Prey Object Research Articles

Perburuan Harimau di Bali pada Awal Abad XX Berdasarkan Sumber-Sumber Kolonial

Before falling into the hands of the Dutch colonial government in the early 20th century, Bali was quite a foreign and restricted territory for Europeans. This condition slowly changed when the colonial government conquered the local Balinese kingdoms. Tigers' existence in Bali was later known through the records created by Europeans who studied nature and the local community there. This study aims to show the link between the conquest of Bali by the colonial government and the extinction of the Bali tiger. Through historical research methods to examine the literature sources used, this study shows that the expansion of colonial government influence in Bali also played a role in the process of extinction of the Bali tiger. The growth of private plantations in areas home to tigers further increases the potential for conflict between tigers and humans. Similar to Javan and Sumatran tigers, Bali tigers are also often hunted because they disturb and threaten plantation activities, as well as because they are a prey object for sport-hunting enthusiasts. Extinction is inevitable as a consequence of continuous hunting activities for this species.

Аbout the influence of the use of «zaezdok» type nets on the passing of the Рacific salmon producers to the springing territories in the Аmur and Аmur liman

Materials are presented on the study of the technology of harvesting Pacific salmon, using fixed seines of the «zaezdok» type in the Amur estuary and the river. Amur, in order to ensure the passage of spawners of Pacific salmon during passing days without dismantling the wings and the trap, but only by closing the inlet device of the reservoir. The results of the conducted studies showed that the design of a fixed seine of the «zaezdok» type does not prevent the passage of fish to spawning grounds, does not allow it to be bound and does not cause damage to the prey object. During periods of skipping spawners («passing days»), it is sufficient to close the entrance to the seine trap and raise its netting. This ensures the unhindered exit of fish from the fishing area of the prey tool. Installation of additional structural elements (windows, etc.) is not required to ensure the passage of fish.

Retinotectal circuitry of larval zebrafish is adapted to detection and pursuit of prey.

Retinal axon projections form a map of the visual environment in the tectum. A zebrafish larva typically detects a prey object in its peripheral visual field. As it turns and swims towards the prey, the stimulus enters the central, binocular area, and seemingly expands in size. By volumetric calcium imaging, we show that posterior tectal neurons, which serve to detect prey at a distance, tend to respond to small objects and intrinsically compute their direction of movement. Neurons in anterior tectum, where the prey image is represented shortly before the capture strike, are tuned to larger object sizes and are frequently not direction-selective, indicating that mainly interocular comparisons serve to compute an object's movement at close range. The tectal feature map originates from a linear combination of diverse, functionally specialized, lamina-specific, and topographically ordered retinal ganglion cell synaptic inputs. We conclude that local cell-type composition and connectivity across the tectum are adapted to the processing of location-dependent, behaviorally relevant object features.

Distribution of trigeminal afferent terminals on the functionally different motoneurons of the glossopharyangeal and vagus nerves in the frog, Rana esculenta

Event Abstract Back to Event Distribution of trigeminal afferent terminals on the functionally different motoneurons of the glossopharyangeal and vagus nerves in the frog, Rana esculenta S. Kecskes1*, B. Gaál1, K. Matesz1 and A. Birinyi1 1 University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Hungary Frog’s prey-catching behavioral pattern consists of sequence of coordinated activity of different muscles corresponding to stages of feeding. Snapping of prey object stimulates the trigeminal afferent terminals in the oral cavity and pharynx which initiate contraction of muscles innervated by the glossopharyngeal and vagus (IX-X) nerves. The aim of our experiments was to examine whether the trigeminal afferents form direct connections with the motoneurons of IX, X nerves. The trigeminal and the glossopharyngeal-vagus nerves were labeled with different fluorescent dyes. Close appositions between the trigeminal afferent fibers and IX-X motoneurons of the ambiguus nucleus were detected with confocal microscopy. In order to show the spatial distribution of these connections within the functionally different subdivisions of the ambiguus nucleus, Neurolucida reconstruction of the brainstem was made showing the spatial distribution of the trigeminal afferents on the dendrites and perikarya of the IX-X motoneurons. To detect only the terminals of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, related to the proprioceptive innervations of the oral cavity, the Gasserian ganglion was destroyed before the fluorescent labeling. The possible monosynaptic connections between the trigeminal afferents and IX-X motoneurons presented here may be one of the morphological substrate of a very quick response of the frog during the prey-catching behavior. Acknowledgements This work was supported by OTKA K 67641 and MTA-TKI 242. Keywords: Sensory and motor activity, Neuroscience Conference: 13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT), Budapest, Hungary, 20 Jan - 22 Jan, 2011. Presentation Type: Abstract Topic: Sensory and motor activity Citation: Kecskes S, Gaál B, Matesz K and Birinyi A (2011). Distribution of trigeminal afferent terminals on the functionally different motoneurons of the glossopharyangeal and vagus nerves in the frog, Rana esculenta. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2011.84.00151 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 03 Mar 2011; Published Online: 23 Mar 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. S. Kecskes, University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Debrecen, Hungary, szilvi@anat.med.unideb.hu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers S. Kecskes B. Gaál K. Matesz A. Birinyi Google S. Kecskes B. Gaál K. Matesz A. Birinyi Google Scholar S. Kecskes B. Gaál K. Matesz A. Birinyi PubMed S. Kecskes B. Gaál K. Matesz A. Birinyi Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Eye movements and target fixation during dragonfly prey-interception flights

