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- A call for CARE in animal behaviour: an holistic ethical research frameworkPublication . Badihi, Gal; Taylor-O’Connor, Jennifer; Daly, Gabriela Bezerra de Melo; Komeda, Viola; Daoudi-Simison, Sophia; Rodrigues, Evelina D.; Webster, Michael M.; Altschul, Drew M.; Hobaiter, Catherine; Wiltshire,Charlotte; Klein, Harmonie; Freymann, Elodie; Grund, Charlotte; Soldati, Adrian; Henderson, Matthew; Leroux, Maël M.; Slania, Nora E.; ElseviorDespite increasing awareness of animal welfare, there are vast discrepancies between legal protections and recommended practices for different species, in different countries and at different institutions. While many guidelines are now available, they often target specific research contexts or species, leaving a gap in compre hensive ethical oversight across the entire research process. Within animal behaviour research, there is a bias for considering ethics during only the methodology and design phase. This often means only the immediate impact on animals directly involved in the research is accounted for. Conducting ethical research should extend beyond ensuring animal welfare during data collection and include environmentally sustainable research practices, alongside the ethical treatment of people working within and alongside animal behaviour research. We offer the Consult, Approve, Research and Evaluate (CARE) framework to improve the scientific integrity, transparency and ethical practices within the field of animal behaviour. CARE encourages researchers and academic bodies to (1) Consult existing (academic and traditional) knowledge on the study species, local human—animal interactions, their environment and previously implemented ethical practices and to reflect on personal experience and biases when approaching a study question; (2) seek Approval from relevant bodies (e.g. institutional ethics committees and local and government authorities) even when not mandatory; (3) uphold ethical standards while carrying out Research and (4) Evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of the specific study. Our framework is designed to distribute accountability at every level of the academic system, from individual re searchers to their institutions, funding bodies and publishers. We pitch this framework as a ‘version 1.0’ to recognize the fast-evolving nature of ethical standards in animal behaviour research and to allow space for improvement. CARE provides a necessary infrastructure for addressing systemic biases and ensuring ethically sound, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable animal behaviour research.
- Erratum to “A call for CARE in animal behaviour: An holistic ethical research framework” [Animal Behaviour 231 (2026) 123428]Publication . Badihi, Gal; Taylor-O’Connor, Jennifer; Daly, Gabriela Bezerra de Melo; Komeda, Viola; Daoudi-Simison, Sophia; Rodrigues, Evelina D.; Webster, Michael M.; Altschul, Drew M.; Hobaiter, Catherine; Wiltshire, Charlotte; Klein, Harmonie; Freymann, Elodie; Grund, Charlotte; Soldati, Adrian; Henderson, Matthew; Leroux, Maël M.; Slania, Nora E.; Elsevier
- Biodiversity vs. geodiversity in landscape appreciation: What do Portuguese and Spanish pre-service teachers value?Publication . Almeida, António; Prieto, Prieto; Fernández, Beatriz GarcíaABSTRACT This study aimed to identify, via questionnaire, the landscape preferences of 336 pre-service teachers—219 from a metropolitan area in Portugal and 117 from a rural area in Spain. Eight natural landscapes were assessed, each characterised by geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural features. Overall, Portuguese students showed stronger preferences, possibly due to Spanish students’ familiarity with natural surroundings. Landscapes featuring geodiversity with water bodies (such as cascades and caldera lakes) were most favoured, while biodiversity-rich landscapes were pre ferred over those with only geodiversity. Both groups expressed a stronger commitment to landscape preservation than to their preferences, showing a moderate to weak correlation between these factors. Animals significantly attracted interest, and when various natural elements were present, geo diversity features tended to be less noticed. Positive emotions were gen erally associated with the landscapes, though some geological features and educational values were underappreciated. Suggestions for integrating these insights into teacher training are included.
