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PubMed2004

The trouble with psychopathy as a general theory of crime.

The concept of psychopathy, as defined by Robert Hare, is reviewed with respect to its status as a general theory of crime. A hybrid of the medical pathology model and personality trait approach, the psychopathy concept proposes that a significant portion of serious crime is committed by psychopathic individuals. Hare's version of psychopathy, besides demonstrating weak applicability and a propensity for tautology, is subject to labeling effects, oversimplicity, reductionism, the fundamental attributional error, inattention to context, and disregard for the dynamic nature of human behavior. It is concluded that the psychopathy concept is substantially limited with respect to its ability to describe and clarify general criminal behavior but that it may still have value as a partial explanation for certain types of non-criminal predatory behavior.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed2004

Sexual boundary violations in the physician-patient relationship.

Sexual misconduct with a patient violates the physician-patient relationship. Such behavior maybe an isolated event in the professional life of a physician, but more frequently is part of a pattern of predatory behavior. Such behavior on the part of any physician adversely affects all physicians and the public welfare.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed2004

The role of methyl salicylate in prey searching behavior of the predatory mite phytoseiulus persimilis.

Many carnivorous arthropods use herbivore-induced plant volatiles to locate their prey. These plant volatiles are blends of up to hundreds of compounds. It is often unknown which compounds in such a complex volatile blend represent the signal to the foraging carnivore. We studied the role of methyl salicylate (MeSA) as part of the volatile blend in the foraging behavior of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis by using a Y-tube olfactometer. MeSA is one of the compounds released by lima bean, infested with Tetranychus urticae--a prey species of the predatory mite. MeSA attracted satiated predatory mites in a dose-dependent way with optimum attraction at a dose of 0.2 microg. Predatory mites did not discriminate between a prey-induced lima bean volatile blend (that contains MeSA) and a prey-induced volatile blend to which an extra amount of synthetic MeSA had been added. However, they preferred a MeSA-containing volatile blend (induced by T. urticae) to an otherwise similar but MeSA-free blend (induced by jasmonic acid). Adding synthetic MeSA to the MeSA-free blend significantly increased the mites' choice for this odor, suggesting an important role for MeSA. This study is a new step toward unraveling the role of herbivore-induced plant volatiles in the foraging behavior of predatory arthropods.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Natural food and feeding behavior of Culicoides furens larvae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

The gut contents of Culicoides furens (Poey) larvae were compared with the relative abundance of potential food items in the natural larval habitat. Additional experiments examined the predatory behavior of the larvae by means of video recordings. Gut analyses indicated that filamentous green algae were the most frequently consumed food items. Diatoms, despite their high density in the soil, were not a major food source and many may have been ingested accidentally with algae. Gut content and video recording analyses indicated that nematodes, although occasionally eaten, probably were not the major dietary item. Moreover, fourth instars seemed to feed on nematodes more frequently during the day than during the night, possibly related to diel, small-scale vertical migrations of larvae in response to changes in light. When starved, larvae seemed to ingest nematodes more readily, as indicated by the absence of other items when nematodes were present in the gut. Overall, the results indicated that C. furens larvae are trophic generalists rather than solely predators.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1997

Didelphid behavior.

There are approximately 75 species of American opossums (didelphids). Systematic behavioral research has been reported for only a small number of species, namely, Monodelphis domestica and Didelphis virginiana. Observational studies and field reports on several other didelphid species have also been published. The current review covers behavioral studies on didelphids including research on territoriality, reproductive behaviors, parturition, maternal behaviors, nest-building, vocalizations, scent-marking, circadian rhythms, swimming, locomotion, discrimination learning, maze learning, operant learning, problem box learning, exploration, death-feigning, predatory behavior, and prey manipulation. Didelphid behavior is compared in several contexts with eutherian mammals. Other than death-feigning, which has only been reported for one or two didelphid species, the behaviors observed in didelphids are qualitatively similar to those of eutherian mammals. Nevertheless, differences can be seen in prey manipulation and spatial maze behavior. Social interactions appear to be sparser in opossums than in most eutherian mammals. However, the scarcity of systematic research on didelphid behavior still prevents firm conclusions regarding these ancient and interesting mammals. Futher research on didelphids is warranted, particularly since they provide a natural comparison group for small generalist eutherians.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Identification and characterization of new protein chemoattractants in the frog skin secretome.