The capture of flying insects by foraging dragonflies is a highly accurate, visually guided behavior. Rather than simply aiming at the prey's position, the dragonfly aims at a point in front of the prey, so that the prey is intercepted with a relatively straight flight trajectory. To better understand the neural mechanisms underlying this behavior, we used high-speed video to quantify the head and body orientation of dragonflies (female Erythemis simplicicollis flying in an outdoor flight cage) relative to an artificial prey object before and during pursuit. The results of our frame-by-frame analysis showed that during prey pursuit, the dragonfly adjusts its head orientation to maintain the image of the prey centered on the "crosshairs" formed by the visual midline and the dorsal fovea, a high acuity streak that crosses midline at right angles about 60 degrees above the horizon. The visual response latencies to drifting of the prey image are remarkably short, ca. 25 ms for the head and 30 ms for the wing responses. Our results imply that the control of the prey-interception flight must include a neural pathway that takes head position into account.

Acoustic mirror effect increases prey detection distance in trawling bats

Many different and phylogenetically distant species of bats forage for insects above water bodies and take insects from and close to the surface; the so-called 'trawling behaviour'. Detection of surface-based prey by echolocation is facilitated by acoustically smooth backgrounds such as water surfaces that reflect sound impinging at an acute angle away from the bat and thereby render a prey object acoustically conspicuous. Previous measurements had shown that the echo amplitude of a target on a smooth surface is higher than that of the same target in mid-air, due to an acoustic mirror effect. In behavioural experiments with three pond bats (Myotis dasycneme), we tested the hypothesis that the maximum distances at which bats can detect prey are larger for prey on smooth surfaces than for the same prey in an airborne situation. We determined the moment of prey detection from a change in echolocation behaviour and measured the detection distance in 3D space from IR-video recordings using stereo-photogrammetry. The bats showed the predicted increase in detection distance for prey on smooth surfaces. The acoustic mirror effect therefore increases search efficiency and contributes to the acoustic advantages encountered by echolocating bats when foraging at low heights above smooth water surfaces. These acoustic advantages may have favoured the repeated evolution of trawling behaviour.

Cercopagis pengoi — New Important Food Object of the Baltic Herring in the Gulf of Finland

The non-indigenous predaceous cladoceran Cercopagis pengoi (Ostroumov) was found for the first time in the Gulf of Finland in 1995. After this invasion, the diet of the Baltic herring Clupea harengus mebras and its seasonal dynamics were investigated in the coastal waters of SE Finland. The specimens of C. pengoi were not present in plankton samplings until the end of July when the surface water temperature reached 13.5 °C. From the beginning of August to the end of October Cercopagis was found in all the plankton samples. Before the occurrence of Cercopagis, the diet of herring consisted mostly of Eurytemora affinis and Bosmina coregoni maritima. During August to mid-October, C. pengoi was the main food source. In November, after the disappearance of C. pengoi from the plankton, B. coregoni maritima became the main prey object. Both the smallest and largest size classes of the herrings investigated consumed C. pengoi. Females with overwintering eggs are the most attractive prey for herrings. The overwintering eggs of C. pengoi, due to their very hard capsules, seem to pass undamaged through the stomach and intestines of herring. C. pengoi started to play a highly important role in the zooplankton community in the waters of SE Finland, and its abundance is not too dependent upon the annual temperature fluctuations. The Baltic herring population has substantially changed its diet in this area, and now it prefers the new-comer C. pengoi.

