Behavioural outcomes of housing for domestic dog puppies (Canis lupus familiaris)

Domestic dogs experience a sensitive period for learning during early life and conditions during this time can have important consequences in the adult. We investigated the effects of kennel environment during early life, comparing the temperaments of puppies reared in indoor kennels, located in the breeder’s house, with those reared in outdoor kennels, located outside the breeder’s house and with limited human contact. The study was conducted on 264 puppies from 44 litters belonging to 21 breeds. Of these, 160 puppies were reared in indoor kennels (70 female and 90 male puppies, 27 litters) and 104 in outdoor kennels (52 female and 52 male, 17 litters). We conducted PAT (Puppy Aptitude Testing) tests to measure puppy temperament at an age of seven or eight weeks. Using a gamma GLMM fitted using Bayesian inference, we showed a statistically important effect of kennelling on posterior mean PAT scores. Puppies kennelled outdoors scored higher on PAT testing, irrespective of sex or age, and after accommodating for dependency in the data due to litter identity. Puppies raised outdoors showed an elevated tendency for submissive behaviour, a greater risk of aggression through fear, and a lowered capacity for coping with novel conditions. These findings have direct implications for dog breeders and illustrates that enrichment of the environment of dam and puppies can mitigate the risk of behavioural problems in adult dogs

The evolution of primate short-term memory

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of shortterm memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities

Limnephilid taxa revised by speciation traits: Rhadicoleptus, Isogamus, Melampophylax genera, Chaetopteryx rugulosa, Psilopteryx psorosa species groups, Drusus bolivari, Annitella kosciuszkii species complexes (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

Speciation traits of paramere, paraproct and aedeagus were applied to find initial split criteria with fine structure analysis in order to prepare diverged trait matrices for delimiting phylogenetic incipient species of unsettled limnephilid taxa in the early stages of reproductive isolation. A brief history is presented how this phenotypic taxonomic tool of the speciation traits was discovered and applied in caddisfly taxonomy. The theoretical basis was elaborated for the phenotypic speciation trait by reviewing several relevant topics in the sciences of taxonomy, molecular genetics and phylogenetics. Perspectives of integrative taxonomy is discussed in context of phenotype versus genotype, immensely complex phenotype versus phenomic challenge, taxonomic impediment versus genetic expedient, taxonomic adaptation of genetic vocabulary versus genetic sophistication and virtualization, New Systematics of Huxley and Mayr versus New Taxonomy of Wheeler. Debates on magic trait, speciation phenotype, speciation trait and super traits are discussed concluding that evolution works with phenotype and why the cryptic species concept is irrelevant. Briefly summarized how speciation traits evolve in sexual selection, through accelerated reproductive isolation with genital evolution through sex-limited speciation traits, including minor sex chromosomes. Why neutral molecular markers are blind compared to the adaptive speciation traits sensitized by fine structure analysis and backed by the potential of high-tech and high-throughput phenotyping and cyber-infrastructure broadly accessible and fed by computable phenotype descriptions. What sort of genetics could really help taxonomy to describe biodiversity of the over 100 million unknown taxa? Collecting new and re-examining old type materials deposited in various collections, the following taxonomic actions were elaborated by speciation traits. Drusus bolivari new species complex has been erected with redescription of Drusus bolivari (McLachlan, 1876), with species status resurrection of D. estrellensis (McLachlan, 1884) stat. restit., with description of five new species: D. carmenae Oláh, sp. nov., D. gonzalezi Oláh, sp. nov., D. grafi Oláh, sp. nov., D. gredosensis Oláh, sp. nov., D. jesusi Oláh, sp. nov., D. pyrenensis Oláh & Coppa, sp. nov. Genus Isogamus is revised with description of two new species: I. baloghi Oláh, sp. nov., I. balinti Oláh, sp. nov. Melampophylax genus revised with one new species cluster: M. nepos, with two new species descriptions: M. keses Coppa & Oláh, sp. nov. M. szczesnyorum Oláh & Chvojka, sp. nov., with three new species status: M. banaticus Botosaneanu, 1995 stat. nov., M. gutinicus Botosaneanu, 1995 stat. nov., M. triangulifera Botosaneanu, 1957 stat. nov. Rhadicoleptus genus revised with redescription of R. alpestris (Kolenati, 1848), with three new species status: R. macedonicus Botosaneanu & Riedel, 1965 stat. nov. R. meridiocarpaticus Botosaneanu & Riedel, 1965 stat. nov. R. sylvanocarpaticus Botosaneanu & Riedel, 1965 stat. nov., with one species status resurrection: R. spinifer (McLachlan, 1875) stat. restit. Based on paramere evolution the Rhadicoleptus genus is transferred from the tribe Limnephilini to Stenophylacini. Annitella kosciuszkii new species complex has been erected and revised with redescription of A. chomiacensis (Dziędzielewicz, 1908), A. lateroproducta (Botosaneanu, 1952), with one species status resurrection: A. kosciuszkii Klapálek, 1907 stat. restit., with description of a new species: A. wolosatka Oláh &Szczęsny, sp. nov., with two new synonyms: A. dziedzielewiczi Schmid, 1952 synonym of A. kosciuszkii. syn. nov., A. transylvanica Murgoci, 1957 synonym of A. kosciuszkii. syn. nov. Chaetopteryx rugulosa species group revised with description of five new species: C. balcanica Oláh, sp. nov., C. karima Oláh, sp. nov., C. kozarensis Oláh, sp. nov., C. psunjensis Oláh, sp. nov., C. tompa Oláh, sp. nov., with three species status resurrections: C. papukensis Oláh & Szivák, 2012 stat. restit., C. prealpensis Oláh, 2012 stat. restit., C. zalaensis Oláh, 2012 stat. restit. Psilopteryx psorosa new species group erected and revised with three new sibling species complexes: P. bohemosaxonica, P. carpathica, P. psorosa, with two new species descriptions: P. javorensis Oláh, sp. nov., P. harmas Oláh & Chvojka, sp. nov. with one species status resurrection: P. carpathica Schmid, 1952 stat. restit., with three new species status: P. bohemosaxonica Mey & Botosaneanu, 1985 stat. nov., P. retezatica Botosaneanu & Schneider, 1978 stat. nov., P. transylvanica Mey & Botosaneanu, 1985 stat. nov

The evolution of primate short-term memory

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of shortterm memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities