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A sense of beauty among animals

Not only people, but animals too, have a sense of aesthetics. In a current WWTF project, Leonida Fusani from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the Vetmeduni Vienna and the Department of Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna and fellow researchers are investigating the role that beauty perceptions play in humans and animals in evolution. For example, birds of paradise prepare a carefully decorated stage in accordance with their aesthetic sensibility for their mating dance, on which they then perform an impressive show for their potential partners. Peacocks shake their iridescent feathers and turn their tail into a giant wheel to attract females.  So a sense of aesthetics thus does not seem to be reserved for humans.

The WWTF project "Comparative aesthetics" investigates the evolutionary function and common roots of the search for beauty in humans and other species, such as birds.

More info (in German)

(Web editor, 12 December 2019)

 

Science Day 2019 - Poster award in the category "university environment"

On November 27, 2019, science was celebrated at the Vetmeduni Vienna.  This included a keynote speech by Nuno Maulide, awards for outstanding scientific work, the kick-off of the entrepreneurial Vetmeduni initiative and networking. 45 posters were submitted this year by researchers from the Vetmeduni Vienna and judged by various expert juries. The Scientific Advisory Board of the University, consisting of international scientists and experts from various veterinary disciplines, formed the jury for the poster award category "university environment".

Third place in this category went to Maria Adelaide Marconi of the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology for her poster on the vocal personality of male house mice.

More info (in German)

(Web editor, 2 December 2019)

 

The handicap principle: from erroneous hypothesis to scientific standard

In a recently published review, Dustin Penn of the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at Vetmeduni Vienna reveals a widely accepted hypothesis to be a scientific fallacy. The handicap principle is the most widely cited explanation for the evolution of costly and conspicuous signalling systems in the animal world, such as the colourful plumage of peacocks. According to Penn, however, this idea is completely erroneous and can be rejected.

The article "The Handicap Principle: how an erroneous hypothesis became a scientific principle“ by Dustin J. Penn and Szabolcs Számadó was published in Biological Reviews .

More info

(Web editor, 25 November 2019)

 

Swallow project receives Citizen Science Award 2019

Once again this year, interested people ("citizen scientists") had the opportunity to participate in research projects throughout Austria as part of the Citizen Science Awards 2019. The most dedicated citizen scientists were again honored by the Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMBWF) and the Austrian Exchange Service (OeAD) with the Citizen Science Award on 19 November 2019.

A project of the Austrian Ornithological Centre  "Flugkünstler gesucht - Schwalbe gesehen?" ("Flying artists - have you seen a swallow?") was one of the seven winning projects. The aim of the project was to investigate the occurrence of common house martins and barn swallows in the Lower Austrian district of Tulln. Citizen scientists - participating classes as well as individuals - were able to photograph swallows and their nests with camera or smartphone and record their observations on the Wild Neighbors website. On the Citizen Science Award Day, interested schoolchildren had the opportunity to learn more about the birdlife in town and country as well as to take a look behind the scenes of the different nesting aids and bird nests.

The festive ceremony then took place in the ballroom of the University of Vienna. Attractive prizes for two individuals and prize money for the winning class of BG / BRG Tulln (Lower Austria) were awarded based on the number of nests reported during the research period. 

(Web editor, 20 November 2019)  

Conference award for Jim McGetrick of the Domestication Lab

Jim McGetrick from the Domestication Lab of the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology won second place in a "best talk" award at the 6. European Student Conference on Behaviour and Cognition, which took place from 4 to 7 September 2019 in Padua. His talk was entitled "Dogs' responses in inequity paradigms may be driven by perceptions of reward attainability". We congratulate our colleague!

(Web editor, 3 October 2019)

 

 

Open House Vienna 2019

For Open House Vienna 2019, on 14 and 15 September, the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology opened its doors to the public for the first time.  More than 600 interested visitors were able to find out about the exciting architecture of Anton Schweighofer during well attended guided tours by Architect DI Jürgen Radatz. He described in detail Schweighofer's paradigm shift from old to new, referred to the special construction method and inspired the visitors with his explanations concerning architecture and changing research interests!

The KLIVV team thanks its numerous visitors for their interest.

