Ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) were assessed for sociability and conspecific recognition in a 3-chambered apparatus. In the former, a single unfamiliar conspecific was placed in one radial chamber. C...

Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistical Ecology and Evolution

We documented a novel predator–predator commensal foraging interaction between cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and a southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) in a shallow coastal habitat of Biscayne Bay, ...

Male courtship can serve various purposes such as species recognition, mate localization, or advertisement of individual quality and physical condition. In predatory species such as spiders, courtshi...

Consistent individual differences in behavior are often expressed as personality. One such trait, boldness—reflecting an individual’s propensity to take risks—can be associated with Individual Foraging Site Fidelity (IFSF), the degree to which an individual repeatedly uses the same foraging site. In seabirds, within-pair correlations in boldness and foraging specialization may shape parental effort, enhancing reproductive success and sustaining among-individual variation. These observations suggest that a behavioral syndrome linking boldness and IFSF may manifest at the pair level as within-pair correlations across behavioral contexts; however, no study has simultaneously examined behavioral syndromes and within-pair correlations. We investigated boldness and IFSF in streaked shearwaters (Calonectris leucomelas) breeding on Awashima Island, Japan. Boldness was assessed using a novel object test, while IFSF was quantified through GPS tracking of foraging routes. We evaluated the boldness-IFSF syndrome, within-pair correlations in boldness and IFSF, and whether boldness similarity predicts chick growth. We found a correlation between boldness and IFSF, and partners were similar in both traits. Moreover, greater within-pair similarity in boldness was positively associated with chick growth rate. These findings could arise through three non-mutually exclusive mechanisms: adaptive partner selection, post-pairing behavioral adjustment, and non-adaptive partner selection driven by confounding factors. We could not demonstrate assortative mating based on behavioral traits or identify the mechanisms by which within-pair similarity might influence reproductive success. Nevertheless, our findings underscore the importance of within-pair behavioral correlations and highlight the value of integrating these previously distinct concepts to facilitate new discoveries.

ALT: a man and a woman are jumping in the air while a man holds a woman 's hand .

Weaver ants are named after their ability to weave leaves together into nests the size of a human head. How do ants cooperate to bend stiff leaves to their will? A new study has found that weaver ants do not follow a plan: instead, they follow rules that allow nests to emerge from initial leaf configurations.

Scientific Data - CORVIDATA: A global dataset of morphology, ecology, sociality, and life-history in Corvidae

A critical consequence of joining social groups is the possibility of social transmission of information related to novel behaviours or resources. Network-based diffusion analysis (NBDA) has emerg...

This study investigated the behavioral response of common minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) to repeated exposures of the sample phase of an object location task, and the influence of individual behavioral ...