- Social learning and culture in birds: Emerging patterns and relevance to conservationPublication . Aplin, Lucy; Crates, Ross; Flack, Andrea; McGregor, PeterThere is now abundant evidence for a role of social learning and culture in shaping behaviour in a range of avian species across multiple contexts, from migration routes in geese and foraging behaviour in crows, to passerine song. Recent emerging evidence has further linked culture to fitness outcomes in some birds, highlighting its potential importance for conservation. Here, we first summarize the state of knowledge on social learning and culture in birds, focusing on the best-studied contexts of migration, foraging, predation and song. We identify extensive knowledge gaps for some taxa but argue that existing evidence suggests that: (i) social learning and culture are taxonomically clustered and that (ii) reliance on social learning in one behavioural domain does not predict reliance across others. Together, we use this to build a predictive framework to aid conservationists in species-specific decision-making under imperfect knowledge. Second, we review evidence for a link between culture and conservation in birds. We argue that understanding which behaviours birds are likely to learn socially can help refine conservation strategies, improving the trajectories of threatened populations. Last, we present practical steps for how consideration of culture can be integrated into conservation actions including reintroductions, translocations and captive breeding programmes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Animal culture: conservation in a changing world’.
- Predicting effective adaptation to breast cancer to help women BOUNCE back: Protocol for a Multicenter Clinical Pilot StudyPublication . Pettini, Greta; Sanchini, Virginia; Pat-Horenczyk, Ruth; Sousa, Berta; Masiero, Marianna; Marzorati, Chiara; Galimberti, Viviana Enrica; Munzone, Elisabetta; Mattson, Johanna; Vehmanen, Leena; Utriainen, Meri; Roziner, Ilan; Lemos, Raquel; Frasquilho, Diana; Cardoso, Fatima; Oliveira-Maia, Albino J; Kolokotroni, Eleni; Stamatakos, Georgios; Leskelä, Riikka-Leena; Haavisto, Ira; Salonen, Juha; Richter, Robert; Karademas, Evangelos; Poikonen-Saksela, Paula; Mazzocco, KettiBackground: Despite the continued progress of medicine, dealing with breast cancer is becoming a major socioeconomic challenge, particularly due to its increasing incidence. The ability to better manage and adapt to the entire care process depends not only on the type of cancer but also on the patient’s sociodemographic and psychological characteristics as well as on the social environment in which a person lives and interacts. Therefore, it is important to understand which factors may contribute to successful adaptation to breast cancer. To our knowledge, no studies have been performed on the combination effect of multiple psychological, biological, and functional variables in predicting the patient’s ability to bounce back from a stressful life event, such as a breast cancer diagnosis. Here we describe the study protocol of a multicenter clinical study entitled “Predicting Effective Adaptation to Breast Cancer to Help Women to BOUNCE Back” or, in short, BOUNCE. Objective: The aim of the study is to build a quantitative mathematical model of factors associated with the capacity for optimal adjustment to cancer and to study resilience through the cancer continuum in a population of patients with breast cancer. Methods: A total of 660 women with breast cancer will be recruited from five European cancer centers in Italy, Finland, Israel, and Portugal. Biomedical and psychosocial variables will be collected using the Noona Healthcare platform. Psychosocial, sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables will be measured every 3 months, starting from presurgery assessment (ie, baseline) to 18 months after surgery. Temporal data mining, time-series prediction, sequence classification methods, clustering time-series data, and temporal association rules will be used to develop the predictive model. Results: The recruitment process stared in January 2019 and ended in November 2021. Preliminary results have been published in a scientific journal and are available for consultation on the BOUNCE project website. Data analysis and dissemination of the study results will be performed in 2022. Conclusions: This study will develop a predictive model that is able to describe individual resilience and identify different resilience trajectories along the care process. The results will allow the implementation of tailored interventions according to patients’ needs, supported by eHealth technologies. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05095675; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05095675 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/34564
