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PubMed2006

Effects of predation pressure on species packing on a resource gradient: insights from nonlinear dynamics.

The classical case of three competitors arranged on a resource gradient such that the central competitor will be excluded due to competition from the other two is studied from the point of view of the effects of added predators. The basic formulation is motivated by a desire to understand the effects of asymmetries in multidimensional Lotka-Volterra systems. We first study the effects of perfectly specialist predators and find a rich collection of possible behaviors of the system including (1) extinction of all predators and subsequent extinction of the subordinate competitor, (2) dominant competitors and their predators coexist but the subdominant competitor goes extinct, (3) all species except the predator of the subordinate competitor coexist in coordinated phase-reversed chaos, (4) exclusion of one or more species occurs through an expanding heteroclinic cycle, and (5) all species coexist in an uncoordinated chaos. We then study the effects of five qualitatively distinct forms of polyphagy. In one case, corresponding to the well-known vulnerability to predation versus competitive ability trade-off, it is possible to have the subordinate competitor be the only survivor in the system. The other three cases of polyphagy lead to distortions in the basic pattern seen in the previously analyzed specialist case. Studying this case of ecologically motivated asymmetries in the basic Lotka-Volterra formulation is a step in the direction of fully understanding interacting populations.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Social context affects testosterone-induced singing and the volume of song control nuclei in male canaries (Serinus canaria).

The contribution of social factors to seasonal plasticity in singing behavior and forebrain nuclei controlling song, and their interplay with gonadal steroid hormones are still poorly understood. In many songbird species, testosterone (T) enhances singing behavior but elevated plasma T concentrations are not absolutely required for singing to occur. Singing is generally produced either to defend a territory or to attract a mate and it is therefore not surprising that singing rate can be influenced by the sex and behavior of the social partner. We investigated, based on two independent experiments, the effect of the presence of a male or female partner on the rate of song produced by male canaries. In the first experiment, song rate was measured in dyads composed of one male and one female (M-F) or two males (M-M). Birds were implanted with T-filled Silastic capsules or with empty capsules as control. The number of complete song bouts produced by all males was recorded during 240 min on week 1, 2, 4, and 8 after implantation. On the day following each recording session, brains from approximately one-fourth of the birds were collected and the volumes of the song control nuclei HVC and RA were measured. T increased the singing rate and volume of HVC and RA but these effects were affected by the social context. Singing rates were higher in the M-M than in the M-F dyads. Also, in the M-M dyads a dominance-subordination relationship soon became established and dominant males sang at higher rates than subordinates in T-treated but not in control pairs. The differences in song production were not reflected in the size of the song control nuclei: HVC was larger in M-F than in M-M males and within the M-M dyads, no difference in HVC or RA size could be detected between dominant and subordinate males. At the individual level, the song rate with was positively correlated with RA and to a lower degree HVC volume, but this relationship was observed only in M-M dyads, specifically in dominant males. A second experiment, carried out with castrated males that were all treated with T and exposed either to another T-treated castrate or to an estradiol-implanted female, confirmed that song rate was higher in the M-M than in the M-F condition and that HVC volume was larger in heterosexual than in same-sex dyads. The effects of T on singing rate and on the volume of the song control nuclei are thus modulated by the social environment, including the presence/absence of a potential mate and dominance status among males.

Androgens↗
PubMed2001

Social defeat as a stressor in humans.

Studies on social defeat in humans, and their similarities with studies on social defeat in animals are reviewed. Studies on social defeat in humans typically are conducted as a branch of social psychology, most often focusing on bullying in schools and in workplaces. Victims of bullying are known to suffer from depression, anxiety, sociophobia, loss of self-esteem, psychosomatic diseases, and other behavioral symptoms. On the other hand, animal studies on social defeat, usually based on the rodent resident--intruder paradigm, present findings related to physiological rather than to behavioral consequences of defeat. The two branches use different terminology, e.g., "dominant" and "subordinate" (animal studies) and "bully" and "victim" (human studies). It is suggested that the two fields could benefit from a mutual exchange in theory and methodology.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Justice, citizenship, and role definition effects.

A limitation of the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) literature is that theory and empirical evidence suggest that some employees define OCBs as part of their job. A theoretical framework that addresses this problem is tested in this article. The framework focuses on 2 effects: a role enlargement effect (i.e., employees with more favorable attitudes define OCB as inrole behavior, which, in turn, results in greater citizenship) and a role discretion effect (i.e., the relationship between employees' attitudes and their citizenship will be stronger among employees who define OCB as extrarole behavior). In tests of this framework with 2 independent samples of supervisor-subordinate dyads, role definitions were found to moderate several relationships between procedural justice and OCB, providing support for the role discretion effect. Implications for OCB theory and research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

One-male harems and female social dynamics in Guinea baboons.

