How Bats Use Echolocation to Find Water

Posted by Alex H. |0 comments

Hello again! My last semester was demanding, but I did not forget about this blog of mine. Instead, I have a lineup of several articles, reviews, short writings, and interesting animal behavior finds to be posted in the next couple of months.

Second, I recognize that I am receiving a lot of new traffic to the blog. Welcome visitors! You are welcome to subscribe to the blog using the fancy RSS feed stuff on the right-hand sidebar. I would appreciate that so much. Now on to the good stuff:

Water is crucial to life on Earth, to state the obvious. So crucial, that over 126,000 known species rely on constant access to freshwater habitats to survive. Those lucky enough to stray from the geographic restraints of fresh water habitats often have life cycles that reflect adaptation to the moisture content of their surroundings (e.g., cacti and burrowing toads). Needless to say, the adaptation to recognize water for a terrestrial species will generally be adaptive, whether to find it or to protect against it. In animals, this will often manifest as a behavior, or movement, typical to the species (e.g., cats drinking water).

A bit of hullabaloo occurred last November with the release of a paper in Nature Communications (which I first read about here) with strong evidence for an innate (not learned) recognition of a habitat feature by an animal. More shocking, these animals are mammalian. The paper by Stefan Greif and Björn Siemers found strong evidence in fifteen different species, that bats recognize water as acoustically flat surfaces. Clearly ethology territory. They reached this conclusion by presenting bats with a flat metal sheet, and were surprised to find that bats would attempt to lick the surface of the metal panel, much like how they would drink from a flat body of water.

(photo credit)

I could dryly summarize the rest of the paper (an open access article which can be found here), but Nature Communications has already provided a brief, fascinating video with incredible high speed photography that does a better job than I ever could:

Brown-Headed Cowbirds Exhibit Mafia Behavior

Posted by Alex H. |1 comments

Been a while since my last post. Perhaps I've taken some time off? Nope! School's out for sure, but I'm currently working full time (+ some) with Dr. Ben Pierce in SU's biology department. I spend most of my time in front of a computer, and after a long day of quality excel time, I'm usually just not in the mood to do blahg stuff.


But I'm here for you, right? Yeah.


So today's news isn't really news at all; however, I'm going to guess that the average person on the street has not heard of this problematic species and their interesting behaviors. I've been putting this one off for a while - there's a lot of information, but I think you will find it very intriguing!


Residing in the Southern USA & Mexico, brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are obligate brood parasites (some male BHCs pictured on the right in a trap described later). This terminology means that females BHCs do not (and cannot, I assume) construct nests and must lay their eggs in the nest of another species of bird in order to have a successful clutch. The cowbird eggs hatch earlier than the 'normal' eggs and yield large chicks with very big mouths to feed. Guess who's the bad guy here:

(Photo credit)

Yikes! The parental birds feed the biggest and most obvious beak - which will often be owned by cowbird chicks. This would be fine and dandy in the world of biology, if it weren't for a tiny detail. BHCs used to be restricted to what wildlife biologists call 'edge habitat', as illustrated in this figure:

(photo credit + description)

Essentially, when one has a grouping of a certain type of habitat, the edges are susceptible to different pressures than the inner portion of that type of habitat. Cowbirds got their name because they were found following the wake of edge habitat created by cattle trails in the 1800s. Nowadays, cattle drives are rare, but suburbia and habitat fragmentation are everywhere:

(photo credit)

For species that "live life on the edge" (sorry, I had to), life is good. For the affected species... not so much. Problems arise when this brood parasitism spells certain death for the nest fate (i.e., success) of, say, endangered species. Brown-headed cowbirds, which used to have a more limited range (and then restricted to edge habitats), must now be controlled in areas under management for endangered species of birds.