The vomeronasal organ is a chemosensory organ present in most vertebrates and involved in chemical communication. In the last decade, the deciphering of the signal transduction process of this organ has progressed. However, less is known about the vomeronasal organ ligands and their structure-function relationships. Snakes possess a highly developed vomeronasal system that is used in various behaviors such as mating, predator detection, or prey selection, making this group a suitable model for study of the vomeronasal chemoreception. In this work, we used a proteomics approach to identify and characterize proteins from frog cutaneous mucus proteome involved in prey recognition by snakes of the genus Thamnophis. Herein we report the purification and characterization of two proteins isolated from the frog skin secretome that elicit the vomeronasal organ-mediated predatory behavior of Thamnophis marcianus. These proteins are members of the parvalbumin family, which are calcium-binding proteins generally associated to muscular and nervous tissues. This is the first report that demonstrates parvalbumins are not strictly restricted to intracellular compartments and can also be isolated from exocrine secretions. Purified parvalbumins from frog muscle and mucus revealed identical chemoattractive properties for T. marcianus. Snake bioassay revealed the Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) dependence of the bioactivity of parvalbumins. So parvalbumins appear to be new candidate ligands of the vomeronasal organ.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1976

Neurobiology of aggressive behavior.

Causality, neurological mechanisms, and behavioral manifestations may be heterogeneous in different forms of aggressive behavior, but some elements are shared by all forms of violence, including the necessity of sensory inputs, the coding and decoding of information according to acquired frames of reference, and the activation of pre-established patterns of response. Understanding and prevention of violence requires a simultaneous study of its social, cultural, and economic aspects, at parity with an investigation of its neurological mechanisms. Part of the latter information may be obtained through animal experimentation, preferably in non-human primates. Feline predatory behavior has no equivalent in man, and therefore its hypothalamic representation probably does not exist in the human brain. Codes of information, frames of reference for sensory perception, axis to evaluate threats, and formulas for aggressive performance are not established genetically but must be learned individually. We are born with the capacity to learn aggressive behavior, but not with established patterns of violence. Mechanisms for fighting which are acquired by individual experience may be triggered in a similar way by sensory cues, volition, and by electrical stimulation of specific cerebral areas. In monkeys, aggressive responses may be modified by changing the hierarchical position of the stimulated animal, indicating the physiological quality of the neurological mechanisms electrically activated.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Para-chlorophenylalanine, serotonin and killing behavior.

Both p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) and PCPA methyl ester were found to reliably induce mouse-killing in non-killer rats only when unusually large doses were used (three successive daily injections of 300 mg/kg) and brain serotonin (5-HT) concentration was drastically reduced (about 90 percent). Neither three doses of 100 mg/kg of PCPA nor p-chloroamphetamine (3 times 3.5 mg/kg) caused similar effects in spite of the fact that these compounds depleted brain 5-HT by 85 percent and 60 percent, respectively. PCPA-induced mouse killing was reversed by 5-HTP (100 mg/kg) only when this serotonin precursor completely restored levels of 5-HT. The topography of PCPA-induced killing did not resemble normal interspecies aggression and was also directed toward fat pups. These findings suggest that 5-HT depletion might facilitate nonspecific killing reactions, but is not a sufficient condition to induce the species-specific predatory behavior in rats.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed2006

Distinguishing features of delta-proteobacterial genomes.

