Behavioral Responses Research Articles

Effects of housing condition on the development and persistence of addictive-like behavior induced by toluene

Environmental factors can modify addictive responses induced by drugs of abuse; however, little is known about the impact of environmental conditions on behavioral responses induced by inhalants. In this study, we analyzed the effects of housing conditions, considering environmental enrichment (EE; n = 10), social isolation (SI; n = 10), and standard housing (STD; n = 10), as positive, negative, and control environments, respectively, on the development and persistence of behavioral sensitization induced by toluene. Mice exposed to air were used as a comparative control groups for each housing condition (EE: n = 11, SI: n = 10 and STD: n = 11) Results showed that a history of toluene exposure induced the development of locomotor sensitization in mice, independent of their housing conditions. However, SI increased the expression of behavioral sensitization to toluene after a drug-free period.

Exploration of factors affecting webcam-based automated gaze coding.

Online experiments have been transforming the field of behavioral research, enabling researchers to increase sample sizes, access diverse populations, lower the costs of data collection, and promote reproducibility. The field of developmental psychology increasingly exploits such online testing approaches. Since infants cannot give explicit behavioral responses, one key outcome measure is infants' gaze behavior. In the absence of automated eyetrackers in participants' homes, automatic gaze classification from webcam data would make it possible to avoid painstaking manual coding. However, the lack of a controlled experimental environment may lead to various noise factors impeding automatic face detection or gaze classification. We created an adult webcam dataset that systematically reproduced noise factors from infant webcam studies which might affect automated gaze coding accuracy. We varied participants' left-right offset, distance to the camera, facial rotation, and the direction of the lighting source. Running two state-of-the-art classification algorithms (iCatcher+ and OWLET) revealed that facial detection performance was particularly affected by the lighting source, while gaze coding accuracy was consistently affected by the distance to the camera and lighting source. Morphing participants' faces to be unidentifiable did not generally affect the results, suggesting facial anonymization could be used when making online video data publicly available, for purposes of further study and transparency. Our findings will guide improving study design for infant and adult participants during online experiments. Moreover, training algorithms using our dataset will allow researchers to improve robustness and allow developmental psychologists to leverage online testing more efficiently.

Dissecting the interaction of pain and respiration at the level of the rostral ventromedial medulla via cell-type specific manipulations

Opioid drugs are highly effective for pain management, but they also cause respiratory depression. This life-threatening side-effect of opioid use occurs due to the interacting and/or overlapping neuronal circuits that regulate pain and breathing. Understanding the brain regions and cell-types that link pain and breathing will be essential to develop safer pain management strategies. Opioid analgesia involves altered firing patterns of neurons within the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). Although the RVM is known for its role in descending pain modulation, local administration of opioids within the RVM induces potent respiratory depression in addition to analgesia. The RVM has two main classes of neurons identified based on their firing response to pain stimuli. As their name suggests, “ON-cells” are activated during pain and “OFF-cells” are inhibited. Pharmacological and electrophysiological studies have shown that ON-cells express the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and respond directly to opioids. Moreover, it is thought that the activity of ON-cells facilitates pain and respiration, and that opioid suppression of ON-cells contributes to respiratory depression. In contrast, OFF-cells do not appear to express MOR; however, activation of these neurons is required for opioid-induced analgesia. Therefore, changes in OFF-cells activity may more selectively affect pain thresholds. Due to a lack of selective pharmacological agents, directly testing these predictions has not been possible. Moreover, ON-cells can be excitatory or inhibitory, whereas OFF-cells are mostly inhibitory, adding another layer of complexity to their proposed functions. Here, we dissect these RVM subpopulations using modern intersectional genetic approaches to selectively manipulate RVM neurons based on expression of Oprm1 (the gene encoding MOR), as well as genetic markers for excitatory (Vglut2) or inhibitory (Vgat) neurotransmitter phenotypes. To examine the functional effects of Oprm1+ RVM neurons, an AAV designed to express Cre-dependent ChR2 was injected into the RVM of Oprm1Cre mice, followed by the implantation of an optical fiber. Respiratory activity of awake mice was then recorded using plethysmography during optogenetic stimulation of Oprm1+ RVM neurons. Consistent with the expected effects of ON-cells, breathing rate was increased to 5-6 Hz for the duration of the stimulation, and mice exhibited flinching and freezing behavior at light onset. In a second set of experiments, double transgenic Oprm1Cre; Vglut2FlpO mice were injected with an AAV that expresses ChR2 only when FlpO is present but Cre is absent (i.e. FlpO NOT Cre). Using this strategy, we were able to selectively target excitatory RVM neurons that do not express MOR. Optogenetic stimulations of these neurons during plethysmography revealed no changes in breathing or notable behavioral responses. However, paw withdrawal thresholds tested using Hargreaves’ method suggest that optogenetic activation of these neurons increases pain sensitivity. Our ongoing work will expand on these preliminary findings by using this approach to specifically manipulate Oprm1+;Vglut2+, Oprm1+;Vgat+, and Oprm1-;Vgat+ neurons to assess the roles of these RVM subpopulations in the regulation of pain and breathing. (NAB) R00HL145004; R01HL166317 (RSP) K01DA058543. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Examining the Role of the Gut-Brain Axis in Alcohol Use Disorder in Zebrafish

