We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared. The existence of a permanent breeding core offered flexibility in protocol and the possibility of a long-term approach based on multiple releases. Using a maximum sustained yield approach, IUCN criteria, and simulations of population performance we formulated a release strategy and a time frame for the project, based on repeated releases carried out sequentially in three reserves in northern Israel with good corridors connecting them. The project b...
Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outc... more Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outcomes received by individ-uals that are also dependent on the behavior of others, with little reference to the actual behaviors used when cooperating. The potential consequences of social dimensions associated with cooperative behaviors are minimized in Skinnerian and game-theory models by means of anonymous subjects that behave individually while physically isolated in separate chambers. When coop-eration and non-cooperation occur in the real world, however, they are often associated not only with different outcomes but also with different behaviors. Unlike non-cooperation, cooperative behaviors are usually intrinsically social, influenced by the presence and behaviors of familiar partners. Research is described that addresses whether the social dimensions of cooperative actions go beyond mere description of behaviors to also explain why cooperation occurs. One way to resolve the relativ...
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and... more The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and duration are limited, individual identification is difficult, social behaviors occur mostly in murky or deep water, the ability to assign vocalizations to individuals is usually very limited, sea conditions are not always suitable for research, and the design of controlled experiments is virtually impossible. In contrast, research in captivity poses different methodological obstacles due to confined space, artificial and sometimes poor environments, forced social structure, small sample sizes, subjects that are not always good representatives of wild populations etc., all provide constant challenge to scientists. This paper reviews some of the studies on Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiopstruncatus ponticus) conducted during the 15 years since the establishment of the International Laboratory for Dolphin Behaviour Research (ILDBR) located at the semi-natural Dolphin-Reef (Eilat, Isr...
International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2010
We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared.
ABSTRACT The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica)-among the rarest deer species in the world-h... more ABSTRACT The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica)-among the rarest deer species in the world-has been gradually reintroduced, using individuals from a captive-bred population, in northern Israel since September 1996. As of October 2000, >80 animals were in the wild population. We studied seasonal and circadian attributes of deer home ranges to assess the success of the reintroduction in terms of behavioral adjustments to the wild. We used radiotelemetry to determine locations and analyzed home ranges with the adaptive kernel method. We defined 3 seasons: fawning (Mar-Jun), rut (Jul-Oct), and winter (Nov-Feb). For females (n = 16), rut home ranges were significantly larger than winter home ranges (449 ± 45 ha [mean ± SE] vs. 384 ± 36 ha, $P_{1,15}=0.013$ ). During fawning, female home ranges were intermediate (424 ± 51 ha). Males (n = 5) increased their home ranges in rut season (820 ± 162 ha [mean ± SE], P < 0.012) and shifted their locations toward the release point. In winter, males significantly decreased their home ranges (584 ± 158 ha, P < 0.012), shifted their locations away from the release point, and almost no overlap of core areas was noticeable (1.8% overlap). In fawning (the time of antler casting and regrowth), males continued to shift away from the release point and decreased home ranges (358 ± 66 ha, P = 0.049) with almost no overlapping of core areas (0.06% overlap). No statistically significant differences were found between day home ranges (males [n = 5]: 621 ± 220 ha [mean ± SD], females [n = 16]: 402 ± 164) and night home ranges (males: 482 ± 145, females: 389 ± 183), although day core areas tended to be larger (in all males and 12 of 16 females). All documented aspects of seasonality in females and male home ranges are in accordance with the annual reproduction cycle, and are related to seasonal food availability. These results, combined with previous works, suggest that so far, the reintroduced Persian fallow deer have adjusted well to living in the wild and that the chances of achieving a self-sustaining wild population are good. However, further research for extended period should verify these conclusions.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared.
Artificial reefs have been suggested as a tool for conservation and restoration of marine habitat... more Artificial reefs have been suggested as a tool for conservation and restoration of marine habitats. However, the relationships between coral reef habitats and man-made structures are poorly understood. We experimentally tested whether artificial reefs change grazing patterns in their surrounding environment. We exposed heaps of the macroalgae, Ulva lactuca, to natural grazing, at various distances from three artificial reefs. Results suggest that artificial reefs change grazing patterns in the neighboring area. In all the locations examined grazing was 2-3 times higher near the artificial reefs than in control sites (p < 0.05). We suggest that herbivorous fishes are attracted to the artificial reefs, creating a zone of increased grazing. Therefore, while planning deployment of such artificial reefs it is necessary to consider their overall influence on their natural surroundings, in order to maintain the natural community trophic dynamics.
