Evolutionary origins of abnormally large shoot sodium accumulation in non-saline environments within the Caryophyllales

The prevalence of sodium (Na) “hyperaccumulator” species, which exhibit abnormally large shoot sodium concentrations ([Na]shoot) when grown in non-saline environments, was investigated among angiosperms in general and within the Caryophyllales order in particular. Shoot Na concentrations were determined in 334 angiosperm species, representing 35 orders, grown hydroponically in a non-saline solution. Many Caryophyllales species exhibited abnormally large [Na]shoot when grown hydroponically in a non-saline solution. The bimodal distribution of the log-normal [Na]shoot of species within the Caryophyllales suggested at least two distinct [Na]shoot phenotypes within this order. Mapping the trait of Na-hyperaccumulation onto the phylogenetic relationships between Caryophyllales families, and between subfamilies within the Amaranthaceae, suggested that the trait evolved several times within this order: in an ancestor of the Aizoaceae, but not the Phytolaccaceae or Nyctaginaceae, in ancestors of several lineages formerly classified as Chenopodiaceae, but not in the Amaranthaceae sensu stricto, and in ancestors of species within the Cactaceae, Portulacaceae, Plumbaginaceae,Tamaricaceae and Polygonaceae. In conclusion, a disproportionate number of Caryophyllales species behave as Na51 hyperaccumulators and multiple evolutionary origins of this trait can be identified within this order

Dancers entrain more effectively than non-dancers to another actor's movements

For many everyday sensorimotor tasks, trained dancers have been found to exhibit distinct and sometimes superior (more stable or robust) patterns of behavior compared to non-dancers. Past research has demonstrated that experts in fields requiring specialized physical training and behavioral control exhibit superior interpersonal coordination capabilities for expertise-related tasks. To date, however, no published studies have compared dancers’ abilities to coordinate their movements with the movements of another individual—i.e., during a so-called visual-motor interpersonal coordination task. The current study was designed to investigate whether trained dancers would be better able to coordinate with a partner performing short sequences of dance-like movements than non-dancers. Movement time series were recorded for individual dancers and non-dancers asked to synchronize with a confederate during three different movement sequences characterized by distinct dance styles (i.e., dance team routine, contemporary ballet, mixed style) without hearing any auditory signals or music. A diverse range of linear and nonlinear analyses (i.e., Cross-correlation, Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis (CRQA), and Cross-Wavelet analysis) provided converging measures of coordination across multiple time scales. While overall levels of interpersonal coordination were influenced by differences in movement sequence for both groups, dancers consistently displayed higher levels of coordination with the confederate at both short and long time scales. These findings demonstrate that the visual-motor coordination capabilities of trained dancers allow them to better synchronize with other individuals performing dance-like movements than non-dancers. Further investigation of similar tasks may help to increase the understanding of visual-motor entrainment in general, as well as provide insight into the effects of focused training on visual-motor and interpersonal coordination

Behavioral dynamics of affordance transitions

Whether an object affords grasping with one or two hands depends on its size relative to an individual\u27s hand size. In experiments that manipulate whether object size increases or decreases in a trial, the transition between the two grasping modes may not occur at the same object-size/hand-size ratio. In four experiments these transitions were evaluated as the outcome of a self-organized dynamical process by means of the grasping-transition (GT) model (Frank, Richardson, Lopresti-Goodman, & Turvey, 2009). The perception of a behavior was indexed by selective action (e.g., grasping with two hands) or verbal classification (e.g., two hands ). Parameter estimates derived from previously conducted experiments (Lopresti-Goodman, Richardson, Baron, Carello, & Marsh, 2009) suggested that the degree of positive hysteresis (increasing transition ratios greater than the decreasing transition ratios) depended on two parameters expressing (a) the interaction between the one- and two-hand attractors, and (b) the strength of the two-hand attractor. Experiment 1 evaluated the model\u27s ability to account for manipulations of task difficulty on grasping transitions via manipulations of a cognitive task that was performed concurrently with perception indexed by selective action. The results indicated that increases in the model\u27s parameters and positive hysteresis were proportional to task difficulty. In Experiment 2 the selective action and verbal indices were compared directly in a within-subject design. Whereas selective action yielded critical point transitions, verbal classification yielded negative hysteresis. In terms of the GT model, verbal classification yielded larger interaction parameter values and smaller two-hand attractor values than selective action. Additionally, the model exhibited the anomalous feature of a range of object-hand ratios for which both the one- and two-hand grasping modes were unstable. Experiment 3 sought, unsuccessfully, to reverse the negative hysteresis characterizing verbal classification by adding some of the intermediary non-grasping behaviors present in selective action. The model parameters for experiment 3 matched those for verbal classification in Experiment 2. Finally, Experiment 4 generalized the GT model and negative hysteresis to verbal classification of the affordance sit-on-able . The general discussion focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the dynamical model and the challenge of negative hysteresis for future investigations.