14.5 million people struggle with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), characterized by uncontrolled drinking and withdrawal. Both chronic and acute alcohol use are known to disrupt the intestinal microbiome and are associated with mood disorders. The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication pathway between the brain and the intestines. Probiotic modulation has already been shown to alter brain chemistry in zebrafish. Recent research indicates the gut-brain axis is involved in the behavior modifications associated with AUD, however the mechanism by which it does so remains unknown. The objective of this study is to examine the impact that alcohol has on the gut-brain axis. We hypothesize that a reduced intestinal diversity will lead to heightened behavioral responses and alter biomarkers associated with chronic alcohol exposure. In order to examine this hypothesis, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to amoxicillin and erythromycin for fifteen days to clear their microbiome. Following treatment, fish were immersed in 0.50% ethanol for one hour and in escalating dosage up to 0.25% for two weeks to mimic acute and chronic alcohol exposure. Fish were recorded for 10 minutes following treatment to analyze behavioral patterns. Bacterial populations were significantly knocked down following treatment in both groups (n= 6, p < 0.05). Behavioral results from the acute ethanol treatment indicate fish exposed to ethanol displayed reduced vertical and horizontal transitions in both antibiotic and control groups, with more pronounced shifts in antibiotic-ethanol- treated group (n= 6). This reduction was not observed in the chronically treated fish, suggesting an adaptation effect. In order to further assess cognitive function, levels of NMDA Glut1 receptor mRNA were assessed, we observed no significant changes in receptor gene expression in the brains of zebrafish in the treatment groups relative to control groups. Collectively these results indicate that acute alcohol induced behavior correlates to changes in the microbiome, though this correlation is not observed in chronic alcohol exposure. Future studies are needed to better understand what role the gut brain axis plays in alcohol mediated-behavioral observations. Glen Raven Endowed Grant, Elon University. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Assessing the effectiveness of cannabidiol additive supplementation on canine behavior and cortisol levels

