Publications by category
Journal articles
Kressler MM, Dall SRX, Sherley RB (2023). A framework for studying ecological energy in the contemporary marine environment.
ICES Journal of Marine Science,
80(6), 1580-1593.
Abstract:
A framework for studying ecological energy in the contemporary marine environment
Abstract
. Historic limitations have resulted in marine ecological studies usually overlooking some well-established concepts from behavioural ecology. This is likely because the methods available were easily overwhelmed by the scale of ecological processes and sampling resolution in the marine environment. Innovations in technology, data management, and statistical modelling now provide the capacity to fully embrace behavioural ecology concepts and study marine ecological interactions from a more holistic perspective. To facilitate this vision, we propose a novel perspective and workflow for marine ecology: the Seascape of Ecological Energy, or SEE-scapes. SEE-scapes contextualizes the accumulated knowledge from marine biology and behavioural ecology research and provides a guide for marine scientists interested in grounding their research in behavioural ecology’s first principles. SEE-scapes specifies relevant considerations for contemporary seascapes, with special attention to relationships between individuals and their conspecifics, competitors, predators, and the abiotic environment. It is formulated to account for how the unique features of marine vertebrates require revisions to standard, terrestrially focused methodological approaches, and offers solutions for how to sample and model the eco-evolutionary drivers of behaviour across the dynamic and hierarchical seascape. Simply put, SEE-scapes provides the guidance to translate a dynamic system and reveal opportunities for collaborative and integrative research.
Abstract.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, Houston AI, McNamara JM (2022). Behavioural specialization and learning in social networks.
Proc Biol Sci,
289(1980).
Abstract:
Behavioural specialization and learning in social networks.
Interactions in social groups can promote behavioural specialization. One way this can happen is when individuals engage in activities with two behavioural options and learn which option to choose. We analyse interactions in groups where individuals learn from playing games with two actions and negatively frequency-dependent payoffs, such as producer-scrounger, caller-satellite, or hawk-dove games. Group members are placed in social networks, characterized by the group size and the number of neighbours to interact with, ranging from just a few neighbours to interactions between all group members. The networks we analyse include ring lattices and the much-studied small-world networks. By implementing two basic reinforcement-learning approaches, action-value learning and actor-critic learning, in different games, we find that individuals often show behavioural specialization. Specialization develops more rapidly when there are few neighbours in a network and when learning rates are high. There can be learned specialization also with many neighbours, but we show that, for action-value learning, behavioural consistency over time is higher with a smaller number of neighbours. We conclude that frequency-dependent competition for resources is a main driver of specialization. We discuss our theoretical results in relation to experimental and field observations of behavioural specialization in social situations.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Brakes P, Carroll EL, Dall SRX, Keith SA, McGregor PK, Mesnick SL, Noad MJ, Rendell L, Robbins MM, Rutz C, et al (2021). A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
288(1949).
Abstract:
A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation
A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to anthropogenic change, and provide examples of how it can result in phenotypically distinct units with different, socially learnt behavioural strategies. While identifying culture and social learning can be challenging, indirect identification and parsimonious inferences may be informative. Finally, we identify relevant methodologies and provide a framework for viewing behavioural data through a cultural lens which might provide new insights for conservation management.
Abstract.
Dall S (2021). Book Review - Game Theory in Biology: Concepts and Frontiers. Animal Behaviour, 174, 77-78.
Kuijper A, Leimar O, Hammerstein P, McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2021). The evolution of social learning as phenotypic cue integration. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376(1828).
Smolla M, Jansson F, Lehmann L, Houkes W, Weissing FJ, Hammerstein P, Dall SRX, Kuijper B, Enquist M (2021). Underappreciated features of cultural evolution.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
376(1828).
Abstract:
Underappreciated features of cultural evolution
Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose 12 key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature.
. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.
Abstract.
Frankenhuis W, Nettle D, Dall SRX (2019). A case for environmental statistics of early life effects. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 374, 20180110-20180110.
Brakes P, Dall SRX, Aplin LM, Bearhop S, Carroll EL, Ciucci P, Fishlock V, Ford JKB, Garland EC, Keith SA, et al (2019). Animal cultures matter for conservation. Science
Okada K, Okada Y, Dall SRX, Hosken DJ (2019). Loser-effect duration evolves independently of fighting ability. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1903), 20190582-20190582.
Evans JC, Torney CJ, Dall S, Votier SC (2019). Social information use and collective foraging in a pursuit diving seabird. PLoS One, 14
Leimar O, Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Kuijper B, Hammerstein P (2018). Ecological genetic conflict between specialism and plasticity through genomic islands of divergence.
Abstract:
Ecological genetic conflict between specialism and plasticity through genomic islands of divergence
AbstractThere can be genetic conflict between genome elements differing in transmission patterns, and thus in evolutionary interests. We show here that the concept of genetic conflict provides new insight into local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. Local adaptation to heterogeneous habitats sometimes occurs as tightly linked clusters of genes with among-habitat polymorphism, referred to as genomic islands of divergence, and our work sheds light on their evolution. Phenotypic plasticity can also influence the divergence between ecotypes, through developmental responses to habitat-specificcues. We show that clustered genes coding for ecological specialism and unlinked generalist genes coding for phenotypic plasticity differ in their evolutionary interest. This is an ecological genetic conflict, operating between habitat specialism and phenotypically plastic generalism. The phenomenon occurs both for single traits and for syndromes of co-adapted traits. Using individual-based simulations and numerical analysis, we investigate how among-habitat genetic polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity depend on genetic architecture. We show that for plasticity genes that are unlinked to a genomic island of divergence, the slope of a reaction norm will be steeper in comparison with the slope favored by plasticity genes that are tightly linked to genes for local adaptation.
Abstract.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Kuijper A, Hammerstein P (2018). Ecological genetic conflict: Genetic architecture can shift the balance between local adaptation and plasticity. American Naturalist
Evans JC, Dall SRX, Kight C (2018). Effects of ambient noise on zebra finch vigilance and foraging efficiency.
PLoS ONE,
13(12), e0209471-e0209471.
Abstract:
Effects of ambient noise on zebra finch vigilance and foraging efficiency
Ambient noise can affect the availability of acoustic information to animals, altering both for- aging and vigilance behaviour. Using captive zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, we exam- ined the effect of ambient broadband noise on foraging decisions. Birds were given a choice between foraging in a quiet area where conspecific calls could be heard or a noisy area where these calls would be masked. Birds foraging in noisy areas spent a significantly more time vigilant than those in quiet areas, resulting in less efficient foraging. Despite this there was no significant difference in the amount of time spent in the two noise regimes. However there did appear a preference for initially choosing quiet patches during individuals’ second trial. These results emphasise how masking noise can influence the foraging and anti-pre- dation behaviour of animals, which is particularly relevant as anthropogenic noise becomes increasingly prevalent in the natural world.
Introduction
Abstract.
Caro T, Dall SRX (2018). Research kudos does not need a price tag. Nature, 553, 281-281.
Higginson AD, McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2017). Towards a behavioural ecology of obesity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, e118-e118.
Vaquero-Alba I, McGowan A, Pincheira-Donoso D, Evans MR, Dall SRX (2016). A quantitative analysis of objective feather color assessment: measurements in the lab do not reflect true plumage color. Auk: a quarterly journal of ornithology, 133, 325-337.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX, Hammerstein P, Leimar O (2016). Detection vs selection: integration of genetic, epigenetic and environmental cues in fluctuating environments. Ecology Letters, 19(10), 1267-1276.
Thornton A, McAuliffe K, Dall SRX, Fernandez-Duque E, Garber PA, Young AJ (2016). Fundamental Problems with the Cooperative Breeding Hypothesis. A reply to Burkart & Van Schaik. Journal of Zoology, 299(2), 84-88.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, Hammerstein P, McNamara JM (2016). Genes as cues of relatedness and social evolution in heterogeneous environments. PLoS Computational Biology, 12(6), e1005006-e1005006.
Ioannou CC, Dall SRX (2016). Individuals that are consistent in risk-taking benefit during collective foraging. Scientific Reports, 6, 33991-33991.
Evans JC, Votier SC, Dall SRX (2016). Information use in colonial living.
Biological Reviews,
91(3), 658-672.
Abstract:
Information use in colonial living
Despite the fact that many animals live in groups, there is still no clear consensus about the ecological or evolutionary mechanisms underlying colonial living. Recently, research has suggested that colonies may be important as sources of social information. The ready availability of information from conspecifics allows animals to make better decisions about avoiding predators, reducing brood parasitism, migratory phenology, mate choice, habitat choice and foraging. These choices can play a large part in the development and maintenance of colonies. Here we review the types of information provided by colonial animals and examine the different ways in which decision-making in colonies can be enhanced by social information. We discuss what roles information might take in the evolution, formation and maintenance of colonies. In the process, we illustrate that information use permeates all aspects of colonial living.
Abstract.
Brakes P, Dall SRX (2016). Marine mammal behavior: a review of conservation implications. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3, 87-87.
Evans JC, Dall SRX, Bolton M, Owen E, Votier SC (2016). Social foraging in European shags: GPS tracking reveals birds in neighbouring colonies have shared foraging grounds.
Journal of Ornithology,
157(1), 23-32.
Abstract:
Social foraging in European shags: GPS tracking reveals birds in neighbouring colonies have shared foraging grounds.
Developments in tracking technologies have enhanced our understanding of the behaviours of many seabird species. However few studies have examined the social aspects of seabird foraging behaviour, despite the effect this might have on the distribution of foraging areas and the differences that might arise between colonies. Here we use bird-borne GPS and behavioural observation to study the social foraging behaviour and habitat use of breeding shags from three breeding colonies in the Isles of Scilly, UK. Thirteen breeding shags from three colonies (six at two colonies, and a single bird from another) were tracked in the Isles of Scilly between 2010 and 2012 and related this to observed dataobservations of on conspecific foraging aggregations (2013 - 2014) and bathymetry. Tracked shags had short foraging ranges (1.74 ± 1.6 km) mostly travelling to shallow waters between the islands. and Oobservations in these same waters revealed large that many shags foraged in largeforaging social groupsups of shags between that were consistentpersisted in time and space. There were also no clear differences in foraging distributions among the colonies – birds shared similar foraging grounds. Our finding provides important insight into the use of social information among foraging seabirds and how this may lead to shared foraging areas, as well as space partitioning.
Abstract.
Mesoudi A, Chang L, Dall SRX, Thornton A (2016). The evolution of individual and cultural variation in social learning. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 31(3), 215-225.
David M, Dall SRX (2016). Unravelling the philosophies underlying ‘animal personality’ studies: a brief reappraisal of the field. Ethology, 122(1), 1-9.
Schuett W, Koegl BB, Dall SRX, Laaksonen T (2015). Do pied flycatchers use personal or social information for replacement clutch decisions? a field experiment.
Ethology,
121(7), 686-693.
Abstract:
Do pied flycatchers use personal or social information for replacement clutch decisions? a field experiment
Life is a continuous stream of decisions: organisms are repeatedly confronted with multiple options from which to choose. To make the best decisions and maximize their fitness, individuals need to collect information: from direct interactions with the environment (personal information) or from observing other individuals interacting with the environment (social information). Yet, very little is known about the details of decision-making by animals in their natural environments, including the sources of information they use in the process. We set out to determine the relative importance of social and personal information in breeding-habitat decisions in the migratory pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca. In a field experiment in Finland, we manipulated flycatcher breeding success and then allowed individuals to choose among breeding sites labelled with artificial cues (arbitrary symbols) associated with their own (manipulated) and neighbour’s reproductive success, respectively, for laying a replacement clutch. Birds did not appear to distinguish among the symbols representing their own, their neighbour’s or a neutral symbol, indicating that they did not use either information source when deciding about a replacement clutch. Also, the choice did not influence subsequent investment into breeding (clutch size). This may suggest that pied flycatchers utilize other cues (e.g. breeding success or predation risk on larger scales) or no cues when having to make a very quick decision about replacement clutches. We discuss our results in light of constraints imposed by a short breeding season of migratory birds.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Leimar O (2015). Genes as cues: phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution,
30(6), 327-333.
Abstract:
Genes as cues: phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective
The development of multicellular organisms involves a delicate interplay between genetic and environmental influences. It is often useful to think of developmental systems as integrating available sources of information about current conditions to produce organisms. Genes and inherited physiology provide cues, as does the state of the environment during development. The integration systems themselves are under genetic control, and subject to Darwinian selection, so we expect them to evolve to produce organisms that fit well with current ecological (including social) conditions. We argue for the scientific value of this explicitly informational perspective by providing detailed examples of how it can elucidate taxonomically diverse phenomena. We also present a general framework for linking genetic and phenotypic variation from an informational perspective. This application of Darwinian logic at the organismal level can elucidate genetic influences on phenotypic variation in novel and counterintuitive ways.
Abstract.
Dalesman S, Rendle A, Dall SRX (2015). Habitat stability, predation risk and ‘memory syndromes’.
Scientific Reports,
5, 10538-10538.
Abstract:
Habitat stability, predation risk and ‘memory syndromes’
Habitat stability and predation pressure are thought to be major drivers in the evolutionary maintenance of behavioural syndromes, with trait covariance only occurring within specific habitats. However, animals also exhibit behavioural plasticity, often through memory formation. Memory
formation across traits may be linked, with covariance in memory traits (memory syndromes) selected under particular environmental conditions. This study tests whether the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, demonstrates consistency among memory traits (‘memory syndrome’) related to threat avoidance and foraging. We used eight populations originating from three different habitat types: i) laboratory populations (stable habitat, predator-free); ii) river populations (fairly stable habitat, fish predation); and iii) ditch populations (unstable habitat, invertebrate predation). At a population level, there was a negative relationship between memories related to threat avoidance and food selectivity, but no consistency within habitat type. At an individual level, covariance between memory traits was dependent on habitat. Laboratory populations showed no covariance among memory traits, whereas river populations showed a positive correlation between food memories, and ditch populations demonstrated a negative relationship between threat memory and food memories. Therefore, selection pressures among habitats appear to act independently on memory trait covariation at an individual level and the average response within a population.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Kloesener MH, Baeumer J, Beinlich F, Eggers T (2015). Life-history trade-offs mediate ‘personality’ variation in two colour morphs of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84(1), 90-101.
Dall SRX, Griffith SC (2014). An empiricist guide to animal personality variation in ecology and evolution.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution,
2Abstract:
An empiricist guide to animal personality variation in ecology and evolution
The study of animal personality variation promises to provide significant new insight into the way that behaviour evolves in animals, along with its ecological and evolutionary influences. We strongly advocate more empirical work in this exciting and rapidly expanding research area, but hope that new studies adopt a more hypothesis-driven and/or experimental approach than seems to be usual at the moment. Here we outline what we feel is “good practice” to the many empiricists that are keen on pursuing work in this field. We highlight the substantial body of theoretical work that exists for providing well-reasoned hypotheses, which new empirical studies should be designed to test. Furthermore, using a brief review of existing work on the behavioural ecology of animal personality variation in the zebra finch - one of the more widely used model systems in this field - we stress the importance of understanding the ecology of the chosen study animal, and the problems that are likely to arise by neglecting to identify or account for the structure of behavioural variation that is often likely to occur.