Little is known about the mating system and social organization of Guinea baboons. This study investigated whether Guinea baboons have a harem-based mating system similar to that of hamadryas and gelada baboons and whether one-male mating units also correspond to social units. Ten adult females in a captive multi-male multi-female group of Guinea baboons were focally observed 2 h per week for 12 weeks, and all observed copulations within the group were recorded. Some males copulated with a single female while others had harems of 2-4 females. All females copulated with a single male except 1 female that switched harems early in the study. The focal females had higher rates of social interaction with their harem members, especially their harem male, than with individuals outside the harem. Females appeared to be subordinate to the harem male but little or no physical aggression or herding behavior from the male was observed. Variation in female social interactions within the harem was not accounted for by their sexual interactions with the male or their genetic relatedness with the females. Females, however, appeared to maintain social relationships with their female relatives in other harems. Taken together, the results of this study show that both mating and affiliative interactions in Guinea baboons are concentrated within one-male units and that the social dynamics within and between these units share some similarities as well as differences with those of hamadryas and gelada baboons.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Dexamethasone can prevent stress-related litter deficits in the golden hamster.

This study was designed to examine the effects of social subordination during early pregnancy in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). Primiparous females were mated to proven breeders and stressed during early pregnancy. Females were housed singly throughout gestation except for Days 4, 5, and 6 when they were paired for 10-min intervals three times each day with another female matched for age, weight, and day of pregnancy. Within each of the pairs, one female was consistently dominant to the other. Controls were exposed to a novel area instead of a conspecific. At parturition, all pups were counted, sexed, and weighed. There were no significant differences between control and dominant females' litter sizes and sex ratios. Subordinate females produced significantly smaller litters than control or dominant dams and significantly lower sex ratios than control dams. Subordinates produced fewer males than control or dominant dams, but there were no differences in the number of females produced. The entire experiment was repeated exactly except that females received a small dosage of dexamethasone in their drinking water on Days 3-7 of pregnancy. In this second group, there were no significant reductions in mean litter size, sex ratio, or pup weights among litters born to subordinate dams. These results suggest that subordinate dams produce smaller litters via selective resorption of males in utero and that the typical adrenal response to stress mediates this response.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2002

Stress-induced social avoidance: a new model of stress-induced anxiety?

We have studied the long-term behavioral effects of a single stressor in male rats by using an approach/avoidance situation as the behavioral endpoint. A single exposure to social defeat or electric shocks was used as stressors. Behavioral testing was performed in a two-compartment cage divided by an opaque wall and connected by a short tunnel. The larger compartment contained an unfamiliar male rat that was separated from the rest of the compartment by a transparent, perforated Plexiglas wall. The subject was placed in the small compartment and allowed to explore the cage for 5 min. The test was performed on Days 1, 5, or 10 after stress application. Unstressed rats spent 90% of time in the large compartment that contained the unfamiliar male. Social defeat dramatically reduced the exploration of the large compartment, without time-related changes in this response. A mild electric shock had a similar effect that lasted more than 5 days but less than 10 days. The exploration of an empty cage was significantly less inhibited by stress than the exploration of a cage that contained the stimulus rat. The test could be applied repeatedly in the same rat, without major changes in the response. Chlordiazepoxide applied 1 h before behavioral testing abolished completely the stress-induced behavioral deficit. We suggest that the model can be used for studying the effects of various compounds on stress-induced anxiety.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Tyrosine hydroxylase activity and expression of its gene in mice with contrasting capacity to dominate in social stress].

Changes of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity and level of mRNA of TH gene in PT and CBA/Lac mouse strains, which are contrast by ability to dominate in heterogenous populations, were investigated. It was established, that the activity of TH both in dominate PT and subordinate CBA/Lac mice in hypothalamus, hippocampus and brain stem elevated in one hour after forming of micropopulations. But the appearance of this increase was different: activation of TH in hypothalamus and brain stem of PT mice was stronger then one in CBA/Lac mice. Moreover, the beginning of the reaction in brain stem of PT mice was earlier then that of CBA/Lac mice. MRNA level of TH gene in hypothalamus and brain stem in one hour was elevated only in PT mice for 50% and 200%, respectively. No changing in expression TH gene was found in hippocampus. In conclusion, it was suggested that the activation of catecholamine biosynthesis under social stress in hypothalamus and brain stem of male mice was due to the TH activation and increase of its gene expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

5HT1A-receptors and behaviour under chronic stress: selective counteraction by testosterone.