In veterinary medicine, Cannabis has been used to treat pain conditions, inflammation, and seizures. However, little is known about its effect on dogs’ behavior. This preliminary research aims to address this knowledge gap by evaluating the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) oil in canine behavioral therapy. Twenty dogs, diagnosed with behavioral disorders and housed in a municipal shelter, participated in a double-blind trial. Ten dogs received CBD oil treatment, while the other ten received a control oil without CBD. Before (T0) and after (T1) the treatment, all the dogs underwent a temperament test to assess their behavior in the presence of four different stimuli: a human stranger, a novel object, a child-like doll, and a conspecific (another dog). Each stimulus was presented individually, and the dogs' behaviors were recorded on video and analyzed. Additionally, hair samples were collected using a shave-reshave technique for cortisol determination through Radio-Immuno-Assay. No behavioral differences were found between the two groups at both T0 and T1. There were no significant differences in the behavioral responses of either group when comparing T0 and T1. However, individual responses to the CBD oil treatment appeared to vary among subjects. A significant increase in hair cortisol levels (p-value <0.05) was observed in the group treated with CBD oil [T0 = 1.60 (1.44–1.93) pg/mg, T1 = 4.81(2.57–6.01) pg/mg]. These findings highlight the importance of individualized treatment when using Cannabis and encourage further research on the use of CBD oil in animal behavioral medicine.

Characterizing behavioral responses of Pacific cod to bottom trawl vessels and gear using archival tag accelerometer data

Fish behavior during the capture process affects the overall efficiency of survey vessels and gear, influencing selectivity and catchability, which in turn influences stock assessments. The effects of behavior on capture are typically investigated through experiments that use video or acoustic technologies to observe behavioral responses of fish to vessels and gear directly. While these approaches provide valuable information about fish behavior, their use is limited to observing the movement of fish inside a small observed area. In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate a novel application of bio-logging Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs) equipped with accelerometer sensors to observe behavioral responses of free-swimming demersal fish to approaching bottom trawl fishing vessels and gear. By combining PSAT and fishing vessel geolocation data from the Vessel Monitoring System, we characterized diving and herding responses of three individual Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) at-liberty for 21–106 days to trawling fishing vessels. We found that fish descended as trawlers approached, presumably in response to noise generated by the fishing vessel and gear, which supports the previously untested hypothesis that Pacific cod dive in response to approaching fishing vessels and gear, similar to closely related gadids. Additionally, one 88 cm fish swam ahead of a trawl towed at 1.25 m·s−1 (i.e., 1.42 body lengths per second) for 55.6 minutes, covering a distance of 4.17 km before capture, which challenges previous assertions that Pacific cod are unlikely to outswim bottom trawl gear towed at typical towing speeds. This study demonstrates that opportunistically collected archival tag data can be used to improve knowledge of behavioral interactions between fish and fishing gear.

From Fog to Smog: The Value of Pollution Information

In 2013, China launched a landmark program to monitor air quality and disclose real-time data, significantly increasing the public’s access to and awareness of pollution information. The program triggered cascading behavioral changes such as stronger avoidance of outdoor pollution exposure and increased spending on protective products. These behavioral responses mitigated the mortality impact of air pollution. Conservative estimates indicate that the program’s health benefits outweigh the costs by an order of magnitude. The findings highlight the benefits of improving public access to pollution information in developing countries which often experience severe air pollution but lack pollution data collection and dissemination. (JEL D83, D91, I12, O13, P28, Q51, Q53)

Noncoding RNAs: Emerging regulators of behavioral complexity.

The mammalian genome encodes thousands of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), ranging in size from about 20 nucleotides (microRNAs or miRNAs) to kilobases (long non-coding RNAs or lncRNAs). ncRNAs contribute to a layer of gene regulation that could explain the evolution of massive phenotypic complexity even as the number of protein-coding genes remains unaltered. We propose that low conservation, poor expression, and highly restricted spatiotemporal expression patterns-conventionally considered ncRNAs may affect behavior through direct, rapid, and often sustained regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, or translational levels. Besides these direct roles, their effect during neurodevelopment may manifest as behavioral changes later in the organism's life, especially when exposed to environmental cues like stress and seasonal changes. The lncRNAs affect behavior through diverse mechanisms like sponging of miRNAs, recruitment of chromatin modifiers, and regulation of alternative splicing. We highlight the need for synthesis between rigorously designed behavioral paradigms in model organisms and the wide diversity of behaviors documented by ethologists through field studies on organisms exquisitely adapted to their environmental niche. Comparative genomics and the latest advancements in transcriptomics provide an unprecedented scope for merging field and lab studies on model and non-model organisms to shed light on the role of ncRNAs in driving the behavioral responses of individuals and groups. We touch upon the technical challenges and contentious issues that must be resolved to fully understand the role of ncRNAs in regulating complex behavioral traits. This article is categorized under: Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs.