Abstract.
Weber NL, Carter SP, Dall SRX, Delahay RJ, McDonald JL, Bearhop S, McDonald RA (2013). Badger social networks correlate with tuberculosis infection.
Current Biology,
23(20), R915-R916.
Abstract:
Badger social networks correlate with tuberculosis infection
Although disease hosts are classically assumed to interact randomly, infection is likely to spread across structured and dynamic contact networks. We used social network analyses to investigate contact patterns of group-living European badgers Meles meles, which are an important wildlife reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (TB). We found that TB test-positive badgers were socially isolated from their own groups but were more important for flow, potentially of infection, between social groups. The distinctive social position of infected badgers may help explain how social stability mitigates, and social perturbation increases, the spread of infection in badgers.
Abstract.
Weber N, Bearhop S, Dall SRX, Delahay RJ, McDonald RA, Carter SP (2013). Denning behaviour of the European badger (Meles meles) correlates with bovine tuberculosis infection status.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,
67, 471-479.
Abstract:
Denning behaviour of the European badger (Meles meles) correlates with bovine tuberculosis infection status
Heterogeneities in behaviours of individuals may underpin important processes in evolutionary biology and ecology, including the spread of disease. Modelling approaches can sometimes fail to predict disease spread, which may partly be due to the number of unknown sources of variation in host behaviour. The European badger is a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Britain and Ireland, and individual behaviour has been demonstrated to be an important factor in the spread of bTB among badgers and to cattle. Radio-telemetry devices were deployed on 40 badgers from eight groups to investigate patterns of den (sett) use in a high-density population, where each group had one or two main and three to eight outlier setts in their territory. Badgers were located at their setts for 28 days per season for one year to investigate how patterns differed between individuals. Denning behaviour may have a strong influence on contact patterns and the transmission of disease. We found significant heterogeneity, influenced by season, sex and age. Also, when controlling for these, bTB infection status interacting with season was highly correlated with sett use. Test-positive badgers spent more time away from their main sett than those that tested negative. We speculate that wider-ranging behaviour of test-positive animals may result in them contacting sources of infection more frequently and/or that their behaviour may be influenced by their disease status. Measures to control infectious diseases might be improved by targeting functional groups, specific areas, or times of year that may contribute disproportionately to disease spread.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Wilson AJ, Royle NJ (2013). Environmental transmission of a personality trait: Foster parent exploration behaviour predicts offspring exploration behaviour in zebra finches.
Biology Letters,
9(4).
Abstract:
Environmental transmission of a personality trait: Foster parent exploration behaviour predicts offspring exploration behaviour in zebra finches
Consistent behavioural differences between individuals are common in many species and can have important effects on offspring fitness. To understand the evolution of such personality variation it is important to determine the mode of inheritance, but this has been quantified for only a few species. Here, we report results from a breeding experiment in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, in which we cross-fostered offspring to disentangle the importance of genetic and non-genetic transmission of behaviour. Genetic and foster-parents’ exploratory type was measured in a novel environment pre-breeding and offspring exploratory type was assessed at adulthood. Offspring exploratory type was predicted by the exploratory behaviour of the foster but not the genetic parents, whereas offspring size was predicted by genetic but not foster parents’ size. Other aspects of the social environment, such as rearing regime (uni- versus biparental), hatching position, brood size, or an individual’s sex did not influence offspring exploration. Our results therefore indicate that non-genetic transmission of behaviour can play an important role in shaping animal personality variation.
Abstract.
Mathot KJ, Dall SRX (2013). Metabolic rates can drive individual differences in information and insurance use under the risk of starvation.
The American Naturalist,
182(5), 611-620.
Abstract:
Metabolic rates can drive individual differences in information and insurance use under the risk of starvation
Variation in how individuals invest in acquiring information (sampling) and in insuring themselves against potential negative consequences of uncertainty (e.g. by storing energy reserves) have been suggested to underlie consistent individual differences in suites of behavioral traits. However, the key drivers of individual differences in information use remain poorly understood. We use dynamic programming to explore how existing variation in metabolic rates (MRs) affects the use of sampling and insurance under starvation risk. Our analysis reveals non-linear effects of MR on diurnal patterns of sampling and insurance. Individuals with low MRs accrue reserves quickly, because they invest in sampling and are able to exploit profitable options when they arise. Individuals with intermediate MRs initially lose reserves because sampling, while optimal, is relatively expensive, but later build reserves due to efficient exploitation of alternative foraging options. Sampling rarely pays for individuals with the highest MRs, which show relatively constant levels of energy reserves throughout the foraging period. Thus, individual variation in MRs on the scale observed in natural populations can lead to important differences in investment in sampling and insurance, and may underpin consistent individual differences in suites of other behavioral traits including individual differences in behavioral responsiveness.
Abstract.
David M, Auclair Y, Dall SRX, Cezilly F (2013). Pairing context determines condition-dependence of song rate in a monogamous passerine bird.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences,
280Abstract:
Pairing context determines condition-dependence of song rate in a monogamous passerine bird
Condition-dependence of male ornaments is thought to provide honest signals on which females can base their sexual choice for genetic quality. Recent studies yet show that condition-dependence patterns can vary within populations. Whereas long-term association is thought to promote honest signalling, no study has explored the influence of pairing context on the condition-dependence of male ornaments. In the present study we assessed the influence of natural variation in body condition on song rate in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in three different situations: during short and long encounters with an unfamiliar female, and within heterosexual mated pairs. We found consistent individual differences in male directed and undirected song rate. Moreover, body condition had a positive effect on song rate in paired males. However, male song rate was not influenced by body condition during short or long encounters with unfamiliar females. Song rate appears as an unreliable signal of condition to prospective females as even poor-condition birds can cheat and sing at a high rate. In contrast, paired females can reliably use song rate to assess their mate’s body condition and possibly genetic quality. We propose that species’ characteristics, such as mating system, should be systematically taken into account to generate relevant hypotheses about the evolution of condition-dependent male ornaments.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Díaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings. Biological sciences / the Royal Society,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of predictive systems ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practised and we summarize a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Diaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of Predictive Systems Ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practiced and we summarise a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Díaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings. Biological sciences / the Royal Society,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology.
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of predictive systems ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practised and we summarize a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Bell AM, Bolnick DI, Ratnieks FLW (2012). An evolutionary ecology of individual differences.
Ecology Letters,
15(10), 1189-1198.
Abstract:
An evolutionary ecology of individual differences
Individuals often differ in what they do. This has been recognised since antiquity. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary significance of such variation is attracting widespread interest, which is burgeoning to an extent that is fragmenting the literature. As a first attempt at synthesis, we focus on individual differences in behaviour within populations that exceed the day-to-day variation in individual behaviour (i.e. behavioural specialisation). Indeed, the factors promoting ecologically relevant behavioural specialisation within natural populations are likely to have far reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences. We discuss such individual differences from three distinct perspectives: individual niche specialisations, the division of labour within insect societies and animal personality variation. In the process, while recognising that each area has its own unique motivations, we identify a number of opportunities for productive 'cross-fertilisation' among the (largely independent) bodies of work. We conclude that a complete understanding of evolutionary and ecologically relevant individual differences must specify how ecological interactions impact the basic biological process (e.g. Darwinian selection, development, information processing) that underpin the organismal features determining behavioural specialisations. Moreover, there is likely to be co-variation amongst behavioural specialisations. Thus, we sketch the key elements of a general framework for studying the evolutionary ecology of individual differences.
Abstract.
Baker CCM, Dall SRX, Rankin DJ (2012). Kin selection and the evolution of social information use in animal conflict.
PLOS ONE,
7(2).
Abstract:
Kin selection and the evolution of social information use in animal conflict
Animals often use social information about conspecifics in making decisions about cooperation and conflict. While the importance of kin selection in the evolution of intraspecific cooperation and conflict is widely acknowledged, few studies have examined how relatedness influences the evolution of social information use. Here we specifically examine how relatedness affects the evolution of a stylised form of social information use known as eavesdropping. Eavesdropping involves individuals escalating conflicts with rivals observed to have lost their last encounter and avoiding fights with those seen to have won. We use a game theoretical model to examine how relatedness affects the evolution of eavesdropping, both when strategies are discrete and when they are continuous or mixed. We show that relatedness influences the evolution of eavesdropping, such that information use peaks at intermediate relatedness. Our study highlights the importance of considering kin selection when exploring the evolution of complex forms of information use.
Abstract.
Drewe JA, Weber N, Carter SP, Bearhop S, Harrison XA, Dall SRX, McDonald RA, Delahay RJ (2012). Performance of proximity loggers in recording intra- and inter-species interactions: a laboratory and field-based validation study.
PLoS One,
7(6).
Abstract:
Performance of proximity loggers in recording intra- and inter-species interactions: a laboratory and field-based validation study
Knowledge of the way in which animals interact through social networks can help to address questions surrounding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of social organisation, and to understand and manage the spread of infectious diseases. Automated proximity loggers are increasingly being used to record interactions between animals, but the accuracy and reliability of the collected data remain largely un-assessed. Here we use laboratory and observational field data to assess the performance of these devices fitted to a herd of 32 beef cattle (Bos taurus) and nine groups of badgers (Meles meles, n = 77) living in the surrounding woods. The distances at which loggers detected each other were found to decrease over time, potentially related to diminishing battery power that may be a function of temperature. Loggers were highly accurate in recording the identification of contacted conspecifics, but less reliable at determining contact duration. There was a tendency for extended interactions to be recorded as a series of shorter contacts. We show how data can be manipulated to correct this discrepancy and accurately reflect observed interaction patterns by combining records between any two loggers that occur within a 1 to 2 minute amalgamation window, and then removing any remaining 1 second records. We make universally applicable recommendations for the effective use of proximity loggers, to improve the validity of data arising from future studies.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Baeumer J, Kloesener MH, Nakagawa S, Beinlich F, Eggers T (2011). 'Personality' variation in a clonal insect:
the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.
DEV PSYCHOBIOL,
53(6), 631-640.
Abstract:
'Personality' variation in a clonal insect:
the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum
Individuals are often consistent in their behaviour but vary from each other in the level of behaviour shown. Despite burgeoning interest in such animal personality variation, studies on invertebrates are scarce, and studies on clonal invertebrates non-existent. This is surprising given the obvious advantages of using invertebrates/clones to tackle the crucial question why such consistent behavioural differences exist. Here we show that individuals of clonal pea aphids exhibit consistent behavioural differences in their escape responses to a predator attack (dropping versus non-dropping off a plant). However, behaviour was not repeatable at the clonal level. Genetically identical clones expressed various phenotypes but different clones produced different proportions of each phenotype (dropper, non-dropper and inconsistent). Manipulations of early environmental conditions had little qualitative impact on such patterns. We discuss the importance of our findings for future studies of the evolutionary and ecological consequences of personality variation.
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2011). Animal behaviour: evolution and mechanisms. ANIM BEHAV, 81
Schuett W, Godin JGJ, Dall SRX (2011). Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?.
ETHOLOGY,
117, 908-917.
Abstract:
Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?
A major challenge in behavioural and evolutionary ecology is to understand the evolution and maintenance of consistent behavioural differences among individuals within populations, often referred to as animal “personalities”. Here we present evidence suggesting that sexual selection may act on such personality differences in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), as females seem to choose males on the basis of their exploratory behaviour per se, while taking into account their own personality. After observing a pair of males, whose apparent levels of exploration were experimentally manipulated, females that exhibited low exploratory tendencies showed no preference during mate choice for males that had appeared to be either “exploratory” or “unexploratory”. In contrast, intermediate and highly exploratory females preferred apparently exploratory males over apparently unexploratory ones. Our results suggest that behavioural or genetic compatibility for personality traits might be important for mate choice, at least for exploratory individuals.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Godin J-G, Dall SRX (2011). Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?.
ETHOLOGY,
in pressAbstract:
Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?
A major challenge in behavioural and evolutionary ecology is to understand the evolution and maintenance of consistent behavioural differences among individuals within populations, often referred to as animal “personalities”. Here we present evidence suggesting that sexual selection may act on such personality differences in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), as females seem to choose males on the basis of their exploratory behaviour per se, while taking into account their own personality. After observing a pair of males, whose apparent levels of exploration were experimentally manipulated, females that exhibited low exploratory tendencies showed no preference during mate choice for males that had appeared to be either “exploratory” or “unexploratory”. In contrast, intermediate and highly exploratory females preferred apparently exploratory males over apparently unexploratory ones. Our results suggest that behavioural or genetic compatibility for personality traits might be important for mate choice, at least for exploratory individuals.
Abstract.
Abbot P, Abe J, Alcock J, Alizon S, Alpedrinha JAC, Andersson M, Andre J, van Baalen M, Balloux F, Balshine S, et al (2011). Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
NATURE,
471, E1-E4.
Abstract:
Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality
Nowak et al.1 argue that inclusive fitness theory has been of little value in explaining the natural world, and that it has led to negligible progress in explaining the evolution of eusociality. However, we believe that their arguments are based upon a misunderstanding of evolutionary theory and a misrepresentation of the empirical literature. We will focus our comments on three general issues.
Abstract.
Abbot P, Abe J, Alcock J, Alizon S, Alpedrinha JAC, Andersson M, Andre J-B, van Baalen M, Balloux F, Balshine S, et al (2011). Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
Nature,
471(7339), E1-E4.
Abstract:
Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
Arising from M. A. Nowak, C. E. Tarnita & E. O. Wilson 466, 1057-1062 (2010); Nowak et al. reply. Nowak et al. argue that inclusive fitness theory has been of little value in explaining the natural world, and that it has led to negligible progress in explaining the evolution of eusociality. However, we believe that their arguments are based upon a misunderstanding of evolutionary theory and a misrepresentation of the empirical literature. We will focus our comments on three general issues.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Royle NJ (2011). Pairs of zebra finches with similar “personalities” make better parents.
ANIM BEHAV,
81, 609-618.
Abstract:
Pairs of zebra finches with similar “personalities” make better parents
Although behavioural plasticity should be an advantage in a varying world, there is increasing evidence for widespread stable individual differences in the behaviour of animals: i.e. “personality”. Here we provide evidence suggesting that sexual selection is an important factor in the evolution of personality in species with biparental care. Using a cross-fostering breeding experiment on zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, we demonstrate for the first time that parental personality traits and the combination of personalities within breeding pairs can have positive effects on correlates of (foster) offspring fitness (body mass and condition). Furthermore these non-genetic parental effects are pervasive and carry-over into the next generation. Our results suggest that similarity in behavioural traits of biparental species can have important, long-lasting effects on reproductive success, most likely due to reduced sexual conflict over the provision of parental investment.