- A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservationPublication . Brakes, Philippa; Carroll, Emma L; Dall, Sasha R X; Keith, Sally Anne; McGregor, Peter; Mesnick, Sarah L.; Noad, Michael; Rendell, Luke Edward; Robbins, Martha M.; Rutz, Christian; Thornton, Alex; Whiten, Andrew; Whiting, Martin J.; Aplin, Lucy M.; Bearhop, Stuart; Ciucci, Paolo; Fishlock, Vicki; Ford, John K. B.; Sciara Di, Giuseppe Notarbartolo; Simmonds, Mark P.; Spina, Fernando; Wade, Paul R.; Whitehead, Hal; Williams, James; Garland, Ellen C.A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence of viable, natural populations of wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided by genetic, ecological and demographic indicators of risk. Emerging evidence of animal culture across diverse taxa and its role as a driver of evolutionary diversification, population structure and demographic processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional conservation approaches and decision-making. Animal culture was the focus of a ground-breaking resolution under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an international treaty operating under the UN Environment Programme. Here, we synthesize existing evidence to demonstrate how social learning and animal culture interact with processes important to conservation management. Specifically, we explore how social learning might influence population viability and be an important resource in response to anthropogenic change, and provide examples of how it can result in phenotypically distinct units with different, socially learnt behavioural strategies. While identifying culture and social learning can be challenging, indirect identification and parsimonious inferences may be informative. Finally, we identify relevant methodologies and provide a framework for viewing behavioural data through a cultural lens which might provide new insights for conservation management.
- Demographic history has shaped the strongly differentiated corkwing wrasse populations in Northern EuropePublication . Mattingsdal, Morten; Jorde, Per Erik; Knutsen, Halvor; Jentoft, Sissel; Stenseth, Nils Christian; Sodeland, Marte; Robalo, Joana I; Hansen, Michael M.; André, Carl; Gonzalez, Enrique BlancoUnderstanding the biological processes involved in genetic differentiation and divergence between populations within species is a pivotal aim in evolutionary biology. One particular phenomenon that requires clarification is the maintenance of genetic barriers despite the high potential for gene flow in the marine environment. Such patterns have been attributed to limited dispersal or local adaptation, and to a lesser extent to the demographic history of the species. The corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) is an example of a marine fish species where regions of particular strong divergence are observed. One such genetic break occurred at a surprisingly small spatial scale (FST ~0.1), over a short coastline (<60 km) in the North Sea-Skagerrak transition area in southwestern Norway. Here, we investigate the observed divergence and purported reproductive isolation using genome resequencing. Our results suggest that historical events during the post-glacial recolonization route can explain the present population structure of the corkwing wrasse in the northeast Atlantic. While the divergence across the break is strong, we detected ongoing gene flow between populations over the break suggesting recent contact or negative selection against hybrids. Moreover, we found few outlier loci and no clear genomic regions potentially being under selection. We concluded that neutral processes and random genetic drift e.g., due to founder events during colonization have shaped the population structure in this species in Northern Europe. Our findings underline the need to take into account the demographic process in studies of divergence processes.