Securing natural habitats into which reintroduced species are released and those into which they ... more Securing natural habitats into which reintroduced species are released and those into which they will radiate is essential for the long-term establishment and viability of reintroduced populations. Consequently, the ability to project future range expansion is critical in reintroduction programs. We evaluated whether numerical growth and spatial expansion of a reintroduced population can be projected based on short-term monitoring of a newly reintroduced population, by studying a Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) population reintroduced to Israel. Over a five-year period, five to six adult (Ͼ1 yr) females were released semi-annually, for a total of 53 over the research period. We developed an individual-based spatially explicit model that projected spatial expansion of the female population in the wild. Model parameters were derived from empirical studies on movement patterns, home range establishment, behavioral adjustments, and demographic dynamics of reintroduced females during the first three years of the reintroduction project. Significant factors that were found to affect home-range establishment and that were incorporated into the model were: occurrence of Mediterranean woodland; occurrence of moderate terrain; roads; built-up areas; and presence of conspecifics. We tested the model by comparing its projections with field observations at the end of the five-year period since the project's onset, i.e., two years beyond the time on which parameters were based. The model was able to predict the direction and rate of expansion of the population and the main activity areas in the wild during the last two years. By using the model for long-term projection, future potential activity centers and landscape connectivity, important for securing the lands required for the Persian fallow deer future radiation, can be identified.
Cooperation poses theoretical problems because the behaviors of individuals can benefit others. E... more Cooperation poses theoretical problems because the behaviors of individuals can benefit others. Evolutionary and game-theory explanations that focus on maximizing one's own material outcomes are usually supported by experimental models with isolated and anonymous subjects. Cooperation in the natural world, however, is often a social act whereby familiar individuals coordinate behaviors for shared outcomes. Social cooperation is also associated with a cooperation bias expressed as a preference for cooperation even when noncooperation is immediately more beneficial. The authors report on evidence for such a bias in a captive group of bottlenose dolphins that voluntarily preferred to receive petting from human guides by using a pairwise coordinated approach, even though this was more difficult, and total petting amount was thereby reduced. To explain why this bias occurs, the authors propose an integrated behavioral-evolutionary approach whereby performance is determined by two kinds of immediate outcomes: material gains and intrinsic affective states associated with cooperating. The latter can provide reinforcement when immediate material gains are reduced, delayed, or absent. Over a lifetime, this proximate mechanism can lead to cooperative relationships whose long-term ultimate consequences can be adaptive.
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outc... more Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outcomes received by individuals that are also dependent on the behavior of others, with little reference to the actual behaviors used when cooperating. The potential consequences of social dimensions associated with cooperative behaviors are minimized in Skinnerian and game-theory models by means of anonymous subjects that behave individually while physically isolated in separate chambers. When cooperation and non-cooperation occur in the real world, however, they are often associated not only with different outcomes but also with different behaviors. Unlike non-cooperation, cooperative behaviors are usually intrinsically social, influenced by the presence and behaviors of familiar partners. Research is described that addresses whether the social dimensions of cooperative actions go beyond mere description of behaviors to also explain why cooperation occurs. One way to resolve the relative importance of economic and social factors for explanations of cooperation is to measure choice between the options of cooperation and non-cooperation. The economic perspective, linked to models derived from game theory, frames the question as a choice determined by differences in tangible outcomes such as food or money that, in evolutionary terms, are surrogates for gains in fitness. From a behavioral perspective, the choice between cooperation and non-cooperation is also determined by social dimensions associated only with cooperation. The influence of social cooperation on preference was examined by means of two rectangular chambers interconnected by a T-maze. In one chamber, pairs of laboratory rats were reinforced with saccharine solution for coordinating back-and-forth shuttling; in the second chamber, a single animal was reinforced for back-and-forth shuttling performed in isolation. With outcomes equalized between the two options, cooperation was preferred by the majority of subjects. Moreover, variation in the relative rate of reinforcement during cooperation was not a strong predictor of choice whereas the level of intra-pair coordination was positively related to preference. Implications of this result are discussed for both method and theory, including the hypothesis that the preference is influenced by intrinsic reinforcements evoked by cooperating. The consequences for evolutionary fitness would then arise not only from tangible outcomes but from the relationships that develop when cooperating even when immediate and tangible pay-offs are absent, insufficient or sub-optimal. The impact of cooperative relationships on fitness may therefore not occur immediately but in the future, and perhaps in another context, when they influence outcomes that have a significant impact on survival and reproduction.