We analyzed several features of five currently available delta-proteobacterial genomes, including two aerobic bacteria exhibiting predatory behavior and three anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria. The delta genomes are distinguished from other bacteria by several properties: (i) The delta genomes contain two "giant" S1 ribosomal protein genes in contrast to all other bacterial types, which encode a single or no S1; (ii) in most delta-proteobacterial genomes the major ribosomal protein (RP) gene cluster is near the replication terminus whereas most bacterial genomes place the major RP cluster near the origin of replication; (iii) the delta genomes possess the rare combination of discriminating asparaginyl and glutaminyl tRNA synthetase (AARS) together with the amido-transferase complex (Gat CAB) genes that modify Asp-tRNA(Asn) into Asn-tRNA(Asn) and Glu-tRNA(Gln) into Gln-tRNA(Gln); (iv) the TonB receptors and ferric siderophore receptors that facilitate uptake and removal of complex metals are common among delta genomes; (v) the anaerobic delta genomes encode multiple copies of the anaerobic detoxification protein rubrerythrin that can neutralize hydrogen peroxide; and (vi) sigma(54) activators play a more important role in the delta genomes than in other bacteria. delta genomes have a plethora of enhancer binding proteins that respond to environmental and intracellular cues, often as part of two-component systems; (vii) delta genomes encode multiple copies of metallo-beta-lactamase enzymes; (viii) a host of secretion proteins emphasizing SecA, SecB, and SecY may be especially useful in the predatory activities of Myxococcus xanthus; (ix) delta proteobacteria drive many multiprotein machines in their periplasms and outer membrane, including chaperone-feeding machines, jets for slime secretion, and type IV pili. Bdellovibrio replicates in the periplasm of prey cells. The sulfate-reducing delta proteobacteria metabolize hydrogen and generate a proton gradient by electron transport. The predicted highly expressed genes from delta genomes reflect their different ecologies, metabolic strategies, and adaptations.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗
PubMed2007

Age and seasonal effects on predator-sensitive foraging in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus): a field experiment.

A field experiment was conducted to examine the effect of perceived predation risk on the use of foraging areas by juvenile and adult primates under different conditions of local food abundance. Wild squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, were observed in an experiment conducted during the dry and the wet seasons at a site in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Animals were presented with feeding platforms that differed in food quantity and exposure to aerial predators through varying vegetative cover. In the dry season, juveniles and adults chose platforms based solely on food quantity. However, in the wet season, juveniles foraged preferentially on high-reward platforms only if cover level also was high (i.e., potentially offered greater concealment from predators). In contrast, adults showed the same pattern of platform use regardless of season. These results indicate that age and local resource availability based on seasonality affect whether primates forage in a predator-sensitive manner. Juveniles may be more sensitive to predation risk when foraging, and individuals may take fewer risks when resource abundance is high in their environment.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Increase of learning abilities and maturation of the vertical lobe complex during postembryonic development in the cuttlefish, Sepia.

When shown prawns in a glass tube, cuttlefish quickly learn to inhibit their predatory behavior. By using a visual learning paradigm, we studied training and retention performances of cuttlefish aged from 8 to 90 days. We found an improvement in the acquisition of learning abilities during the first 2 months of life as well as an increase of 24-hr retention performance between 30 and 90 days of age. Using morphometric measurements of different lobes of the central nervous system, we correlated the emergence of these learning abilities with the postembryonic development of related nervous structures. Our results show that only the growth of the superior frontal and vertical lobes appears to be significantly correlated with the improvement of learning and long-term retention performances. Thus, as found in earlier data collected in Octopus, the vertical lobe complex of the cuttlefish seems to be involved in these learning processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Discrimination between conspecific and allospecific infants by male gerbils and mice before and after experience of their own young.

Prior to the birth of their 1st litter, male gerbils generally respond paternally toward both gerbil and mouse pups. Once they have experience of their own pups, however, they continue to respond paternally toward unrelated gerbil pups but kill mouse pups. Male CSI mice, on the other hand, respond paternally to unrelated mouse pups both before and after the birth of their own litter but tend to ignore gerbil pups at these times. These data are discussed with respect to infanticide, onset of paternal care and the narrowing of effective stimuli for eliciting paternal care.