Alpha9alpha10 knockout mice show altered physiological and behavioral responses to signals in masking noise.

Medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents modulate outer hair cell motility through specialized nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to support encoding of signals in noise. Transgenic mice lacking the alpha9 subunits of these receptors (α9KOs) have normal hearing in quiet and noise, but lack classic cochlear suppression effects and show abnormal temporal, spectral, and spatial processing. Mice deficient for both the alpha9 and alpha10 receptor subunits (α9α10KOs) may exhibit more severe MOC-related phenotypes. Like α9KOs, α9α10KOs have normal auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds and weak MOC reflexes. Here, we further characterized auditory function in α9α10KO mice. Wild-type (WT) and α9α10KO mice had similar ABR thresholds and acoustic startle response amplitudes in quiet and noise, and similar frequency and intensity difference sensitivity. α9α10KO mice had larger ABR Wave I amplitudes than WTs in quiet and noise. Other ABR metrics of hearing-in-noise function yielded conflicting findings regarding α9α10KO susceptibility to masking effects. α9α10KO mice also had larger startle amplitudes in tone backgrounds than WTs. Overall, α9α10KO mice had grossly normal auditory function in quiet and noise, although their larger ABR amplitudes and hyperreactive startles suggest some auditory processing abnormalities. These findings contribute to the growing literature showing mixed effects of MOC dysfunction on hearing.

Alterations in food preference and stress reactivity in mice with a knockout of MeCP2 in POMC neurons

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is an epigenetic factor associated with the neurodevelopmental disorders Rett Syndrome and MECP2 duplication syndrome. Previous studies have demonstrated that knocking out MeCP2 globally in the central nervous system leads to an overweight phenotype and hyperphagia, however it is not clear if the hyperphagia is the result of an increased motivation to obtain food reward or enhancements in food preference. Here, we show that mice deficient in MeCP2 specifically in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons have an increased preference for high fat diet but do not have a greater motivation to obtain food reward, relative to wildtype (WT) littermate controls. We also demonstrate that POMC-Cre MeCP2 knockout (KO) mice have increased body weight after long-term high fat diet exposure as well as elevated plasma leptin and corticosterone (CORT) levels compared to wildtype mice. Given that our POMC-Cre MeCP2 KO mice have elevated CORT, we wanted to determine if our KO mice also respond differentially to early life stress such as maternal separation stress compared to WT controls. Collectively, our data suggest that POMC-specific loss-of-function Mecp2 mutations leads to dissociable effects on the rewarding/motivational properties of food as well as changes to hormones associated with body weight homeostasis and stress and could underlie differential behavioral responses to early life stress. NIGMS 1SC1GM144190-01 (ESN), Texas Woman's University internal funds. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

The humiliation of the abused woman: the internalization of self-devaluation as a key factor in victim inaction / La humillación de la mujer maltratada: la interiorización de la devaluación del yo como factor clave en la inacción de la víctima

We used the theoretical perspective of humiliation to study the cognitive-emotional and behavioural responses of 242 women regarding episodes of sexist psychological abuse they experienced in relationships. First, we measured the degree of abuse experienced. This was followed by the two key cognitive assessments that underlie humiliation (internalization of self-devaluation and injustice), emotion (humiliation, shame, guilt and anger) and participants’ levels of passivity and confrontation. The results show that women who reported higher levels of self-devaluation internalization experienced more humiliation, shame and guilt. Conversely, those who did not demonstrate internalized devalued views of themselves showed higher levels of anger. We identified an indirect significant effect between abuse and passivity via humiliation, shame and guilt, and an indirect significant effect between abuse and confrontation via anger. Therefore, it appears that the internalization of self-devaluation is a key variable in understanding the emotional and behavioural responses of women who experience sexist violence.