Abstract.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2011). The evolution of unconditional strategies via the "multiplier effect".
ECOLOGY LETTERS,
14, 237-243.
Abstract:
The evolution of unconditional strategies via the "multiplier effect"
Ostensibly, it makes sense in a changeable world to condition behaviour and development on information when it is available. Nevertheless, unconditional behavioural and life history strategies are widespread. Here we show how inter-generational effects can limit the evolutionary value of responding to reliable environmental cues, and thus favour the evolutionary persistence of otherwise paradoxical unconditional strategies. While cue-ignoring genotypes do poorly in the wrong environments, in the right environment they will leave many copies of themselves, which will themselves leave many copies, and so on, leading genotypes to accumulate in habitats in which they do well. We call this 'The Multiplier Effect'. We explore the consequences of the multiplier effect by focussing on the ecologically important phenomenon of natal philopatry. We model the environment as a large number of temporally varying breeding sites connected by natal dispersal between sites. Our aim is to identify which aspects of an environment promote the multiplier effect. We show, if sites remain connected through some background level of ‘accidental’ dispersal, unconditional natal philopatry can evolve even when there is density dependence (with its accompanying kin competition effects), and cues that are only mildly erroneous. Thus, the multiplier effect may underpin the evolution and maintenance of unconditional strategies such as natal philopatry in many biological systems.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX (2010). Appearance, 'state' and behavior in male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
JOURNAL OF ETHOLOGY,
28(2), 273-286.
Abstract:
Appearance, 'state' and behavior in male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
Secondary sexual traits are often costly to produce and therefore an individual’s appearance can signal its quality. As the quality of an individual influences the payoffs associated with the actions it can perform, its appearance should also influence its behavior. Here we investigate whether male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, change their behavior (and their energetic states) after artificial manipulations of their appearance, using different colored leg-bands, and if such effects carry over after the end of the manipulation, as might be expected if appearance-mediated social dynamics ‘lock’ individuals into different states. During three experimental phases, in which all males in a group wore neutral colored leg-bands at the beginning (phase I), then got attractive, unattractive and neutral colored bands, respectively (phase II), before getting the neutral color again (phase III), we found no evidence of an effect of the appearance manipulation on state, weight or any behavioral traits we measured. Nevertheless, we found that individuals that stored more fat were more likely to initiate and win aggressive interactions but were less likely to be recipients of aggression. This association between energetic state and aggressive behavior is discussed from both strategic body mass regulation and sexual selection perspectives.
Abstract.
Sinn DL, Moltschaniwskyj NA, Wapstra E, Dall SRX (2010). Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid.
BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL,
64(4), 693-702.
Abstract:
Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid
Behavioral syndromes are correlated suites of behavior, analogous to human personality traits. Most work to date has been taken from limited ‘snapshots’ in space and time, with the implicit assumption that a behavioral syndrome is an invariant property fixed by natural selection. Previously, we have shown that shy/bold behavior in Southern dumpling squid (Euprymna tasmanica) squid across predator encounter and feeding risk contexts are genetically and phenotypically uncoupled, and hence potentially free to vary independently. Here we collected data on shy/bold behaviors from two independent wild populations of squid in two different years to test whether behavioral correlations across these same two functional contexts vary through time and space. We detected significant influences of population, sex, and body size on the expression of boldness in squid within each functional context, and this was coupled with significant differences in demographic parameters related to competitive regimes (relative population density and adult sex-ratio). Despite these changes in behavior and demographic parameters, we found that correlations between boldness scores across the two functional contexts were largely uncoupled in both wild populations of squid in both years. To date, research on behavioral syndromes has concentrated on explaining correlations across contexts as fixed evolutionary constraints or adaptations. Our work suggests that some systems may also be largely characterized by context-specific behavioral expression, and a theoretical framework which conceptualizes correlations across contexts resulting from context-specific behavioral rules is needed to fully understand why behaviors are sometimes correlated, and why sometimes they are not.
Abstract.
Royle NJ, Schuett W, Dall SRX (2010). Behavioural consistency and the resolution of sexual conflict over parental care. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY, 21, 1125-1130.
Dall SRX, Schmidt, KA, van Gils, JA (2010). Biological information in an ecological context. Oikos, 119(2), 201-202.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2010). Information is a fitness enhancing resource.
OIKOS,
119(2), 231-236.
Abstract:
Information is a fitness enhancing resource.
Here we provide a biologically relevant proof of the well-known result from economics and statistical decision theory that
having more information never reduces the expected payoff to a decision-making agent. We then go on to illustrate this
with an ecologically motivated example based on a model of growth under uncertain predation risk. Throughout we use
the central result that the fitness (reproductive) value of information can never be negative to highlight conceptual
inconsistencies in the ecological literature on information use.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Tregenza T, Dall SRX (2010). Sexual selection and animal personality.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS,
85(2), 217-246.
Abstract:
Sexual selection and animal personality
Consistent individual behavioural tendencies, termed 'personalities', have been identified in a wide range of animals. Functional explanations for personality have been proposed, but as yet, very little consideration has been given to a possible role for sexual selection in maintaining differences in personality and its stability within individuals. We provide an overview of the available literature on the role of personality traits in intrasexual competition and mate choice in both human and non-human animals and integrate this into a framework for considering how sexual selection can generate and maintain personality. For this, we consider the evolution and maintenance of both main aspects of animal personality: inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Tregenza T, Dall SRX (2010). Sexual selection and animal personality.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc,
85(2), 217-246.
Abstract:
Sexual selection and animal personality.
Consistent individual behavioural tendencies, termed "personalities", have been identified in a wide range of animals. Functional explanations for personality have been proposed, but as yet, very little consideration has been given to a possible role for sexual selection in maintaining differences in personality and its stability within individuals. We provide an overview of the available literature on the role of personality traits in intrasexual competition and mate choice in both human and non-human animals and integrate this into a framework for considering how sexual selection can generate and maintain personality. For this, we consider the evolution and maintenance of both main aspects of animal personality: inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Schmidt KA, Dall SRX, Van Gils JA (2010). The ecology of information: an overview on the ecological significance of making informed decisions.
OIKOS,
119(2), 304-316.
Abstract:
The ecology of information: an overview on the ecological significance of making informed decisions
Information is characterized as the reduction of uncertainty and by a change in the state of a receiving organism. Thus, organisms can acquire information about their environment that reduces uncertainty and increases their likelihood of choosing a best-matching strategy. We define the Ecology of Information as the study of how organisms acquire and use information in decision-making and its significance for populations, communities, landscapes, and ecosystems. As a whole, it encompasses the reception and processing of information, decision-making, and the ecological consequences of making informed decisions. The first two stages constitute the domains of, e.g. sensory ecology and behavioral ecology. The exploration of the consequences of information use at larger spatial and temporal scales in ecology has generally lagged behind the success of these other disciplines. In our overview we characterize information, discuss statistical decision theory as a quantitative framework to analyze information and decision-making, and discuss potential ecological ramifications. Rather than attempt a cursory review of the enormity of the scope of information we highlight information use in developmental, breeding habitat selection, and interceptive eavesdropping on alarm calls. Through these topics we discuss specific examples of ecological information use and the emerging ecological consequences. We emphasize recurring themes: information is collected from multiple sources, over varying temporal and spatial scales, and in many cases links heterospecifics to one another. We conclude by breaking from specific ecological contexts to explore implications of information as a central organizing principle, including: information webs, information as a component of the niche concept, and information as an ecosystem process. With information having such an enormous reach in ecology it casts a spotlight on the potential harmful effects of anthropogenic noise and info-disruption.
Abstract.
McNamara JM, Stephens PA, SRX D, Houston AI (2009). Evolution of trust and trustworthiness: social awareness favours personality differences.
P R SOC B,
276(1657), 605-613.
Abstract:
Evolution of trust and trustworthiness: social awareness favours personality differences
Interest in the evolution and maintenance of personality is burgeoning. Individuals of diverse animal species differ in their aggressiveness, fearfulness, sociability and activity. Strong trade-offs, mutation selection balance, spatio-temporal fluctuations in selection, frequency dependence and good-genes mate choice are invoked to explain heritable personality variation, yet for continuous behavioural traits, it remains unclear which selective force is likely to maintain distinct polymorphisms. Using a model of trust and cooperation, we show how allowing individuals to monitor each other's cooperative tendencies, at a cost, can select for heritable polymorphisms in trustworthiness. This variation, in turn, favours costly 'social awareness' in some individuals. Feedback of this sort can explain the individual differences in trust and trustworthiness so often documented by economists in experimental public goods games across a range of cultures. Our work adds to growing evidence that evolutionary game theorists can no longer afford to ignore the importance of real world inter-individual variation in their models.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Wright J (2009). Rich pickings near large communal roosts favor 'gang' foraging by juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax.
PLOS ONE,
4(2).
Abstract:
Rich pickings near large communal roosts favor 'gang' foraging by juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax.
Ravens (Corvus corax) feed primarily on rich but ephemeral carcasses of large animals, which are usually defended by territorial pairs of adults. Non-breeding juveniles forage socially and aggregate in communal winter roosts, and these appear to function as ‘information centers’ regarding the location of the rare food bonanzas: individuals search independently of one another and pool their effort by recruiting each other at roosts. However, at a large raven roost in Newborough on Anglesey, North Wales, some juveniles have been observed recently to forage in ‘gangs’ and to roost separately from other birds. Here we adapt a general model of juvenile common raven foraging behavior where, in addition
to the typical co-operative foraging strategy, such gang foraging behavior could be evolutionarily stable near winter raven roosts. We refocus the model on the conditions under which this newly documented, yet theoretically anticipated, gang based foraging has been observed. In the process, we show formally how the trade off between search efficiency and social opportunity can account for the existence of the alternative social foraging tactics that have been observed in this species. This work serves to highlight a number of fruitful avenues for future research, both from a theoretical and empirical perspective.
Abstract.
Schuett W, SRX D (2009). Sex differences, social context and personality in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
ANIM BEHAV,
77(5), 1041-1050.
Abstract:
Sex differences, social context and personality in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata
Despite burgeoning interest in consistent individual differences in behaviour (animal 'personality'), the influence of social interactions on the performance of different behavioural types is poorly understood. Similarly, the ecological and evolutionary consequences of personality differences in social contexts remain unexplored. Moreover, the possibility that the sexes differ in the degree to which they exhibit personality in both social and nonsocial contexts has not yet received serious attention, despite the sexes usually being subject to differing selection pressures. Using a highly gregarious species, the zebra finch, we tested for consistent behavioural differences (in exploration) between individuals of both sexes in both nonsocial and social contexts, the latter considering the behavioural influence of opposite-sex companions. We then investigated how exploratory tendencies relate to behaviour in a potentially risky foraging context in mixed-sex dyads of individuals with differing personalities. Males were not more exploratory on average but were more consistent in their exploratory tendencies than females. Additionally, males behaved more consistently across the social and asocial contexts than females, even though individuals of both sexes similarly influenced each other's exploratory behaviour within the social context: the more exploratory the companion, the more exploratory the focal individual (relative to its level of exploration in the asocial context). An individual's exploration also affected its performance in the social foraging context. Our results stress the importance of looking for sex differences in personality and of considering the influence of social context in animal personality studies. We discuss our findings and their implications in the light of the biology of the species and set them in a broader ecological and evolutionary context. (C) 2009 the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2007). Behavioural Ecology: Niche Construction via Grooming and Extortion?.
Current Biology,
17(11).
Abstract:
Behavioural Ecology: Niche Construction via Grooming and Extortion?
A recent study shows that brood parasitic cowbirds employ Mafia-like tactics to discourage rejection of their broods by a common host. This may be a new example of animals adaptively 'constructing' key features of their ecological niches. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
Pizzari T, Birkhead TR, Blows MW, Brooks R, Buchanan KL, Clutton-Brock TH, Harvey PH, Hosken DJ, Jennions MD, Kokko H, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 690-690.
Author URL.
Shuker DM, Tregenza T (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 693-694.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 689-690.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies [2]. Science, 312(5774), 689-690.
Mcnamara, J.M. Wedell, N. Hosken, D.J. (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies. Science, 312
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Wedell N, Hosken DJ (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
Science,
312(5774), 689-697.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
Science,
312(5774), 689-697.
Author URL.
Benton, T.G. Lundberg, P. Dall, S.R.X. (2006). Estimating individual contributions to population growth: evolutionary fitness in ecological time. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 273, 547-555.
Dall SRX (2006). Evolution: Mothers 'sign' their eggs where cuckoos lurk.
Current Biology,
16(5).
Abstract:
Evolution: Mothers 'sign' their eggs where cuckoos lurk
A new study has demonstrated that African village weaver birds (Ploceus cucullatus) show less individuality in the appearance of their eggs when freed from the threat of raising the young of egg-mimicking diederik cuckoos (Chrsococcyx caprius). This suggests another clear example of natural selection driving evolutionary change in situ.
Abstract.
Schulpen TWJ, van Wieringen JCM, van Brummen PJ, van Riel JM, Beemer FA, Westers P, Huber J (2006). Infant mortality, ethnicity, and genetically determined disorders in the Netherlands.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH,
16(3), 290-293.
Author URL.
Coulson T, Benton TG, Lundberg P, SRX D, Kendall BE (2006). Putting evolutionary biology back in the ecological theatre: a demographic framework mapping genes to communities.
EVOL ECOL RES,
8(7), 1155-1171.
Abstract:
Putting evolutionary biology back in the ecological theatre: a demographic framework mapping genes to communities
Question: How can we link genotypic, phenotypic, individual, population, and community levels of organization so as to illuminate general ecological and evolutionary processes and provide a framework for a quantitative, integrative evolutionary biology?Framework: We introduce an evolutionary framework that maps different levels of biological diversity onto one another. We provide (1) an overview of maps linking levels of biological organization and (2) a guideline of how to analyse the complexity of relationships from genes to population growth.Method: We specify the appropriate levels of biological organization for responses to selection, for opportunities for selection, and for selection itself. We map between them and embed these maps into an ecological setting.
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2005). Defining the concept of public information.
SCIENCE,
308(5720), 353-354.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Lotem A, Winkler DW, Bednekoff PA, Laland KN, Coolen I, Kendal R, Danchin E, Giraldeau LA, Valone TJ, et al (2005). Defining the concept of public information [2] (multiple letters). Science, 308(5720), 353-356.
Dall SRX, Wedell, N. (2005). Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations. Current Biology, 19, R801-803.
Dall SRX, Wedell N (2005). Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations.
Curr Biol,
15(19), R801-R803.
Abstract:
Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations.
