Behavioural Processes最新文献

{"title":"First or best? Contrasting approaches reveal different outcomes in tadpole (Hypsiboas lundii) escape performance under acute chlorpyrifos exposure","authors":"David Sánchez-Domene ,&nbsp;Alba Navarro Lozano ,&nbsp;Alexandre Vidotto Barboza Lima ,&nbsp;Camila Nomura Pereira Boscolo ,&nbsp;Amanda Huga Magrini ,&nbsp;Eduardo Alves de Almeida","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Escape swimming performance tests are widely used to assess how aquatic organisms respond to environmental stressors. Two analytical approaches are commonly applied: the first response (reaction to the initial simulated predation attempt) and the best response (the highest performance among successive attempts). However, whether these approaches lead to convergent or divergent conclusions remains unclear. In this study, <em>Hypsiboas lundii</em> tadpoles were exposed for 48 h to two environmentally relevant concentrations of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF; 0.6 and 1.0 μg L⁻¹). Escape performance (first and best responses) and enzymatic biomarkers (acetylcholinesterase, AChE; and carboxylesterase, CbE) were assessed in body and tail tissues. AChE activity remained unchanged, whereas CbE activity increased significantly in the body of tadpoles at the highest CPF concentration. Reduced escape performance was therefore attributed to non-cholinergic, bioenergetic mechanisms. Best response analysis revealed significant reductions in escape distance, burst speed, and escape time at the higher CPF concentration, whereas first response analysis detected no effects. Our findings demonstrate that the two analytical approaches can yield contrasting conclusions, underscoring the importance of methodological choices in behavioral ecotoxicology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105342"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146017348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing and validating different methods for olfactory threshold measurement in dogs","authors":"Connor T. Lambert ,&nbsp;Glenna N. Cupp ,&nbsp;Sarah A. Kane ,&nbsp;Andrea C. Medrano ,&nbsp;Paola A. Prada-Tiedemann ,&nbsp;Edgar O. Aviles-Rosa ,&nbsp;Nathaniel J. Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105343","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sensory thresholds- the limits at which an organism can detect the presence of a given stimulus- can provide insight into the evolution of sensory abilities and the relative salience of different stimuli to a species. Understanding dog olfactory thresholds can further benefit the training of detection dogs by identifying odors that are salient and detectable. Current methods to measure olfactory thresholds vary widely and often lack controls or external validation. We aimed to (a) compare three commonly used procedures to measure olfactory thresholds in dogs, (b) evaluate how cognitive fatigue and/or sensory adaptation could be potential confounds, and (c) validate threshold methods by comparing them to a reference odor and empirical measurements of our odor delivery system. We first compared three differing threshold measurement methods using 1-bromooctane, a common training odorant for detection dogs: (1) random presentation of different concentrations; (2) a blocked descending procedure where an initial odor concentration is presented in a block of 10 trials with decreasing half-log concentrations presented in subsequent blocks until dogs reach chance performance; and (3) the descending staircase procedure. We found that a blocked procedure provided the lowest threshold values, with a mean dog threshold for 1-bromooctane equivalent to a ∼10⁻⁵ dilution in mineral oil. Control tests indicated our findings were not driven by fatigue or sensory adaptation. We also found that the blocked procedure generated olfactory thresholds for amyl acetate- a volatile with multiple published olfactory thresholds for dogs- at 129 ppt, at the lower range of prior work, validating the descending block approach. Instrumental analysis found that our olfactometer delivered odor in decreasing concentrations as predicted. We identified a valid method for assessing dog olfactory thresholds that can guide future research on this topic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105343"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146117540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low mobility and similar odors result in peaceful interspecific encounters in termites","authors":"Daniela Lúcio Santana ,&nbsp;Leandro Bacci ,&nbsp;Paulo Fellipe Cristaldo ,&nbsp;Ana Paula Albano Araújo","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105340","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cohabitation of eusocial insects in nests may involve different strategies that enable stable coexistence. The maintenance of obligatory inquilinism in termites has been attributed to the host species (<em>Constrictotermes</em> sp.) having a low perception of the inquiline (<em>Inquilinitermes microcerus</em>) due to the latter’s limited mobility and peaceful nature. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that aggressiveness in interspecific encounters is reduced when: (i) one of the species involved has low mobility, and/or (ii) non-nestmate individuals share similar body extracts. We conducted manipulative bioassays to evaluate the proportion of attacks between the host species and target individuals, including both the inquiline and a non-inquiline species (<em>Nasutitermes corniger</em>). The experimental treatments involved manipulating the mobility (immovable or free) and watery body extracts of the target species, as well as varying the host castes. Host and treated target individuals were placed in an arena, and we recorded the time elapsed until the first attack. Hosts and inquilines exhibited low levels of aggression towards each other. The host’s attacks on the inquiline were not influenced by odor or mobility but varied among castes, with greater aggressiveness observed in the presence of host workers. In contrast, the proportion of attacks by the host on non-inquilines was higher when the non-inquiline was free and retained its own odor, followed by a neutral odor, the odor of the inquiline, or that of the host. Our results suggest that low mobility and the acquisition of similar odors can reduce interspecific aggression. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying interactions between termites and other eusocial species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105340"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancement of the hedonic value of an expected reinforcer following prior frustration: An animal model for studying binge-like episodes","authors":"Martín Rubén Fernández ,&nbsp;Lucas Touriño ,&nbsp;Lucas Cuenya ,&nbsp;Valeria Teresa Pedrón ,&nbsp;Matías Serafini","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Reward delay–induced frustration leads to increased intake upon re-encounter and an enhanced motivational state for the omitted reinforcer. This phenomenon may be explained by changes in the palatability of the reinforcer (<em>liking</em>) or its expected value (<em>wanting</em>).</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate whether increased intake following frustration events leads to alterations in <em>liking</em>.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were food-restricted to 83 % of their <em>ad libitum</em> weight. Dependent variables included sucrose solution intake (ml), burst duration, and number of bursts. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to either a 4 % or 32 % sucrose solution over five 5-minute trials. Experiment 2 included three groups, all exposed to a 32 % sucrose solution over five 5-minute trials. On day six, the Non-Delay group received immediate access to the 32 % solution, whereas the Delay-2 and Delay-10 groups were required to wait 2 or 10 min, respectively. On day seven, all groups accessed the 32 % solution without delay. This cycle — one trial with delay followed by one without delay — was repeated five times.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In Experiment 1, the 32 % condition showed higher intake and longer burst duration than the 4 % group. In Experiment 2, Delay-10 and Delay-2 animals exhibited higher intake and burst duration than Non-Delay animals.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Increased intake following frustration events appears to involve an enhancement of the hedonic component, suggesting that elevated consumption may be driven by increased <em>liking</em>. Furthermore, this effect was more pronounced in animals exposed to higher levels of frustration (10-minute delay).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105331"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145942369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The front legs of Sepsis flies (Diptera: Sepsidae) are stimulation devices","authors":"Amir Tarizadeh,&nbsp;Marjan Seiedy","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105325","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105325","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Male genital and non-genital structures that are specialized to contact the female during copulation have diverged rapidly in many animal taxa. Three hypotheses that provide different explanations for this trend are reproductive isolation, sexual conflict, and female choice. We tested these hypotheses in sepsid flies, which have been considered case studies of sexual conflict, as males grasp and hold the females’ wings with their species-specific front legs before and during mating, and females seem to actively resist this hold. The reproductive isolation and the sexual conflict hypotheses predict that the species-specific modifications of the male’s front legs function as devices to mechanically improve their hold on the female’s wings. The female choice hypothesis predicts that the male front legs function as stimulatory courtship devices. We tested these predictions by observing mating interactions, morphological contact, and the distribution of female sense organs in two species, <em>Sepsis barbata</em> and <em>S. thoracica</em>. Male front legs performed rhythmic, stereotypic, and species-specific movements, providing tactile stimulation of zones of the female wing that contained numerous sense organs but not improving their mechanical grip. We conclude that male front legs are stimulation devices rather than species-specific mechanical clamps, supporting the female choice hypothesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145942432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Motor deficits in the McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic rat model of Alzheimer’s disease","authors":"Kyle M. Roddick ,&nbsp;Paige A. Northrup ,&nbsp;Heather M. Schellinck ,&nbsp;Richard E. Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The McGill-R-Thy1-APP rat is a transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which expresses APP with two mutations found in cases of familial AD, resulting in the development of amyloid pathology and cognitive deficits. Motor deficits are common symptoms of AD, emerging early in the disease, and are correlated with AD neuropathology and cognitive symptoms. This study evaluated hemizygous and homozygous McGill-R-Thy1-APP rats and their wildtype littermates for spontaneous alternation and locomotion in the T and Y mazes, and motor behaviour on an accelerating rotarod at 12–13 months of age. We found no genotype or sex effects in spontaneous alternation in either maze, nor a significant correlation of spontaneous alternation behaviour between the mazes. Female rats travelled greater distances than male rats in both mazes. While there was no genotype effect in the T maze on distance travelled, in the Y maze the hemizygous rats travelled shorter distances than the wildtype rats, while the homozygous rats travelled greater distances. There was a significant correlation between the distances travelled in each maze. Both hemizygous and homozygous rats performed worse than their wildtype littermates on the rotarod, while heavier rats performed worse than lighter rats, and female rats performed worse than male rats once their differences in weights were accounted for. These findings support the continued use of these rats as a model of AD and highlight the need to consider the possible confounding effect motor impairments have on other behavioural tests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"236 ","pages":"Article 105341"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146002993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social hierarchy determination in rams: A comparison of different methods","authors":"L. Lacuesta,&nbsp;R. Ungerfeld","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objectives were to determine whether, in a group of adult rams: 1) the dominance index (DI) differs when calculated using absolute vs relative values using different approaches (competition for food (F), estrous females (EF) or recording of spontaneous agonistic interaction (AI)), 2) there is a consistent relationship between DI values