A classic example of this BHC control is performed on Fort Hood in central Texas. Fort Hood has been a leader in environmental protection and the protection of endangered species. Many an environmental/biological researcher has earned his or her Ph.D. working on their property - and with good reason. Specifically, Fort Hood is the largest remaining breeding ground for the endangered species of bird, the Black-Capped Vireo. Before controlling for BHC,  vireo nest fate was zilch - guaranteed zero percent nest success if parasitized by BHC. Now, the military facility invests a lot of time (and money) into maintaining brown-headed cowbird traps like this one (this is actually a photo I took out at Fort Hood this year):

The premise is simple. The birds can get in, but not out. A door allows someone to enter the cage and handle the birds as necessary. Food and water is provided. Generally, when one BHC is inside the cage (bait), other BHCs will fly over and into the cage to investigate, trapping themselves. Females are euthanized and males are released (only females lay eggs). This simple, if labor-intensive, control has had a hugely positive impact on restoring the black-capped vireo population. The numbers are a bit fuzzy, but I think in the late 80s, Fort Hood had around eighty nesting pairs, and at current they have around five thousand nesting pairs.


So what's new? If you're any sort of bird person, you've probably heard all of the above, if not for the details. The story here is a study released by the University of Florida in 2007 which gave evidence for mafia behavior in female brown-headed cowbirds. ScienceDaily reports on the article (found here). If all of the behavior described above wasn't enough to make you have a distaste for brood parasitism, this article may be the kicker for you. What the researchers, including primary author Jeff Hoover, found was that female brown-headed cowbirds would ransack the nests of birds who rejected the parasitic eggs laid in their nests. It's worth noting that female BHC lay eggs in a nest over a period of days (2-4?), and so they are involved in some parental care of their young - watching to ensure the nest isn't abandoned, checking to see that the eggs have not been pushed out of the nest, and even feeding the chicks after hatching.


Hoover et al. observed Prothonotary warbler nests (a truly beautiful bird which accept BHC eggs almost 100% of the time) and found several interesting things:

"Retaliatory mafia behavior in cowbirds makes hosts' acceptance of cowbird eggs a better proposition than ejection," Hoover said. "The accepting warblers in our study produced more of their own offspring, on average, than those where we ejected cowbird eggs."

The researchers also found what they called "farming behavior." This means that after a warbler rejected the female BHCs eggs, the BHC would force the female warbler to make a new nest, sync her egg laying with the warbler, and parasitize this new nest. This final step happened 85% of the time the farming behaviors were observed. A male prothonotary warbler is pictured on the right (photo credit).

I hope you learned something after reading this truly lengthy post. Thanks for sticking it to the end.

Lizards 'Shout' Against A Noisy Background

Posted by Alex H. |1 comments

One of my interests as an ethologist is animal communication. I can find almost infinite wonder in pondering how whales thousands of miles away can tell each other about their location for breeding, how bees communicate food locations, or how birds signal conspecifics for a predator alert.

This interest was one reason why I took pause at an article published via ScienceDaily a few years ago.

The researchers, Terry Ord, Richard A. Peters, and Barbara Clucas, recorded anoles in more and less visually "noisy" environments.  They found that lizards modify their visual displays in more visually busy environments.

But what are we talking about? If you've never seen lizard communication, it's pretty ethereal. Anoles do not exhibit all of reptile communication, but here are some videos of bearded dragon arm waving and head bobbing.





Visual displays are very important to mostly-mute squamates (snakes and lizards). For example, anolis lizards use colorful dewlaps while other lizards display colorful underbellies:

Reptile Communal Nesting

Posted by Alex H. |2 comments

Check out this cool article about normally-solitary reptiles laying eggs in communal nests.

Communal nesting!? What's that, Alex? For one, it has traditionally been thought of as a non-reptilian behavior. Communal nesting is simply the laying of eggs by a female animal into the nest of a conspecific (same species) animal. This behavior is different than cooperative breeding, which could be thought of as a "daycare system" - individuals care for the young of other individuals, even at the expense of their own breeding abilities.

A quote that summarizes the opinions of the authors on why communal nesting occurs in some reptiles:

Building a nest can be hard work for reptiles. Some female lizards, for example, may spend days digging a hole deep enough to deposit eggs. During those days, she is not doing other important things such as finding food. She is also more vulnerable to predators. Females can avoid these costs by simply laying eggs in a nest that someone else has gone to the trouble to build.