A new experimental study has provided the first definitive evidence for conditional punishment of 'cheats' in a sperm-trading simultaneous hermaphrodite: the sea slug Chelidonura hirundinina. This also provides a rare unequivocal example of conditional reciprocity averting a 'tragedy of the commons' in biology.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Giraldeau LA, McNamara JM, Olsson O (2005). Information and its use by animals in evolutionary ecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20(4), 187-193.
Dall SRX (2004). Behavioural biology: Fortune favours bold and shy personalities.
Current Biology,
14(12).
Abstract:
Behavioural biology: Fortune favours bold and shy personalities
A new study has shown that in the great tit (Parus major) bold males and shy females apparently flourish after rich winter pickings, while shy males and bold females profit from meagre winters. This groundbreaking work exemplifies the approach required for a biological understanding of an apparently common animal trait - personality.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Boyd IL (2004). Evolution of mammals: lactation helps mothers to cope with unreliable food supplies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 271(1552), 2049-2057.
Kotler BP, Brown JS, Bouskila A, Mukherjee S, Goldberg T (2004). Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Seasonal changes in schedules of activity and apprehension.
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY,
50(2-3), 255-271.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Houston AI, McNamara JM (2004). The behavioural ecology of personality: consistent individual differences from an adaptive perspective. Ecology Letters, 7(8), 734-739.
Dall, S.R.X. (2002). Can information sharing explain recruitment to food from communal roosts?. Behavioral Ecology, 13: 42-51
Kotler BP, Brown JS, Dall SRX, Gresser S, Ganey D, Bouskila A (2002). Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Temporal dynamics of resource depletion and apprehension in gerbils.
Evolutionary Ecology Research,
4(4), 495-518.
Abstract:
Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Temporal dynamics of resource depletion and apprehension in gerbils
Consult the copyright statement on the inside front cover for non-commercial copying policies. Predator-prey interactions constitute a foraging game when prey individuals manage risk from predators and predator individuals manage fear in their prey. As tools for managing risk, clever prey can use time allocation and apprehension (redirecting attention from foraging to predator detection). One such foraging game occurs between gerbils and their predators on the sand dunes of the Negev Desert. Here, interacting species of gerbils compete for patches of seeds that renew daily by afternoon winds. In such circumstances, gerbils are expected to deplete resource patches over the course of the night, the predators are expected to hunt when gerbil activity is highest, and gerbils are expected to be most apprehensive when predators are most active and most deadly. We tested these predictions for gerbils in two field experiments using seed trays to measure resource depletion, gerbil activity and apprehension over the course of the night, between the bush and open microhabitats and at four moon phases (new, half waxing, full and half waning). Gerbils depleted seed resources more quickly in the bush microhabitat than the open and more quickly at new moon than at other moon phases. Gerbil activity at new moon was high throughout most of the night, but decreased towards dawn. In contrast, activity at full moon was generally low, but increased towards dawn. The two gerbil species Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi and G. pyramidum partitioned the night, with G. pyramidum visiting resource patches earlier in the night and encountering a richer, but more risky environment, and G. a. allenbyi foraging later in an environment characterized by fewer seed resources, but lower risk. The same pattern extended over moon phases, with G. pyramidum foraging relatively more at full and waning half moon. Apprehension by gerbils was higher early in the night than later and higher at full moon than new moon. Schedules of apprehension changed according to moon phase and may have differed between the two gerbils. Finally, apprehension was higher in the open microhabitat, although the opposite was true at the beginning of the night. This foraging game affects three trophic levels, including the effect of the gerbils on the availability and distribution of seeds, the competitive interaction between the two gerbil species and the predator-prey interaction between gerbils and owls.
Abstract.
Johnstone RA, Dall SRX (2002). Information and adaptive behaviour - Introduction.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,
357(1427), 1515-1518.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Johnstone RA (2002). Managing uncertainty: information and insurance under the risk of starvation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 357(1427), 1519-1526.
Johnstone RA, Dall SRX (2002). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B: Introduction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 357(1427), 1515-1518.
Dall SRX, Boyd, I.L. (2002). Provisioning under the risk of starvation. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 4(6), 883-896.
Dall SRX, Kotler BP, Bouskila A (2001). Attention, 'apprehension' and gerbils searching in patches.
Annales Zoologici Fennici,
38(1), 15-23.
Abstract:
Attention, 'apprehension' and gerbils searching in patches
In this paper, we consider the attentional demands associated with detecting and responding to predators, or 'apprehension', and the within-patch search of Allenby's gerbils, Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi. We, thus, present a first empirical investigation of the indirect, informational consequences of perceived predation risk. Specifically, we focus on the ability to track the quality of seed patches in sandy habitats. There are two potential effects here; since instantaneous intake rate (or some proxy) is the key parameter of interest to an optimal forager, apprehension can interfere with the estimation of: (1) the number of food items captured, and/or (2) the time taken to capture them (the ability to locate food items). Only (2) will have a consistent effect on patch quality, and we test the hypothesis that increased predation risk reduces gerbil search efficiency. We therefore quantified gerbil search paths in patches of uniform seed distribution that differed in their associated risks of predation by manipulating the presence of barn owls, Tyto alba, and light in an aviary. Gerbil search was more random under risky conditions. We discuss the implications of this result for information processing and patch use under predation risk, and the foraging games between gerbils and owls in the Negev Desert.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Cuthill IC (1999). Interruptions to foraging and learning in a changing environment.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR,
57, 233-241.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC (1999). Mutation rates: Does complexity matter? [1]. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 198(2), 283-285.
Dall SRX, Witter, M.S. (1998). Feeding interruptions, diurnal mass change and daily routines of behaviour in the zebra finch. Animal Behaviour, 55: 715-725
Dall SRX (1997). Behaviour and speciation.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION,
12(6), 209-210.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC, Cook N, Morphet M (1997). Learning about food: Starlings, skinner boxes, and earthworms.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
67(2), 181-192.
Abstract:
Learning about food: Starlings, skinner boxes, and earthworms
Despite its importance as a tool for understanding a wide range of animal behavior, the study of reinforcement schedules in the laboratory has suffered from difficulties in the biological interpretation of its findings. This study is an operant-laboratory investigation of the ability of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, to learn to respond adaptively to the problem of foraging on patchily distributed prey that are uncertainly located in space. In order to maximize the biological relevance of the laboratory study, variation in the aggregation of earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris (a prey species), was rigorously quantified from the field, and the experimental birds were presented with reinforcement schedules designed to represent the extremes of the observed variation. The results demonstrate that, even for a single prey species, the degree to which individuals are aggregated can vary markedly over a range of spatial scales, and that starlings can rapidly learn to respond, in an adaptive manner, to these variations. These findings suggest that starlings are capable of adjusting their behavior to facilitate the efficient exploitation of prey that occurs in patches of an uncertain nature, and thus illustrate the heuristic value of an ecologically informed operant-laboratory approach to studying foraging behavior.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC (1997). Searching in patches by European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris.
Behavioural Processes,
39(2), 149-159.
Abstract:
Searching in patches by European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris
Despite the importance of within-patch search for predicting optimal patch-leaving strategy, little experimental effort has been devoted to the study of this foraging behaviour. In addition, predators' strategic responses to variability in features like the within-patch distribution of prey can have important consequences for their dietary decisions. We therefore analyse the search paths of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, foraging individually in artificial patches that vary in the spatial distribution of buried prey in an outdoor aviary. The results demonstrate that the birds are searching differently depending on the order in which the experimental patch-types are experienced. We speculate that where the spatial predictability of prey is initially high the birds adopt a fixed search rule that results in area-concentrated search once a prey item is found, and performs well for both distributions encountered. However, where the predictability is initially low a more flexible strategy is adopted that results in increased area-concentrated search with experience of a patch type, independent of the actual within-patch distribution of prey. These findings suggest that starlings can use distinct strategies for different prey types, but they are classifying these types on subjective criteria that are difficult to predict from a priori reasoning.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Cuthill, I.C. (1997). The information costs of generalism. Oikos, 80: 197-202
Chapters
Morand-Ferron J, Doligez B, Dall SRX, Reader SM (2019). Social information use. In (Ed)
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 394-402.
Abstract:
Social information use
Abstract.
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Wilson AJ (2019). Ultimate (Re)Thinking for Behavioural Biology. In Hunt J, Hosken DJ, Wedell N (Eds.)
Genes and Behaviour: Beyond Nature-Nurture, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 11-25.
Abstract:
Ultimate (Re)Thinking for Behavioural Biology
Abstract.
Dubois F, Heeb P, Dall SRX, Giraldeau L-A (2018). Behavioral Consequence of Exploitation. In (Ed) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics, MIT Press.
King AJ, Kosfeld M, Dall SRX, Greiner B, Kameda T, Khalmetski K, Leininger W, Wedekind C, Winterhalder B (2018). Exploitative Strategies. In (Ed) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics, MIT Press.
Dubois F, Heeb P, Dall SRX, Giraldeau LA (2017). Behavioral consequences of social parasitism. In Giraldeau LA, Heeb P, Kosfeld M (Eds.) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, Cambridge, MA, USA: the MIT Press, 189-203.
King AJ, Kosfeld M, Dall SRX, Greiner B, Kameda T, Khalmetski K, Leninger W, Wedekind C, Winterhalder B (2017). Exploitative strategies: consequences for individual behavior, social structure, and design of social institutions. In Giraldeau LA, Heeb P, Kosfeld M (Eds.) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, the MIT Press, 205-214.
Kight CR, McNamara JM, Stephens DW, Dall SRX (2013). COMMUNICATION AS INFORMATION USE: INSIGHTS FROM STATISTICAL DECISION THEORY. In Stegmann UE (Ed)
Animal communication theory: Information and Influence, Cambridge University Press, 89-110.
Abstract:
COMMUNICATION AS INFORMATION USE: INSIGHTS FROM STATISTICAL DECISION THEORY
Abstract.
Kight CR, David M, Dall SRX (2013). The Evolution of Animal Personality Variation. In Kehrer-Sawatzki H (Ed)
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Abstract:
The Evolution of Animal Personality Variation
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Gosling SD, Brown GD, Dingemanse N, Erev I, Kocher M, Schulz L, Todd PM, Weissing FJ, Wolf M, et al (2012). Variation in Decision Making. In Hammerstein P, Stevens JR (Eds.)
Evolution and the Mechanisms of Decision Making, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 243-272.
Abstract:
Variation in Decision Making
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2010). Managing risk, the perils of uncertainty. In Westneat DF, Fox CW (Eds.)
Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology, Oxford University Press, 194-206.
Abstract:
Managing risk, the perils of uncertainty
Abstract.
Morand-Ferron J, Doligez B, Dall SRX, Reader SM (2010). Social information use. In Breed M, Moore J (Eds.)
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Oxford: Academic Press, 242-250.
Abstract:
Social information use.
Abstract.
Mitchell WA, Kotler BP, Brown JS, Blaustein L, Dall SRX (2005). Species diversity in relation to habitat structure, environmental variability, and species interactions. In Shachak M, Pickett STA, Gosz JR, Perevolosky A (Eds.) Biodiversity in drylands – towards a unified framework, Oxford University Press, 57-69.
Polis GA, Ayal Y, Bachi A, Dall SRX, Goldberg D, Holt R, Kark SW, Kotler BP, Mitchell WA (2005). Unified Framework I: Interspecific interactions and species diversity in drylands. In Shachak M, Pickett STA, Gosz JR, Perevolosky A (Eds.) Biodiversity in drylands – towards a unified framework, Oxford University Press, 122-151.
Dall SRX (2004). Behaving adaptively: optimization and evolutionary game theory. In Beckoff M (Ed) Encyclopedia of Animal Behaviour, Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 970-979.
Conferences
Dall SRX, Johnstone RA (2002). Managing uncertainty: Information and insurance under the risk of starvation.
Abstract:
Managing uncertainty: Information and insurance under the risk of starvation
Abstract.
Publications by year
2023
Kressler MM, Dall SRX, Sherley RB (2023). A framework for studying ecological energy in the contemporary marine environment.
ICES Journal of Marine Science,
80(6), 1580-1593.
Abstract:
A framework for studying ecological energy in the contemporary marine environment
Abstract
. Historic limitations have resulted in marine ecological studies usually overlooking some well-established concepts from behavioural ecology. This is likely because the methods available were easily overwhelmed by the scale of ecological processes and sampling resolution in the marine environment. Innovations in technology, data management, and statistical modelling now provide the capacity to fully embrace behavioural ecology concepts and study marine ecological interactions from a more holistic perspective. To facilitate this vision, we propose a novel perspective and workflow for marine ecology: the Seascape of Ecological Energy, or SEE-scapes. SEE-scapes contextualizes the accumulated knowledge from marine biology and behavioural ecology research and provides a guide for marine scientists interested in grounding their research in behavioural ecology’s first principles. SEE-scapes specifies relevant considerations for contemporary seascapes, with special attention to relationships between individuals and their conspecifics, competitors, predators, and the abiotic environment. It is formulated to account for how the unique features of marine vertebrates require revisions to standard, terrestrially focused methodological approaches, and offers solutions for how to sample and model the eco-evolutionary drivers of behaviour across the dynamic and hierarchical seascape. Simply put, SEE-scapes provides the guidance to translate a dynamic system and reveal opportunities for collaborative and integrative research.
Abstract.
Brakes P (2023). The significance of non-human culture for the conservation of cetaceans and other vertebrates.
Abstract:
The significance of non-human culture for the conservation of cetaceans and other vertebrates
The central proposition of this thesis is that non-human cultural transmission can interface with population dynamics to generate patterns and processes which can cause population level effects and thus inform conservation science, policy and practice. Culture can provide insights for both how conservation is conducted and what managers should be aiming to conserve (the ‘unit to conserve’). In this research, available evidence was gathered and a wide collaboration with experts in this field was established. This enabled the development of a conceptual framework to help guide researchers and practitioners towards ‘future-proofing’ populations by conserving both cultural variation and the capacity for innovation and social learning to maximize the resilience of vulnerable populations.
To illuminate some of the underlying processes, theoretical models were then constructed to investigate the dual dynamics of cultural transmission and population dynamics. Here it is shown that social learning can generate transient dynamics which may inform the timing of some conservation interventions. It is also demonstrated that under certain parameter regimes social learning can bring about cultural bistability, cultural hysteresis, or cultural exclusion. Further, it is shown how in a density dependent system, cultural transmission could generate chaos. These findings are considered within the context of conservation and policy. It is concluded that given the complexity of the coupled processes of population dynamics and cultural transmission - and the practical challenges associated with collecting fine scale data on how culture may influence vital rates - that conservation policy makers and practitioners should aim to conserve cultural diversity, within and between populations, as an essential source of adaptive behaviour.
Abstract.
2022
Leimar O, Dall SRX, Houston AI, McNamara JM (2022). Behavioural specialization and learning in social networks.
Proc Biol Sci,
289(1980).
Abstract:
Behavioural specialization and learning in social networks.
