WHOSE S*#T IS INTERESTING? Novel stimuli from co-evolved species induces innate behaviours in captive mammals Vanessa Herranz - Muñoz1, Fernando Botello2 & Emilio Virgós2 1 Bastet Conservation, Madrid, Spain, 2 Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain. E-mail: vherranz@bastetconservation.org
Introduction
Results
Behavioural research and conservation biology can be a powerful combination to achieve greater success on the pressing challenges faced by biodiversity today (Sutherland, 1998) . Amongst the issues standing to benefit most from focused collaborations between the two fields are captivity breeding and reintroduction strategies (Buchholz, 2007), issues in which zoos have an important role to play. Furthermore, the conservation mission required of modern zoos (WAZA, 2005) and their suitability and experience on behavioural studies renders them ideal sites to put into practice essential linkages between the two disciplines.
80% of the 52 animals tested responded in some way to one or both stimuli. Animals exhibited behaviours different than usual for significantly longer in the presence of faeces from species found in their natural habitats (Wilcoxon test: Z= 4.602, N=35, P < 0.01, Fig. 1) Prey species explored sympatric stimuli for significantly longer periods (Wilcoxon test: Z= 1.981, N=18, P = 0.047) Sympatric stimuli elicited search, vigilance, marking, calling and defence behaviours during significantly more time than stimuli from allopatric species (Z= 1.991, N=13, P = 0.046, Fig. 2)
The ability of an animal to recognise biologically relevant environmental information is essential for its survival. Environmental enrichment introduces modifications to the artificial habitats to improve biological functioning and encourage natural behaviours (Newberry, 1995) and it is the most important method to avoid aberrant behaviours and promote psychological well-being in captive animals (Mason et al., 2007). From a conservation angle, some behaviours might be worth conserving themselves (Sutherland, 1998), and some authors point out that appropriate enrichment plans may help avoid undesirable genetic adaptations derived from captivity (Williams and Hoffman, 2009).
Predators were more active than usual in both conditions. Tamarins showed more active behaviours when they encountered stimuli from other callitrichids found in mixed-species troops with them in the wild (Z= 3.723, P < 0.01, N=18, Fig. 3) They became less active than usual when exposed to allopatric callitrichid species cues (Z = 2.201, P = 0.027, N=18)
This research is aimed to explore how much biologically relevant behavioural traits such as predator recognition and interspecific association are present in animals with no previous experience or even after several generations in captivity. We hope it may yield important information on including behaviour in conservation objectives and how to direct captive breeding and environmental enrichment to conserve phenotypes as close as possible to those in the wild by applying scientific methods. Our working hypothesis is that captive bred animals should still be able to recognise biologically relevant information from their natural habitats.
Time behaving DIFFERENT than usual (all) 300
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Figure 1. Time behaving different (more active + less active) than usual on sympatric and allopatric conditions. Whole sample (N = 42). Medians, interquartiles and ranges.
© FAUNIA
Time behaving DIFFERENT than usual (prey)
Methods
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We measured the behavioural response of 52 individuals from 13 mammal species living in captivity at Faunia Biological Park, Madrid (Spain) to novel stimuli (faeces) of species that live in the same (sympatric) or a different (allopatric) habitat or area in the wild.
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Two experiments were carried out; in experiment one we exposed prey species to stimuli from sympatric and allopatric predators, and predator species to stimuli from sympatric and allopatric prey. In experiment two, callitrichids were exposed to stimuli from other tamarin species with which they form multi-species troops in the wild, and to stimuli from tamarin species found at different geographic locations. For each condition of both experiments, single stimuli were placed in the enclosure of the species under study at salient locations near their own resting and feeding sites. Observations were recorded from outside the enclosures during the following 5 min. using a videocamera.