The model, the authors argue, could be advantageous in an evolutionary sense. It is common sense to note that anything that reduce an animal's required level of energy expenditure to successfully pass on genetic material is good for the species in the long-run. This argument does NOT always hold true; however, that's the common sense approach. It is still true that parental care is not the norm in most described species behaviors THUS FAR, but read on...

While searching around for the topic, I found another well-cited article summarizing review articles (articles that synthesize scientific literature) which argues that communal nesting is probably much more common in reptilian species than first thought. If you read through the article, you note how little is known about nests in most species of reptiles. In fact, for most named species, nests have never even been reported in the scientific literature! Just another opportunity to grab your hiking boots and go outside!

Review - "Niko's Nature"

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Niko's Nature, by Hans Kruuk, is the most impassionate biography I've read to date - regardless of the subject's occupation or importance.

Kruuk sucessfully orchestrates compelling accounts of the life, personality, and famous research of the Maestro (Tinbergen's affectionate title bestowed by his graduate students).

For those not in the know, Niko Tinbergen was one of the four men awarded a Nobel Prize in 1973 for his contributions as a founding father of the science now referred to as ethology, or animal behavior (before his work, ethology had a different meaning amongst zoologists and biologists). His field work studying gull and tern behavior laid the foundation for his concepts and theories of modern ethology.

Although Tinbergen's work has been criticized, reviewed, and revised, and occasionally dismissed throughout the years, his influence spans wide. It is not difficult to admit that without the alliance of Niko Tinbergen with his equally-renowned collegue and friend, Konrad Lorenz, the field of modern ethology would probably look nothing like how it does today.

A recipient of several distinguishing awards and honors, one of Tinbergen's greatest honors is to have such a well-written and interesting biography in his namesake. Kruuk, one of Tinbergen's Ph.D. students during his Oxford teaching years, gives a very personal account of the Maestro's being and presence. One of the most difficult things to put into words is an accurate account of someone's personality, especially from an early age to their death.

Lively photographs and pictures are icing on the cake. Every single image is relevant in its placement within the book. Included are several of Tinbergen's own photographs and drawings which is a plus, considering that photography and drawing were two of his best-known skills (along with ice skating, writing, and film-making in his later years).

Any student of ethology, biology, or underwater basket weaving should get a copy of this book and read it. Be inspired by the life of a great researcher and understand the awe that can be inspired via superbly-composed nonfiction.

Overall: 5/5 - Probably worth a second read; good addition to your bookshelf

Research Bit - Anuran Call Surveys

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Now for one of my favorite things about being a student at SU - anuran call survey research!

What are anurans, you ask? Anurans are frogs, all in the order Anura. Toads, which are just specialized frogs, are also in this order.

Along with SU student Giulia Giuffre, Dr. Pierce and I conducted NAAMP (North American Amphibian Monitoring Program) surveys at 40 sites in central Texas. Once a week, we chugged away to rural central Texas and recorded frog calls using a NAAMP protocol. To practice for field work, we quizzed ourselves weekly using an online NAAMP frog quiz. In total, we trained ourselves to be able to identify the male breeding advertisement calls of 41 species of frogs.

My project, titled "Call Latencies and Breeding Call Detection Ranges of Anurans in Central Texas," contributed to the scientific community's knowledge of the dates during which anurans in central Texas call. Additionally, my project was the first paper that analyzed a potentially useful correlate easily obtained during NAAMP surveys - call latency. We defined call latency as the time in seconds each species was heard after the start of an anuran call survey. Although we were not able to correlate call latency with air temperature, our future research may be able to find a biotic or abiotic factor that influences this new measure.

My independent research with Dr. Ben Pierce has convinced me that a professional career in herpetology is not only possible, but hugely rewarding! In case you haven't gotten the memo, herpetology is the scientific study reptiles and amphibians. Herpetology is an exciting field of research, especially because of the diverse ways in which it can be approached. Population genetics, vertebrate morphology, behavioral neuroscience, and natural history are popular topics using reptiles or amphibians as model organisms. More on that later, though. :)

If you would like a copy of my paper, email me at halla(at)southwestern.edu

Field Trip - Baylor Aquatic Research Center

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Field trip time!