Interactions in social groups can promote behavioural specialization. One way this can happen is when individuals engage in activities with two behavioural options and learn which option to choose. We analyse interactions in groups where individuals learn from playing games with two actions and negatively frequency-dependent payoffs, such as producer-scrounger, caller-satellite, or hawk-dove games. Group members are placed in social networks, characterized by the group size and the number of neighbours to interact with, ranging from just a few neighbours to interactions between all group members. The networks we analyse include ring lattices and the much-studied small-world networks. By implementing two basic reinforcement-learning approaches, action-value learning and actor-critic learning, in different games, we find that individuals often show behavioural specialization. Specialization develops more rapidly when there are few neighbours in a network and when learning rates are high. There can be learned specialization also with many neighbours, but we show that, for action-value learning, behavioural consistency over time is higher with a smaller number of neighbours. We conclude that frequency-dependent competition for resources is a main driver of specialization. We discuss our theoretical results in relation to experimental and field observations of behavioural specialization in social situations.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Bushnell-Crowther E (2022). The genetic basis of adaptive behavioural traits in a global crop pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer).
Abstract:
The genetic basis of adaptive behavioural traits in a global crop pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer)
Myzus persicae is the most economically important aphid pest in temperate regions of the world causing damage to a range of food and commodity crops. This species is highly adaptable and attempts to control M. persicae using chemical insecticides have led to the evolution of resistance – with at least eight genetically distinct mechanisms described to date. In addition to variation in sensitivity to insecticides different genotypes of M. persicae exhibit variation in a range of other traits. These include behavioural traits, such as response to alarm pheromone, predator threat or insecticide presence. Additionally, in certain cases variation in these traits has been associated with genetic alterations that confer insecticide resistance, revealing potential fitness costs associated with resistance. Despite previous studies the extent of variation in behavioural traits within and between different genotypes of M. persicae, the link with insecticide resistance, and their genetic control is poorly understood.
To address this knowledge gap, 110 genetically distinct clonal lines of M. persicae were examined for variation in behavioural responses to three external stimuli with behavioural variation analysed against genomic and transcriptomic variation between clones. Pheromone behavioural assays provided clear evidence that genetically distinct clones of M. persicae vary in their response to (E)-β-Farnesene. Marked variation was observed between high responding clones (>60% total response) and low responding clones (
Abstract.
2021
Brakes P, Carroll EL, Dall SRX, Keith SA, McGregor PK, Mesnick SL, Noad MJ, Rendell L, Robbins MM, Rutz C, et al (2021). A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
288(1949).
Abstract:
A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation
A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to anthropogenic change, and provide examples of how it can result in phenotypically distinct units with different, socially learnt behavioural strategies. While identifying culture and social learning can be challenging, indirect identification and parsimonious inferences may be informative. Finally, we identify relevant methodologies and provide a framework for viewing behavioural data through a cultural lens which might provide new insights for conservation management.
Abstract.
Dall S (2021). Book Review - Game Theory in Biology: Concepts and Frontiers. Animal Behaviour, 174, 77-78.
Kuijper A, Leimar O, Hammerstein P, McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2021). The evolution of social learning as phenotypic cue integration. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376(1828).
Smolla M, Jansson F, Lehmann L, Houkes W, Weissing FJ, Hammerstein P, Dall SRX, Kuijper B, Enquist M (2021). Underappreciated features of cultural evolution.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
376(1828).
Abstract:
Underappreciated features of cultural evolution
Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose 12 key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature.
. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.
Abstract.
2020
Kuijper B, Leimar O, Hammerstein P, McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2020). The evolution of social learning as phenotypic cue integration.
Abstract:
The evolution of social learning as phenotypic cue integration
AbstractMost analyses of the origins of cultural evolution focus on when and where social learning prevails over individual learning, overlooking the fact that there are other developmental inputs that influence phenotypic fit to the selective environment. This raises the question how the presence of other cue ‘channels’ affects the scope for social learning. Here, we present a model that considers the simultaneous evolution of (i) multiple forms of social learning (involving vertical or horizontal learning based on either prestige or conformity biases) within the broader context of other evolving inputs on phenotype determination, including (ii) heritable epigenetic factors, (iii) individual learning, (iv) environmental and cascading maternal effects, (v) conservative bet-hedging and (vi) genetic cues. In fluctuating environments that are autocorrelated (and hence predictable), we find that social learning from members of the same generation (horizontal social learning) explains the large majority of phenotypic variation, whereas other cues are much less important. Moreover, social learning based on prestige biases typically prevails in positively autocorrelated environments, whereas conformity biases prevail in negatively autocorrelated environments. Only when environments are unpredictable or horizontal social learning is characterised by an intrinsically low information content, other cues such as conservative bet-hedging or vertical prestige biases prevail.
Abstract.
Smolla M, Jansson F, Lehmann L, Houkes W, Weissing FJ, Hammerstein P, Dall SRX, Kuijper B, Enquist M (2020). Underappreciated features of cultural evolution.
2019
Frankenhuis W, Nettle D, Dall SRX (2019). A case for environmental statistics of early life effects. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 374, 20180110-20180110.
Brakes P, Dall SRX, Aplin LM, Bearhop S, Carroll EL, Ciucci P, Fishlock V, Ford JKB, Garland EC, Keith SA, et al (2019). Animal cultures matter for conservation. Science
Okada K, Okada Y, Dall SRX, Hosken DJ (2019). Loser-effect duration evolves independently of fighting ability. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1903), 20190582-20190582.
Morand-Ferron J, Doligez B, Dall SRX, Reader SM (2019). Social information use. In (Ed)
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 394-402.
Abstract:
Social information use
Abstract.
Evans JC, Torney CJ, Dall S, Votier SC (2019). Social information use and collective foraging in a pursuit diving seabird. PLoS One, 14
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Wilson AJ (2019). Ultimate (Re)Thinking for Behavioural Biology. In Hunt J, Hosken DJ, Wedell N (Eds.)
Genes and Behaviour: Beyond Nature-Nurture, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 11-25.
Abstract:
Ultimate (Re)Thinking for Behavioural Biology
Abstract.
2018
Dubois F, Heeb P, Dall SRX, Giraldeau L-A (2018). Behavioral Consequence of Exploitation. In (Ed) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics, MIT Press.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Kuijper B, Hammerstein P (2018). Ecological genetic conflict between specialism and plasticity through genomic islands of divergence.
Abstract:
Ecological genetic conflict between specialism and plasticity through genomic islands of divergence
AbstractThere can be genetic conflict between genome elements differing in transmission patterns, and thus in evolutionary interests. We show here that the concept of genetic conflict provides new insight into local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. Local adaptation to heterogeneous habitats sometimes occurs as tightly linked clusters of genes with among-habitat polymorphism, referred to as genomic islands of divergence, and our work sheds light on their evolution. Phenotypic plasticity can also influence the divergence between ecotypes, through developmental responses to habitat-specificcues. We show that clustered genes coding for ecological specialism and unlinked generalist genes coding for phenotypic plasticity differ in their evolutionary interest. This is an ecological genetic conflict, operating between habitat specialism and phenotypically plastic generalism. The phenomenon occurs both for single traits and for syndromes of co-adapted traits. Using individual-based simulations and numerical analysis, we investigate how among-habitat genetic polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity depend on genetic architecture. We show that for plasticity genes that are unlinked to a genomic island of divergence, the slope of a reaction norm will be steeper in comparison with the slope favored by plasticity genes that are tightly linked to genes for local adaptation.
Abstract.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Kuijper A, Hammerstein P (2018). Ecological genetic conflict: Genetic architecture can shift the balance between local adaptation and plasticity. American Naturalist
Evans JC, Dall SRX, Kight C (2018). Effects of ambient noise on zebra finch vigilance and foraging efficiency.
PLoS ONE,
13(12), e0209471-e0209471.
Abstract:
Effects of ambient noise on zebra finch vigilance and foraging efficiency
Ambient noise can affect the availability of acoustic information to animals, altering both for- aging and vigilance behaviour. Using captive zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, we exam- ined the effect of ambient broadband noise on foraging decisions. Birds were given a choice between foraging in a quiet area where conspecific calls could be heard or a noisy area where these calls would be masked. Birds foraging in noisy areas spent a significantly more time vigilant than those in quiet areas, resulting in less efficient foraging. Despite this there was no significant difference in the amount of time spent in the two noise regimes. However there did appear a preference for initially choosing quiet patches during individuals’ second trial. These results emphasise how masking noise can influence the foraging and anti-pre- dation behaviour of animals, which is particularly relevant as anthropogenic noise becomes increasingly prevalent in the natural world.
Introduction
Abstract.
King AJ, Kosfeld M, Dall SRX, Greiner B, Kameda T, Khalmetski K, Leininger W, Wedekind C, Winterhalder B (2018). Exploitative Strategies. In (Ed) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics, MIT Press.
Caro T, Dall SRX (2018). Research kudos does not need a price tag. Nature, 553, 281-281.
2017
Dubois F, Heeb P, Dall SRX, Giraldeau LA (2017). Behavioral consequences of social parasitism. In Giraldeau LA, Heeb P, Kosfeld M (Eds.) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, Cambridge, MA, USA: the MIT Press, 189-203.
King AJ, Kosfeld M, Dall SRX, Greiner B, Kameda T, Khalmetski K, Leninger W, Wedekind C, Winterhalder B (2017). Exploitative strategies: consequences for individual behavior, social structure, and design of social institutions. In Giraldeau LA, Heeb P, Kosfeld M (Eds.) Investors and Exploiters in Ecology and Economics: Principles and Applications, the MIT Press, 205-214.
Higginson AD, McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2017). Towards a behavioural ecology of obesity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, e118-e118.
2016
Vaquero-Alba I, McGowan A, Pincheira-Donoso D, Evans MR, Dall SRX (2016). A quantitative analysis of objective feather color assessment: measurements in the lab do not reflect true plumage color. Auk: a quarterly journal of ornithology, 133, 325-337.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX, Hammerstein P, Leimar O (2016). Detection vs selection: integration of genetic, epigenetic and environmental cues in fluctuating environments. Ecology Letters, 19(10), 1267-1276.
Thornton A, McAuliffe K, Dall SRX, Fernandez-Duque E, Garber PA, Young AJ (2016). Fundamental Problems with the Cooperative Breeding Hypothesis. A reply to Burkart & Van Schaik. Journal of Zoology, 299(2), 84-88.
Leimar O, Dall SRX, Hammerstein P, McNamara JM (2016). Genes as cues of relatedness and social evolution in heterogeneous environments. PLoS Computational Biology, 12(6), e1005006-e1005006.
Ioannou CC, Dall SRX (2016). Individuals that are consistent in risk-taking benefit during collective foraging. Scientific Reports, 6, 33991-33991.
Evans JC, Votier SC, Dall SRX (2016). Information use in colonial living.
Biological Reviews,
91(3), 658-672.
Abstract:
Information use in colonial living
Despite the fact that many animals live in groups, there is still no clear consensus about the ecological or evolutionary mechanisms underlying colonial living. Recently, research has suggested that colonies may be important as sources of social information. The ready availability of information from conspecifics allows animals to make better decisions about avoiding predators, reducing brood parasitism, migratory phenology, mate choice, habitat choice and foraging. These choices can play a large part in the development and maintenance of colonies. Here we review the types of information provided by colonial animals and examine the different ways in which decision-making in colonies can be enhanced by social information. We discuss what roles information might take in the evolution, formation and maintenance of colonies. In the process, we illustrate that information use permeates all aspects of colonial living.
Abstract.
Brakes P, Dall SRX (2016). Marine mammal behavior: a review of conservation implications. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3, 87-87.
Evans JC, Dall SRX, Bolton M, Owen E, Votier SC (2016). Social foraging in European shags: GPS tracking reveals birds in neighbouring colonies have shared foraging grounds.
Journal of Ornithology,
157(1), 23-32.
Abstract:
Social foraging in European shags: GPS tracking reveals birds in neighbouring colonies have shared foraging grounds.
Developments in tracking technologies have enhanced our understanding of the behaviours of many seabird species. However few studies have examined the social aspects of seabird foraging behaviour, despite the effect this might have on the distribution of foraging areas and the differences that might arise between colonies. Here we use bird-borne GPS and behavioural observation to study the social foraging behaviour and habitat use of breeding shags from three breeding colonies in the Isles of Scilly, UK. Thirteen breeding shags from three colonies (six at two colonies, and a single bird from another) were tracked in the Isles of Scilly between 2010 and 2012 and related this to observed dataobservations of on conspecific foraging aggregations (2013 - 2014) and bathymetry. Tracked shags had short foraging ranges (1.74 ± 1.6 km) mostly travelling to shallow waters between the islands. and Oobservations in these same waters revealed large that many shags foraged in largeforaging social groupsups of shags between that were consistentpersisted in time and space. There were also no clear differences in foraging distributions among the colonies – birds shared similar foraging grounds. Our finding provides important insight into the use of social information among foraging seabirds and how this may lead to shared foraging areas, as well as space partitioning.
Abstract.
Mesoudi A, Chang L, Dall SRX, Thornton A (2016). The evolution of individual and cultural variation in social learning. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 31(3), 215-225.
David M, Dall SRX (2016). Unravelling the philosophies underlying ‘animal personality’ studies: a brief reappraisal of the field. Ethology, 122(1), 1-9.
2015
Schuett W, Koegl BB, Dall SRX, Laaksonen T (2015). Do pied flycatchers use personal or social information for replacement clutch decisions? a field experiment.
Ethology,
121(7), 686-693.
Abstract:
Do pied flycatchers use personal or social information for replacement clutch decisions? a field experiment
Life is a continuous stream of decisions: organisms are repeatedly confronted with multiple options from which to choose. To make the best decisions and maximize their fitness, individuals need to collect information: from direct interactions with the environment (personal information) or from observing other individuals interacting with the environment (social information). Yet, very little is known about the details of decision-making by animals in their natural environments, including the sources of information they use in the process. We set out to determine the relative importance of social and personal information in breeding-habitat decisions in the migratory pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca. In a field experiment in Finland, we manipulated flycatcher breeding success and then allowed individuals to choose among breeding sites labelled with artificial cues (arbitrary symbols) associated with their own (manipulated) and neighbour’s reproductive success, respectively, for laying a replacement clutch. Birds did not appear to distinguish among the symbols representing their own, their neighbour’s or a neutral symbol, indicating that they did not use either information source when deciding about a replacement clutch. Also, the choice did not influence subsequent investment into breeding (clutch size). This may suggest that pied flycatchers utilize other cues (e.g. breeding success or predation risk on larger scales) or no cues when having to make a very quick decision about replacement clutches. We discuss our results in light of constraints imposed by a short breeding season of migratory birds.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Leimar O (2015). Genes as cues: phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution,
30(6), 327-333.
