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Mice and Rats: Space, Smell and Methods of Detection
Kaftanová, Barbora ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Sedláček, František (referee) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
The coexistence of humans and rodents lasts from the beginnings of the history of agriculture. Many rodent populations accepted to synanthropic way of life and as commensals accompany human societies until today. In the first study we wanted to find out, how the evolution of non-commensal rodent species, a Cypriot mouse (Mus cypriacus), was influenced by people. This endemic island species evolved on the Cyprus Island without presence of any mammalian competitors or predators. In last 10.000 years humans arrived on the island, bringing several mammalian species, which affected the environment markedly. A black rat (Rattus rattus) is now dominant species there and presumably it is an important competitor for the Cypriot mouse. We supposed that the mice should avoid its odour. Nevertheless the rats odour was preferred by the mouse, probably as an odour of phylogenetically related species. On the contraty, the odour of domestic cat (species, which is also widespread on the island), was avoided. In conclusion, the long-term isolation from mammalian predators did not affect the antipredatory reactions of the Cypriot mouse. Our next study was focuse on changes in behavioural strategies of different populations of mice: the main question was how the commensal way of life affects their exploratory...
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Laterality in social and locomotory behaviour of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa f. domestica)
Kunclová, Kristýna ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Nekovářová, Tereza (referee)
The aim of this diploma thesis is to find out whether pigs exhibit laterality in social behavior, especially the laterality of rotational movements in game behavior and social interactions. We aimed also to explore how this laterality is influenced by other factors, especially the possibilities of playful behavior in ontogenesis, personality and others social and non-social factors. Alternatively, whether the degree of laterality determined varies depending on the social situation (game / aggression) and whether is influenced by the litter. I have investigated this behavior for 64 pigs in 16 litters from videotapes of their social behavior. For each pig, I recorded the playing element and the preferential side. For individual game elements I did not find any preference for rotation at the population level and only a slight tendency for individual laterality. For social game elements, I have shown a weak population tendency to prefer left side, but only for a group of more playing pigs. The main contribution of this work is the symmetry found in the implementation of individual game elements and, on the contrary, the observed laterality at the population level for social game behavior. Since the laterality of playful behavior has not yet been investigated, it is possible that this symmetry is...
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Mate choice based on olfactory imprinting-like effect
Kuncová, Lucie ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
Previous studies have shown that women choose partners resembling their fathers in various characteristics. However, none of the studies have focused on woman's father-partner body odour similarity, even though body odour plays an important role in mate choice. The main aim of our study was to test whether the woman's father and partner body odour is similar and whether the rating of this similarity was affected by the body odour's intensity and pleasantness. Further, we wanted to know whether the quality of woman's relationship with her father during her childhood influences the body odour similarity. We also tested the effect of woman's father-partner body odour similarity on sexual and relationship satisfaction. Twenty-five women with their fathers and partners participated in the study. Every respondent completed a set of questionnaires, in addition, fathers and partners provided samples of their body odours. Body odour similarity was rated by independent female raters (N=128). According to the results of our study, body odour of woman's father and partner is significantly similar. The body odour was also similar in intensity and pleasantness. The quality of woman's relationship with her father does not affect woman's father-partner body odour similarity. Nevertheless, this similarity...
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Gender differences in behavioral changes induced by latent toxoplasmosis
Lindová, Jitka ; Flegr, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee) ; Ditrich, Oleg (referee)
Summaryof resultsofpresentedresearch Toxoplasmagondiiis a protozoanparasiteinfectingabout30%ofour population.After a shortphaseof acuteinfection,the parasitosistums into the lifelong latents.tagewhich is usuallyconsideredasymptomatic.However,in thestudiesperformedby our researchteam, latenttoxoplasmosiswasťoundto havespecificeffectson personality,behavior,morphology andphysiotogy.Interestingly'in manyaspects,theseeffectswereclearlygender-dífferent. My thesis was motivatedby results of previous questionnairestudies which found toxoplasmosisto haveoppositeinfluenceon men's and women'spersonalitytraitswarmth, conscíentiousnessandvigilancemeasuredby Cattell's16PersonalityFactorQuestionnaire (Flegretď. L996,1999,2000'FlegrandHavlíček1999'FlegrandHrdý 1994).Bothinfected womenand men werealso foundto score lower in novelryseeking(Skallová et al. 2005' Flegretal.2003). The resultof lowernoveltyseekingwas confirmedby thefirst studyperformedwith my contribution(lt{ovotnáet al. 2005).Moreover,this studyshowedthat regardingnovelty seeking,similar changeswere observedin subjectsinťectedby cytomega|ovirus.This was interprétedasevidenceforthehypothesisthatbehavioral/personalityshifu inducedby latent toxoplasmosiscouldbenonspecificchanges,causedby mildchronicbraininfections.Lower novelty seeking is thought to be associated...