Time (s)
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Species tested Potos flavus Euphractus sexcinctus Aotus azarae Mephitis mephitis Choloeopus hoffmani Pedetes capensis Capromys pilorides Leopardus pardalis Genetta genetta Dasyprocta fuliginosa Nasua nasua Callimico goeldii Saguinus imperator
# of individuals Sympatric species 2 2 5 8 1 3 2 2 3 6 2 7 2
Leopardus pardalis Leopardus pardalis Leopardus pardalis Leopardus pardalis Leopardus pardalis Panthera pardus Leopardus pardalis Capromys pilorides Rattus norvegicus Leopardus pardalis Leopardus pardalis Saguinus imperator Callimico goeldii
Allopatric species Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Pedetes capensis Chinchilla lanigera Lynx lynx Lynx lynx Leontopithecus rosalia Leontopithecus rosalia
Scientifically explored environmental enrichment could go a long way towards conserving natural behaviours and even counteracting other types of genetic adaptation when applied from a plan and a set of objectives regarding the specific biology, conservation role and welfare of every animal. Comparison of behaviour between wild and captive bred specimens may give us an idea of the behavioural plasticity of different species and phenotypic adaptation degrees and trends. Research such as this, attaining to explore and conserve behavioural traits, may be extremely useful to connect captive populations to conservation objectives.
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Figure 2. Prey species (N = 19).Time behaving different (more active + less active) than usual on sympatric and allopatric conditions.
Acknowledgements References
Experiment
Our results indicate that recognition of biologically relevant cues has a strong innate component which may be beneficial for spatially and temporally stable environmental variables (Stephens, 1991). Phenotypic plasticity works constantly with the environment to broaden the initial range of adaptive strategies and give rise to a range of behavioural phenotypes (Mery & Burns, 2010). A long history of co-evolution explains the increased saliency of sympatric stimuli found as it has been suggested for predator recognition (i. e. Monclús et al. 2005). However, reactions registered towards allopatric stimuli also indicate that the presence of chemicals common to different predators and prey is also able to elicit behaviour (Barreto and Macdonald, 1998). Zoo animals are at a high risk of becoming desensitised from adaptively relevant cues from their natural environments. With behavioural phenotypes increasingly diverging from their wild counterparts they can turn into what May and Lyles (1987) termed “living latin binomials”. Moreover, behaviour has ultimately been the turning point for the failure of many reintroduction projects, involving the lack of adaptive abilities of captive bred animals. Environmental enrichment techniques can be very useful for investigating and shaping behavioural phenotypes in captive populations, and to achieve successful re-adaptation to natural environments on reintroduction projects.
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Discussion
Barreto, G. R.; Macdonald, D. W. 1999. The response of water voles, Arvicola terrestris, to the odours of predators. Animal behaviour. 57: 1107-1112. Buchholz, R. 2007. Behavioural biology: an effective and relevant conservation tool. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 22: 401- 407. Mason, G., Clubb, R., Latham, N., Vickery, S., 2007. Why and how should we use environmental enrichment to tackle stereotypic behaviour? Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 102, 163–188. May, R.M., Lyles, A.M., 1987. Conservation biology: living Latin binomials. Nature 326, 642–643. Mery F. & Burns J.G. 2010. Behavioural plasticity: an interaction between evolution and experience. Evol Ecol 24: 571 - 583. Monclús, R.; Rödel, H. G.; Holst, D. V.; De Miguel, J. 2005. Behavioural and physiological responses of naïve European rabbits to predator odour. Animal behaviour 70: 753-761. Newberry, R. C. 1995. Environmental enrichment: Increasing the biological relevance of captive environments. Applied animal behavior science 44: 229-243. Stephens D. 1991. Change, regularity, and value in the evolution of animal learning. Behav Ecol 2:77–89. Sutherland, W. J. 1998. The importance of behavioural studies in conservation biology. Animal Behaviour 56: 801- 809. Williams, S.E. & Hoffman, E.A. 2009, Minimizing genetic adaptation in captive breeding programs: a review. Biological Conservation 142: 2388–2400.
We wish to thank Faunia Biological Park for allowing us to conduct this research at their facilities and providing continued assessment and support. We appreciate specially the advice, collaboration and encouragement recieved from the animal keepers of “La Noche” (Pablo, Ana and Carlos) and “Jungla”.
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