Diferenciação etológica e morfofisiológica das castas de Mischocyttarus cerberus styx Richards, 1940 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Mischocyttarini), com especial referência à dinâmica do estabelecimento da hierarquia social

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Diferenciação etológica e morfofisiológica das castas de Mischocyttarus (Monogynoecus) montei, Zikán, 1949 (Hymenoptera, vespidae, mischocyttarini), com especial referência à regulação social das colônias

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Glândula hipofaríngeas na vespa social Polistes versicolor (Olivier): da morfologia às relações com o comportamento

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

How does tourist monitoring alter fish behavior in underwater trails?

Nature based tourism is becoming more popular because it is perceived as a solution to the conflict between conservation and economic exploitation. Nevertheless, it is known to cause several effects. This paper reports findings whereby monitored tourism avoids triggering adverse effects for social cichlid fish species, Crenicichla lepidota. Measures used included aggression toward territorial intruders and the number of nests built in pristine reference areas for monitored and in non-monitored tourist areas. We observed suppressed aggressive behavior and suppressed nesting only in the non-monitored area. We conclude that by monitoring visits, and using techniques including avoiding stepping on the river bed, reducing the number of visitors, prohibiting fish feeding and protecting riparian vegetation, it is possible to avoid the enduring damage caused by nature tourism. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formação ética para a cidadania: reorganizando contingências na interação professor-aluno

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Social challenge increases cortisol and hypothalamic monoamine levels in matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus)

The neural circuitry for social behavior and aggression appears to be evolutionarily conserved across the vertebrate subphylum and involves a complex neural network that includes the hypothalamus as a key structure. In the present study, we evaluated the changes in monoamine levels in the hypothalamus and on serum cortisol and plasma glucose of resident matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus) submitted to a social challenge (introduction of an intruder in their territory). The fight promoted a significant increase in hypothalamic 5-HT, NA and DA levels and on the metabolites 5-HIAA and DOPAC, and decreased 5-HIAA/5-HT and DOPAC/DA ratios in resident fish. Furthermore, an increase in serum cortisol and plasma glucose was also observed after the fight. Resident fish presented a high aggressiveness even with increased 5-HT levels in the hypothalamus. The alteration in hypothalamic monoaminergic activity of matrinxã suggests that this diencephalic region is involved in aggression and stress modulation in fish; however, it does not exclude the participation of other brain areas not tested here.

Scraping Behavior in Male White-tailed Deer as a Potential Means of Transmitting Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has become a concern for wildlife managers and hunters across the United States. High prevalence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in older male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) suggests that sex-specific social behavior may contribute to the spread of the disease among males. Scraping is a marking behavior performed by male white-tailed deer during the rut in which a pawed depression and associated over-hanging branch are marked with saliva, glandular secretions, urine, and feces. We placed 71 and 35 motion-activated cameras on scrapes in DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in western Nebraska and eastern Iowa from Oct. – Nov. 2005 and Sept. – Nov. 2006, respectively. We recorded 5009 encounters and 1830 direct interactions. We developed an ethogram of behaviors of interest at scrapes. We found that males interacted with scrapes more frequently than females (P < 0.001). Male interactions were more complex, with 69% consisting of ≥2 observed behaviors versus 25% and 13% for females and fawns. We identified individual male deer ≥2.5 years old and determined the minimum number of different scrapes individuals visited and the number of individuals that visit a single scrape. Individuals that appeared on camera ≥5 times visited a mean of 3.9 scrapes (range = 1-15) and traveled a mean minimum distance of 978 m between consecutive scrapes. A mean of 5.1 individuals visited a single scrape, and up to 43% of individuals returned to a scrape previously visited at least once. We modeled Risk Values based on frequency of occurrence, duration, and Threat Values of each behavior, for contacting and transmitting CWD prions at scrapes. Adult males had the highest total Risk Values for contacting CWD prions (114.1) and shedding prions (59.4). The “grasp-lick branch” behavior had the highest Risk Value for adult males for both contacting and transmitting prions. Our study reveals a sex specific social behavior in male white-tailed deer that has the potential to spread chronic wasting disease between adult males in the population.

Gregarious behavior of two species of Neotropical harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones: Gonyleptidae)

We present the first record and description of the gregarious behavior of the Neotropical harvestmen Serracutisoma proximum (Mello-Leitao 1922) and Serracutisoma spelaeum (Mello-Leitao 1933) (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae: Goniosomatinae) (DaSilva & Gnaspini 2010). We followed and described the pattern of these aggregations over a period of 17 months in a cave in southeastern Brazil. Individuals of the two species aggregated with both conspecifics and heterospecifics during the non-reproductive season (i.e., from October to March, the cool and dry season). Aggregations contained up to 81 individuals, usually with a female-biased adult sex ratio. Multispecific aggregations were usually composed mainly of representatives of one of the two species, suggesting that although these species also aggregate with heterospecifics, there is a preference for aggregating with conspecifics. This study provides novel information on the social behavior of harvestmen, specifically regarding the composition of multispecific aggregations.