calculated using absolute values when rams compete for F, for an EF or display spontaneous AI, and 3) there is concordance between individual hierarchical positions calculated from results of F, EF competition tests, or spontaneous AI. Twelve rams were used, and the DI was calculated using three methods: competition for food, competition for an estrous female, and spontaneous AI, in all cases assigning absolute or relative values. There was a positive correlation between the individual DI values calculated from absolute and relative measures using the food competition test, estrous female, or spontaneous AI. There was no correlation between the individual DI values obtained from the F and the EF competition tests, or from spontaneous AI. There was a positive concordance between individual hierarchical positions calculated from the F and EF competitions and those obtained using spontaneous AI. Although different methods provided differences on individual DI, the assigned value did not successfully predict the hierarchical position.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105329"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145916907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"I call dibs on it! Chemical cues of intraspecific competitors potentiate food consumption in anuran tadpoles","authors":"Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105326","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105326","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animals are expected to adjust their decisions to different contexts so that their benefits outweigh the costs. For instance, the proximity of predators frequently leads to cautious behaviors, whereas competitors promote boldness. Foraging can be affected by these patterns, although to an extent that may depend on the individual’s need for food. In this work, I investigate the effect of chemical cues of non-gape-limited predators and intraspecific competitors on foraging rates of Iberian spadefoot toad (<em>Pelobates cultripes</em>) tadpoles either fed <em>ad libitum</em> or fasted for 24 h. Food restriction did not affect foraging rates, and neither did predator cues. These are large tadpoles that could have enough reserves to survive a 24-hour fast, and be difficult to handle by most predators. However, tadpoles ate more in the presence of competitor cues. Hoarding food under dispute could maximize its consumption before the competitor reduces the amount of it available, also limiting the access of the competitor to it, probably limiting its growth and its ability to compete in future encounters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105326"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex differences in locomotor recovery across mating contexts in Drosophila melanogaster","authors":"Rui Han ,&nbsp;Jun Zhang ,&nbsp;Xin-Hui Chen ,&nbsp;Jing-Wen Duo ,&nbsp;Yi-Yi Li ,&nbsp;Yi-Ran Chen ,&nbsp;Si-Tong Chen ,&nbsp;Lin-Xiang Liu ,&nbsp;Xiang-Haoran Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2025.105324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mating behaviour plays a key role in animal reproduction and profoundly affects the physiological state and behavioural performance of individuals. Although numerous studies have focused on the behavioural responses of single-sex groups of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> under mating contexts, systematic comparisons of male and female fruit flies across different mating contexts are still relatively limited. This study investigated the locomotion of 86 male and female fruit flies under different mating contexts, including virgin, continuously exposed to the opposite sex (mated), beginning cohabitation with the opposite sex on the 8th day of the experiment (virgin-mated), and opposite-sex cohabitation on the 8th day and switching to same-sex cohabitation (mated-deprived). The results showed that virgin males exhibited the highest overall movement speed and that continuous exposure to the opposite sex led to a transient reduction in male movement speed. In contrast, females displayed a temporary increase in movement speed under opposite-sex cohabitation but rapidly returned to levels comparable to virgins. These sex-specific and time-dependent changes indicate that mating context exerts dynamic effects on movement speed. Moreover, in contrast to the negative effects of social isolation reported in previous studies, our findings suggest that mating status and social environment jointly shape locomotor performance under non-isolated conditions. Overall, this study highlights how males and females dynamically adjust locomotor strategies in response to changing reproductive and social contexts, providing an evolutionary perspective on behavioural plasticity and sex-specific trade-offs in insects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105324"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145877629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Observing responses maintained by re-presentations of S-","authors":"Gerson Yukio Tomanari","doi":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.beproc.2026.105327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food-deprived pigeons were given a random sequence of 50-s discrete trials, half of which ended with and half without response-independent food presentation. During a trial, pecking a white key could change its color to red or green, depending on whether food (S+ color) or no food (S- color) was scheduled. In the single stimulus-production condition (SSP), if the red or the green key color was produced, the key remained red or green, respectively, until the end of the trial. In the multiple stimulus-production condition (MSP), the duration of each green or red illumination was limited to a maximum of 10 s. After 10 s, the white light resumed and additional key-color changes (re-presentations of S+ or S-) were possible. Results showed that S+ and S- were produced equally often in SSP, as well as in the first stimulus production in MSP. The frequencies of S- re-presentations, however, were clearly and systematically higher than the frequencies of S+ re-presentations. These findings demonstrate that under certain conditions, a stimulus signaling the absence of primary reinforcement (S-) can maintain higher rates of observing behavior than a stimulus signaling its presence (S+).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8746,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Processes","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 105327"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}