The Problem of Vigilance in Animal Life

Dimond, Stuart J.; Lazarus, John

doi:10.1159/000123655

Cited by 109 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, it has been associated with mechanisms such as habituation and neural inhibition (reviewed in Mackworth 1968Mackworth , 1969. Regardless of the exact proximate mechanisms, it is widely agreed that vigilance decrement during continuous activity, and vigilance recovery during rest and sleep, do occur (Dimond & Lazarus 1974;Jerison 1977 Parasuraman 1982;Horne 1988;Steriade et al 1993). Furthermore, probably everybody is familiar with the feeling of getting 'tired' or 'sleepy' while conducting some difficult activity, and then becoming 'refreshed' after rest or sleep.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sustained vigilance and animal performance

Dukas

Clark

1995

Animal Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Psychological studies have established that the central nervous system cannot sustain vigilance for an extended period of time. The consequent vigilance decrement implies a gradual reduction in the ability to process information effectively. This may result in a reduced ability to detect hidden predators, locate cryptic food items or make successful behavioural decisions. A model incorporating parameters of vigilance decrement during foraging and vigilance recovery during rest predicts first, the optimal allocation of time between foraging activity and rest, and second, the optimal length of each foraging episode. For a given rate of vigilance recovery, the model predicts that both the optimal proportion of time devoted for foraging activity and the optimal length of a foraging bout should be decreasing functions of the rate of vigilance decrement. Because the rate of vigilance decrement is larger for more difficult tasks, both the total time spent foraging and the duration of each foraging episode should be smaller for more demanding foraging activities. It is suggested that vigilance decrement is a dominant factor determining temporal patterns of animal behaviour.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, studies of non-human subjects have been restricted to neurobiological research (Foote et al 1980;Aston-Jones et al 1984). Nevertheless, the problem of sustained vigilance is highly relevant for the daily patterns and types of activity conducted by animals in their natural settings (Dimond & Lazarus 1974).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustained vigilance and animal performance

Dukas

Clark

1995

Animal Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, there is also a potential trade-off between resting and vigilance (Ruckstuhl et al 2003). Vigilance is a behavior that increases the probability that an animal will detect a stimulus at a given time (Dimond & Lazarus 1974). When the stimulus occurs, musk deer cease resting and show standing-alert behavior to avoid predation or disturbance, while reducing time spent feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal behavioral patterns of captive alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus): Rut and pre-rut comparisons

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus), well-known for their musk production, are endemic to western China. Due to historical unrestricted illegal hunting and habitat loss, captive farming has been employed as a means of conserving this endangered species and developing sustainable musk harvesting techniques. For captive animals, an understanding of behavioral characteristics is vital to improve management practices. This study addressed a lack of information regarding the behavioral characteristics of alpine musk deer; specifically daily activity patterns in respect to gender and reproductive season. From August 2002 to January 2003, focal sampling was employed to observe 32 adult captive alpine musk deer (13 females and 19 males), at Xinglongshan Musk Deer Farm (XMDF), located at Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve, Gansu Province, China. Results indicated that the general behavioral patterns were similar between female and male captive alpine musk deer throughout both reproductive and non-reproductive seasons (rut and pre-rut season). Both male and female alpine musk deer demonstrated tail-pasting behavior during rut season, a previously male-only behavior trait. Female musk deer also rested comparatively more than males during pre-rut season.

show abstract

“…Theoretical discussion (Caraco, 1979a;Elgar & Catterall, 1981;Pulliam et al, 1982;Hart & Lendrem, 1984) and experimental studies (Dimond & Lazarus, 1974;Powell, 1974;Siegfried & Underhill, 1975, Caraco, 1979bBarnard, 1980;Barnard et al, 1982; and others) have suggested that an individual feeding in a flock can reduce its investment in surveillance for predators because it benefits from the surveillance of other members of the group. Hence, a bird joining a flock can devote more time to searching for food and feeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geometry and scanning behaviour in hooded crow(Corvus corone cornix)flocks

Saino¹,

Coraluppi

Contini

1991

Bolletino di zoologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial dispersion, reciprocal orientations of individuals and «scanning» behaviour were analyzed in flock-feeding hooded crows under experimental field conditions. The study was carried out near Lodi (northern Italy). Hooded crows were attracted to the area by baiting with maize seeds. To assess exactly the positions and orientations of the crows in the flocks, a new photographic method was employed which obtains planar maps of the flocks from prospective images (slides, movies). The time individuals in the flocks devoted to vigilance for predators («scanning» behaviour) and the time elapsing between successive scanning events were also recorded for a sample of individuals in flocks of different sizes. Crows had an aggregated dispersion within the experimental area but tended to disperse uniformly within the area effectively occupied by the flock. A new method to quantify the reciprocal orientation is also proposed. Neighbouring crows avoided face to face and face away reciprocal orientations and maintained intermediate reciprocal orientations. The time allocated to «scanning» behaviour was negatively related and the duration of the inter-scan interval was positively related to the size of the flock. Both the geometry of flocks and the scanning behaviour of individuals were strongly influenced by social factors.

show abstract

The Problem of Vigilance in Animal Life

Cited by 109 publications

References 13 publications

Sustained vigilance and animal performance

Sustained vigilance and animal performance

Seasonal behavioral patterns of captive alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus): Rut and pre-rut comparisons

Geometry and scanning behaviour in hooded crow(Corvus corone cornix)flocks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About