The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and... more The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and duration are limited, individual identification is difficult, social behaviors occur mostly in murky or deep water, the ability to assign vocalizations to individuals is usually very limited, sea conditions are not always suitable for research, and the design of controlled experiments is virtually impossible. In contrast, research in captivity poses different methodological obstacles due to confined space, artificial and sometimes poor environments, forced social structure, small sample sizes, subjects that are not always good representatives of wild populations etc., all provide constant challenge to scientists. This paper reviews some of the studies on Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ponticus) conducted during the 15 years since the establishment of the International Laboratory for Dolphin Behaviour Research (ILDBR) located at the semi-natural Dolphin-Reef (Eilat, Israel) tourist facility. We describe how this site overcomes many of the problems that characterize captivity sites, and how our research gains important insight into dolphin behavior, which is difficult to obtainif at allin the study of wild populations. We conclude that studies of captive and wild dolphins can complement each other for a better understanding of dolphin behavior.
We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared. The existence of a permanent breeding core offered flexibility in protocol and the possibility of a long-term approach based on multiple releases. Using a maximum sustained yield approach, IUCN criteria, and simulations of population performance we formulated a release strategy and a time frame for the project, based on repeated releases carried out sequentially in three reserves in northern Israel with good corridors connecting them. The project b...
Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outc... more Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outcomes received by individ-uals that are also dependent on the behavior of others, with little reference to the actual behaviors used when cooperating. The potential consequences of social dimensions associated with cooperative behaviors are minimized in Skinnerian and game-theory models by means of anonymous subjects that behave individually while physically isolated in separate chambers. When coop-eration and non-cooperation occur in the real world, however, they are often associated not only with different outcomes but also with different behaviors. Unlike non-cooperation, cooperative behaviors are usually intrinsically social, influenced by the presence and behaviors of familiar partners. Research is described that addresses whether the social dimensions of cooperative actions go beyond mere description of behaviors to also explain why cooperation occurs. One way to resolve the relativ...
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and... more The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and duration are limited, individual identification is difficult, social behaviors occur mostly in murky or deep water, the ability to assign vocalizations to individuals is usually very limited, sea conditions are not always suitable for research, and the design of controlled experiments is virtually impossible. In contrast, research in captivity poses different methodological obstacles due to confined space, artificial and sometimes poor environments, forced social structure, small sample sizes, subjects that are not always good representatives of wild populations etc., all provide constant challenge to scientists. This paper reviews some of the studies on Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiopstruncatus ponticus) conducted during the 15 years since the establishment of the International Laboratory for Dolphin Behaviour Research (ILDBR) located at the semi-natural Dolphin-Reef (Eilat, Isr...
International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2010
We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners o... more We are grateful for the moral support and intellectual exchange by Maya and Roni Zilber, owners of the Dolphin-Reef facility; to Elke Bojanowski who had a great impact on the work of the laboratory through her close collaboration over many years; to the many trainers, diving-guides, and swimmingguides who shared their passion and enthusiasm, provided insights and assistance; and to the students and volunteers who offered invaluable aid in data collection during the years.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared.
