The available evidence on dogs’ scent preferences is quite limited. The purpose of this study was... more The available evidence on dogs’ scent preferences is quite limited. The purpose of this study was to verify the canine response to selected odors that may also be preferred by humans. The experiment was performed using 14 adult dogs (10 female and 4 male) of different breeds, body size, and age (1–14 years). During the experiment, dogs were exposed to 33 odor samples: a neutral sample containing pure dipropylene glycol (control) and 32 samples containing dipropylene glycol and fragrance oils. The dog was brought to the experimental area by its handler, who then stopped at the entrance, unleashed the dog, and remained in the starting position. The dog freely explored the area for 30 s. All dog movements and behavior were recorded and analyzed. The methodology of observing the dogs freely exploring the experimental area allowed us to determine the smells that were the most attractive to them (food, beaver clothing). Our study shows that dogs interacted more frequently with the scents ...
Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) Profesor Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) był wybitnym polskim neurobiolog... more Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) Profesor Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) był wybitnym polskim neurobiologiem, badaczem biologicznych mechanizmów zachowania i autorytetem w dziedzinie badań mózgu. Przez wiele lat pracował w Centrum Medycyny Doświadczalnej i Klinicznej PAN w Warszawie. Następnie kierował Zakładem Zachowania się Zwierząt w Instytucie Genetyki i Hodowli Zwierząt PAN w Jastrzębcu, a ostatnich dwóch dekadach życia pracował jako wykładowca w Wyższej Szkole Inżynierii i Zdrowia w Warszawie. Badał szerokie spektrum neurobiologicznych, neurofarmakologicznych i genetycznych uwarunkowań przyczynowych różnorodnych fizjologicznych i behawioralnych zjawisk i procesów obserwowanych u różnych gatunków zwierząt, w tym zwłaszcza u myszy, królików i psów. W szczególności, badał układ nagrody mózgu i rolę układu opioidowego w analgezjii indukowanej przez stres. Był też szeroko znany jako autor i/lub współautor cenionych polskich podręczników akademickich przekazujących aktualny stan wiedzy o fi...
tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur-ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by ... more tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur-ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by the species was shown to be interlinked with changes in its ecology and breeding biology. Such adaptations can lead to isolation of urban populations from rural birds. In this paper we investigated genetic differentiation between birds from centre of Warsaw (Centre Group), suburban area of the city (Suburban Group) and one rural area (Rural Group). We analyse polymorphism of six microsatellite loci in 56 kestrels. The results shown moderate and significant differentiation between Centre and Rural groups and interme-diate differentiation among Suburban and two other groups. Although our study is based on small number of individuals and only one rural sampling site, it suggested some level of isolation between city and rural environment. We assumed that observed differentiation might be the result of Urban Island system of appearance and main-tenance of kestrel population in Warsaw. We als...
ment in response to a wide range of external stimuli including, in particular, signals and cues p... more ment in response to a wide range of external stimuli including, in particular, signals and cues provided by other individuals (Wilson and Hölldobler 1988; Gordon 1996; Hölldobler and Wilson 2009; bubak et al. 2016; leonHardt et al. 2016). The behavior of each individual is thus mediated not only by internal factors, but also by environmental ones, including, in particular, factors related to the so called social context (social environment of the individual defined largely by the properties of colony/social group in which it lives) (lenoir 1987; szczuka 1996; robinson et al. 1997; Godzińska 2006, 2019; Wnuk and Godzińska 2006; MazurkieWicz et al. 2015; leonHardt et al. 2016). Insect societies also strive to maintain the so called social cohesion allowing them to act as more or less well defined units capable of solving complex problems (for instance, the decision to engage in aggressive conflicts with neighbors; bubak et al. 2016). Social cohesion is based mostly on the phenomenon o...
Comparative research devoted to biological roots of social behavior owes a lot to numerous studie... more Comparative research devoted to biological roots of social behavior owes a lot to numerous studies using as subjects social insects, in particular the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and many species of ants (Wilson 1975; Godzińska 2005, 2006, 2016, 2019; GoWdy and krall 2016; Moffett 2018). The use of ants as subjects in behavioral research provides many advantages in comparison with the use of the honeybee. Ants are much more long-lived than honeybees: ant workers may live up to several years, and ant queens up to 30 years (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990; keller and Genoud 1997; keller 1998; Godzińska et al. 1999; JeMielity et al. 2005). Long lifespan of ants facilitates long-term research and experiments devoted to ontogeny and acquired modifications of behavior (Godzińska 1997). Behavioral repertories of ants are very rich, and social behavior of these insects shows great complexity, plasticity and flexibility (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990, 1998, 2009; Godzińska 1996a, 2007, 2016; korczyńsk...