Behavioral dynamics of affordance transitions

Whether an object affords grasping with one or two hands depends on its size relative to an individual\u27s hand size. In experiments that manipulate whether object size increases or decreases in a trial, the transition between the two grasping modes may not occur at the same object-size/hand-size ratio. In four experiments these transitions were evaluated as the outcome of a self-organized dynamical process by means of the grasping-transition (GT) model (Frank, Richardson, Lopresti-Goodman, & Turvey, 2009). The perception of a behavior was indexed by selective action (e.g., grasping with two hands) or verbal classification (e.g., two hands ). Parameter estimates derived from previously conducted experiments (Lopresti-Goodman, Richardson, Baron, Carello, & Marsh, 2009) suggested that the degree of positive hysteresis (increasing transition ratios greater than the decreasing transition ratios) depended on two parameters expressing (a) the interaction between the one- and two-hand attractors, and (b) the strength of the two-hand attractor. Experiment 1 evaluated the model\u27s ability to account for manipulations of task difficulty on grasping transitions via manipulations of a cognitive task that was performed concurrently with perception indexed by selective action. The results indicated that increases in the model\u27s parameters and positive hysteresis were proportional to task difficulty. In Experiment 2 the selective action and verbal indices were compared directly in a within-subject design. Whereas selective action yielded critical point transitions, verbal classification yielded negative hysteresis. In terms of the GT model, verbal classification yielded larger interaction parameter values and smaller two-hand attractor values than selective action. Additionally, the model exhibited the anomalous feature of a range of object-hand ratios for which both the one- and two-hand grasping modes were unstable. Experiment 3 sought, unsuccessfully, to reverse the negative hysteresis characterizing verbal classification by adding some of the intermediary non-grasping behaviors present in selective action. The model parameters for experiment 3 matched those for verbal classification in Experiment 2. Finally, Experiment 4 generalized the GT model and negative hysteresis to verbal classification of the affordance sit-on-able . The general discussion focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the dynamical model and the challenge of negative hysteresis for future investigations.

The Benefits and Challenges of Conducting Primate Research in Different Settings

Internationally, primate research takes place in laboratories, zoos, sanctuaries, and the wild. All of these settings present unique advantages and challenges in terms of methodology, translatability, animal welfare, and ethics. In this novel commentary, we explore the scientific and ethical benefits and drawbacks of conducting non-invasive psychological research with primates in each setting. We also suggest ways to overcome some of the barriers. We argue that while there may be greater experimental control in laboratory-based research, settings that more closely mirror primates’ natural habitats are generally better suited to meet their specialized needs. More naturalistic research settings, including field studies, may also circumvent some ethical concerns associated with research in captivity, and yield more ecologically valid data

Negative hysteresis in affordance experiments

To perceive an affordance is to perceive what the current layout of surfaces affords with respect to one’s body size and action capabilities (Gibson, 1979). Affordance experiments have demonstrated that the shift from one mode of behavior to another exhibits the features typical of a self-organized dynamic system (Fitzpatrick et al., 1994; Richardson et al., 2007; van der Kamp et al., 1998), where stable patterns of behavior emerge from the lawful interaction between components of the animal-environment-task system.Deposited by bulk importLopresti-Goodman, S., Frank, T. D. (2011). Negative hysteresis in affordance experiments. In E. Charles & L. J. Smart (Eds.), Studies in perception and action XI (pp. 152-157). New York: Taylor & Francis

Stereotypical Behaviors in Chimpanzees Rescued from the African Bushmeat and Pet Trade

Many orphaned chimpanzees whose mothers are illegally killed for their meat (bushmeat) in Africa are sold as pets or kept caged at hotels and businesses to attract tourists. As a result of being separated from their mothers and other chimpanzees at an early age, and spending years in impoverished captive conditions, some of these individuals engage in abnormal behaviors, including stereotypically scratching at their flesh and repetitively rocking back and forth. This paper presents case studies of Poco and Safari, two chimpanzees who were rescued by sanctuaries after living alone on display for humans at businesses for the first 7 to 8 years of their lives. Decades after their rescue, they still engage in stereotypical behaviors as a result of the psychological and physical trauma they endured early on. This paper combines data from in depth interviews with caregivers and direct observations of abnormal behaviors to assess psychological distress in captive-living chimpanzees. Our results highlight some lesser known harms of the bushmeat trade and the detrimental life-long consequences that keeping chimpanzees as “pets” can have on their mental health

Negative Hysteresis in Affordance Experiments

One commonly perceives whether a visible object will afford grasping with one hand or with both hands. In experiments in which differently sized objects of a fixed type are presented, the transition from using one of these manual modes to the other depends on the ratio of object size to hand span and on the presentation sequence, with size increasing versus decreasing. Conventional positive hysteresis (i.e., a larger transition ratio for the increasing sequence) can be accommodated by the order parameter dynamics that typify self-organizing systems (Lopresti-Goodman, Turvey, and Frank, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 73:1948–1965, 2011). Here we identified and addressed conditions of unconventional negative hysteresis (i.e., a larger transition ratio for the decreasing sequence). They suggest a second control parameter in the self-organization of affordance perception, one that is seemingly regulated by inhibitory dynamics occurring in the agent–task–environment system. Our experimental results and modeling extend the investigation of affordance perception within dynamical systems theory.Deposited by bulk impor