Collection
High-Impact Research from Behavioral Ecology
Explore a collection of the most read and most cited articles making an impact in Behavioral Ecology published within the past two years. This collection will be continuously updated with the journal's leading articles so be sure to revisit periodically to see what is being read and cited.
Also discover the articles being discussed the most on digital media by exploring this Altmetric report pulling the most discussed articles from the past year.
Most cited
Correlations between different kinds of behavior are common but observed patterns of these correlations are, at least superficially, inconsistent with the expectations that there will be trade-off between behaviors. This mismatch is potentially resolved via feedbacks between behaviors and energy availability, suggesting important new research directions.
Our study provides empirical evidence for the long-held assumption that male Trinidadian guppies are less cautious toward predation risk than females. We found that, unlike females, males from high-predation populations were not neophobic, whereas males from low-predation populations did not respond to chemical alarm cues. This disregard for risk is likely due to males’ desire to seek mating opportunities and highlighting the importance of accounting for both sexes in studies on guppy predation ecology.
All animals host bacteria that can be helpful or harmful, and can even affect behavior. Animals living in groups might share bacteria, which could influence cooperation and competition. We tested whether bacteria were more similar among group members in a communally breeding bird, the smooth-billed ani. Group members had more similar bacteria than non-group members, and different body regions had different bacteria. Our next steps are to test whether these shared bacteria affect group behavior.
Animals with glossy surfaces are ubiquitous in nature, but why these striking appearances have evolved is unclear. We tested whether gloss provides protection from predators when prey are moving. Praying mantids were less likely to strike at moving targets that were glossy rather than matte, and were less likely to track and accurately strike glossy targets when they were moving fast. This study provides the first empirical evidence that gloss could offer protection against predation for fast moving animals.
Prozac is present in freshwater systems across the globe as the pharmaceutical contaminant fluoxetine. The effect of fluoxetine on aquatic species’ behavioral variability is not yet clear. We show that male guppies become more similar to each other after exposure to fluoxetine, and females become less flexible in their behavior. These sex-specific differences in response to fluoxetine can have a meaningful impact on their ability to survive in a changing world.
Chick-rearing seabirds are more likely to mix short chick-feeding trips and long self-feeding trips when there are larger differences between habitat quality near and far from the breeding site. This strategy, called “dual foraging,” is common in seabirds feeding young, but its drivers are poorly understood. This study compiles results from over 100 studies to help clarify how environmental conditions and taxon-specific characteristics influence seabird feeding behavior.
Avian brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other host species. Thanks to video recordings, we showed that, under natural conditions, hosts do not reject parasitic eggs more often if they catch a cuckoo “red-handed” at their nest. They instead base their decision on the egg appearance. We discuss why seeing the brood parasite at the nest may not be a reliable enough cue for the host.
Selective removal of large-sized fish generation after generation (like in fisheries) was found to reduce the associative performance and increased consensus decision-making in zebrafish. This is evidence that size-selective fisheries may change the cognitive performance of exploited fish stocks. Learning and decision-making enable animals to find resources, avoid threats and adapt to changing environments. Our findings indicate the possibility of long-term consequences of size-selective harvesting on resource acquisition, which could affect survival in exploited populations.
Female social relationships are often shaped by the distribution of dietary resources. Socioecological models predict that females should form strict linear dominance hierarchies when resources are clumped and exhibit more egalitarian social structures when resources are evenly distributed. While many frugivores and ...
To improve communication, birds use flexible approaches to separate their vocal activity in space and time. Similarly, singing species occupy different forest locations in different times of the year, combining spatial and seasonal partitioning of signal space. Over the course of the day, temporal niche separation is dependent on the time of day, with acoustically different species singing together before sunrise, whereas species active together in daylight hours are more acoustically similar.
Most read
Research Article
Rescue behavior in ants involves helping endangered nestmates. Our study examined several ant species, finding that those with longer worker lifespans were more likely to engage in rescue actions. This suggests life expectancy is a crucial factor influencing rescue behavior. These findings highlight the need for further research on the behavioral patterns of social insects.
Rescue behavior in ants involves helping endangered nestmates. Our study examined several ant species, finding that those with longer worker lifespans were more likely to engage in rescue actions. This suggests life expectancy is a crucial factor influencing rescue behavior. These findings highlight the need for further research on the behavioral patterns of social insects.
Research Article
Mating disruption is an environmentally friendly pest control technique, used to control insect pests. Focusing on the pink bollworm moth, a key cotton pest, our study examines how males adapt their mating strategies to overcome this challenge. We provide insights into behavioral adaptations to the mating disruption that constitutes a Human Induced Rapid Environmental Change for the moths.
Mating disruption is an environmentally friendly pest control technique, used to control insect pests. Focusing on the pink bollworm moth, a key cotton pest, our study examines how males adapt their mating strategies to overcome this challenge. We provide insights into behavioral adaptations to the mating disruption that constitutes a Human Induced Rapid Environmental Change for the moths.