Cercopagis pengoi — New Important Food Object of the Baltic Herring in the Gulf of Finland

The non-indigenous predaceous cladoceran Cercopagis pengoi (Ostroumov) was found for the first time in the Gulf of Finland in 1995. After this invasion, the diet of the Baltic herring Clupea harengus mebras and its seasonal dynamics were investigated in the coastal waters of SE Finland. The specimens of C. pengoi were not present in plankton samplings until the end of July when the surface water temperature reached 13.5 °C. From the beginning of August to the end of October Cercopagis was found in all the plankton samples. Before the occurrence of Cercopagis, the diet of herring consisted mostly of Eurytemora affinis and Bosmina coregoni maritima. During August to mid-October, C. pengoi was the main food source. In November, after the disappearance of C. pengoi from the plankton, B. coregoni maritima became the main prey object. Both the smallest and largest size classes of the herrings investigated consumed C. pengoi. Females with overwintering eggs are the most attractive prey for herrings. The overwintering eggs of C. pengoi, due to their very hard capsules, seem to pass undamaged through the stomach and intestines of herring. C. pengoi started to play a highly important role in the zooplankton community in the waters of SE Finland, and its abundance is not too dependent upon the annual temperature fluctuations. The Baltic herring population has substantially changed its diet in this area, and now it prefers the new-comer C. pengoi.

Prey Selection in the Leopard Frog: Choosing in Biased and Unbiased Situations

When given the option between a ground-level prey presented in front and another prey presented 90° to the side, leopard frogs have a front preference. When given a choice between prey objects presented at the left and right sides, some individual leopard frogs have a side preference. Repeated prey object presentations at one side predispose leopard frogs to respond to the opposite side when presented with prey objects at both sides. The phenomenon is preserved through a half minute delay between single prey presentations (biasing) and two prey presentations (testing) but not through a three-minute delay between biasing and testing. Ten biasing presentations on a side are sufficient to induce opposite side preference, while three biasing presentations are insufficient. Attempts to permanently modify preferences by completely exhausting responsiveness to a single side were unsuccessful. A neural model for the effect of biasing on behavior is shown.

Neuroethology of releasing mechanisms: Prey-catching in toads

Abstract“Sign stimuli” elicit specific patterns of behavior when an organism's motivation is appropriate. In the toad, visually released prey-catching involves orienting toward the prey, approaching, fixating, and snapping. For these action patterns to be selected and released, the prey must be recognized and localized in space. Toads discriminate prey from nonprey by certain spatiotemporal stimulus features. The stimulus-response relations are mediated by innate releasing mechanisms (RMs) with recognition properties partly modifiable by experience. Striato-pretecto-tectal connectivity determines the RM's recognition and localization properties, whereas medialpallio-thalamo-tectal circuitry makes the system sensitive to changes in internal state and to prior history of exposure to stimuli. RMs encode the diverse stimulus conditions referring to the same prey object through different combinations of “specialized” tectal neurons, involving cells selectively tuned to prey features. The prey-selective neurons express the outcome of information processing in functional units consisting of interconnected cells. Excitatory and inhibitory interactions among feature-sensitive tectal and pretectal neurons specify the perceptual operations involved in distinguishing the prey from its background, selecting its features, and discriminating it from predators. Other connections indicate stimulus location. The results of these analyses are transmitted by specialized neurons projecting from the tectum to bulbar/spinal motor systems, providing a sensorimotor interface. Specific combinations of such projective neurons – mediating feature- and space-related messages – form “command releasing systems” that activate corresponding motor pattern generators for appropriate prey-catching action patterns.

Filicidal behavior: Behavioral correlates and role of sensory systems

The administration of para-chloro-D,L-phenylalanine (PCPA) produces a high incidence of filicidal (pup-killing) behavior in female rodents. The present series of experiments determined the major behavioral, sensory, and temporal correlates of filicidal behavior in nulliparous adult Sprague-Dawley female rats. In Experiment 1, behavioral episodes involving the interaction of test pups and PCPA-induced filicidal females were videotaped, and subsequent analyses of behaviors related to locating, carrying, mauling, attacking, gnawing, and consuming the prey object were performed. Analysis indicated that the primary behavioral correlates in the PCPA animals included location, initiation of the attack (mauling), and killing of the pup (filicide). Only location was observed in control animals. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of sensory impairments on location, mauling, and filicide. Sensory impairment occurred at 24 days of age for enucleation and 62 days of age for olfactory bulbectomies and/or auditory destruction. Animals were injected either at 110 or 130 days of age with PCPA for three consecutive days and tested for filicide for five additional days. Location of the test pup was not affected by sensory impairment. Mauling was reduced significantly in the enucleation/auditory destructed animals. Filicide was significantly lower in animals with visual/auditory destruction, and, compared to controls, was reduced in all sensory impaired groups.

