new compression-based method for the homogeneity testing and classification to investigate hunting behavior of small mammals. A distinction of this approach is that it belongs to the framework of mathematical statistics and allows one to compare the structural characteristics of any texts in pairwise comparisons. To validate a new method, we compared the hunting behaviors of different species of small mammals as ethological “texts.” To do this, we coded behavioral elements with different letters. We then tested the hypothesis whether the behavioral sequences of different species as “texts” are generated either by a single source or by different ones. Based on association coefficients obtained from pairwise comparisons, we built a new classification of types of hunting behaviors, which brought a unique insight into how particular elements of hunting behavior in rodents changed and evolved. We suggest the compression-based method for homogeneity testing as a relevant tool for behavioral and evolutionary analysis.
Highlights
Since the mathematical succession of Fibonacci, that can be expressed in the petals or leaves on many plants, in the shells, as well in as galaxies in space, and in hurricanes over the ocean, scientists have tried to predict the behavior of nature
Based on the association coefficients obtained from pairwise comparisons, we built a new classification of types of hunting behaviors, which brought a unique insight into how hunting behavior in rodents possibly changed and evolved
To compare and analyze the hunting behavior of small mammals as ethological “texts”. This new approach allowed us to give an answer to the question about the differences between structural characteristics of hunting behaviors within a representative group of species at a significance level of 0.05
Summary
Since the mathematical succession of Fibonacci, that can be expressed in the petals or leaves on many plants, in the shells, as well in as galaxies in space, and in hurricanes over the ocean, scientists have tried to predict the behavior of nature (see, for example, [1]). Comparison and classification of the same types of behavioral sequences in different species would help to reveal the relationship between behavioral plasticity and evolutionary processes (sensu: [5]). The solution to these problems depends to a great extent on the availability of an adequate mathematical method. The analysis of behavioral organization in humans and animals is an area being greatly advanced through the application of mathematical methods [10,11,12,13,14,15,16], and some of them are based on the ideas of Kolmogorov complexity [17,18] and on the use of data compressors [19,20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