This past April, Dr. Romi Burks took those interested (mostly SU Animal Behavior Society folk) to see the Lake Waco Wetlands.

After meeting up with a grad student working on the BEAR (Baylor Experimental Aquatic Research), Dr. Burks showed us first hand the invertebrate community living in a natural central Texas wetlands.

Highlights of the trip were:

1) Ecological learning experience.

2) Seeing a garter snake in the water (couldn't get a picture, unfortunately).

3) Spending time with fellow ecology students.

4) Just some great time off from school.

Here are a few pictures:

Research Bit - Rat Race

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Sharing with you today some of the research I did in the past year.

In coordination with Dr. Fay Guarraci's psychology research methods course, I helped run both a correlational experiment, "The Flirty Flirts: The Relationship between Proceptive Behaviors and Time Spent with a Male Rat," and a drug manipulation experiment, "Specific Effects of Morphine on Sexual Behavior in Female Rats."

Dr. Guarraci's behavioral neuroscience lab uses female Long-Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus) as a model organism for measuring the effects of drugs of abuse on female sexual behavior. Past experiments in her lab have researched alcohol, methamphetamine, and caffeine, amongst other things.

Our task as undergrads was to develop and carry out an experiment in behavioral neuroscience using her rats. We decided on morphine sulfate, a commonly used drug of abuse in humans. We found that female rats injected with an small, acute (one time) dose of morphine significantly reduced their display of proceptive behaviors. Proceptive behaviors are sexual solicitations female rats use to excite male rats into "the mood," such as hopping, ear wiggling, and occasionally female mounting.

Additionally, our correlation experiment found that female rat time spent with a male rat is significantly positively correlated with the female rat's display of proceptive behaviors.

No previously published literature had explicitly verified either of these findings, which was hugely gratifying.

Overall, the experimental skill set gleaned from Dr. Guarraci's rat lab encouraged me to pursue an exiting and important career in animal research.

If you would like a copy of either paper, email me at halla(at)southwestern.edu.

Field Trip - To the Ausin Zoo!

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In early March 2009, Dr. Kevin Woo took his animal behavior class and anyone interested to the Austin Zoo. What a great time!

The premise for the field trip was to test constructed animal stimulation projects his class had constructed. Although I was not in his class, I joined in watching a black bear fiddle with their weave basket and various other assundry.

My heartthrob order of animals, Testudines, were in full bloom. They have so many tortoises and turtles!

Now for some pictures:

Review - "Origin of Species"

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You know the spiel.

Charles Darwin sailed the seas aboard the HMS Beagle on an historic journey. The face of science was forever changed when he and Alfred Wallace independently developed their theories of evolution by natural selection. However, with the publication of 'Origin,' Darwin got the foot in the door necessary to inseparably tie his name with the theory of evolution.

First things first: this book is important.

Now that that's out of the way, how does it read? 'Origin' is difficult. You can hear Darwin stretching his arms out wide and grasping for the perfect way to explain the incompleteness of the fossil record, evolution by natural selection, or what have you. On the whole, you can only read 'Origin' ten, rarely more than twenty, pages at a time.

'Origin' is, of course, entirely historical by now. Reading 'Origin,' the reader knows that Darwin had no knowledge of basic Mendelian genetics and can be impressed with his analysis of certain patterns.

I recommend this book to someone looking for something to think about (with sufficient free time), any student of biology etc., or anyone who feels they have an understanding of the scientific theory of evolution.

Overall: 4/5 (hard to read, but thought-provoking)

Review - "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched"

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The book Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched gets the point across hot off the press. Jobs in animal care are tough!

The author, Amy Sutherland, gives an in-depth year long report of life at the affectionately titled EATM (Exotic Animal Training and Management Program). Sutherland, a successful reporter and author, has already published three well-received books and numerous articles appearing in the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and Cooking Light. Sutherland's writing style may initially seem aimed at the Oprah book club crowd, but moments of a fair and honest reporter work their way into K, B, & S. An example would be the in depth look at the life of Dr. Gary Peddie, the then-current Director of EATM.