- Are tidal lagoons ecologically relevant to larval recruitment of small pelagic fish : an approach using nutritional condition and growth ratePublication . Chícharo, M.A.; Amaral, A.; Faria, A.; Morais, P.; Mendes, C.; Piló, D.; Ben-Hamadou, R.; Chícharo, L.There are numerous studies dealing with larvae of Small Pelagic Fish (SPF), but only a few have actually addressed advanced larval phases. Temperate coastal lagoons are particularly understudied, due to the absence of standard method to capture advanced larval fish in these near shore shallow habitats. Accordingly, this study aims to describe abundances, nutritional condition and in situ growth of postflexion (SPF) from the Ria Formosa, a tidal coastal lagoon in southern Portugal. The nutritional condition and in situ growth were determined through cohort analysis and standardized RNA:DNA ratio (sRD), complemented with feeding incidence (gut content) and fatty acids (FAs, trophic biomarkers) of postflexion larvae sampled sequentially with light traps, from spring 2005 to summer 2006. Simultaneously, environmental parameters such as water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a were measured. Post-larvae of SPF were captured through the year in important numbers. The dominant species were Sardina pilchardus (50.7%), Engraulis encrasicolus and Atherina presbyter (11.4%). These results are distinct from those based on adult/juvenile surveys or early planktonic phases in the Ria Formosa where clupeiformes were occasionally reported. Sardines were captured mainly in winter, spring and early summer and anchovies mainly during summer and autumn. Sand smelt, a resident species, was present throughout the year. In the early summer, the three species were present and during this period some diet overlapping occurred, the feeding incidence of the clupeiformes was very low, but atherinids always exhibited full guts reflecting the different gut morphology or indicating different lifecycle strategies. The bulk of the diet was mollusks, crustaceans and appendicularians, for sand smelts, sardines and anchovies, respectively. The results of FA analyses showed some contribution of phytoplankton to SPF in the area. All SPF exhibited higher condition (sRD) and growth rates in summer, which are explained by the adequate temperature and higher planktonic productivity. This is especially relevant because the successful development of postflexion larvae in these nursery areas largely determines the successful recruitment to adult fish populations.
- Muscular hypertrophy of urinary bladders in dominant tilapia facilitates the control of aggression through urinary signalsPublication . Keller-Costa, T.; Lopes, O.S.; Almeida, O.; Hubbard, P.C.; Iacovella, A.; Lima, M.; Barata, E.N.; Canário, A.V.M.The urination pattern of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) depends on social context, and the olfactory potency of urine released depends on social rank (males) and reproductive status (females). This strongly suggests that urine mediates chemical communication in this species. The current study tested, firstly, whether urine production rate depends on sex or social status and, secondly, whether differences in urination pattern and volume of urine stored are associated with variation in the morphology of the urinary bladder. Finally, the effect of urination during aggressive male-male interactions was assessed. Urine production in catheterized fish depended neither on sex nor social status (males). Nevertheless, males had larger kidneys than females. Dominant males had heavier urinary bladders than subordinate males or females, mainly due to enlarged muscle fibres, thicker urothelium and a thicker smooth muscle layer. In male pairs wherein urination was prevented by temporary constriction of the genital papillae, social interaction escalated to aggression (mouth-to-mouth fighting) more rapidly and frequently than control pairs. This was accompanied by elevated plasma testosterone and 11 -ketotestosterone levels. In control encounters, the male that initiated the aggressive behaviour was usually the winner of the subsequent fight; this did not happen when the males could not urinate. These results suggest that the larger, more muscular bladder of dominant males is an adaptation, facilitating higher urination frequency, post-renal modulation and storage of larger urine volumes for longer. It is likely that urinary pheromones modulate aggression in male-male encounters by providing information on the social rank and/or motivation of the emitter; males are unlikely to invest in costly highly aggressive
- Light-dependent magnetic compass orientation in amphibians and insects: candidate receptors and candidate molecular mechanismsPublication . Phillips, John B.; Jorge, Paulo; Muheim, RachelMagnetic compass orientation by amphibians, and some insects, is mediated by a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism. Cryptochrome photopigments, best known for their role in circadian rhythms, are proposed to mediate such responses. In this paper, we explore light-dependent properties of magnetic sensing at three levels: (i) behavioural (wavelength-dependent effects of light on magnetic compass orientation), (ii) physiological (photoreceptors/photopigment systems with properties suggesting a role in magnetoreception), and (iii) molecular (cryptochrome-based and non-cryptochrome-based signalling pathways that are compatible with behavioural responses). Our goal is to identify photoreceptors and signalling pathways that are likely to play a specialized role in magnetoreception in order to definitively answer the question of whether the effects of light on magnetic compass orientation are mediated by a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism, or instead are due to input from a non-light-dependent (e.g. magnetite-based) magnetoreception mechanism that secondarily interacts with other light-dependent processes.
