PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 16715510

Scent marking in sifaka: no one function explains it all.

Rebecca J Lewis
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Various hypotheses to explain possible functions of scent-marking have been put forth and basically fall into five categories: territorial demarcation, ownership of resources, mate attraction, noncombative fighting, and self-advertisement. Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi), like many prosimians, use scent-marking as one form of communication. The goal of this study was to determine the function of scent-marking in sifaka. All-occurrence of scent-marks, scent-mark context, and scent-mark style were collected on 23 sifaka in the Kirindy Forest of western Madagascar for 7 months (September 2001-March 2002). Scent-mark rates were collected using continuous focal animal sampling from November 2000-March 2002. Home range data were collected using monthly censuses and instantaneous focal sampling throughout the 17 months. Scent-marking behavior was exhibited almost exclusively by adults. Scent-mark rates were not related to the number of resident adult males, number of resident adult females, rank, or group size. The majority of scent-marks occurred in the perimeter of the home range; however, less than a quarter of the home range was used by only a single group. Sifaka did not preferentially mark food trees, mark during the mating season, or mark during intergroup encounters. The results from this study indicate that none of the five hypothesized functions best explains all scent-marking in Verreaux's sifaka. Rather, scent-marking may serve different functions for different individuals.

Explore related subjects

Animal CommunicationAnimalsBehavior, AnimalCompetitive BehaviorFemaleHoming BehaviorMadagascarMaleOdorantsSexual Behavior, AnimalSmellStrepsirhiniJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Rebecca J Lewis. 2006. Scent marking in sifaka: no one function explains it all.. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20256

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

Innervation of sonic muscles in teleosts: occipital vs. spinal nerves.

The innervation of sonic muscles in teleosts has been categorized into three types: occipital nerve, spinal nerve, and a combination of occipital and spinal nerves. The innervation patterns of sonic muscles were examined (or re-examined) in seven sonic fish species (rockfish, pinecone fish, sweeper, tigerfish, piranha, dory, and pollack) that use the sonic muscles to vibrate the swimbladder. The peripheral nerves (occipital or spinal) were identified based on skeletal preparations. The sonic muscle innervation was of the occipital type in four species (rockfish, pinecone fish, sweeper, and tigerfish) and of the spinal type in three species (piranha, dory, and pollack); none of the seven species examined showed the combination type. Therefore, we hypothesized that innervation patterns could be divided simply into occipital and spinal types. Moreover, the present results revealed that previously reported innervation patterns are inaccurate for three species (tigerfish, piranha, and dory) re-examined in this study. Therefore, it is important to define the peripheral nerves precisely, by using skeletal preparations, in future investigations of sonic muscle innervation.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed2007

The unusual inheritance pattern of the courtship songs in closely related grasshopper species of the Chorthippus albomarginatus-group (Orthoptera: Gomphocerinae).

Sibling species of the Chorthippus albomarginatus-group are exceptional among all European grasshopper species because they have an extremely elaborate courtship behaviour. Here, we present a genetic analysis of the courtship song differences between two closely related grasshopper species Ch. albomarginatus and Ch. oschei. Measurements of seven courtship song characters and one parameter of courtship visual display were compared among parentals, F(1) and F(2) hybrids, and backcrosses. Variation in one morphological character, the number of stridulatory pegs, was studied as well. The distributions of song phenotypes were more consistent with a type-III genetic architecture, which involves complementary or duplicate pairs of loci. We suggest that this type of architecture may provide the novel elements of the hybrid songs, even more complex than the parental ones, which may offer a new starting point for sexual selection. One parameter of the visual display appeared to be controlled by a single locus, but differences in other characters of visual display could be explained by a more complex inheritance pattern. Inheritance of the peg number differences was consistent with a simple polygenic additive model. Sex linkage and/or maternal effects were not detected for any trait. We found a disproportionate influence of the Ch. albomarginatus parent on most hybrid song characteristics and the visual display, and this may support a previously suggested idea that Ch. albomarginatus is an ancestral form and Ch. oschei is a derived species.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed2007

Dipole hearing measurements in elasmobranch fishes.

The hearing thresholds of the horn shark Heterodontus francisci and the white-spotted bamboo shark Chiloscyllium plagiosum were measured using auditory evoked potentials (AEP) in response to a dipole sound stimulus. The audiograms were similar between the two species with lower frequencies yielding lower particle acceleration thresholds. The particle acceleration audiograms showed more sensitive hearing at low frequencies than previous elasmobranch audiograms, except for the lemon shark Negaprion brevirsotris. Auditory evoked potential signals were also recorded while the dipole stimulus was moved to different locations above the head and body. The strongest AEP signals were recorded from the area around the parietal fossa, supporting previous experiments that suggested this region is important for elasmobranch hearing. This is the first time that hearing experiments have been conducted using a dipole stimulus with elasmobranchs, which more closely mimics the natural sounds of swimming prey.

Animal Communication↗