Sexual receptivity of females on Neotropical scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 in response to male reproductive advances

AbstractDue to the high reproductive investment, females are the decisive sex when making decisions about whether or not to reproduce. Generally, female scorpions display aggressive sexual behavior in response to male reproductive advances when they are not receptive. However, female receptivity can vary over time, depending on environmental factors favorable to reproduction Thus, the current study aimed to examine the correlation between the number of reproductive attempts by male Tityus pusillus scorpion and mating success over time, considering the female's behavioral response. Behavioral analyses were monthly conducted on 150 T. pusillus field-caught pairs over a five-month period. Our results indicate that despite females reacting aggressively to male advances, the persistence of the male has a positive effect in courtship probability. Furthermore, we observed variations in female behavior throughout the studied period, suggesting that female receptivity might be linked to the reproductive season. Therefore, environmental factors may play a significant role in regulating scorpion reproduction in Neotropical forests.

Stumbling blocks of teachers while supporting the learning of students: Observations from case study research

Teachers can influence the learning of students to a greater extent if encounter manageable challenges whereas they are often trapped with situations that reduce their teaching efficacy to a bare minimum. They fail to address their students' academic and non-academic needs because they fail to notice the expressed needs. This situation stimulates the researcher to explore the challenges encountered by the teachers to support the learning of students. The study employed a qualitative research design and case study method was used to explore the perspectives of the participants. The research population consisted of school administrators, school teachers, and students at secondary schools. Purposive sampling technique was used to choose the sample against the predefined criteria. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, field notes, and notes from document analysis. Triangulation of the collected data resulted in the development of three themes namely extensive subject outline, managing exceptional and behavioural responses. The findings showed that the teachers are experiencing many challenges such as lengthy syllabi, overcrowded classrooms, demanding assessment structures, additional academic responsibilities, and students’ behavioural issues and this is affecting their ability to positively influence the learning of their students. The study suggests that teachers should use their critical thinking skills to analyze their personal and professional challenges and find ways to resolve these issues resulting in creating supportive learning structures in schools for students, and teaching culture for teachers. This study will help school administration understand the barriers faced by teachers in schools and help them find suitable solutions to provide a supportive teaching and learning environment for teachers and students.

The Influence Of Perceived Security, Perceived Behavioural Control, And Social Influence On Behavioural Intention Indonesian Standard Quick Response (Qris) On Gen-Z In Batam City

Along with the rapid development of technology makes all human activities more effective and efficient from various fields, especially in the financial sector. One proof of the progress in the application of technological innovation in the financial industry is the cashless payment method. One method of non-cash payment is Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS). Bank Indonesia intensively conducts socialization related to QRIS, so that QRIS is increasingly known to the wider public and attracts a larger market. This study aims to analyze the factors of perceived security, perceived behavioural control, and social influence on the behavioural intention of Quick Response Indonesia Standard (QRIS) in gen-Z in Batam City. This study used non-probability samples with purposive sampling method. Purposive sampling is a sampling method that considers certain features to obtain a goal. In this study also using analytical methods carried out in two stages, namely external model analysis and inner model analysis. Outside model evaluation assesses the validity and reliability of indicators of each variable, whereas inner model analysis investigates research hypotheses. For data analysis we use SmartPLS software version 3.0. The results showed that perceived behavioral control significantly affected behavioral intention, peceived security had a significant effect on behavioral intention, and social influence did not have a significant effect on behavioral intention.