Behaviour of chronically stressed male tree shrews is characterized by a reduction in scent marking, self-grooming and overall locomotor activity. It has been proposed that this subordination behaviour is related to the down-regulation of 5HT1A-receptors occurring in distinct brain regions of the animals. The high cortisol concentrations which accompany chronic stress are supposed to induce 5HT1A-receptor down-regulation. Because chronic stress in males also decreases androgen levels we investigated whether behaviour and 5HT1A-receptor expression could be renormalized by testosterone replacement. Male tree shrews were submitted to subordination stress for 28 days, while during the last 18 days, one group was treated with testosterone and one with vehicle. Scent marking, self-grooming, and overall locomotor activity were monitored, and cortisol levels were measured in morning urine during the whole experiment. Brain 5HT1A-receptors were quantified by in vitro receptor autoradiography. Although in subordinate animals cortisol levels remained high during the testosterone treatment, 5HT1A-receptors in the hippocampal formation and the occipital cortex were renormalized to control levels by the androgen, but 5HT1A-receptors in the ventromedial thalamic nucleus did not return to base line levels. Scent marking and self-grooming behaviour were both renormalized by testosterone, but overall locomotor activity did not return to base line levels. These data indicate that a balance between glucocorticoids and androgens is necessary to maintain 'normal' numbers of the monoamine receptors. The fact that both, 5HT1A-receptors and certain behaviours can be renormalized by the sex steroid supports the view that 5HT1A-receptor are involved in the regulation of stress behaviour. However, the fact that overall locomotor activity was not returned to baseline indicates that different types of behaviour are distinctly regulated.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed2001

Hormonal correlates of siblicide in Galápagos Nazca boobies.

Nazca boobies (Sula granti) show unconditional obligate siblicide immediately after hatching, reducing the typical two-egg clutch size to one. We studied body mass changes and levels of testosterone (T), corticosterone (CORT), and progesterone (P) for A-chicks (dominant, first hatched), B-chicks (subordinate, second hatched), and singletons, during the first 7 days after hatching, when siblicide normally occurs. Mass increase with age was higher for A-chicks than for singletons and B-chicks. This exaggerated the existing developmental advantage of A- over B-chicks that is due to hatching asynchrony. In nests with two chicks, CORT titer was significantly higher in B-chicks than in A-chicks. During ontogenetic development, CORT decreased with age for A-chicks, but did not change for singletons. P showed qualitatively similar ontogenetic changes to CORT, remaining unchanged for A-chicks but increasing for singletons. Thus, both CORT and P levels were lower for A-chicks than for singletons, and both hormones varied inversely with body mass. Overall, T levels did not differ between different categories of chicks. However, one B-chick in the process of reversing the dominance relationship with its older, but weakened, sibling had significantly elevated T. We suggest that CORT and P are regulated to promote exaggerated mass gain in socially challenged A-chicks, facilitating siblicide. Whether T induces aggressiveness during short time intervals of intense sibling rivalry needs further attention.

Aggression↗
PubMed1986

An octadecaneuropeptide (ODN) derived from diazepam binding inhibitor increases aggressive interactions in mice.

The effects of intracerebroventricular administrations of an octadecaneuropeptide (ODN) derived from the polypeptide, diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI), on offensive and defensive aggression were examined in male mice. During the initial period after administration (1-5 min) ODN inhibited social and agonistic behavior. At 30 min after treatment, ODN increased, in a dose-dependent manner, the incidence of and intensity of offensive aggression in dominant resident mice. ODN also increased the number of bites required to obtain defeat in subordinate mice during aggressive interactions, as well as reducing subsequent defeat-induced analgesia. These changes in offensive and defensive aggressive behavior that were induced by ODN were reduced by the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist Ro 15-1788. These results suggest that ODN has significant modulatory effects on aggression.

Aggression↗
PubMed2001

Signaling via water currents in behavioral interactions of snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis).