Abstract:
Genes as cues: phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective
The development of multicellular organisms involves a delicate interplay between genetic and environmental influences. It is often useful to think of developmental systems as integrating available sources of information about current conditions to produce organisms. Genes and inherited physiology provide cues, as does the state of the environment during development. The integration systems themselves are under genetic control, and subject to Darwinian selection, so we expect them to evolve to produce organisms that fit well with current ecological (including social) conditions. We argue for the scientific value of this explicitly informational perspective by providing detailed examples of how it can elucidate taxonomically diverse phenomena. We also present a general framework for linking genetic and phenotypic variation from an informational perspective. This application of Darwinian logic at the organismal level can elucidate genetic influences on phenotypic variation in novel and counterintuitive ways.
Abstract.
Dalesman S, Rendle A, Dall SRX (2015). Habitat stability, predation risk and ‘memory syndromes’.
Scientific Reports,
5, 10538-10538.
Abstract:
Habitat stability, predation risk and ‘memory syndromes’
Habitat stability and predation pressure are thought to be major drivers in the evolutionary maintenance of behavioural syndromes, with trait covariance only occurring within specific habitats. However, animals also exhibit behavioural plasticity, often through memory formation. Memory
formation across traits may be linked, with covariance in memory traits (memory syndromes) selected under particular environmental conditions. This study tests whether the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, demonstrates consistency among memory traits (‘memory syndrome’) related to threat avoidance and foraging. We used eight populations originating from three different habitat types: i) laboratory populations (stable habitat, predator-free); ii) river populations (fairly stable habitat, fish predation); and iii) ditch populations (unstable habitat, invertebrate predation). At a population level, there was a negative relationship between memories related to threat avoidance and food selectivity, but no consistency within habitat type. At an individual level, covariance between memory traits was dependent on habitat. Laboratory populations showed no covariance among memory traits, whereas river populations showed a positive correlation between food memories, and ditch populations demonstrated a negative relationship between threat memory and food memories. Therefore, selection pressures among habitats appear to act independently on memory trait covariation at an individual level and the average response within a population.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Kloesener MH, Baeumer J, Beinlich F, Eggers T (2015). Life-history trade-offs mediate ‘personality’ variation in two colour morphs of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84(1), 90-101.
2014
Vaquero-Alba I, McGowan A, Pincheira-Donoso D, Evans MR, Dall SRX (2014). A quantitative analysis of objective feather colour assessment: measurements in the lab are more reliable than in the field.
Dall SRX, Griffith SC (2014). An empiricist guide to animal personality variation in ecology and evolution.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution,
2Abstract:
An empiricist guide to animal personality variation in ecology and evolution
The study of animal personality variation promises to provide significant new insight into the way that behaviour evolves in animals, along with its ecological and evolutionary influences. We strongly advocate more empirical work in this exciting and rapidly expanding research area, but hope that new studies adopt a more hypothesis-driven and/or experimental approach than seems to be usual at the moment. Here we outline what we feel is “good practice” to the many empiricists that are keen on pursuing work in this field. We highlight the substantial body of theoretical work that exists for providing well-reasoned hypotheses, which new empirical studies should be designed to test. Furthermore, using a brief review of existing work on the behavioural ecology of animal personality variation in the zebra finch - one of the more widely used model systems in this field - we stress the importance of understanding the ecology of the chosen study animal, and the problems that are likely to arise by neglecting to identify or account for the structure of behavioural variation that is often likely to occur.
Abstract.
2013
Weber NL, Carter SP, Dall SRX, Delahay RJ, McDonald JL, Bearhop S, McDonald RA (2013). Badger social networks correlate with tuberculosis infection.
Current Biology,
23(20), R915-R916.
Abstract:
Badger social networks correlate with tuberculosis infection
Although disease hosts are classically assumed to interact randomly, infection is likely to spread across structured and dynamic contact networks. We used social network analyses to investigate contact patterns of group-living European badgers Meles meles, which are an important wildlife reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (TB). We found that TB test-positive badgers were socially isolated from their own groups but were more important for flow, potentially of infection, between social groups. The distinctive social position of infected badgers may help explain how social stability mitigates, and social perturbation increases, the spread of infection in badgers.
Abstract.
Kight CR, McNamara JM, Stephens DW, Dall SRX (2013). COMMUNICATION AS INFORMATION USE: INSIGHTS FROM STATISTICAL DECISION THEORY. In Stegmann UE (Ed)
Animal communication theory: Information and Influence, Cambridge University Press, 89-110.
Abstract:
COMMUNICATION AS INFORMATION USE: INSIGHTS FROM STATISTICAL DECISION THEORY
Abstract.
Weber N, Bearhop S, Dall SRX, Delahay RJ, McDonald RA, Carter SP (2013). Denning behaviour of the European badger (Meles meles) correlates with bovine tuberculosis infection status.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,
67, 471-479.
Abstract:
Denning behaviour of the European badger (Meles meles) correlates with bovine tuberculosis infection status
Heterogeneities in behaviours of individuals may underpin important processes in evolutionary biology and ecology, including the spread of disease. Modelling approaches can sometimes fail to predict disease spread, which may partly be due to the number of unknown sources of variation in host behaviour. The European badger is a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Britain and Ireland, and individual behaviour has been demonstrated to be an important factor in the spread of bTB among badgers and to cattle. Radio-telemetry devices were deployed on 40 badgers from eight groups to investigate patterns of den (sett) use in a high-density population, where each group had one or two main and three to eight outlier setts in their territory. Badgers were located at their setts for 28 days per season for one year to investigate how patterns differed between individuals. Denning behaviour may have a strong influence on contact patterns and the transmission of disease. We found significant heterogeneity, influenced by season, sex and age. Also, when controlling for these, bTB infection status interacting with season was highly correlated with sett use. Test-positive badgers spent more time away from their main sett than those that tested negative. We speculate that wider-ranging behaviour of test-positive animals may result in them contacting sources of infection more frequently and/or that their behaviour may be influenced by their disease status. Measures to control infectious diseases might be improved by targeting functional groups, specific areas, or times of year that may contribute disproportionately to disease spread.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Wilson AJ, Royle NJ (2013). Environmental transmission of a personality trait: Foster parent exploration behaviour predicts offspring exploration behaviour in zebra finches.
Biology Letters,
9(4).
Abstract:
Environmental transmission of a personality trait: Foster parent exploration behaviour predicts offspring exploration behaviour in zebra finches
Consistent behavioural differences between individuals are common in many species and can have important effects on offspring fitness. To understand the evolution of such personality variation it is important to determine the mode of inheritance, but this has been quantified for only a few species. Here, we report results from a breeding experiment in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, in which we cross-fostered offspring to disentangle the importance of genetic and non-genetic transmission of behaviour. Genetic and foster-parents’ exploratory type was measured in a novel environment pre-breeding and offspring exploratory type was assessed at adulthood. Offspring exploratory type was predicted by the exploratory behaviour of the foster but not the genetic parents, whereas offspring size was predicted by genetic but not foster parents’ size. Other aspects of the social environment, such as rearing regime (uni- versus biparental), hatching position, brood size, or an individual’s sex did not influence offspring exploration. Our results therefore indicate that non-genetic transmission of behaviour can play an important role in shaping animal personality variation.
Abstract.
Mathot KJ, Dall SRX (2013). Metabolic rates can drive individual differences in information and insurance use under the risk of starvation.
The American Naturalist,
182(5), 611-620.
Abstract:
Metabolic rates can drive individual differences in information and insurance use under the risk of starvation
Variation in how individuals invest in acquiring information (sampling) and in insuring themselves against potential negative consequences of uncertainty (e.g. by storing energy reserves) have been suggested to underlie consistent individual differences in suites of behavioral traits. However, the key drivers of individual differences in information use remain poorly understood. We use dynamic programming to explore how existing variation in metabolic rates (MRs) affects the use of sampling and insurance under starvation risk. Our analysis reveals non-linear effects of MR on diurnal patterns of sampling and insurance. Individuals with low MRs accrue reserves quickly, because they invest in sampling and are able to exploit profitable options when they arise. Individuals with intermediate MRs initially lose reserves because sampling, while optimal, is relatively expensive, but later build reserves due to efficient exploitation of alternative foraging options. Sampling rarely pays for individuals with the highest MRs, which show relatively constant levels of energy reserves throughout the foraging period. Thus, individual variation in MRs on the scale observed in natural populations can lead to important differences in investment in sampling and insurance, and may underpin consistent individual differences in suites of other behavioral traits including individual differences in behavioral responsiveness.
Abstract.
David M, Auclair Y, Dall SRX, Cezilly F (2013). Pairing context determines condition-dependence of song rate in a monogamous passerine bird.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences,
280Abstract:
Pairing context determines condition-dependence of song rate in a monogamous passerine bird
Condition-dependence of male ornaments is thought to provide honest signals on which females can base their sexual choice for genetic quality. Recent studies yet show that condition-dependence patterns can vary within populations. Whereas long-term association is thought to promote honest signalling, no study has explored the influence of pairing context on the condition-dependence of male ornaments. In the present study we assessed the influence of natural variation in body condition on song rate in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in three different situations: during short and long encounters with an unfamiliar female, and within heterosexual mated pairs. We found consistent individual differences in male directed and undirected song rate. Moreover, body condition had a positive effect on song rate in paired males. However, male song rate was not influenced by body condition during short or long encounters with unfamiliar females. Song rate appears as an unreliable signal of condition to prospective females as even poor-condition birds can cheat and sing at a high rate. In contrast, paired females can reliably use song rate to assess their mate’s body condition and possibly genetic quality. We propose that species’ characteristics, such as mating system, should be systematically taken into account to generate relevant hypotheses about the evolution of condition-dependent male ornaments.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Díaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings. Biological sciences / the Royal Society,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of predictive systems ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practised and we summarize a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Diaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of Predictive Systems Ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practiced and we summarise a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Evans MR, Bithell M, Cornell SJ, Dall SRX, Díaz S, Emmott S, Ernande B, Grimm V, Hodgson DJ, Lewis SL, et al (2013). Predictive systems ecology.
Proceedings. Biological sciences / the Royal Society,
280(1771).
Abstract:
Predictive systems ecology.
Human societies, and their well-being, depend to a significant extent on the state of the ecosystems that surround them. These ecosystems are changing rapidly usually in response to anthropogenic changes in the environment. To determine the likely impact of environmental change on ecosystems and the best ways to manage them, it would be desirable to be able to predict their future states. We present a proposal to develop the paradigm of predictive systems ecology, explicitly to understand and predict the properties and behaviour of ecological systems. We discuss the necessary and desirable features of predictive systems ecology models. There are places where predictive systems ecology is already being practised and we summarize a range of terrestrial and marine examples. Significant challenges remain but we suggest that ecology would benefit both as a scientific discipline and increase its impact in society if it were to embrace the need to become more predictive.
Abstract.
Kight CR, David M, Dall SRX (2013). The Evolution of Animal Personality Variation. In Kehrer-Sawatzki H (Ed)
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Abstract:
The Evolution of Animal Personality Variation
Abstract.
2012
Dall SRX, Bell AM, Bolnick DI, Ratnieks FLW (2012). An evolutionary ecology of individual differences.
Ecology Letters,
15(10), 1189-1198.
Abstract:
An evolutionary ecology of individual differences
Individuals often differ in what they do. This has been recognised since antiquity. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary significance of such variation is attracting widespread interest, which is burgeoning to an extent that is fragmenting the literature. As a first attempt at synthesis, we focus on individual differences in behaviour within populations that exceed the day-to-day variation in individual behaviour (i.e. behavioural specialisation). Indeed, the factors promoting ecologically relevant behavioural specialisation within natural populations are likely to have far reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences. We discuss such individual differences from three distinct perspectives: individual niche specialisations, the division of labour within insect societies and animal personality variation. In the process, while recognising that each area has its own unique motivations, we identify a number of opportunities for productive 'cross-fertilisation' among the (largely independent) bodies of work. We conclude that a complete understanding of evolutionary and ecologically relevant individual differences must specify how ecological interactions impact the basic biological process (e.g. Darwinian selection, development, information processing) that underpin the organismal features determining behavioural specialisations. Moreover, there is likely to be co-variation amongst behavioural specialisations. Thus, we sketch the key elements of a general framework for studying the evolutionary ecology of individual differences.
Abstract.
Baker CCM, Dall SRX, Rankin DJ (2012). Kin selection and the evolution of social information use in animal conflict.
PLOS ONE,
7(2).
Abstract:
Kin selection and the evolution of social information use in animal conflict
Animals often use social information about conspecifics in making decisions about cooperation and conflict. While the importance of kin selection in the evolution of intraspecific cooperation and conflict is widely acknowledged, few studies have examined how relatedness influences the evolution of social information use. Here we specifically examine how relatedness affects the evolution of a stylised form of social information use known as eavesdropping. Eavesdropping involves individuals escalating conflicts with rivals observed to have lost their last encounter and avoiding fights with those seen to have won. We use a game theoretical model to examine how relatedness affects the evolution of eavesdropping, both when strategies are discrete and when they are continuous or mixed. We show that relatedness influences the evolution of eavesdropping, such that information use peaks at intermediate relatedness. Our study highlights the importance of considering kin selection when exploring the evolution of complex forms of information use.
Abstract.
Drewe JA, Weber N, Carter SP, Bearhop S, Harrison XA, Dall SRX, McDonald RA, Delahay RJ (2012). Performance of proximity loggers in recording intra- and inter-species interactions: a laboratory and field-based validation study.
PLoS One,
7(6).
Abstract:
Performance of proximity loggers in recording intra- and inter-species interactions: a laboratory and field-based validation study
Knowledge of the way in which animals interact through social networks can help to address questions surrounding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of social organisation, and to understand and manage the spread of infectious diseases. Automated proximity loggers are increasingly being used to record interactions between animals, but the accuracy and reliability of the collected data remain largely un-assessed. Here we use laboratory and observational field data to assess the performance of these devices fitted to a herd of 32 beef cattle (Bos taurus) and nine groups of badgers (Meles meles, n = 77) living in the surrounding woods. The distances at which loggers detected each other were found to decrease over time, potentially related to diminishing battery power that may be a function of temperature. Loggers were highly accurate in recording the identification of contacted conspecifics, but less reliable at determining contact duration. There was a tendency for extended interactions to be recorded as a series of shorter contacts. We show how data can be manipulated to correct this discrepancy and accurately reflect observed interaction patterns by combining records between any two loggers that occur within a 1 to 2 minute amalgamation window, and then removing any remaining 1 second records. We make universally applicable recommendations for the effective use of proximity loggers, to improve the validity of data arising from future studies.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Gosling SD, Brown GD, Dingemanse N, Erev I, Kocher M, Schulz L, Todd PM, Weissing FJ, Wolf M, et al (2012). Variation in Decision Making. In Hammerstein P, Stevens JR (Eds.)
Evolution and the Mechanisms of Decision Making, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 243-272.
Abstract:
Variation in Decision Making
Abstract.