Emotional facial expression and perioral motor functions of the human auditory cortex

ObjectiveWe investigated the role of transverse temporal gyrus and adjacent cortex (TTG+) in facial expressions and perioral movements. MethodsIn 31 patients undergoing stereo-electroencephalography monitoring, we describe behavioral responses elicited by electrical stimulation within the TTG+. Task-induced high-gamma modulation (HGM), auditory evoked responses, and resting-state connectivity were used to investigate the cortical sites having different types of responses on electrical stimulation. ResultsChanges in facial expressions and perioral movements were elicited on electrical stimulation within TTG+ in 9 (29%) and 10 (32%) patients, respectively, in addition to the more common language responses (naming interruptions, auditory hallucinations, paraphasic errors). All functional sites showed auditory task induced HGM and evoked responses validating their location within the auditory cortex, however, motor sites showed lower peak amplitudes and longer peak latencies compared to language sites. Significant first-degree connections for motor sites included precentral, anterior cingulate, parahippocampal, and anterior insular gyri, whereas those for language sites included posterior superior temporal, posterior middle temporal, inferior frontal, supramarginal, and angular gyri. ConclusionsMultimodal data suggests that TTG+ may participate in auditory-motor integration. SignificanceTTG+ likely participates in facial expressions in response to emotional cues during an auditory discourse.

Implementing Behavioral Optimization and Outcomes Support Team in a Medical/Surgical Telemetry Unit.

A community hospital reported 21 staff assaults with injuries and 242 emergency response code green (CG) calls for violent behaviors, resulting in a loss of time in the 2022 fiscal year. Evidence has shown that exposure to violent behavior can compromise effective patient care and lead to job dissatisfaction, high turnover, and higher healthcare costs. This quality improvement project aims to develop and implement behavioral optimization and outcome support team (BOOST) in a medical-surgical telemetry unit to reduce patient-to-staff assaults/injuries. BOOST was piloted for 15 weeks; process data included staff knowledge and satisfaction with BOOST; outcome data included the number of BOOST and CG calls and staff assaults/injuries. The team members included registered psychiatric nurses, nursing supervisors, and security officers. Data were collected and analyzed weekly using a run chart. The survey data demonstrated increased staff knowledge of the behavioral response team and staff satisfaction with the BOOST implementation. No staff injuries or assaults were reported during the BOOST implementation. Behavioral optimization and outcome support team was effective in de-escalating patients and the team provided support to nursing staff. BOOST utilization can effectively reduce assaults and injuries in the workplace.

Varying degrees of human-animal interaction elicit weak evidence of a temporally stable behavioral trait in rangeland breeding ewes.

Coherent patterns of inter-related behaviors that occur across time and contexts, also known as personality or consistent individual differences (CIDs), are important to identify among livestock as they carry valuable information for selective breeding purposes. Repeated testing is necessary to reveal behavioral patterns, yet temporal stability of behavioral traits is often assumed. In this study, three human-animal interaction (HAI) tests were employed within a flock of sheep maintained in the Sierra-Nevada foothills to assess intra-individual consistency and inter- relatedness of behavioral responses. Groups of five (four or six when needed) ewes were placed in three HAI tests (restrained Human Contact, unrestrained Human Presence and unrestrained Human Approach) at the time of post-breeding, gestation and weaning (3 x per year; over 2 years). PCs were created using principal component analysis (PCA) of behaviors from the unrestrained Human Presence test and were compared to the behaviors from the two other HAI tests to evaluate cross-contextual relationships. Frequency of ‘environmental vigilance’ (EV), ‘investigating fence’ (IF) and duration of ‘head down’ (HD) were the only variables to achieve a moderate repeatability estimate [EV: 0.32 ± 0.09, [CI (0.21, 0.48])]; IF: 0.29 ± 0.13, [CI (0.14, 0.48)]; HD: 0.44 ± 0.15, [CI (0.22, 0.68)]. PCA revealed a single component in all Human Presence tests that was characterized by loadings (>0.45) for duration of ‘grazing’ and ‘environmental vigilance’. Spearman’s rank order analysis revealed no significant correlations between PC1 of each replicate. There was also no significant inter-relatedness identified between behaviors of each HAI test. Taken together, it is suggested that the rangeland ewes of this study exhibited consistency of some individual behaviors within the Human Contact and Human Presence test, however, did not demonstrate a temporally stable trait that can be generalized across multiple contexts. Future work should evaluate the influence of extensive versus intensive management styles on the development and maintenance of human-oriented behavioral traits.