ABSTRACT The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica)-among the rarest deer species in the world-h... more ABSTRACT The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica)-among the rarest deer species in the world-has been gradually reintroduced, using individuals from a captive-bred population, in northern Israel since September 1996. As of October 2000, &gt;80 animals were in the wild population. We studied seasonal and circadian attributes of deer home ranges to assess the success of the reintroduction in terms of behavioral adjustments to the wild. We used radiotelemetry to determine locations and analyzed home ranges with the adaptive kernel method. We defined 3 seasons: fawning (Mar-Jun), rut (Jul-Oct), and winter (Nov-Feb). For females (n = 16), rut home ranges were significantly larger than winter home ranges (449 ± 45 ha [mean ± SE] vs. 384 ± 36 ha, $P_{1,15}=0.013$ ). During fawning, female home ranges were intermediate (424 ± 51 ha). Males (n = 5) increased their home ranges in rut season (820 ± 162 ha [mean ± SE], P &lt; 0.012) and shifted their locations toward the release point. In winter, males significantly decreased their home ranges (584 ± 158 ha, P &lt; 0.012), shifted their locations away from the release point, and almost no overlap of core areas was noticeable (1.8% overlap). In fawning (the time of antler casting and regrowth), males continued to shift away from the release point and decreased home ranges (358 ± 66 ha, P = 0.049) with almost no overlapping of core areas (0.06% overlap). No statistically significant differences were found between day home ranges (males [n = 5]: 621 ± 220 ha [mean ± SD], females [n = 16]: 402 ± 164) and night home ranges (males: 482 ± 145, females: 389 ± 183), although day core areas tended to be larger (in all males and 12 of 16 females). All documented aspects of seasonality in females and male home ranges are in accordance with the annual reproduction cycle, and are related to seasonal food availability. These results, combined with previous works, suggest that so far, the reintroduced Persian fallow deer have adjusted well to living in the wild and that the chances of achieving a self-sustaining wild population are good. However, further research for extended period should verify these conclusions.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks... more The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduction project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is based on a permanent breeding core (Hai-Bar Carmel) established in Israel in 1976 from 2 males and 5 females, before the formulation of the guidelines for reinstruction by the IUCN, with no strategic long-term planning, and little consideration of conservation principles and monetary consequences. By the mid 1990s the breeding core had nearly 50 adult females and it became evident that a reintroduction program should be prepared.
Artificial reefs have been suggested as a tool for conservation and restoration of marine habitat... more Artificial reefs have been suggested as a tool for conservation and restoration of marine habitats. However, the relationships between coral reef habitats and man-made structures are poorly understood. We experimentally tested whether artificial reefs change grazing patterns in their surrounding environment. We exposed heaps of the macroalgae, Ulva lactuca, to natural grazing, at various distances from three artificial reefs. Results suggest that artificial reefs change grazing patterns in the neighboring area. In all the locations examined grazing was 2-3 times higher near the artificial reefs than in control sites (p < 0.05). We suggest that herbivorous fishes are attracted to the artificial reefs, creating a zone of increased grazing. Therefore, while planning deployment of such artificial reefs it is necessary to consider their overall influence on their natural surroundings, in order to maintain the natural community trophic dynamics.
Securing natural habitats into which reintroduced species are released and those into which they ... more Securing natural habitats into which reintroduced species are released and those into which they will radiate is essential for the long-term establishment and viability of reintroduced populations. Consequently, the ability to project future range expansion is critical in reintroduction programs. We evaluated whether numerical growth and spatial expansion of a reintroduced population can be projected based on short-term monitoring of a newly reintroduced population, by studying a Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) population reintroduced to Israel. Over a five-year period, five to six adult (Ͼ1 yr) females were released semi-annually, for a total of 53 over the research period. We developed an individual-based spatially explicit model that projected spatial expansion of the female population in the wild. Model parameters were derived from empirical studies on movement patterns, home range establishment, behavioral adjustments, and demographic dynamics of reintroduced females during the first three years of the reintroduction project. Significant factors that were found to affect home-range establishment and that were incorporated into the model were: occurrence of Mediterranean woodland; occurrence of moderate terrain; roads; built-up areas; and presence of conspecifics. We tested the model by comparing its projections with field observations at the end of the five-year period since the project's onset, i.e., two years beyond the time on which parameters were based. The model was able to predict the direction and rate of expansion of the population and the main activity areas in the wild during the last two years. By using the model for long-term projection, future potential activity centers and landscape connectivity, important for securing the lands required for the Persian fallow deer future radiation, can be identified.
