The influence of temperature on the behavior of captive mother-infant baboons

Brent, Linda; Koban, Tina; Evans, Stacey

doi:10.1163/156853903321671505

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A number of studies found primates to alter their activity in response to thermoregulatory needs, with a midday peak in resting thought to be a response to high ambient temperature (Stoltz and Saaymann, 1970;Bernstein, 1972Bernstein, , 1975Bernstein, , 1976. Conversely, other studies found low temperature to be associated with increased feeding activity (Iwamoto and Dunbar, 1983), huddling (Ostner, 2002), postural changes (Stelzner and Hausfater, 1986;Dasilva, 1993), and mother-infant contact (Brent et al, 2003). Recent studies also suggested that temperature plays a role in the terrestrial behavior of chimpanzees (Takemoto, 2004) and habitual cave use by chacma baboons .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal constraints on activity scheduling and habitat choice in baboons

Hill

2005

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The importance of thermoregulation as a constraint on behavior has received comparatively little attention in relation to other ecological factors. Despite this, a number of studies suggested that high temperature may represent an important ecological constraint. This paper examines the impact of temperature on activity scheduling in a troop of chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) at De Hoop Nature Reserve, South Africa. Once the daily, seasonal, and individual effects were controlled for, the "perceived environmental temperature" (PET), which accounts for the relative contributions of solar radiation, wind speed, and humidity on shade temperature, was a significant constraint on behavior. With high PET, feeding declines, and there is an increase in grooming and particularly resting behavior. Baboons thus engage in more sedentary behaviors as temperature increases, with significantly higher levels of resting and grooming when temperature exceeds the approximate thermal neutral zone for baboons. Seeking shade is an important behavioral response to thermal stress, and PET was a significant determinant of whether an animal was in shade while engaged in either resting or grooming behavior. Furthermore, the proportion of time spent in shade increased across air temperatures that were below, within, and above the thermal neutral zone for baboons. Finally, since resting and grooming are conducted preferentially in certain habitat types, thermoregulatory considerations also impact on patterns of habitat choice and day-journey routes. This suggests that the thermal environment is an ecological variable that should be given greater consideration in future studies of primate behavior.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal constraints on activity scheduling and habitat choice in baboons

Hill

2005

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An additional developmental issue is how ambient temperature constrains interactions among parents and offspring (see Chapters 35 and 36, this volume). For example, ambient temperature is negatively correlated with the occurrence of mother-infant ventroventral contact in hamadryas baboons, presumably because of its consequences for heat exchange (Brent, Koban, & Evans, 2003). Ambient temperature also influences the size of nests constructed by pregnant rodents (e.g., Lynch & Possidente, 1978), the timing of incubation bouts in birds (e.g., Conway & Martin, 2000), and care for eggs in stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus; Hopkins, Moss, & Gill, 2011).…”

Section: Thermoregulation In Developmental Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoregulation, energetics, and behavior.

Harshaw¹,

Blumberg²,

Alberts³

2017

APA Handbook of Comparative Psychology: Basic Concepts, Methods, Neural Substrate, and Behavior.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Temperature affects all aspects of biological function, including behavior (see Haynie, 2001). All behavior thus occurs within a thermodynamic context and is bounded by thermal and energetic constraints (see Careau, Killen, & Metcalfe, 2015; Mathot & Dingemanse, 2015). Some of these arise within biological systems, directly out of the mechanics of physics, biochemistry, and geometry. For example, chemical reaction rates are temperature dependent, as are many critical characteristics of enzymes and other proteins, including structure and function. The same is true for many properties of biological membranes (Hazel, 1995), including the permeability of chorionic and amniotic membranes (e.g., Bara & Guiet-Bara, 1986) and the blood-brain barrier (Kiyatkin & Sharma, 2009). There are thus thermal optima for the myriad functions and complex biochemical reactions that drive living systems-optima that are carefully balanced and adjusted dynamically in the face of internal and external challenges. 1 Neurons are among the most temperaturesensitive cells in the body (Kiyatkin, 2010; Rango, Arighi, & Bresolin, 2012). Many critical parameters of neuronal functioning (e.g., conduction velocity, refractory period) covary with temperature, implying coupling between brain temperature and neural processing (e.g., Blessing, Mohammed, & Ootsuka, 2012, 2013; Thiessen, 1983a) and optima for neuronal functioning (see Gisolfi & Mora, 2000; Kiyatkin, 2010). Indeed, the energetic efficiency of action potentials improves with increased temperature within the mammalian physiological range, with optimal efficiency at 37° C (Yu, Hill, & McCormick, 2012). Even small elevations (3° C-4° C) above this (e.g., because of fever, stroke, or ingestion of drugs such as MDMA [3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine]) can trigger neuronal dysfunction resulting in hallucinations, seizures, and damage (e.g., Brown & Kiyatkin, 2004). Likely because of these trade-offs, some of the most fascinating thermoregulatory adaptations have emerged in the context of regulating brain temperature (see Blumberg, 2002). Other constraints on temperature regulation are imposed from outside the animal. For example, by beginning life in the same locale in which their parents reproduced, most animals inherit basic ecological and climatic conditions and, within that context, select among or create microclimates. Add to this variation from daily and seasonal temperature rhythms, and we can recognize the bases of complex and varied adaptive strategies. In response to seasonal changes, some species migrate; others hibernate, estivate, or become hypometabolic (see Storey, 2015); many show season-specific changes in fur density, fat composition, and other metabolic and thermoregulatory phenotypes (Blumberg, 2002). With respect to daily changes, most species exhibit closely coordinated circadian rhythms of behavior and physiology, thereby optimizing the acquisition, utilization, and conservation (or loss) of thermal energy. For example, on a

show abstract

Maternal care and development of stress responses in baboons

Bardi

Bode

Ramirez

et al. 2005

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ability to mount a successful response to threats is critical for an organism's survival. A key element of the stress response is its nonspecificity toward the stress source, with similar endocrine and behavioral changes expected under a variety of stressors. In this project we utilized an experimental design that accounts for multiple sources of variation to further understand the nature of stress responsivity and its relationship to the early rearing environment. A sample of baboons (n=73) was observed during the early phase of life in their social group, and then tested as juveniles in a challenging situation. Maternal cortisol levels were measured during the peripartum period. The challenging situation (individuals were isolated for a few minutes in a single cage) was designed to be a moderate source of psychological stress. Patterns in individual differences during the stress test were "mapped" by means of multidimensional scaling (MDS). After the observation was made, the subject was sedated and a blood sample was taken to measure cortisol levels. Our results indicate that when juvenile baboons are confronted with a source of psychological stress, they show a multidimensional behavioral response, probably mediated by the activation and synergic interaction among different neurohormonal systems that, ultimately, act on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Different components of the multidimensional, or nonspecific, behavioral response are associated with the quality and quantity of interactions with their mothers during early life. Juveniles whose mothers displayed higher levels of positive interaction were characterized by vigilant but less active reactions to the stress test, whereas juveniles of mothers that displayed high levels of stress-related behaviors had higher cortisol and locomotion levels.

show abstract

The influence of temperature on the behavior of captive mother-infant baboons

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Thermal constraints on activity scheduling and habitat choice in baboons

Thermal constraints on activity scheduling and habitat choice in baboons

Thermoregulation, energetics, and behavior.

Maternal care and development of stress responses in baboons

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About