Flexible and conservative features of social systems in tufted capuchin monkeys: comparing the socioecology of Sapajus libidinosus and Sapajus nigritus

Socioecological models assume that primates adapt their social behavior to ecological conditions, and predict that food availability and distribution, predation risk and risk of infanticide by males affect patterns of social organization, social structure and mating system of primates. However, adaptability and variation of social behavior may be constrained by conservative adaptations and by phylogenetic inertia. The comparative study of closely related species can help to identify the relative contribution of ecological and of genetic determinants to primate social systems. We compared ecological features and social behavior of two species of the genus Sapajus, S. nigritus in Carlos Botelho State Park, an area of Atlantic Forest in Sao Paulo state, and S. libidinosus in Fazenda Boa Vista, a semi-arid habitat in Piaui state, Brazil. S. libidinosus perceived higher predation risk and fed on clumped, high quality, and usurpable resources (fruits) all year round, whereas S. nigritus perceived lower predation risk and relied on evenly distributed, low-quality food sources (leaves) during periods of fruit shortage. As predicted by socioecology models, S. libidinosus females were philopatric and established linear and stable dominance hierarchies, coalitions, and grooming relationships. S. nigritus females competed less often, and could transfer between groups, which might explain the lack of coalitions and grooming bonds among them. Both populations presented similar group size and composition and the same polygynous mating system. The species differed from each other in accordance with differences in the characteristics of their main food sources, as predicted by socioecological models, suggesting that phylogenetic inertia does not constrain social relationships established among female Sapajus. The similarity in mating systems indicates that this element of the social system is not affected by ecological variables and thus, is a more conservative behavioral feature of the genus Sapajus. Am. J. Primatol. 74:315331, 2012. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of psychosocial risk factors on the trajectory of mental health problems from childhood to adolescence: a longitudinal study

Background Longitudinal epidemiological studies involving child/adolescent mental health problems are scarce in developing countries, particularly in regions characterized by adverse living conditions. We examined the influence of psychosocial factors on the trajectory of child/adolescent mental health problems (CAMHP) over time. Methods A population-based sample of 6- to 13-year-olds with CAMHP was followed-up from 2002–2003 (Time 1/T1) to 2007–2008 (Time 2/T2), with 86 out of 124 eligible children/adolescents at T1 being reassessed at T2 (sample loss: 30.6%). Outcome: CAMHP at T2 according to the Child Behavior Checklist/CBCL’s total problem scale. Psychosocial factors: T1 variables (child/adolescent’s age, family socioeconomic status); trajectory of variables from T1 to T2 (child/adolescent exposure to severe physical punishment, mother exposure to severe physical marital violence, maternal anxiety/depression); and T2 variables (maternal education, child/adolescent’s social support and pro-social activities). Results Multivariate analysis identified two risk factors for child/adolescent MHP at T2: aggravation of child/adolescent physical punishment and aggravation of maternal anxiety/depression. Conclusions The current study shows the importance of considering child/adolescent physical punishment and maternal anxiety/depression in intervention models and mental health care policies.

Effects of apomorphine on mating behavior, flank marking and aggression in male hamsters

In male rats, the dopamine agonist apomorphine (APO) generally facilitates copulatory behavior. However, disruptive effects of high APO doses have been reported. These have been interpreted in diverse ways, as products of a dopaminergic system that inhibits sexual behavior or as consequences of APO's stimulation of competing responses. To test the generality of these effects, we observed APO's impact on copulatory behavior in male hamsters. Several effects were observed, all attributable to a relatively high dose and involving the disruption of male behavior. More unexpectedly, APO treatment caused males to attack estrous stimulus females in the course of these tests. To clarify these effects, we observed the effects of APO on flank marking, a type of scent marking closely allied to aggression and dominance in hamsters. Treatment reliably decreased the latency of marking. It also increased the rate of marking when appropriate measures were taken to prevent this effect from being obscured by drug-induced cheek pouching. Together, these results confirm and extend APO's well-known ability to increase aggression. Further, they suggest that APO-induced aggression can intrude into other contexts so as to disrupt, or possibly facilitate, other forms of social behavior.