Cooperation poses theoretical problems because the behaviors of individuals can benefit others. E... more Cooperation poses theoretical problems because the behaviors of individuals can benefit others. Evolutionary and game-theory explanations that focus on maximizing one's own material outcomes are usually supported by experimental models with isolated and anonymous subjects. Cooperation in the natural world, however, is often a social act whereby familiar individuals coordinate behaviors for shared outcomes. Social cooperation is also associated with a cooperation bias expressed as a preference for cooperation even when noncooperation is immediately more beneficial. The authors report on evidence for such a bias in a captive group of bottlenose dolphins that voluntarily preferred to receive petting from human guides by using a pairwise coordinated approach, even though this was more difficult, and total petting amount was thereby reduced. To explain why this bias occurs, the authors propose an integrated behavioral-evolutionary approach whereby performance is determined by two kinds of immediate outcomes: material gains and intrinsic affective states associated with cooperating. The latter can provide reinforcement when immediate material gains are reduced, delayed, or absent. Over a lifetime, this proximate mechanism can lead to cooperative relationships whose long-term ultimate consequences can be adaptive.
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its ... more In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.
Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outc... more Cooperation is usually explained from an economic perspective focused mainly on the tangible outcomes received by individuals that are also dependent on the behavior of others, with little reference to the actual behaviors used when cooperating. The potential consequences of social dimensions associated with cooperative behaviors are minimized in Skinnerian and game-theory models by means of anonymous subjects that behave individually while physically isolated in separate chambers. When cooperation and non-cooperation occur in the real world, however, they are often associated not only with different outcomes but also with different behaviors. Unlike non-cooperation, cooperative behaviors are usually intrinsically social, influenced by the presence and behaviors of familiar partners. Research is described that addresses whether the social dimensions of cooperative actions go beyond mere description of behaviors to also explain why cooperation occurs. One way to resolve the relative importance of economic and social factors for explanations of cooperation is to measure choice between the options of cooperation and non-cooperation. The economic perspective, linked to models derived from game theory, frames the question as a choice determined by differences in tangible outcomes such as food or money that, in evolutionary terms, are surrogates for gains in fitness. From a behavioral perspective, the choice between cooperation and non-cooperation is also determined by social dimensions associated only with cooperation. The influence of social cooperation on preference was examined by means of two rectangular chambers interconnected by a T-maze. In one chamber, pairs of laboratory rats were reinforced with saccharine solution for coordinating back-and-forth shuttling; in the second chamber, a single animal was reinforced for back-and-forth shuttling performed in isolation. With outcomes equalized between the two options, cooperation was preferred by the majority of subjects. Moreover, variation in the relative rate of reinforcement during cooperation was not a strong predictor of choice whereas the level of intra-pair coordination was positively related to preference. Implications of this result are discussed for both method and theory, including the hypothesis that the preference is influenced by intrinsic reinforcements evoked by cooperating. The consequences for evolutionary fitness would then arise not only from tangible outcomes but from the relationships that develop when cooperating even when immediate and tangible pay-offs are absent, insufficient or sub-optimal. The impact of cooperative relationships on fitness may therefore not occur immediately but in the future, and perhaps in another context, when they influence outcomes that have a significant impact on survival and reproduction.
The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and... more The study of marine mammals in the wild is faced with major difficulties: encounter frequency and duration are limited, individual identification is difficult, social behaviors occur mostly in murky or deep water, the ability to assign vocalizations to individuals is usually very limited, sea conditions are not always suitable for research, and the design of controlled experiments is virtually impossible. In contrast, research in captivity poses different methodological obstacles due to confined space, artificial and sometimes poor environments, forced social structure, small sample sizes, subjects that are not always good representatives of wild populations etc., all provide constant challenge to scientists. This paper reviews some of the studies on Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ponticus) conducted during the 15 years since the establishment of the International Laboratory for Dolphin Behaviour Research (ILDBR) located at the semi-natural Dolphin-Reef (Eilat, Israel) tourist facility. We describe how this site overcomes many of the problems that characterize captivity sites, and how our research gains important insight into dolphin behavior, which is difficult to obtainif at allin the study of wild populations. We conclude that studies of captive and wild dolphins can complement each other for a better understanding of dolphin behavior.
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Papers by Amir Perelberg