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Acoustic communication of selected mammals and birds: identification of vocal categories and individuals
Policht, Richard ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee) ; Červený, Jaroslav (referee)
2 Summary Identification of vocal categories (e.g. call types, individuals, species) is a key task when we want to classify animal sounds. Same calls, especially broadband acoustic signals with varying frequency and amplitude modulation present problem for classification, because their energy is spread over a wide range of frequencies. In these sounds is difficult to decide which acoustical parameter to measure. To analyse complex vocalizations I applied a multiparametric method with using both temporal and spectral parameters. The most useful variables were variables describing distribution of the spectral energy. Frequency parameters were also useful in the case of tonal calls. I described vocal repertoire of Northern white rhinoceros and Bactrian camel. Both animals have low-frequency calls in their repertoire close to infrasound range, but it is evident that these signals are not used for long-distance communication. It seems that low-frequency components of their sounds are by product of their large body size. Growling sounds of camels are also interesting by their cohesive function, in contrast to growling sounds of rhinos and other mammals where such as calls are produced during aggressive interactions. I examined whether individual identity might be also encoded in very simple song types in...
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Reactions of great tits (Parus major) to a mirror image
Forštová, Tereza ; Exnerová, Alice (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
Self-recognition is commonlly taken as a higher ability and it was previously considered to be exclusive to spieces who are cognitively more capable, as humans or apes. However during years other animal species with no expectancy of this ability were tested, such as elephants and cetaceans, and even there the signs of self-recognition were found. The most common test for self-recognition is the mark test. The animal is marked with none-olfactoric and none-tactile mark somewhere on the part of its body which can not be seen without mirror. If the subject recognizes itself in the mirror, it will try to wipe out the mark of its body with help of the mirror image. In our experiment we used great tit (Parus major) as a testing species and three types of mirror tests were carried our. Except the fact that great tits are able to succesfully learn to use the mirror image to search hidden food, we found no evidence of self-recognition in mark test. Therefore we believe that this passerine species is not capable of this type of self-recognition.
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Positive and negative attitudes towards animals
Peléšková, Šárka ; Landová, Eva (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
During the entire course of evolution of our species have animals played an important role in human society and culture. They receive considerably more attention over other stimuli and the interest in animals is accompanied by both positive and negative emotions. This work deals with human attitudes towards three classes of vertebrates - amphibians (Amphibia), mammals (Mammalia), and birds (Aves) - and aims to reveal morphological and other perceptional characteristics of these animals (colour, pattern) that are responsible for their ratings of attractiveness, and of fear and disgust induced, and to investigate the relationship of negative emotions and human aesthetic preferences. The testing, underwent by 536 respondents, revealed the general body shape has the most significant impact on the rating of attractiveness and disgust induced by amphibians. Mammals and birds were significantly influenced by their real body size that was impossible to completely filter out by standardising of the photographs. Colours were of merely marginal influence, saturation contributed to the positive rating, whereas dark and dull colours were rated rather negatively. Particular colours were specific for individual groups. The relations between the examined quantities were not uniform among all the investigated...
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Laterality in locomotory-rotational and social behaviour of mammals
Kunclová, Kristýna ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Vlček, Kamil (referee)
Lateralization of brain structures manifesting behavioral laterality is a known phenomenon among vertebrates, and their equivalents are also found in invertebrates. In this paper, I will review motor laterality in mammals, which includes mainly preferential use of one limb/paw (Handedness) and spatial preferences in rotational behavior. In this work, I will summarize laterality of rotational behavior, as the most important part of my paper, within the larger scope of motor laterality. I will offer some explanations of laterality changes depending on the surrounding circumstances, and the emotional setting of individuals and present examples of laterality at the individual and population levels in mammals. Keywords: Lateralization, Motor laterality, rotational/turning asymmetries, Handedness, Forelimb preference, Individual laterality, Population laterality, Mammals
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Human spatial navigation strategies in virtual environments
Hejtmánek, Lukáš ; Vlček, Kamil (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
This master thesis presents an overview of psychological and neurological the- ories and research of human navigation, how it works, what systems it con- sists of and what external information it requires to operate. I present several experiments administered in virtual environment which tested the process of accessing two discrete spatial reference frames: allocentric landmark-centred and object-centred. The research tries to answer whether these reference frames interface during the learning phase and whether their access is sim- ultaneous or sequential. Data from my experiment are partially concordant with previous research and imply that the two representations exist inde- pendent of each other. Subjects tend to manifest longer reaction times during the spatial task when they need to change the reference frames in order to provide a correct answer. But the data also suggest that the switch from the object-centred reference frame does not occur prior to the task itself, which is conflicting with previous studies. Possible explanations are discussed. keywords: human navigation, switching, environmental representations, object- centred reference frame, virtual reality 1
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Sequential analysis of play behaviour in Hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus)
Palečková, Marie ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Vlček, Kamil (referee)
Social play is a very variable behaviour which includes, among others, patterns used in other functional contexts (e.g. predatory, aggressive or sexual behaviour). These patterns carry a risk of potential escalation of the play into an agonistic conflict or, at least, the risk of terminating the play interaction. Therefore, many species have evolved signals to establish a playful context. Some of the play signals could have specific metacommunicative function, i.e. to modify the meaning of actions borrowed from other contexts which immediately preceded or followed the play signal. The aim of this study was to use the sequential analysis of play behaviour in Hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) to test if some of the patterns in the play sequence serve as play signals with a metacommunicative function. I have tested whether the occurrence of patterns with potential play signal function is non- random and if there is a sequential association with actions borrowed from aggressive contexts. The results showed that the frequently reported play signal called play face occurred with almost two-times higher probability immediately before or immediately after aggressive patterns in play sequence, thus serving its metacommunnicative function. Other tested patterns did not show significant association with...
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