The Interaction of the Visual and the Olfactory Systems in Guiding Prey Catching Behaviour in Salamandra Salamandra (L.)

Behaviour toward stationary prey objects of different kinds (visible and odorous, visible and of neutral odour, and invisible odorous prey objects) was studied in two groups of Salarnandra salamandra. One group was exclusively fed moving prey (MOT animals), the other one stationary (dead) prey (STAT animals). The behaviour of the MOT animals showed that the odour of stationary prey is of more importance than the visual contrast. The behaviour to odorous visible prey objects was mainly olfactorily guided; only the snapping response was visually controlled. In STAT salamanders, however, the visual contrast of a stationary prey object was of more importance than the odour, and the complete prey catching of stationary odorous objects was mainly visually controlled. By experience with stationary prey objects, the visually guided behaviour was considerably changed. However, under conditions of light, the olfactorily controlled behaviour to invisible odorous prey objects was not significantly different from that of animals without experience with non-moving prey.

Functional morphology of lingual protrusion in marine toads (Bufo marinus).

Bufo marinus catches its prey by stiffening the intrinsic muscles of the tongue, rapidly flipping the tongue out of the mouth. High-speed cinematography synchronized with computer-analyzed electromyograms (EMGs)shows that during the flip the tongue is supported by the M. genioglossus medialis and that this muscle stiffens into a rod when stimulated. Coincident stiffening of the transversely arranged M. genioglossus basalis provides a wedge under the anterior tip of this rod. Stiffening of the M. submentalis depresses the mandibular symphysis and brings the dentary tips together. The M. submentalis also acts on the wedge of the basalis to raise and rotate the rigid rod of the medialis over the symphysial attachment. The tip of this lingual rod carries along the pad and soft tissues of the tongue. The lingual pad, positioned the posterodorsal portion of the resting tongue, rotates during eversion so that its dorsal surface impacts onto the prey object. Retraction starts by contraction of the elongate, parallel fibers of the M. hyoglossus; this retracts the medical sulcus of the pad and holds the prey by a suction cup-like effect. The extensibility of the buccal membranes allows the pad to be retracted first; it reaches the posterior portion of the buccal cavity before the still-rigid, backward rotating M. genioglossus has reached the level of the symphysis. Protraction of the hyoid facilitates the extension of the M. hyoglossus. The M. sternohyoideus only retracts the hyoid and stabilizes it when the tongue starts to pull posteriorly; it does not assist tongue protrusion. The Mm. petrohyoideus and omohyoideus show only incidental activity, and the M. depressor mandibulae participate in mouth opening but is not otherwise involved in the flip. Previous hypotheses of the flipping mechanism are reviewed and evaluated.

The effect of pretraining procedures and discriminative stimuli on the development of food selection behaviors in the toad ( Bufo terrestris)

The present research explored the ability of the toad (Bufo terrestris) to discriminate between palatable and unpalatable prey objects based on prey color (Experiment 1) and background color (Experiment 2). The first experiment investigated the effects of prior experience with a prey object on the subsequent discrimination task. The results indicated that prior positive experience with the palatable prey object facilitated the early development of the discrimination. The second experiment showed that the toad could discriminate between identical prey objects on the basis of background color.

Short Communications How Honey-Bees Know Their Distance From A Near-By Visual Landmark

ABSTRACT Insects generally have eyes that are close together and lenses with a very short focal length. In consequence neither stereoscopic nor focus cues can be used to measure the distance of objects that are further than a very few centimetres. To do this insects must rely on information provided by retinal image size or by motion parallax. If an insect knows how large an object appears to be at one distance, it can use image size to compute any other object distance. This method is probably used by some male hoverflies when tracking conspecifics (Collett & Land, 1975). Bulldog ants snap at an image of constant retinal size, and so open their jaws when an appropriately sized prey object comes within range (Via, 1977). The distance of an object can also be specified by the way in which its image travels across the retina or changes size when an insect moves a known distance or at a known speed. To date only stationary locusts have been shown to exploit motion parallax, which they do by performing a specialized side-to-side head and body movement (Wallace, 1959; Collett, 1978). Very little, however, is known about the ways in which freely flying insects measure their distance from stationary objects. We were interested in studying this question in honey-bees because they clearly have a good appreciation of the arrangement of stationary features in their environment, which they will demonstrate all day long as they fly between a food source and their hive. Bees can learn to locate a source of food using near-by landmarks and to do this they must know their distance from such landmarks (Lauer & Lindauer, 1971 ; Anderson, 1977). In this paper we show that honey-bees use both motion parallax and image size or change in image size in determining how far they are from a single landmark.