2011
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Baeumer J, Kloesener MH, Nakagawa S, Beinlich F, Eggers T (2011). 'Personality' variation in a clonal insect:
the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.
DEV PSYCHOBIOL,
53(6), 631-640.
Abstract:
'Personality' variation in a clonal insect:
the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum
Individuals are often consistent in their behaviour but vary from each other in the level of behaviour shown. Despite burgeoning interest in such animal personality variation, studies on invertebrates are scarce, and studies on clonal invertebrates non-existent. This is surprising given the obvious advantages of using invertebrates/clones to tackle the crucial question why such consistent behavioural differences exist. Here we show that individuals of clonal pea aphids exhibit consistent behavioural differences in their escape responses to a predator attack (dropping versus non-dropping off a plant). However, behaviour was not repeatable at the clonal level. Genetically identical clones expressed various phenotypes but different clones produced different proportions of each phenotype (dropper, non-dropper and inconsistent). Manipulations of early environmental conditions had little qualitative impact on such patterns. We discuss the importance of our findings for future studies of the evolutionary and ecological consequences of personality variation.
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2011). Animal behaviour: evolution and mechanisms. ANIM BEHAV, 81
Schuett W, Godin JGJ, Dall SRX (2011). Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?.
ETHOLOGY,
117, 908-917.
Abstract:
Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?
A major challenge in behavioural and evolutionary ecology is to understand the evolution and maintenance of consistent behavioural differences among individuals within populations, often referred to as animal “personalities”. Here we present evidence suggesting that sexual selection may act on such personality differences in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), as females seem to choose males on the basis of their exploratory behaviour per se, while taking into account their own personality. After observing a pair of males, whose apparent levels of exploration were experimentally manipulated, females that exhibited low exploratory tendencies showed no preference during mate choice for males that had appeared to be either “exploratory” or “unexploratory”. In contrast, intermediate and highly exploratory females preferred apparently exploratory males over apparently unexploratory ones. Our results suggest that behavioural or genetic compatibility for personality traits might be important for mate choice, at least for exploratory individuals.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Godin J-G, Dall SRX (2011). Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?.
ETHOLOGY,
in pressAbstract:
Do female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, choose their mates based on their “personality”?
A major challenge in behavioural and evolutionary ecology is to understand the evolution and maintenance of consistent behavioural differences among individuals within populations, often referred to as animal “personalities”. Here we present evidence suggesting that sexual selection may act on such personality differences in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), as females seem to choose males on the basis of their exploratory behaviour per se, while taking into account their own personality. After observing a pair of males, whose apparent levels of exploration were experimentally manipulated, females that exhibited low exploratory tendencies showed no preference during mate choice for males that had appeared to be either “exploratory” or “unexploratory”. In contrast, intermediate and highly exploratory females preferred apparently exploratory males over apparently unexploratory ones. Our results suggest that behavioural or genetic compatibility for personality traits might be important for mate choice, at least for exploratory individuals.
Abstract.
Abbot P, Abe J, Alcock J, Alizon S, Alpedrinha JAC, Andersson M, Andre J, van Baalen M, Balloux F, Balshine S, et al (2011). Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
NATURE,
471, E1-E4.
Abstract:
Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality
Nowak et al.1 argue that inclusive fitness theory has been of little value in explaining the natural world, and that it has led to negligible progress in explaining the evolution of eusociality. However, we believe that their arguments are based upon a misunderstanding of evolutionary theory and a misrepresentation of the empirical literature. We will focus our comments on three general issues.
Abstract.
Abbot P, Abe J, Alcock J, Alizon S, Alpedrinha JAC, Andersson M, Andre J-B, van Baalen M, Balloux F, Balshine S, et al (2011). Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
Nature,
471(7339), E1-E4.
Abstract:
Inclusive fitness theory and eusociality.
Arising from M. A. Nowak, C. E. Tarnita & E. O. Wilson 466, 1057-1062 (2010); Nowak et al. reply. Nowak et al. argue that inclusive fitness theory has been of little value in explaining the natural world, and that it has led to negligible progress in explaining the evolution of eusociality. However, we believe that their arguments are based upon a misunderstanding of evolutionary theory and a misrepresentation of the empirical literature. We will focus our comments on three general issues.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Schuett W, Dall SRX, Royle NJ (2011). Pairs of zebra finches with similar “personalities” make better parents.
ANIM BEHAV,
81, 609-618.
Abstract:
Pairs of zebra finches with similar “personalities” make better parents
Although behavioural plasticity should be an advantage in a varying world, there is increasing evidence for widespread stable individual differences in the behaviour of animals: i.e. “personality”. Here we provide evidence suggesting that sexual selection is an important factor in the evolution of personality in species with biparental care. Using a cross-fostering breeding experiment on zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, we demonstrate for the first time that parental personality traits and the combination of personalities within breeding pairs can have positive effects on correlates of (foster) offspring fitness (body mass and condition). Furthermore these non-genetic parental effects are pervasive and carry-over into the next generation. Our results suggest that similarity in behavioural traits of biparental species can have important, long-lasting effects on reproductive success, most likely due to reduced sexual conflict over the provision of parental investment.
Abstract.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2011). The evolution of unconditional strategies via the "multiplier effect".
ECOLOGY LETTERS,
14, 237-243.
Abstract:
The evolution of unconditional strategies via the "multiplier effect"
Ostensibly, it makes sense in a changeable world to condition behaviour and development on information when it is available. Nevertheless, unconditional behavioural and life history strategies are widespread. Here we show how inter-generational effects can limit the evolutionary value of responding to reliable environmental cues, and thus favour the evolutionary persistence of otherwise paradoxical unconditional strategies. While cue-ignoring genotypes do poorly in the wrong environments, in the right environment they will leave many copies of themselves, which will themselves leave many copies, and so on, leading genotypes to accumulate in habitats in which they do well. We call this 'The Multiplier Effect'. We explore the consequences of the multiplier effect by focussing on the ecologically important phenomenon of natal philopatry. We model the environment as a large number of temporally varying breeding sites connected by natal dispersal between sites. Our aim is to identify which aspects of an environment promote the multiplier effect. We show, if sites remain connected through some background level of ‘accidental’ dispersal, unconditional natal philopatry can evolve even when there is density dependence (with its accompanying kin competition effects), and cues that are only mildly erroneous. Thus, the multiplier effect may underpin the evolution and maintenance of unconditional strategies such as natal philopatry in many biological systems.
Abstract.
2010
Schuett W, Dall SRX (2010). Appearance, 'state' and behavior in male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
JOURNAL OF ETHOLOGY,
28(2), 273-286.
Abstract:
Appearance, 'state' and behavior in male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
Secondary sexual traits are often costly to produce and therefore an individual’s appearance can signal its quality. As the quality of an individual influences the payoffs associated with the actions it can perform, its appearance should also influence its behavior. Here we investigate whether male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, change their behavior (and their energetic states) after artificial manipulations of their appearance, using different colored leg-bands, and if such effects carry over after the end of the manipulation, as might be expected if appearance-mediated social dynamics ‘lock’ individuals into different states. During three experimental phases, in which all males in a group wore neutral colored leg-bands at the beginning (phase I), then got attractive, unattractive and neutral colored bands, respectively (phase II), before getting the neutral color again (phase III), we found no evidence of an effect of the appearance manipulation on state, weight or any behavioral traits we measured. Nevertheless, we found that individuals that stored more fat were more likely to initiate and win aggressive interactions but were less likely to be recipients of aggression. This association between energetic state and aggressive behavior is discussed from both strategic body mass regulation and sexual selection perspectives.
Abstract.
Sinn DL, Moltschaniwskyj NA, Wapstra E, Dall SRX (2010). Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid.
BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL,
64(4), 693-702.
Abstract:
Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid
Behavioral syndromes are correlated suites of behavior, analogous to human personality traits. Most work to date has been taken from limited ‘snapshots’ in space and time, with the implicit assumption that a behavioral syndrome is an invariant property fixed by natural selection. Previously, we have shown that shy/bold behavior in Southern dumpling squid (Euprymna tasmanica) squid across predator encounter and feeding risk contexts are genetically and phenotypically uncoupled, and hence potentially free to vary independently. Here we collected data on shy/bold behaviors from two independent wild populations of squid in two different years to test whether behavioral correlations across these same two functional contexts vary through time and space. We detected significant influences of population, sex, and body size on the expression of boldness in squid within each functional context, and this was coupled with significant differences in demographic parameters related to competitive regimes (relative population density and adult sex-ratio). Despite these changes in behavior and demographic parameters, we found that correlations between boldness scores across the two functional contexts were largely uncoupled in both wild populations of squid in both years. To date, research on behavioral syndromes has concentrated on explaining correlations across contexts as fixed evolutionary constraints or adaptations. Our work suggests that some systems may also be largely characterized by context-specific behavioral expression, and a theoretical framework which conceptualizes correlations across contexts resulting from context-specific behavioral rules is needed to fully understand why behaviors are sometimes correlated, and why sometimes they are not.
Abstract.
Royle NJ, Schuett W, Dall SRX (2010). Behavioural consistency and the resolution of sexual conflict over parental care. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY, 21, 1125-1130.
Dall SRX, Schmidt, KA, van Gils, JA (2010). Biological information in an ecological context. Oikos, 119(2), 201-202.
McNamara JM, Dall SRX (2010). Information is a fitness enhancing resource.
OIKOS,
119(2), 231-236.
Abstract:
Information is a fitness enhancing resource.
Here we provide a biologically relevant proof of the well-known result from economics and statistical decision theory that
having more information never reduces the expected payoff to a decision-making agent. We then go on to illustrate this
with an ecologically motivated example based on a model of growth under uncertain predation risk. Throughout we use
the central result that the fitness (reproductive) value of information can never be negative to highlight conceptual
inconsistencies in the ecological literature on information use.
Abstract.
Dall SRX (2010). Managing risk, the perils of uncertainty. In Westneat DF, Fox CW (Eds.)
Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology, Oxford University Press, 194-206.
Abstract:
Managing risk, the perils of uncertainty
Abstract.
Schuett W, Tregenza T, Dall SRX (2010). Sexual selection and animal personality.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS,
85(2), 217-246.
Abstract:
Sexual selection and animal personality
Consistent individual behavioural tendencies, termed 'personalities', have been identified in a wide range of animals. Functional explanations for personality have been proposed, but as yet, very little consideration has been given to a possible role for sexual selection in maintaining differences in personality and its stability within individuals. We provide an overview of the available literature on the role of personality traits in intrasexual competition and mate choice in both human and non-human animals and integrate this into a framework for considering how sexual selection can generate and maintain personality. For this, we consider the evolution and maintenance of both main aspects of animal personality: inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency.
Abstract.
Schuett W, Tregenza T, Dall SRX (2010). Sexual selection and animal personality.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc,
85(2), 217-246.
Abstract:
Sexual selection and animal personality.
Consistent individual behavioural tendencies, termed "personalities", have been identified in a wide range of animals. Functional explanations for personality have been proposed, but as yet, very little consideration has been given to a possible role for sexual selection in maintaining differences in personality and its stability within individuals. We provide an overview of the available literature on the role of personality traits in intrasexual competition and mate choice in both human and non-human animals and integrate this into a framework for considering how sexual selection can generate and maintain personality. For this, we consider the evolution and maintenance of both main aspects of animal personality: inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Morand-Ferron J, Doligez B, Dall SRX, Reader SM (2010). Social information use. In Breed M, Moore J (Eds.)
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Oxford: Academic Press, 242-250.
Abstract:
Social information use.
Abstract.
Schmidt KA, Dall SRX, Van Gils JA (2010). The ecology of information: an overview on the ecological significance of making informed decisions.
OIKOS,
119(2), 304-316.
Abstract:
The ecology of information: an overview on the ecological significance of making informed decisions
Information is characterized as the reduction of uncertainty and by a change in the state of a receiving organism. Thus, organisms can acquire information about their environment that reduces uncertainty and increases their likelihood of choosing a best-matching strategy. We define the Ecology of Information as the study of how organisms acquire and use information in decision-making and its significance for populations, communities, landscapes, and ecosystems. As a whole, it encompasses the reception and processing of information, decision-making, and the ecological consequences of making informed decisions. The first two stages constitute the domains of, e.g. sensory ecology and behavioral ecology. The exploration of the consequences of information use at larger spatial and temporal scales in ecology has generally lagged behind the success of these other disciplines. In our overview we characterize information, discuss statistical decision theory as a quantitative framework to analyze information and decision-making, and discuss potential ecological ramifications. Rather than attempt a cursory review of the enormity of the scope of information we highlight information use in developmental, breeding habitat selection, and interceptive eavesdropping on alarm calls. Through these topics we discuss specific examples of ecological information use and the emerging ecological consequences. We emphasize recurring themes: information is collected from multiple sources, over varying temporal and spatial scales, and in many cases links heterospecifics to one another. We conclude by breaking from specific ecological contexts to explore implications of information as a central organizing principle, including: information webs, information as a component of the niche concept, and information as an ecosystem process. With information having such an enormous reach in ecology it casts a spotlight on the potential harmful effects of anthropogenic noise and info-disruption.
Abstract.
2009
McNamara JM, Stephens PA, SRX D, Houston AI (2009). Evolution of trust and trustworthiness: social awareness favours personality differences.
P R SOC B,
276(1657), 605-613.
Abstract:
Evolution of trust and trustworthiness: social awareness favours personality differences
Interest in the evolution and maintenance of personality is burgeoning. Individuals of diverse animal species differ in their aggressiveness, fearfulness, sociability and activity. Strong trade-offs, mutation selection balance, spatio-temporal fluctuations in selection, frequency dependence and good-genes mate choice are invoked to explain heritable personality variation, yet for continuous behavioural traits, it remains unclear which selective force is likely to maintain distinct polymorphisms. Using a model of trust and cooperation, we show how allowing individuals to monitor each other's cooperative tendencies, at a cost, can select for heritable polymorphisms in trustworthiness. This variation, in turn, favours costly 'social awareness' in some individuals. Feedback of this sort can explain the individual differences in trust and trustworthiness so often documented by economists in experimental public goods games across a range of cultures. Our work adds to growing evidence that evolutionary game theorists can no longer afford to ignore the importance of real world inter-individual variation in their models.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Wright J (2009). Rich pickings near large communal roosts favor 'gang' foraging by juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax.
PLOS ONE,
4(2).
Abstract:
Rich pickings near large communal roosts favor 'gang' foraging by juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax.