Aggression↗
PubMed2002

The adaptiveness of defence strategies against cuckoo parasitism.

Host bird species of the Eurasian Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, often display egg-discrimination behaviour but chick-rejection behaviour has never been reported. In this paper, we analyse a host-cuckoo association in which both population dynamics and evolutionary dynamics are explored in a discrete-time model. We introduce four host types, each with their own defence behaviour, displaying either egg or chick rejection, neither or both, We also introduce fitness functions for each of these host types. Although we can characterize the long term behaviour in many cases by a simple heuristic argument which is in accordance with common views in ecology, there are a number of other phenomena that are not explained within this framework: we describe stable oscillatory behaviour and coexistence of two defensive host types. We analyse the scenarios in which chick rejection may establish itself and give a first explanation as to why this defence trait has never been recorded in nature. We find that chick rejectors generally are at an intrinsic disadvantage with respect to a host type that rejects eggs. Hosts benefit more from rejecting cuckoo eggs than cuckoo chicks, and our model suggests that this is chiefly responsible for the absence of chick rejection. Moreover, even though it seems that chick rejection must be useful as an extra defence, it is shown that hosts with both defence strategies are less likely to establish themselves in competition with egg-rejectors than hosts which reject chicks only. These results provide insight in the extent to which adaptations may be perfected by natural selection.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed1993

Growth and flagellation of Vibrio fischeri during initiation of the sepiolid squid light organ symbiosis.

A pure culture of the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri is maintained in the light-emitting organ of the sepiolid squid Euprymna scolopes. When the juvenile squid emerges from its egg it is symbiont-free and, because bioluminescence is part of an anti-predatory behavior, therefore must obtain a bacterial inoculum from the surrounding environment. We document here the kinetics of the process by which newly hatched juvenile squids become infected by symbiosis-competent V. fischeri. When placed in seawater containing as few as 240 colony-forming-units (CFU) per ml, the juvenile became detectably bioluminescent within a few hours. Colonization of the nascent light organ was initiated with as few as 1 to 10 bacteria, which rapidly began to grow at an exponential rate until they reached a population size of approximately 10(5) cells by 12 h after the initial infection. Subsequently, the number of bacteria in the established symbiosis was maintained essentially constant by a combination of both a > 20-fold reduction in bacterial growth rate, and an expulsion of excess bacteria into the surrounding seawater. While V. fischeri cells are normally flagellated and motile, these bacteria did not elaborate these appendages once the symbiosis was established; however, they quickly began to synthesize flagella when they were removed from the light organ environment. Thus, two important biological characteristics, growth rate and flagellation, were modulated during establishment of the association, perhaps as part of a coordinated series of symbiotic responses.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Spectacular Batesian mimicry in ants.

The mechanism by which palatable species take advantage of their similarity in appearance to those that are unpalatable, in order to avoid predation, is called Batesian mimicry. Several arthropods are thought to be Batesian mimics of social insects; however, social insects that are Batesian mimics among themselves are rare. In Malaysia we found a possible Batesian mimic in an arboreal ant species, Camponotus sp., which was exclusively observed on foraging trails of the myrmicine ant Crematogaster inflata. The bright yellow and black colouring pattern, as well as the walking behaviour, were very similar in both species. We observed general interactions between the two species, and tested their palatability and the significance of the remarkably similar visual colour patterns for predator avoidance. Prey offered to C. inflata was also eaten by Camponotus workers in spite of their being attacked by C. inflata, indicating that Camponotus sp. is a commensal of C. inflata. An experiment with chicks as potential predators suggests that Camponotus sp. is palatable whereas C. inflata is unpalatable. After tasting C. inflata, the chicks no longer attacked Camponotus sp., indicating that Camponotus sp. is a Batesian mimic of Crematogaster inflata.

Adaptation, Biological↗