Research Article
Our study asks whether environmental factors influence behavior change in ants infected with a liver fluke. We investigated the influence of date, time of day, temperature, relative humidity, and a proxy for irradiation. We found that, on warm days, infected ants altered their behavior multiple times, while on cool days, many infected ants remained attached to the vegetation all day. Temperature, therefore, seems to play a meaningful role with respect to inducing behavior modification.
Our study asks whether environmental factors influence behavior change in ants infected with a liver fluke. We investigated the influence of date, time of day, temperature, relative humidity, and a proxy for irradiation. We found that, on warm days, infected ants altered their behavior multiple times, while on cool days, many infected ants remained attached to the vegetation all day. Temperature, therefore, seems to play a meaningful role with respect to inducing behavior modification.
Research Article
In social animals, group members compete to attain dominant positions. Dominant individuals are expected to have better access to key resources, like food or mating. In our study, we show that the strength of the dominance hierarchy does not affect the distribution of key resources in primates. The distribution of social bonds and agonistic support between group members may weaken the effect of dominance hierarchy on how key resources are accessed by dominants and subordinates.
In social animals, group members compete to attain dominant positions. Dominant individuals are expected to have better access to key resources, like food or mating. In our study, we show that the strength of the dominance hierarchy does not affect the distribution of key resources in primates. The distribution of social bonds and agonistic support between group members may weaken the effect of dominance hierarchy on how key resources are accessed by dominants and subordinates.
Research Article
Males of some species force females into mating, whereas others court and allow for female choice. Still others employ a mix of both tactics. Few studies have explored how variation across species in these mating behaviors is correlated with female behavior and cognition outside of the mating context, such as boldness and learning ability. Our study shows that females from some poeciliid fish species with exclusively coercive tactics have reduced movement across contexts and lower cognitive flexibility than females from species experiencing both courtship and coercion.
Males of some species force females into mating, whereas others court and allow for female choice. Still others employ a mix of both tactics. Few studies have explored how variation across species in these mating behaviors is correlated with female behavior and cognition outside of the mating context, such as boldness and learning ability. Our study shows that females from some poeciliid fish species with exclusively coercive tactics have reduced movement across contexts and lower cognitive flexibility than females from species experiencing both courtship and coercion.
Research Article
Raccoons rely on their learning ability to take advantage of novel resources in their environment. Using two problem-solving tasks, we tested wild raccoons living in different zones of protected areas. Raccoons indeed increased their success probability over consecutive trials. Those who lived in the zone with higher human exposure also improved solving time over trials. Raccoons retained their success probability over the winter season, showing signs of long-term retention, or memory, of learned solutions.
Raccoons rely on their learning ability to take advantage of novel resources in their environment. Using two problem-solving tasks, we tested wild raccoons living in different zones of protected areas. Raccoons indeed increased their success probability over consecutive trials. Those who lived in the zone with higher human exposure also improved solving time over trials. Raccoons retained their success probability over the winter season, showing signs of long-term retention, or memory, of learned solutions.
Research Article
The grouper Variola louti is a fish that rapidly changes colors when interacting with other species. This behaviour is interesting as color change is seldom used for communication between species. We showed that the groupers change several independent patterns on their body to form different displays during specific behaviors. Some color patterns are potentially used for camouflage, while others seem to be expressed as aggressive signals for communication with other predatory species.
The grouper Variola louti is a fish that rapidly changes colors when interacting with other species. This behaviour is interesting as color change is seldom used for communication between species. We showed that the groupers change several independent patterns on their body to form different displays during specific behaviors. Some color patterns are potentially used for camouflage, while others seem to be expressed as aggressive signals for communication with other predatory species.
Research Article
We tested the hypothesis that mimics should produce a less-detectable version of their model’s coloration in poison frogs. Surprisingly, we found the mimic to be the more detectable species. Why is this surprising? Toxic species evolve bright coloration to warn predators of their chemical defense. Nontoxic species may mimic these colors, deceiving predators and reducing their own risk of attack. However, as predators may see through this disguise, being too conspicuous can be risky. Consequently, it has been suggested that mimics should produce a less-detectable version of their model’s coloration. We showed that this is not always the case.
We tested the hypothesis that mimics should produce a less-detectable version of their model’s coloration in poison frogs. Surprisingly, we found the mimic to be the more detectable species. Why is this surprising? Toxic species evolve bright coloration to warn predators of their chemical defense. Nontoxic species may mimic these colors, deceiving predators and reducing their own risk of attack. However, as predators may see through this disguise, being too conspicuous can be risky. Consequently, it has been suggested that mimics should produce a less-detectable version of their model’s coloration. We showed that this is not always the case.
Research Article
Early growth and environmental conditions can shape life-history trajectories. Long-lived iteroparous species with indeterminate growth face growth-reproduction trade-offs for most of their lives. Poor early conditions can delay primiparity and restrict growth, potentially compensated for by faster growth later in life, at ...
Early growth and environmental conditions can shape life-history trajectories. Long-lived iteroparous species with indeterminate growth face growth-reproduction trade-offs for most of their lives. Poor early conditions can delay primiparity and restrict growth, potentially compensated for by faster growth later in life, at ...
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