Ravens (Corvus corax) feed primarily on rich but ephemeral carcasses of large animals, which are usually defended by territorial pairs of adults. Non-breeding juveniles forage socially and aggregate in communal winter roosts, and these appear to function as ‘information centers’ regarding the location of the rare food bonanzas: individuals search independently of one another and pool their effort by recruiting each other at roosts. However, at a large raven roost in Newborough on Anglesey, North Wales, some juveniles have been observed recently to forage in ‘gangs’ and to roost separately from other birds. Here we adapt a general model of juvenile common raven foraging behavior where, in addition
to the typical co-operative foraging strategy, such gang foraging behavior could be evolutionarily stable near winter raven roosts. We refocus the model on the conditions under which this newly documented, yet theoretically anticipated, gang based foraging has been observed. In the process, we show formally how the trade off between search efficiency and social opportunity can account for the existence of the alternative social foraging tactics that have been observed in this species. This work serves to highlight a number of fruitful avenues for future research, both from a theoretical and empirical perspective.
Abstract.
Schuett W, SRX D (2009). Sex differences, social context and personality in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.
ANIM BEHAV,
77(5), 1041-1050.
Abstract:
Sex differences, social context and personality in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata
Despite burgeoning interest in consistent individual differences in behaviour (animal 'personality'), the influence of social interactions on the performance of different behavioural types is poorly understood. Similarly, the ecological and evolutionary consequences of personality differences in social contexts remain unexplored. Moreover, the possibility that the sexes differ in the degree to which they exhibit personality in both social and nonsocial contexts has not yet received serious attention, despite the sexes usually being subject to differing selection pressures. Using a highly gregarious species, the zebra finch, we tested for consistent behavioural differences (in exploration) between individuals of both sexes in both nonsocial and social contexts, the latter considering the behavioural influence of opposite-sex companions. We then investigated how exploratory tendencies relate to behaviour in a potentially risky foraging context in mixed-sex dyads of individuals with differing personalities. Males were not more exploratory on average but were more consistent in their exploratory tendencies than females. Additionally, males behaved more consistently across the social and asocial contexts than females, even though individuals of both sexes similarly influenced each other's exploratory behaviour within the social context: the more exploratory the companion, the more exploratory the focal individual (relative to its level of exploration in the asocial context). An individual's exploration also affected its performance in the social foraging context. Our results stress the importance of looking for sex differences in personality and of considering the influence of social context in animal personality studies. We discuss our findings and their implications in the light of the biology of the species and set them in a broader ecological and evolutionary context. (C) 2009 the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
2007
Dall SRX (2007). Behavioural Ecology: Niche Construction via Grooming and Extortion?.
Current Biology,
17(11).
Abstract:
Behavioural Ecology: Niche Construction via Grooming and Extortion?
A recent study shows that brood parasitic cowbirds employ Mafia-like tactics to discourage rejection of their broods by a common host. This may be a new example of animals adaptively 'constructing' key features of their ecological niches. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
2006
Pizzari T, Birkhead TR, Blows MW, Brooks R, Buchanan KL, Clutton-Brock TH, Harvey PH, Hosken DJ, Jennions MD, Kokko H, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 690-690.
Author URL.
Shuker DM, Tregenza T (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 693-694.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
SCIENCE,
312(5774), 689-690.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies [2]. Science, 312(5774), 689-690.
Mcnamara, J.M. Wedell, N. Hosken, D.J. (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies. Science, 312
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Wedell N, Hosken DJ (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
Science,
312(5774), 689-697.
Author URL.
Lessells CM, Bennett ATD, Birkhead TR, Colegrave N, Dall SRX, Harvey PH, Hatchwell B, Hosken DJ, Hunt J, Moore AJ, et al (2006). Debating sexual selection and mating strategies.
Science,
312(5774), 689-697.
Author URL.
Benton, T.G. Lundberg, P. Dall, S.R.X. (2006). Estimating individual contributions to population growth: evolutionary fitness in ecological time. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 273, 547-555.
Dall SRX (2006). Evolution: Mothers 'sign' their eggs where cuckoos lurk.
Current Biology,
16(5).
Abstract:
Evolution: Mothers 'sign' their eggs where cuckoos lurk
A new study has demonstrated that African village weaver birds (Ploceus cucullatus) show less individuality in the appearance of their eggs when freed from the threat of raising the young of egg-mimicking diederik cuckoos (Chrsococcyx caprius). This suggests another clear example of natural selection driving evolutionary change in situ.
Abstract.
Schulpen TWJ, van Wieringen JCM, van Brummen PJ, van Riel JM, Beemer FA, Westers P, Huber J (2006). Infant mortality, ethnicity, and genetically determined disorders in the Netherlands.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH,
16(3), 290-293.
Author URL.
Coulson T, Benton TG, Lundberg P, SRX D, Kendall BE (2006). Putting evolutionary biology back in the ecological theatre: a demographic framework mapping genes to communities.
EVOL ECOL RES,
8(7), 1155-1171.
Abstract:
Putting evolutionary biology back in the ecological theatre: a demographic framework mapping genes to communities
Question: How can we link genotypic, phenotypic, individual, population, and community levels of organization so as to illuminate general ecological and evolutionary processes and provide a framework for a quantitative, integrative evolutionary biology?Framework: We introduce an evolutionary framework that maps different levels of biological diversity onto one another. We provide (1) an overview of maps linking levels of biological organization and (2) a guideline of how to analyse the complexity of relationships from genes to population growth.Method: We specify the appropriate levels of biological organization for responses to selection, for opportunities for selection, and for selection itself. We map between them and embed these maps into an ecological setting.
Abstract.
2005
Dall SRX (2005). Defining the concept of public information.
SCIENCE,
308(5720), 353-354.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Lotem A, Winkler DW, Bednekoff PA, Laland KN, Coolen I, Kendal R, Danchin E, Giraldeau LA, Valone TJ, et al (2005). Defining the concept of public information [2] (multiple letters). Science, 308(5720), 353-356.
Dall SRX, Wedell, N. (2005). Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations. Current Biology, 19, R801-803.
Dall SRX, Wedell N (2005). Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations.
Curr Biol,
15(19), R801-R803.
Abstract:
Evolutionary conflict: sperm wars, phantom inseminations.
A new experimental study has provided the first definitive evidence for conditional punishment of 'cheats' in a sperm-trading simultaneous hermaphrodite: the sea slug Chelidonura hirundinina. This also provides a rare unequivocal example of conditional reciprocity averting a 'tragedy of the commons' in biology.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Giraldeau LA, McNamara JM, Olsson O (2005). Information and its use by animals in evolutionary ecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20(4), 187-193.
Mitchell WA, Kotler BP, Brown JS, Blaustein L, Dall SRX (2005). Species diversity in relation to habitat structure, environmental variability, and species interactions. In Shachak M, Pickett STA, Gosz JR, Perevolosky A (Eds.) Biodiversity in drylands – towards a unified framework, Oxford University Press, 57-69.
Polis GA, Ayal Y, Bachi A, Dall SRX, Goldberg D, Holt R, Kark SW, Kotler BP, Mitchell WA (2005). Unified Framework I: Interspecific interactions and species diversity in drylands. In Shachak M, Pickett STA, Gosz JR, Perevolosky A (Eds.) Biodiversity in drylands – towards a unified framework, Oxford University Press, 122-151.
2004
Dall SRX (2004). Behaving adaptively: optimization and evolutionary game theory. In Beckoff M (Ed) Encyclopedia of Animal Behaviour, Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 970-979.
Dall SRX (2004). Behavioural biology: Fortune favours bold and shy personalities.
Current Biology,
14(12).
Abstract:
Behavioural biology: Fortune favours bold and shy personalities
A new study has shown that in the great tit (Parus major) bold males and shy females apparently flourish after rich winter pickings, while shy males and bold females profit from meagre winters. This groundbreaking work exemplifies the approach required for a biological understanding of an apparently common animal trait - personality.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Boyd IL (2004). Evolution of mammals: lactation helps mothers to cope with unreliable food supplies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 271(1552), 2049-2057.
Kotler BP, Brown JS, Bouskila A, Mukherjee S, Goldberg T (2004). Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Seasonal changes in schedules of activity and apprehension.
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY,
50(2-3), 255-271.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Houston AI, McNamara JM (2004). The behavioural ecology of personality: consistent individual differences from an adaptive perspective. Ecology Letters, 7(8), 734-739.
2002
Dall, S.R.X. (2002). Can information sharing explain recruitment to food from communal roosts?. Behavioral Ecology, 13: 42-51
Kotler BP, Brown JS, Dall SRX, Gresser S, Ganey D, Bouskila A (2002). Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Temporal dynamics of resource depletion and apprehension in gerbils.
Evolutionary Ecology Research,
4(4), 495-518.
Abstract:
Foraging games between gerbils and their predators: Temporal dynamics of resource depletion and apprehension in gerbils
Consult the copyright statement on the inside front cover for non-commercial copying policies. Predator-prey interactions constitute a foraging game when prey individuals manage risk from predators and predator individuals manage fear in their prey. As tools for managing risk, clever prey can use time allocation and apprehension (redirecting attention from foraging to predator detection). One such foraging game occurs between gerbils and their predators on the sand dunes of the Negev Desert. Here, interacting species of gerbils compete for patches of seeds that renew daily by afternoon winds. In such circumstances, gerbils are expected to deplete resource patches over the course of the night, the predators are expected to hunt when gerbil activity is highest, and gerbils are expected to be most apprehensive when predators are most active and most deadly. We tested these predictions for gerbils in two field experiments using seed trays to measure resource depletion, gerbil activity and apprehension over the course of the night, between the bush and open microhabitats and at four moon phases (new, half waxing, full and half waning). Gerbils depleted seed resources more quickly in the bush microhabitat than the open and more quickly at new moon than at other moon phases. Gerbil activity at new moon was high throughout most of the night, but decreased towards dawn. In contrast, activity at full moon was generally low, but increased towards dawn. The two gerbil species Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi and G. pyramidum partitioned the night, with G. pyramidum visiting resource patches earlier in the night and encountering a richer, but more risky environment, and G. a. allenbyi foraging later in an environment characterized by fewer seed resources, but lower risk. The same pattern extended over moon phases, with G. pyramidum foraging relatively more at full and waning half moon. Apprehension by gerbils was higher early in the night than later and higher at full moon than new moon. Schedules of apprehension changed according to moon phase and may have differed between the two gerbils. Finally, apprehension was higher in the open microhabitat, although the opposite was true at the beginning of the night. This foraging game affects three trophic levels, including the effect of the gerbils on the availability and distribution of seeds, the competitive interaction between the two gerbil species and the predator-prey interaction between gerbils and owls.
Abstract.
Johnstone RA, Dall SRX (2002). Information and adaptive behaviour - Introduction.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,
357(1427), 1515-1518.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Johnstone RA (2002). Managing uncertainty: Information and insurance under the risk of starvation.
Abstract:
Managing uncertainty: Information and insurance under the risk of starvation
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Johnstone RA (2002). Managing uncertainty: information and insurance under the risk of starvation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 357(1427), 1519-1526.
Johnstone RA, Dall SRX (2002). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B: Introduction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 357(1427), 1515-1518.
Dall SRX, Boyd, I.L. (2002). Provisioning under the risk of starvation. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 4(6), 883-896.
2001
Dall SRX, Kotler BP, Bouskila A (2001). Attention, 'apprehension' and gerbils searching in patches.
Annales Zoologici Fennici,
38(1), 15-23.
Abstract:
Attention, 'apprehension' and gerbils searching in patches
In this paper, we consider the attentional demands associated with detecting and responding to predators, or 'apprehension', and the within-patch search of Allenby's gerbils, Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi. We, thus, present a first empirical investigation of the indirect, informational consequences of perceived predation risk. Specifically, we focus on the ability to track the quality of seed patches in sandy habitats. There are two potential effects here; since instantaneous intake rate (or some proxy) is the key parameter of interest to an optimal forager, apprehension can interfere with the estimation of: (1) the number of food items captured, and/or (2) the time taken to capture them (the ability to locate food items). Only (2) will have a consistent effect on patch quality, and we test the hypothesis that increased predation risk reduces gerbil search efficiency. We therefore quantified gerbil search paths in patches of uniform seed distribution that differed in their associated risks of predation by manipulating the presence of barn owls, Tyto alba, and light in an aviary. Gerbil search was more random under risky conditions. We discuss the implications of this result for information processing and patch use under predation risk, and the foraging games between gerbils and owls in the Negev Desert.
Abstract.
1999
Dall SRX, McNamara JM, Cuthill IC (1999). Interruptions to foraging and learning in a changing environment.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR,
57, 233-241.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC (1999). Mutation rates: Does complexity matter? [1]. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 198(2), 283-285.
1998
Dall SRX, Witter, M.S. (1998). Feeding interruptions, diurnal mass change and daily routines of behaviour in the zebra finch. Animal Behaviour, 55: 715-725
1997
Dall SRX (1997). Behaviour and speciation.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION,
12(6), 209-210.
Author URL.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC, Cook N, Morphet M (1997). Learning about food: Starlings, skinner boxes, and earthworms.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
67(2), 181-192.
Abstract:
Learning about food: Starlings, skinner boxes, and earthworms
Despite its importance as a tool for understanding a wide range of animal behavior, the study of reinforcement schedules in the laboratory has suffered from difficulties in the biological interpretation of its findings. This study is an operant-laboratory investigation of the ability of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, to learn to respond adaptively to the problem of foraging on patchily distributed prey that are uncertainly located in space. In order to maximize the biological relevance of the laboratory study, variation in the aggregation of earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris (a prey species), was rigorously quantified from the field, and the experimental birds were presented with reinforcement schedules designed to represent the extremes of the observed variation. The results demonstrate that, even for a single prey species, the degree to which individuals are aggregated can vary markedly over a range of spatial scales, and that starlings can rapidly learn to respond, in an adaptive manner, to these variations. These findings suggest that starlings are capable of adjusting their behavior to facilitate the efficient exploitation of prey that occurs in patches of an uncertain nature, and thus illustrate the heuristic value of an ecologically informed operant-laboratory approach to studying foraging behavior.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Cuthill IC (1997). Searching in patches by European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris.
Behavioural Processes,
39(2), 149-159.
Abstract:
Searching in patches by European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris
Despite the importance of within-patch search for predicting optimal patch-leaving strategy, little experimental effort has been devoted to the study of this foraging behaviour. In addition, predators' strategic responses to variability in features like the within-patch distribution of prey can have important consequences for their dietary decisions. We therefore analyse the search paths of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, foraging individually in artificial patches that vary in the spatial distribution of buried prey in an outdoor aviary. The results demonstrate that the birds are searching differently depending on the order in which the experimental patch-types are experienced. We speculate that where the spatial predictability of prey is initially high the birds adopt a fixed search rule that results in area-concentrated search once a prey item is found, and performs well for both distributions encountered. However, where the predictability is initially low a more flexible strategy is adopted that results in increased area-concentrated search with experience of a patch type, independent of the actual within-patch distribution of prey. These findings suggest that starlings can use distinct strategies for different prey types, but they are classifying these types on subjective criteria that are difficult to predict from a priori reasoning.
Abstract.
Dall SRX, Cuthill, I.C. (1997). The information costs of generalism. Oikos, 80: 197-202
