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Methods of personality measurement in birds
Nováková, Barbora ; Karlíková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Musilová, Zuzana (referee)
This paper deals with ethology of birds and takes a closer look at testing their personality. Personality is a general name for combination of individual's characteristics or attributes that don't change over time. Behaviour such as aggressivity, stress handling, exploration, risky or neophobic behaviour are all related to personality.
The paper shows brief history of behaviour studies, it also explains important terms from the fields of human and animal psychology. Main focus is on explaining of personality tests. Every test deals with a specific behaviour. Two tests were picked for each personality trait, one for domesticated individual or individual bred in captivity and one for individual living in a wild. The discussion compares results of tests, mainly considering the benefits for future research and whether or not the results confront other statements regarding given behaviour.
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Heritability of various types of behaviour in birds
Janatová, Veronika ; Karlíková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Svobodová, Jana (referee)
The goal of this thesis is the summary of existing knowledge about heritability of various types of behaviour in birds. The aim is also to emphasize the ecological nature of this knowledge.
This thesis consists of three main parts. The first part is focused on general view about how people looked at animal bevaviour in the past and how they look at it now. Methods used for research of behavior and its heritability are described as well as basic behavioural traits, their general interconnections and inseparability in animals. The second part is aimed at specific behavioural traits in birds. The factors affecting bird behavior are also mentioned. In the third part, deep analyses of scientific studies considering particularly ethology and genetics are made.
The contribution of this thesis is to provide complete information about research of bird ethology, its heritability and conection with ecology. Perhaps, it could be inspiration for further research and raise new questions.
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Melanin-based ornaments of birds and their relationship to individual condition
Straka, Antonín ; Svobodová, Jana (advisor) ; Karlíková, Zuzana (referee)
This thesis summarizes findings from literature about the melanin pigment and its properties, melanogenesis, factors affecting the synthesis and tissue deposition of melanin, methods for analysis of ornamental traits of birds, and the relationship of melanin-based ornaments and individual condition. Current studies show that the expression of melanin plumage can be condition-dependent; size or chroma of ornaments frequently signals individual condition. The relationship between condition indicators and the melanin pigment is found more often in achromatic species than in species with melanin- and carotenoid-based plumage. There's a lack of research dealing with pheomelanin ornaments.
Statistical analysis of data obtained from adult male great tits (Parus major) captured during the nesting seasons 2014 and 2015 on sites Čimický háj and Ďáblický háj in Prague was carried out to test the relationship between the size of the melanin-based breast stripe and standardized weight, absolute leukocyte count and tarsus length. Results didn't confirm a link between the area of the breast ornament and analyzed indicators of condition. Future research will take into account other condition parameters which could contribute to explain the role of the breast stripe in sexual selection in the great tit.
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Recognition of inconspicuous prey: importance of additional visual cues
KARLÍKOVÁ, Zuzana
The ability of wild caught great tits (Parus major) to discriminate between equally coloured edible (roach - Blaptica dubia) and inedible prey (firebug - Pyrrhocoris apterus) was tested with respect to other visual traits (shape of legs, antennae,means of locomotion). To simulate more natural conditions, three different experiment types were carried out. Prey was presented either alternately (first roach or firebug) or simultaneously. Additionally, the effect of learning and memory was tested by the use of trial repetition during one session, and session repetition after one week.
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Reactions of naive avian predators to aposematic prey.
KARLÍKOVÁ, Zuzana
Various types of naive predators are used in order to answer the questions which are related to the evolution of aposematism. However it?s unknown if we can generalize results of these experiments with naive birds of different kinds and history. Reactions of naive domestic chicks and naive great tits to aposematic and cryptic prey that were used in similar experiments were investigated and compared.
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