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The effect of the pre-weaning play on the coping ability of piglets
Večlová, Barbora ; Chaloupková, Helena (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
This diploma thesis is focused on animal play behaviour, it's features and factors that influence it. It also shows how play can be used as an animal welfare indicator and moreover that play may also improve welfare. Play is interesting from physiology and neurology point of view as well because it is able to trigger positive emotions. This thesis also describes the main hypotheses explaing evolutionary functions of play. The newest hypothesis claims that play may be a "training for the unexpected"(Špinka et al., 2001). Our experiments tested this hypothesis. We investigated if play of piglets before weaning could improve their coping with stress and reduce agonistic behaviour after weaning and later in life. Results show that play in an extra space before weaning does not influence pig's behaviour very much, but it seems to have some impact. Results also show other factors influencing agonistic behaviour of pigs - groupsize, gender and weight gain.
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Antipredatory behaviour of Red-backed Shrike: the role of sign stimuli in a predator recognition
Součková, Tereza ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Hořák, David (referee)
This thesis summarizes findings on a recognition and categorization of different sorts of stimuli at birds, it deals with predator recognition in the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) in its practical part. The aim of my study was to examine if Red-backed Shrikes follow by sign stimuli or colour of stimulus during the predator recognition. I performed my research by means of experiments with dummies, I have observed antipredatory reactions of Red-backed Shrikes on various types of dummies which differ in the presence or absence of features of raptor or in the different coloration. I concluded according to Shrikes' reactions that during the predator recognition the information on sign stimuli playes the principal role, but only this information alone is not fully sufficient. Antipredatory behaviour of the Red-backed Shrike was also influenced by sex of bird apart from type of dummy, males were more active during the nest defence than females.
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Effect of alarm call on tits' behavior on feeder
Lipanská, Barbora ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Petrusková, Tereza (referee)
LIPANSKÁ, B. 2011: Effect of alarm calls on tit's behavior on feeder. MSc Thesis. Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague. Alarm calls of the Great tit (Parus major) used in the context of ground-predators or perching-raptors consist of high-frequency tonal syllables and of series of churring syllables with broad-frequency range. The function of some acoustical parametres of these complex calls was tested in playback experiment on feeder. As the most effective appeared to be alarm calling of two birds simultaneously. More important for warning function of the calls were broad-frequency range syllables. The length of series of these syllables had an opposite impact than in some north-American chickadees (genus Poecile). The Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) responds to Great tit's alarm calls, but its reactions are weaker. This difference can be caused by its lower competition ability against the Great tit. Key words: antipredation behavior, alarm calls, tits, playback experiment
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Effects of human demonstrator on horse's performance in a spatial task: Does social learning occur?
Pokorná, Miroslava ; Bartošová, Jitka (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
Social observational learning is one of learning abilities expected in domestic horses (Equus caballus) because of their ecological and evolutional history. However, a few studies focused on this type of learning in horses failed to provide clear evidence of observational learning and/or could not distinguished it from other types of learning. We tested interspecific observational learning abilities using the spatial task and a human demonstrator. We hypothesised that 1) horses with possibility of observing a human demonstrator will complete the task in shorter time than control horses without any demonstrator, and 2) horses observing a familiar demonstrator will carry out the task in shorter time than horses with an unfamiliar demonstrator due to established positive human - horse relationship. Twenty - four riding horses of mixed age and breed were randomly allocated to three groups per 8 and started the task either with observing a familiar demonstrator, unfamiliar demonstrator or no demonstrator (control group). Each horse was released individually at the starting point in the experimental paddock and the latency to pass the task was recorded. A horse completed the task once it walked 25 m from the starting point to the squared area (4x4 m) fenced by a tape, went into it through the entrance on the...
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New environment grings new interaction:coexistence of closely related birds in urban mosaic
Sedláček, Ondřej ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Grim, Tomáš (referee) ; Procházka, Petr (referee)
I I New environment brings new interaďions: coexistence of closely related birds in urban mosaic ondřej Sedláček 1. SUMMARYOF THE THESIS The ongoingurbanizationrapidlychangesenvironmentsof mostplantand animal species worldwideand ecologistshave recentlyincreasedtheir attentionto biodiversiýconservationin man-affected|andscapes.HoWeVer,besidesspecia|ised species,whichdisappeardue to dramatichabitatconversion,manyorganismsare ableto changetheirbehaviour,physiologyand life historiesand haveadaptedto humanproximity.Citiesthereforeprovidea,,natura||aboratoý.,whichenablesusto studyecologicaland physiologicaladaptationsof synanthropicorganisms.Urban environmentsare a|soýpica|for theirhabitatheterogeneiý'Thanksto the mosaic natureof diversehabitats,specieswith differenthabitatselectioncometo close contaďin cities.ThisphenomenonWasa re|ative|yneg|eďedresearchareain urban ecology.A good model for this kind of investigationseemsto be a coupleof congenericbirdspecies,whicharerecentlycommonin urbanhabitatsacrossEurope - Black Redstart (Phoenicurusochruros)and Redstaft (P. phoenicurus).The two specieshavesimilarnestingandforagingecologybutoccupydifferenthabitatsunder naturalconditions.The BlackRedstartprimarilybreedsin open,rockyrerrainin mountaineousareas.This relativelyspecia|habitatýpe has spreadacrossEurope with...