Sutherland does her research and digs out the dirt about working with animals most of your waking hours. Amongst profiles of the overstressed students and staff at EATM, Sutherland successfully describes the behaviors of the animals with which the trainers work. Being nearly trampled by a camel, walking big cats, and making wolves howl on command are described in an organic layout that allow the reader to feel and respond to her situations.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the topic or has ever asked the question, "what would it be like to train an exotic animal?" Fortunately, K, B, & S is short enough where you shouldn't lose interest, yet long enough that all of your questions feel answered.

Overall: 4/5

Mystery-B-Gone

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Just who am I, and why do I have a blog? Allow me to introduce myself.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, rogue walls of text flew threw space. It was a happy time - a better time... perhaps. On August 15th of a certain year, several people were born. I happened to be one of these people. The expectations were intense from day one! Breathe! Speak! Tap R or L twice to do a barrel roll! After acquiring basic skills, I soon decided to entice the idea of a future career in the research of Animal Behavior.

If the dots need filling in, my name is Alex Hall, and I am a sophomore at Southwestern University majoring in Animal Behavior with a Studio Arts minor. My hometown is Lewisville, TX, and I attended Lewisville High School for all four years of my secondary education.

Throughout my educational experience thus far, animals and their goings-on have fascinated my sister and me. Our lovely parents familiarized themselves with youth's sub-conscious call towards the great outdoor at some early point in time, and bought the home we currently live in. Our backyard sprawls toward the geographic feature giving our street a name - a babbling brook. Many an exciting adventure were had in this "untamed" (though roughly man-made) creek bed. Nature! Biophilia! Oh, how much fun.

My privileged, American public educational experience sent me to a wonderful elementary school encouraging reading as much as possible and often. Lucky for us youngsters, our literary success led and continues to lead us to such great heights. For me, my interest in animals combine with my reading affinity causing animal-related books to fall off of store shelves and out of internet archives onto my lap.

I eventually persuaded myself to commit to an account of my literary, academic, and other experiences on the topic of animals, animal behavior, and being an undergrad. Thank you very much for finding my blog, and I encourage you to contact me (halla(at)southwestern.edu) with suggestions of books I should review or topics I should cover. Comments are more than welcome, and I again encourage you to share my blog with bibliophiles, your roommate, or anyone who could appreciate my musings.


Q/A:

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: After graduating from SU with a BS in Animal Behavior, Studio Arts minor (it's for fun), I plan on attending graduate school to continue my studies. After grad school, it's a bit far off to say, but I am considering more schooling, research, and/or teaching. Field research excites me, to say the least, and I am currently looking into summer programs that could tailor to a student of animal behavior.

Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Video games! I'm a Nintendo-kid, and you'll have to excuse the occasional stretched Yoshi's Island reference (touch fuzzy, get dizzy). I am an amateur photographer, and am employed by SU's school newspaper The Megaphone as a photographer and occasionally as a writer. I am also an internet radio DJ on SU Radio and host the show "Alternative Affinity." Among other things, I read, websurf, enjoy camping, listen to music (my last.fm profile), appreciate art, and critique things. As you will probably be able to tell from later posts, there really isn't a great deal of free time at Southwestern, so many of these things are put on the backburner while in school.

Q: What did you do before attending SU?
A: I have roots in Boy Scouting and am an Eagle Scout, but as of the moment, I am not connected to a troop. My high school had an active NJROTC I contributed to for all four years. These experiences built and polished my leadership skills and convinced me of my capacity to teach using a hands-on approach.

Q: What clubs and organizations are you in? What about the past?
A: I am currently in the Alpha Gamma Kappa chapter of SU's Alpha Phi Omega. I am also a member of Beta Beta Beta (BBB), SU Animal Behavior Society (ABS), SU Allies, and Theater for Social Justice (TSJ). At various points in time, I have been part of BSA, NJROTC, Leo Club, NHS, and LHS's Herpetological Society.