A Social Network Analysis Of Hamadryas Baboons

The study of animal sociality investigates the immediate and long-term consequences that a social structure has on its group members. Typically, social behavior is observed from interactions between two individuals at the dyadic level. However, a new framework for studying social behavior has emerged that allows the researcher to assess social complexity at multiple scales. Social Network Analysis has been recently applied in the field of ethology, and this novel tool enables an approach of focusing on social behavior in context of the global network rather than limited to dyadic interactions. This new technique was applied to a group of captive hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas hamadryas) in order to assess how overall network topology of the social group changes over time with the decline of an aging leader male. Observations on aggressive, grooming, and proximity spatial interactions were collected from three separate years in order to serve as `snapshots¿ of the current state of the group. Data on social behavior were collected from the group when the male was in prime health, when the male was at an old age, and after the male¿s death. A set of metrics was obtained from each time period for each type of social behavior and quantified a change in the patterns of interactions. The results suggest that baboon social behavior varies across context, and changes with the attributes of its individual members. Possible mechanisms for adapting to a changing social environment were also explored.

The contexts of scratching behavior and postconflict behavior in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

Self-directed behavior (SDB), such as scratching, is a reliable indicator of emotional arousal in non-human primates. In contrast, affiliative behavior, such as social grooming, has been shown to have a calming effect in primates and reduce arousal. In order to test whether the expression of SDB was related to arousal, the scratching behavior of eight captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) was compared across four social contexts (huddling, proximity to others, solitary and post-conflict). In addition,rates of scratching were examined before and after affiliative behavior during the postconflict context. I tested for this effect by using the post-conflict/matched control(PC/MC) method in which post-conflict (PC) behavior of an animal is compared to thebehavior of the same animal in a baseline, nonaggressive situation or a matched control(MC). Context and associated scratching data were obtained from a total of 98 hours of focal sample data. Scratching was significantly lower while animals were huddling thanthe other two contexts. Scratching rates while solitary were significantly higher than those occurring while animals were in proximity. Scratching was also higher in PC than MC. Following conflict, animals were significantly more likely to make contact withthird parties not involved in aggression. Most of these (79%) were a third party approaching a combatant. Further, scratching rates decreased following post-conflict third party contacts and the decrease was not due to a general decrease in scratching thatmight have been occurring after the aggressive interaction. Huddling behavior appears to reduce arousal in squirrel monkeys and may act as a tension-reduction mechanism. The elevated scratching in the solitary context may suggest that squirrel monkeys may be engaged in activities while solitary, such as vigilant behavior that may increase arousal. The third party post conflict affiliative contacts observed were the first such interactions observed in squirrel monkeys. The fact that these third contacts reduced scratching ratesin the combatants indicates that 'consolation' may have been demonstrated in this species. The overall pattern of results suggested that scratching was reliable behavioral indicator of anxiety in squirrel monkeys. These results indicate that overt behavior can be used to assess emotional states in this and other species, acting as a mediator to understanding how emotions regulate social behavior.

Social Cognition and Neural Substrates of Face Perception: Implications for Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

BACKGROUND: Social cognition is an important aspect of social behavior in humans. Social cognitive deficits are associated with neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study we examine the neural substrates of social cognition and face processing in a group of healthy young adults to examine the neural substrates of social cognition. METHODS: Fifty-seven undergraduates completed a battery of social cognition tasks and were assessed with electroencephalography (EEG) during a face-perception task. A subset (N=22) were administered a face-perception task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Variance in the N170 EEG was predicted by social attribution performance and by a quantitative measure of empathy. Neurally, face processing was more bilateral in females than in males. Variance in fMRI voxel count in the face-sensitive fusiform gyrus was predicted by quantitative measures of social behavior, including the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Empathizing Quotient. CONCLUSIONS: When measured as a quantitative trait, social behaviors in typical and pathological populations share common neural pathways. The results highlight the importance of viewing neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders as spectrum phenomena that may be informed by studies of the normal distribution of relevant traits in the general population. Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Depressive symptoms from kindergarten to early school age: longitudinal associations with social skills deficits and peer victimization

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms in children are associated with social skills deficits and problems with peers. We propose a model which suggests different mechanisms for the impact of deficits in self-oriented social skills (assertiveness and social participation) and other-oriented social skills (pro-social, cooperative and non-aggressive behaviors) on children's depressive symptoms. We hypothesized that deficits in self-oriented social skills have a direct impact on children's depressive symptoms because these children have non-rewarding interactions with peers, whereas the impact of deficits in other-oriented social skills on depressive symptoms is mediated through negative reactions from peers such as peer victimization. METHOD: 378 kindergarten children (163 girls) participated at two assessments (Age at T1: M = 5.8, T2: M = 7.4). Teachers completed questionnaires on children's social skills at T1. Teacher reports on peer victimization and depressive symptoms were assessed at both assessment points. RESULTS: Our study partially confirmed the suggested conceptual model. Deficits in self-oriented social skills significantly predicted depressive symptoms, whereas deficits in other-oriented social skills were more strongly associated with peer victimization. Longitudinal associations between other-oriented social skills and depressive symptoms were mediated through peer victimization. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the role of deficits in self-oriented social skills and peer victimization for the development of internalizing disorders.