 

Sexual experience of no reproductive benefit to male house mice

Contrary to previous assumptions, sexual experience is no advantage for mate choice and mating success. This surprising finding is the central result of a study conducted on house mice by the Vetmeduni Vienna. This suggests that in mammals, even highly complex behaviors are more genetically programmed than previously thought.

As part of a study at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, a research team investigated the sexual behavior of domestic mice, whereby one female could choose between two different males. Of these, either both were sexually experienced, both were sexually inexperienced, or one male was sexually experienced and the other was inexperienced. The test design made it possible to find out female mating preferences - also against the background that sexually inexperienced males often kill offspring. Sexually experienced males mated as often and did not produce more offspring than their virgin competitors. Based on these findings, which contradict previous assumptions, according to the study authors, future studies on vertebrates should take into account that female social preferences are not a reliable indicator of mate choice.

The article "Sexual experience has no effect on male mating or reproductive success in house mice“ by Kerstin E. Thonhauser, Alexandra Raffetzeder, and Dustin J. Penn was published in Scientific Reports.


More info

(Web editor, 9 September 2019)

Sleeping unsafely tucked in to conserve energy in nocturnal migratory songbirds

Sleeping with the head tucked in the back feathers is a common behavior exhibited by most species of birds. In a recent study, scientist from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the Vetmeduni Vienna and the University of Vienna found, that the hiding of the head during sleep reduces heat loss and conserves energy reserves. However sleeping with the head tucked is risky for the birds. Due to the reduced metabolic rate and the slower reaction time, their risk of being predated is increased.

Nocturnally migrating songbirds that cross the Mediterranean to reach continental Europe often stop on islands close to the coast to rest before continuing their journey. Through detailed observations of Garden Warblers that had recently arrived on one of these island stopover sites, a team of researchers around Leonida Fusani found that the sleeping position of the warblers depended on their physiological condition

These findings reveal new perspectives on the functions of avian sleep postures, as well as the ecological and physiological challenges birds face during migration.

The article „Sleeping unsafely tucked in to conserve energy in a nocturnal migratory songbird“ by Andrea Ferretti, Niels C. Rattenborg, Thomas Ruf, Scott R. McWilliams, Massimiliano Cardinale, and Leonida Fusani was published in Current Biology.

More info

(Web editor, 19 August 2019)

Complex courtship behaviour

The development and function of multimodal courtship displays are behaviours designed to facilitate attraction of potential partners and mating. They are widespread throughout the animal kingdom. Most courtship signals are multimodal, that is they consist of different signals and different sensory modalities. Although courtship often has a strong influence on reproductive success, the question of why and how males use multimodal courtship to improve their reproductive performance has not received much attention. Little is known about the role of the various components of male advertising and their relative importance to females.

The aim of a study at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, led by Leonida Fusani, was to examine what is currently known about the functional significance of advertising displays, in particular the role of multimodality in this context. The focus is on those cases where a complete picture of the communication system can only be assessed by taking into account the complexity and interaction of different modalities. Empirical studies are needed to specifically test how the variation of the various modalities and the interaction between them influence the response and selection of females. Moreover, we know very little about the neural mechanisms involved in the multisensory processing of courtship.

The article Evolution and function of multimodal courtship displays by Clémentine Mitoyen, Cliodhna Quigley, and Leonida Fusani was published in the journal Ethology.

(Web editor, 6 August 2019)

Witnessing extinction

Due to broad‐scale habitat loss, European Rollers (Coracias garrulus) have been decreasing in numbers rapidly during the 20th century in parts of their European distribution range. In Austria, as of 2017, only a completely isolated relict population of two breeding pairs and a few non‐breeders remained in Styria, compared to about 270 pairs in the 1950s. In 2018, no breeders at all were recorded. Since 2002, all nestlings and adult birds in Austria have been ringed. Given the small census size, combined with lack of immigration from other populations, genetic depletion seems likely. In the present study, genetic data based on blood samples of nestlings from recent years were collected and compared with museum samples from historical times and with birds across the distribution range to arrive at a first preliminary phylogeographic dataset for the species. The mitochondrial DNA showed a decrease in genetic variation over time in Austria. These results indicate drift effects in this relict European Roller population caused by the fast population breakdown and small population size. We also found that the Austrian Rollers are part of a formerly continuous European population.  This opens the way to restocking the present relict population with birds from Eastern Europe (“genetic rescue”).