The snappping shrimp Alpheus heterochaelis produces a variety of different water currents during intraspecific encounters and interspecific interactions with small sympatric crabs (Eurypanopeus depressus). We studied the mechanisms of current production in tethered shrimp and the use of the different currents in freely behaving animals. The beating of the pleopods results in strong posteriorly directed currents. Although they reach rather far, these currents show no distinctions when directed toward different opponents. Gill currents are produced by movements of the scaphognathites (the exopodites of the second maxillae) and can then be deflected laterally by movements of the exopodites of the first and second maxillipeds. These frequent but slow lateral gill currents are most probably used to enhance chemical odor perception. The fast and focused, anteriorly directed gill currents, however, represent a powerful tool in intraspecific signaling, because they reach the chemo- and mechanosensory antennules of the opponent more often than any other currents and also because they are produced soon after previous contacts between the animals. They may carry chemical information about the social status of their producers since dominant shrimp release more anterior gill currents and more water jets than subordinate animals in intrasexual interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

[Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate on sexual motivation in male mice with different psychoemotional statuses].

Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (10, 30 and 100 microg/kg, i.p.) on stability of sexual motivation of C57BL/6J male mice with different psychoemotional statuses were studied. Sexual motivation was assessed for 30 min in the sensory contact setting: a male was exposed to a female at oestrus from behind a perforated transparent partition which prevented physical contact. In the intact males, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate injection (10 and 30 microg/kg) 4 hrs before the test had no effect on parameters of sexual motivation. In aggressive males, administration of the dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate had no effect on the intensity of the initial 10 min phase of sexual motivation but prevented its rapid decrease afterwards. In submissive mice, either dose reduced intensity of the initial phase of behavioral reaction to receptive female; however, tile higher dose prevented motivation from exhaustion, and so interest to the female was persistent, albeit decreased. The highest dose of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate had inhibitory effects on stability of the sexual interest in the male mice of all experimental groups.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

Machiavellianism: a synthesis of the evolutionary and psychological literatures.

Manipulative strategies of social conduct (Machiavellianism) have been studied by both psychologists and evolutionary biologists. The authors use the psychological literature as a database to test evolutionary hypotheses about the adaptive advantages of manipulative social behavior. Machiavellianism does not correlate with general intelligence and does not consistently lead to real-world success. It is best regarded as 1 of several social strategies, broadly similar to the "defect" strategy of evolutionary game theory, which is successful in some situations but not others. In general, human evolutionary psychology and evolutionary game theory provide useful frameworks for thinking about behavioral strategies, such as Machiavellianism, and identify a large number of specific hypotheses that have not yet been tested by personality and social psychologists.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lorazepam treatment in the neonatal rat alters submissive behavior in adulthood.

Male hooded Lister rats were cross-fostered at birth (day 0) and reared in litters of eight. Within each litter, one pup was treated with each dose of lorazepam (0.25 or 1.25 mg/kg) and one was treated with the placebo vehicle. The pups received daily subcutaneous injections between postnatal days 7 and 21 inclusive. Starting on day 70 the animals were subjected to four tests of exploratory and social behavior: Open Field, Holeboard, Social Interaction and Home-Cage Aggression. The drug-treated animals showed an increase in submissive behavior, particularly when intruding into another animal's territory, but only minimal changes in their performance in the other three tests.

Aggression↗
PubMed1998

Status, age, and sex effects on performance of discrimination tasks in group-tested rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

To assess the relation between performance and social or demographic variables, this study group tested a captive monkey colony on visual and manual discrimination problems. Animals could choose between differently colored, sand-filled boxes, where hue signaled the initial probability of finding buried food items. Dominant animals and subadults were most successful in locating and retrieving incentives, but sex did not affect performance. Rank effects occurred without overt aggression, suggesting deference by subordinates as a mediating mechanism. Age effects may reflect changing attention patterns only evident in complex arenas where cue salience becomes diluted. Because these findings differ from studies of singly tested animals, they show that, in a social context, an individual's rank and age may define opportunities to gain or efficiently use information.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Concepts of organizational behavior applied to occupational medicine.

People in organizational settings exhibit predictable patterns of behavior. Effective managers understand the psychological underpinnings of group functions. Formal organizational rules and job expectations influence employees. Informal or group dynamics also exert powerful influences. Effective managers try to reduce conflict between organizational and group norms. Informal group cohesion can be harnessed and channeled towards achieving organizational goals and objectives, and informal leaders can be assets to organizational managers. While formal organizational structures can be changed, supervisors should try to accommodate informal group structures when possible. Understanding subordinates is an important skill of successful managers.

Behavior↗