Generations in captivity increases behavioral variance: considerations for captive breeding and reintroduction programs

McPhee, M. Elsbeth

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(03)00095-8

Cited by 241 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…For example, if by chance the male of the original pair had been more wary than the female, this difference could have been passed through the generations and thus explain the patterns observed in this experiment. Additionally, artificial selection over generations in the captive environment could have altered the behavioral repertoire of the subjects, thus influencing their responses to predators (Kleiman et al 1996;McPhee 2003McPhee , 2004aMillar and Threadgill 1987). This could possibly explain why seven of the 24 animals did not respond at all to the owl silhouette.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are more reactive than females to a visual predator cue

McPhee

Ribbeck

Johnston

2008

J Ethol

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In most species of small mammals, males are exposed to higher levels of risk than females because they compete for mates, travel greater distances to find and procure mates, and/or defend a territory. This suggests that males and females might have different responses to risky situations, such as the presence of a predator. We tested responses to a visual predator cue (an owl silhouette) in male and female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). In a laboratory arena, there was no significant sex difference in the latency to enter the burrow or time spent in the burrow immediately after exposure to the owl silhouette. Males, however, were less likely to be active during the 3-min period following the animal's exposure to the silhouette, indicating that male golden hamsters are more wary after exposure to an aerial predator cue than females. Most studies of responses to predators or predator cues have not considered sex differences, but our results show that males and females may have quite different responses to predator cues. Further work should be done to characterize and quantify sex differences in response to predators or predator cues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are more reactive than females to a visual predator cue

McPhee

Ribbeck

Johnston

2008

J Ethol

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“…Captive-born animals that do not suffer from predatory pressures may lose their ability to recognize their natural predators after a few generations in captivity (Yorzinski 2010). This is because the skills required for predator recognition do not develop, saving energy that is directed to other activities, such as feeding and reproduction (McPhee 2003;Adams et al 2006;Blumstein 2006). The recognition of predators and non-predators by a captive animal can be tested using stuffed models, audio playbacks or predator odors, feces, urine (Griffin et al 2001;2002;Azevedo et al 2012) or by the comparison of the anti-predator behaviors exhibited by captive-born and wild conspecifics (Jackson & Brown 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Captive-born collared peccary (Pecari tajacu, Tayassuidae) fails to discriminate between predator and non-predator models

et al. 2018

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Captive animals may lose the ability to recognize their natural predators, making conservation programs more susceptible to failure if such animals are released into the wild. Collared peccaries are American tayassuids that are vulnerable to local extinction in certain areas, and conservation programs are being conducted. Captive-born peccaries are intended for release into the wild in Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. In this study, we tested the ability of two groups of captive-born collared peccaries to recognize their predators and if they were habituated to humans. Recognition tests were performed using models of predators (canids and felids) and non-predators animals, as well as control objects, such as a plastic chair; a human was also presented to the peccaries, and tested as a separate stimulus. Anti-predator defensive responses such as fleeing and threatening displays were not observed in response to predator models. Predator detection behaviors both from visual and olfactory cues were displayed, although they were not specifically targeted at predator models. These results indicate that collared peccaries were unable to recognize model predators. Habituation effects, particularly on antipredator behaviors, were observed both with a one-hour model presentation and across testing days. Behavioral responses to humans did not differ from those to other models. Thus, if these animals were to be released into the wild, they should undergo anti-predator training sessions to enhance their chances of survival.

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“…The lack of a relationship between measurements of indices of individual fry behaviour and growth rate, however, is consistent with recent work in Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus (L.) in which no difference in antipredator behaviour was observed between fast and slow-growing groups raised in a standard hatchery conditions (Laakkonen & Hirvonen, 2007). The results of the present study and from work on S. alpinus support the hypothesis that relaxed selection with respect to risk-taking behaviour may allow for high behavioural variability (McPhee, 2004). This is not to say, however, that hatchery conditions do not impose directional selection on other behavioural traits, not measured here, which may affect fitness in captivity and in the wild, post-release environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An alternative hypothesis proposes that selection in the captive environment is relaxed rather than directional. In this vein, McPhee (2004) found that behavioural variance in oldfield mice Peromyscus polionotus increased over generations in captivity, presumably due to a lack of selection pressure against maladaptive behaviour. In support of the notion that the simple environments in common in captive rearing situations may encourage increased behavioural variance, Lee & Berejikian (2008a) observed increased variability in exploratory and feeding behaviours among juvenile steelhead O. mykiss raised in a barren, unstructured environment compared with those raised in environments with either stable structure or structurally variable environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural type in newly emerged steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss does not predict growth rate in a conventional hatchery rearing environment

Conrad

Sih

2009

Journal of Fish Biology

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Behavioural assays were conducted on newly emerged steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss to investigate the presence of behavioural syndromes and to determine whether behavioural type in young fish predicts growth rate in a conventional hatchery rearing environment. Individual fry were consistent in their position choice and activity behaviours across safe and unsafe contexts, as well as among assays conducted on different days. Position choice and activity behaviours, however, were not necessarily correlated to each other. Both behaviours predicted feeding rates during behavioural assays, but there was no relationship between fry behaviour and subsequent growth rate or survival during the first 3 months of hatchery rearing. These results support the hypothesis that selection in captivity may be relaxed with respect to behavioural type rather than directional, allowing for increased behavioural variance in domesticated populations. Modest magnitudes of correlations among fry behaviours, however, suggest that behavioural type may be unstable at the onset of the juvenile feeding stage.

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Generations in captivity increases behavioral variance: considerations for captive breeding and reintroduction programs

Cited by 241 publications

References 23 publications

Male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are more reactive than females to a visual predator cue

Male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are more reactive than females to a visual predator cue

Captive-born collared peccary (Pecari tajacu, Tayassuidae) fails to discriminate between predator and non-predator models

Behavioural type in newly emerged steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss does not predict growth rate in a conventional hatchery rearing environment

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