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The effect of a predator occurrence on vigilance of tits visiting the winter feeder
Tichá, Irena ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Sedláček, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis evaluates the vigilance parameters of two species of tits affected by the presence of a predator in wintertime. During preferential experiments, tits have had a choice of two feeders in the vicinity of the installed dummy predator. For that purpose was used a dummy sparrowhawk, incomplete or occluded sparrowhawk torsos, and harmless pigeon. It is known that the tits are able to recognize dangerousness presented by the dummy, and according to expected risk dare to visit one of the feeders. It leads to a question whether the tits are somehow influenced by the presence of the dummies, and if so, how specifically are they influenced. It turned out, that the tits in presence of a dangerous dummy significantly increased their vigilance. Both observed species at the feeders behave oppositely. Behaviour of all the birds at the feeder is also affected by their total count at the precise moment and by the presence of a dummy at the other feeder.
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Reaction of Palearctic and Nearctic chickadees to sympatric and allopatric predators using feeder experiments: do regional differences in recognition of predators and determination of threat they are posing exist?
Lončík, Lukáš ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
We have examined wild palearctic and nearctic parids in their ability to recognize and assess a threat level of sympatric and allopatric predators. The study was conducted in Prague, Czech republic, on great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Parus caeruleus) during the winter of 2013, and the following year in the city of Calgary, Canada, on black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Three species of falcons (merlin (Falco columbarius), common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and american kestrel (Falco sparverius)), were chosen, two of which were sympatric and one was allopatric to the studied parid species in each area. We have also tested their reaction to nest predators magpies (eurasian magpie (Pica pica), black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia)). Using two ground feeders in the winter time, we gave parids a choice between a feeder with either one of the three dummies of falcons, or a magpie, and a feeder with a dummy of either a hawk (the most dangerous predator of small birds) or a dove (a harmless bird of the same size as falcons). As a control we have only used sympatric species: eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), Cooper's hawk (Acipiter cooperii), eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and mourning dove (Zenaida macroura). Results from the city of Calgary did not produce any...
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Can birds manipulate sex ratio of their offspring?
Tomiška, Lubomír ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
The aim of this study is a summary of existing knowledge about skewed sex ratio in birds. This controversial topic represents one of the most important questions of evolutionary ecology. We still miss consistence in finding ultimate causes just as proximate mechanisms although there was an expansion of experimental studies already in the last decade of the 20th century which was caused by an invention of the new technology in sex determination. On the other hand, there are many convincing proofs of skewed primary, secondary, tertiary and even quartenary sex ratio so the facultative manipulation or obligatory sex ratio bias is presumable. My Bachelor's thesis compares studies focused on the similar ultimate causes and tries to point out their deficiencies together with contributions to research of this topic. Observation of sex ratio includes many specifics which are mentioned in theoretical introduction. The second part offers potencial proximate mechanisms which could be responsible for sex ratio manipulation. Within the analysis of studies I found sex ratio manipulation of the first egg in clutch as common trend which could fit to selective ovum resorption as a proximate mechanism.
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The effect of nest quality for breeding success in Great Reed Warbler
Jelínek, Václav ; Procházka, Petr (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
Nests are key structures for the reproduction of majority of avian species and as such they should be subject to natural selection. Six hypotheses have been suggested to explain variance in avian nest size. In my master thesis I evaluate their validity in the Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). First two hypotheses describe responses of nest size to predation and brood parasitism. These two selection pressures may lead to the reduction of nest size, but no evidence of their impact on nest dimensions was obtained. However, I found a significant but negative relationship between the probability of nest predation and soft nest height. No such relationship was found between the probability of brood parasitism and nest size characteristics. The incidence of brood parasitism was affected only by nest visibility from the nearest cuckoo perch site and distance from open water. More visible nests suffered heavier parasitism while those located deeper in reed beds were better protected from cuckoo parasitism. Another four hypotheses describe selection pressures which favour large nests or some of their functional parts. The thermoregulatory hypothesis, the sexual display hypothesis and the nest support hypothesis did not explain nest size variation. I found support for the clutch size hypothesis,...
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