Do fishers follow fish displaced by climate warming?

Climate change is associated with altered oceanographic conditions that tend to shift the geographical distributions of fish. To assess the impact of climate change on fisheries, one must go beyond projections of catch potential and understand how fishers respond to moving target species. Many previous studies have explicitly or implicitly assumed that fishers follow fish that are displaced by climate warming. Here, we evaluate this assumption by analyzing a long-term, large-scale yet high-resolution dataset combined with a detailed oceanographic model. Our study case is the Atlantic cod (Gadhus morhua) fishery in Norway, one of the largest whitefish fisheries in the world, with little technological or judicial constraints on the potential spatial response of fishers. An oceanographic model is used to predict the areas that have been suitable for Atlantic cod spawning over the two last decades. We compare whether these areas overlap with actually observed fishing locations. While the areas that are suitable for spawning clearly predict how much fish are caught per trip, the suitability of an area does not predict how many vessels fish in a given area at a given point in time. In contrast, the number of vessels in the previous week and the previous year explain the current number of vessels in that area. Hence, future projections of climate change effects should account for the rich and nuanced behavioral responses of humans to project climate change effects on fisheries.

Behavioral responses to predator and heterospecific alarm calls are habitat-specific in Eurasian tree sparrows

Acoustic communication plays a vital role in predator-prey interactions. Although habitat structure has been shown to affect anti-predator tactics, little is known about how animals vary their behaviors in response to predator calls or heterospecific alarm calls in different environments. Here we used sound playbacks to test the responses of Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) foraging in harvested/unharvested rice paddy and open residential area. In the first experiment, we tested their behavioral responses to dove calls, male common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) calls, hawk-like calls mimicked by female common cuckoo, sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) calls, and human yell calls produced to scare birds (predator signal playbacks). In the second experiment, we tested their behavioral responses to the Japanese tit’s (Parus minor) territorial songs and alarm calls (heterospecific alarm signal playbacks). Results showed that the tree sparrows had less fleeing in unharvested ripe rice paddy than in harvested rice paddy and open residential area. In predator signal playbacks, call type affected the escape behavior of sparrows in unharvested rice paddy and open residential area but not harvested rice paddy. In alarm signal playbacks, tit alarm calls evoked more fleeing than territorial songs in harvested rice paddy and open residential area but not unharvested rice paddy. These results suggest that anthropogenic habitat changes may influence avian anti-predator tactics.

Modulation Steering Motion by Quantitative Electrical Stimulation in Pigeon Robots.

The pigeon robot has attracted significant attention in the field of animal robotics thanks to its outstanding mobility and adaptive capability in complex environments. However, research on pigeon robots is currently facing bottlenecks, and achieving fine control over the motion behavior of pigeon robots through brain-machine interfaces remains challenging. Here, we systematically quantify the relationship between electrical stimulation and stimulus-induced motion behaviors, and provide an analytical method to demonstrate the effectiveness of pigeon robots based on electrical stimulation. In this study, we investigated the influence of gradient voltage intensity (1.2-3.0 V) on the indoor steering motion control of pigeon robots. Additionally, we discussed the response time of electrical stimulation and the effective period of the brain-machine interface. The results indicate that pigeon robots typically exhibit noticeable behavioral responses at a 2.0 V voltage stimulus. Increasing the stimulation intensity significantly controls the steering angle and turning radius (p < 0.05), enabling precise control of pigeon robot steering motion through stimulation intensity regulation. When the threshold voltage is reached, the average response time of a pigeon robot to the electrical stimulation is 220 ms. This study quantifies the role of each stimulation parameter in controlling pigeon robot steering behavior, providing valuable reference information for the precise steering control of pigeon robots. Based on these findings, we offer a solution for achieving precise control of pigeon robot steering motion and contribute to solving the problem of encoding complex trajectory motion in pigeon robots.