The behaviour of a social group of mandrills, Mandrillus sphinx

A social group of 37 mandrills, with composition resembling a wild group, maintained in a 5.3 ha enclosure of natural relict gallery forest at CIRMF, Gabon was studied over 29 months. The 14 wild-caught founders (7 adult females, 2 adult and 5 subadult males) were the subjects of detailed behavioural study (15 months, 1200+ hours observation). Mandrills were captured at least annually to obtain blood samples, data on body weight, dental and reproductive status, and testicular volume. Breeding was seasonal, with a 4-month mating season in which 92% of oestrous periods occurred. Oestrus synchrony was evident, with up to 5 females maximally swollen on any one day. Most (92%) copulations occurred at maximum swelling, with ejaculation in a single mount. 'Mate-guarding' of pen-ovulatory females by the alpha male involved sustained proximity to her and 'warning grunts' to other males. No herding behaviour was observed. Spatial, grooming, and agonistic relationships were examined in detail. During anoestrus, males were rarely near females; three males were never recorded allogrooming. The alpha male spent significantly more time close to anoestrous females, grooming with them significantly more than the other males. Females spent time near each other, groomed with their offspring, and gave three-quarters of their grooming to and received nearly all grooming from founder females. During oestrus, male-female proximity increased, females spent more time grooming, groomed with fewer age-sex classes, groomed mostly with male founders, and received more grooming from males. Stable, linear dominance hierarchies existed within each sex. Various aspects of mandrill biology - colouration, scent-marking, vocalisations - were interpreted as adaptations to ecological constraints of living semi-terrestrially in tropical forest. Results were used to assess models of single- and multi-male social organisation and male mating strategies. It was suggested that mandrills form one-male units, different from those of hamadryas and gelada baboons. Instead similarities with an Asian ecological analogue of the mandrill, the pig-tailed macaque, were emphasised

Habituating primates: Processes, techniques, variables and ethics

First paragraph: Field biologists adopted the term habituation from physiology, as the relatively persistent waning of a response as a result of repeated stimulation that is not followed by any kind of reinforcement (Thorpe, 1963). Repeated neutral contacts between non-human primates (hereafter called primates in this chapter) and humans can lead to a reduction in fear, and ultimately to the ignoring of an observer. The techniques and processes involved have only rarely been described (e.g. Schaller, 1963; Kummer, 1995), as habituation has generally been viewed as a means to an end (Tutin & Fernandez, 1991). The few studies that have quantified primate behaviour in relation to habituators describe the process with African great apes (Grieser Johns, 1996; van Krunkelsven et al., 1999; Blom et al., 2001). As we become increasingly aware of the potential effects of observer presence on primate behaviour, and especially the potential risks of close proximity with humans, it behoves us to measure as much as possible about the habituation process

Habituating primates: Processes, techniques, variables and ethics (2nd Edition)

Introduction Field biologists adopted the term habituation from physiology, as the relatively persistent waning of a response as a result of repeated stimulation that is not followed by any kind of reinforcement (Thorpe, 1963). Repeated neutral contacts between primates and humans can lead to a reduction in fear, and ultimately to the ignoring of an observer. Historically, the techniques and processes involved were rarely described, as habituation was generally viewed as a means to an end (Tutin & Fernandez, 1991). As we become increasingly aware of the potential effects of observer presence on primate behaviour, and especially the potential risks of close proximity with humans, it behoves us to measure as much about the habituation process as possible. However, most recent studies that have quantified primate behaviour in relation to habituators have focussed on great apes (see, for example, Ando et al., 2008; Bertolani & Boesch, 2008; Blom et al., 2004; Cipolletta, 2003; Doran-Sheehy et al., 2007; Sommer et al., 2004; Werdenich et al., 2003), with little information available for other primate taxa (but see Jack et al., 2008)

Einleitung: Er-Zählen und Rechnen als Paradigma historischer Narratologie?

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Relativierte Referentialität: Überlegungen zu einer Kulturgeschichte der Interaktion von Erzählen und Rechnen

Im Rahmen der Öffnung des narratologischen Interesses auch für das Erzählen außerhalb von poetisch-literarischen Gattungen sollen mathematische Textaufgaben aus vormodernen Rechenbüchern auf das in ihnen enthaltene (proto-),narratologische‘ Bewusstsein hin befragt werden. Nach einer Skizze zur Ausbildung der Kulturtechnik des Rechnens in den Jahrhunderten der Vormoderne werden anhand ausgewählter Beispiele Aspekte eines Prozesses des Herauserzählens von Mathematik aus Praxiszusammenhängen bis hin zur bewussten Gegenüberstellung von Erzählen und Rechnen nachgezeichnet und mit einem Ausblick auf die Moderne versehen. So soll verdeutlicht werden, dass es sich lohnt, den Zusammenhang von Erzählen und Rechnen als konstitutiven Bestandteil historischer Narratologie zu entdecken und auch für mediävistische Erzählforschung fruchtbar zu machen.With a view to opening up narratological interest in narrative beyond poetic and literary genres, problem phrasing from premodern arithmetic books should be examined in terms of the proto-narratological consciousness they contain. Following a sketch of pre-modern arithmetic training cultures, selected examples are used to trace aspects of a process of mathematical narration from practical contexts leading to the deliberate comparison of narration (recounting) and arithmetic and providing an outlook on modernity. The aim is to show that it is worthwhile to discover the connection between narration and arithmetic as constituent components of historical narratology so that this can be of benefit to Medieval narrative research

Storage tanks for liquid livestock manure (2002)

Storage structures for liquid livestock manure range from low-cost earthen basins and moderate-cost concrete tanks to higher-cost, glass-lined steel tanks.New 7/02/3.5

Einleitung: Er-Zählen und Rechnen als Paradigma historischer Narratologie?

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