The article Witnessing extinction: Population genetics of the last European Rollers (Coracias garrulus) in Austria and a first phylogeographic analysis of the species across its distribution range by Carina Nebel, Kerstin Kadletz, Anita Gamauf, Elisabeth Haring, Peter Sackl, Michael Tiefenbach,  Hans Winkler and Frank E. Zachos was published in the Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research.

(Web editor, 8 July 2019)

Successful reintroduction of the Ural owl

It has been a decade since the first 22 young Ural owls were released in 2009.  Currently there are about 30 stable Ural owl pairs living in the wild in Lower Austria.  The species had become extinct in the wild in Austria in the 1950s.  The long-term engagement of forestry, conservation groups, and hunting organizations has been successful.  On 17 June the Austrian Ornithological Centre´s branch in Seebarn celebrated a decade of successful reintroduction of this charismatic owl species. 

Project leader Richard Zink is optimistic that Ural owls have a good chance to establish themselves permanently in the Austrian woods.  Forestry and agriculture measures can support this process.  The Ural owl is well adapted to texture-rich mixed broadleaf forests with native tree species.  

An international breeding network provides the foundation for the reintroduction programme.  In Austria there is a long-term cooperation with the Schönbrunn Zoo and 12 more zoos and breeding stations.  They support the project and provide owl chicks for release into the wild. 

More info (in German)

(Web editor, 18 June 2019)

 

First experimental evidence of a sexually transmitted infection in a wild animal population

The occurrence of sexually transmitted infections has been confirmed in a number of domestic animal species, and in some wild species in captivity. However, experimental proof has been lacking in wild animals in nature. Researchers from the Veterinary Medicine University Vienna and France have now succeeded in demonstrating this for the first time in a wild species, the black-legged kittiwake, a seabird, by blocking insemination experimentally using a simple ring fitted around the cloaca. Females infected with the newly discovered sexually transmitted pathogen suffered lower hatching success and invested more effort in reproduction to compensate for the loss.

The article "Experimental evidence of a sexually transmitted infection in a wild vertebrate, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)” by Wouter F. D. Van Dongen, Joël White, Hanja B. Brandl, Sarah Leclaire, Scott A. Hatch, Étienne Danchin and Richard H. Wagner was published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.  

(Web editor, 28 March 2019)

Pheromones and social status: Machos smell better

Male house mice are territorial and scent-mark their territories with urine – and dominant, territorial males have much greater reproductive success than other males. A study conducted by researchers around Dustin Penn from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the Vetmeduni Vienna was recently published in Scientific Reports.  It shows that female mice display preferential olfactory attraction to the scent of dominant males, and that dominant males have higher pheromone production than subordinates.

The present study is the first to demonstrate that dominant, territorial males upregulate their pheromone production.

The article "Regulation of volatile and nonvolatile pheromone attractants depends on social status" by M. Thoss, K.C. Luzynski, V.M. Enk, E. Razzazi-Fazeli, J.Kwak, I. Ortner, and D.J. Penn has appeared in Scientific Reports.

More info

(Web editor, 11 March 2019)

Sensational catch during bird monitoring at Wilhelminenberg: Great Spotted Woodpecker in Vienna almost breaks the age record

At the end of January 2019, the Austrian bird ringing center at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology (KLIVV) caught a very special bird in the net during its annual bird monitoring: a  ringed great spotted woodpecker female of the considerable age of at least 12 years!

The data from the long-term monitoring program show that this bird was ringed at KLIVV in 2008. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that the average life expectancy of this species is 7 to 8 years and that the current known age record for wild spotted woodpeckers is 12 years and 8 months!

As luck would have it, on this very day a professional photographer was on site, who was also able to portray the beautiful woodpecker female.  The female bird was still very fit, so there is hope that it will grace Vienna´s Wilhelminenberg for a while longer and maybe even break the current age record.

(Web editor, 6 February 2019)