Ontogenetic Aspects on Visual 'Size-Constancy' Phenomena in the Midwife Toad <i>Alytes obstetricans </i>(Laur.)

About 2 weeks after metamorphosis, midwife toads Alytes obstetricans judge the size of a prey object mainly in scales of visual angle. For distant objects they show a tendency to respond to absolute object size. About 6 months later the juvenile animals are able to judge absolute prey size in relation to the stimulus distance ("size constancy" phenomenon). This ability is not necessarily based on learning or previous experience.

Recruitment and food-retrieving behavior in Novomessor (Formicidae, Hymenoptera)

1. In this article, we report the communicative effect of stridulation signals in Novomessor cockerelli and N. albisetosus during foraging 2. The structure of the stridulatory organ and the main characteristics of airborne and substrate-borne stridulation signals are described. 3. The stridulation signals are not perceived by the ants over any appreciable distance. However, workers that contact an object transmitting stridulatory vibrations stay at this probe significantly longer than at a nonvibrating control probe. 4. An information transfer analysis was performed by comparing the probabilities of occurrence of different behavioral acts in workers both before and after contacting either a ‘stridulatory’ test probe or a ‘silent’ control probe. Stridulation did not affect the behavior of food carriers; diggers that carried debris from the nest were slightly but significantly influenced; but a remarkable change did occur in the probabilities of behavioral acts by scout ants. 5. Stridulation alone does not release a specific behavioral response but rather enhances more or less a change to different behavioral activities in workers. 6. In a series of field experiments, it was shown that a prey object too large to be retrieved by one ant stimulates the finder ant to stridulate. It was further demonstrated that the vibrational signals received by a second ant that also contacted a prey enhance the release of chemical short-range recruitment signals by this ant. In our experiments, the facilitating effect of stridulation on chemical recruitment led to a time advance of 1–2 min in both the recruitment of workers and in the retrieval of large prey objects by groups of foragers. It has been demonstrated that the rapid group retrieval of large prey objects enables Novomessor workers to successfully compete with mass-recruiting ant species such as Solenopsis and Iridomyrmex. 7. Significantly more digging is only released at a ‘stridulatory’ test probe if the probe is offered very close to a nest entrance. 8. Stridulation in ants seems to be a mechanism for modulating the state of readiness of receivers to react to other stimuli (modulatory communication). The stridulation signal adjusts the distribution of the worker force to a given situation and to group needs in a graded fashion, but does not by itself release specific behavioral reactions. This phenomenon is compared with similar functions in other communication systems of complex animal societies.

Optomotor Reactions of Mantis Under Open-Loop-Condition

The optomotor hoad torque of Sphodromantie lineola (Mantodea. Insecta) on a sinusoidally moving stripe pattern respectively a living prey object haae been recorded by means of strain gauges synohronously with pattern movement. In both oases of stimulation amplitude and phase are plotted In a Bode diagramm within the range of 0,3 to 30 rad/s. The plots are different as far as amplitude and phase are more homogeneous on stimulation by stripe pattern and show a marked variability on presentation of the prey object. In general there is a pronounced leading of phase on single object stimulation, in contrast to a phase close to zero on stripe pattern stimulation. The original recordings show a clear difference between the effects of both kinds of stimulation as far as the torque on stripe pattern movement is of continuous, tonic course while on a moving prey objeot it is differentiated into tonio and phasic or saccadic components. An excentrio stationary position of the prey objeot elicits repeated saooades towards the target. These facts affirm the conclusion drawn after former investigations that special insects like mantids fir single objeots in analogy to human fixation but react to periodio patterns in a different manner.

Reduction of habituation of prey-catching activity by alcohol intoxication in the frog

Using either (1) a continuously moving dummy prey object or (2) a two-choice test between dummy objects, the rate of habituation of prey catching by frogs was measured. Frogs intoxicated with alcohol did not habituate as readily as did controls, indicating an alcohol-induced disinhibition, probably at the level of the optic tectum.