Jednym z najważniejszych elementów społecznego trybu życia są zachowania prospołeczne, czyli dzia... more Jednym z najważniejszych elementów społecznego trybu życia są zachowania prospołeczne, czyli działania, z których korzyści odnoszą inne osobniki. Do najbardziej interesujących podkategorii ryzykownych zachowań prospołecznych należą zachowania ratunkowe, czyli spieszenie z pomocą osobnikom, które znalazły się w niebezpiecznej sytuacji. W świecie zwierząt zachowania ratunkowe zostały po raz pierwszy opisane u mrówek legionistek z gatunku Eciton hamatum, a następnie badano je również u mrówek z wielu innych gatunków należących do podrodzin Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae i Dolichoderinae. Badania te były prowadzone zarówno w terenie, jak i w warunkach laboratoryjnych i stosowano w nich szeroką gamę testów behawioralnych, podczas których potencjalne ratowniczki konfrontowano bądź z osobnikami o ograniczonej mobilności (unieruchomionymi w wyniku zasypania lub też uwięzionymi w sztucznym sidle), bądź też z mrówkami zaatakowanymi przez wrogów naturalnych, takich jak larwy mrówkolwa, pają...
Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranida... more Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal activities, but this process may be reversed: foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. The transition foragerreverted nurse is known as the behavioral reversion. Ant foragers are known to avoid illuminated zones less strongly than intranidal workers, but illumination responses of reverted nurses were so far never investigated. We compared dark-light choice behavior of three classes of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: nurses, foragers and reverted nurses. Sets of ten ants belonging to the same class were tested in Bdouble nests^made of two interconnected test tubes, one kept in darkness and the other exposed to light. The number of ants present in the illuminated zone of each nest (n i) was recorded on 10 sample points at 30 min intervals. The values of n i were lower in nurses than in foragers and reverted nurses and decreased as a function of time in all three groups. Nurses differed from foragers with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior, but reverted nurses did not differ in that respect either from nurses, or from foragers. Reverted nurses and foragers did not differ significantly from each other with respect to the overall level of avoidance of illuminated zone, nor with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior. This implies that behavioral reversion is not accompanied by the return of illumination responses of workers of F. polyctena to the state characteristic for nurses.
Głównym celem tego przeglądu było ukazanie, że nawet stosunkowo proste testy behawioralne mogą um... more Głównym celem tego przeglądu było ukazanie, że nawet stosunkowo proste testy behawioralne mogą umożliwić uzyskanie ważnych wyników. Test spotkania dwójki towarzyszek stosowany w badaniach zachowań społecznych mrówek polega na konfrontacji dwóch towarzyszek z tej samej kolonii i może być poprzedzany różnymi zabiegami, takimi jak izolacja społeczna lub podawanie związków neuroaktywnych. Dwójkowy test badający zachowania ratunkowe polega na konfrontacji swobodnie poruszającej się mrówki z towarzyszką znajdującą się w niebezpieczeństwie. Testy spotkania dwójki towarzyszek umożliwiają uzyskiwanie ogromnego bogactwa wyników poszerzających naszą wiedzę o behawioralnych efektach izolacji społecznej, uwarunkowaniach przyczynowych różnych typów kontaktów społecznych, rozpoznawaniu towarzyszek z tej samej kolonii, roli amin biogennych w sterowaniu zachowaniami społecznymi mrówek, polimorfizmie behawioralnym i podziale pracy w społeczeństwach mrówek, ontogenezie behawioralnej mrówek, różnorodno...
The main aim of this review was to show that proximate causation of insect social behavior involv... more The main aim of this review was to show that proximate causation of insect social behavior involves complex interplay of cues and signals originating from both lower and higher levels of organization encountered in insect societies. We focused our review on context-dependence of neuromodulation of insect social behavior by specific neuroactive compounds including several biogenic amines (octopamine, serotonin, dopamine and tyramine), and classical amino acid neurotransmitters [γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu)]. We provided numerous examples of the role of these compounds in the mediation of affiliative social contacts, aggressive behavior, ontogeny of behavior (including behavioral reversion), and modifications of the reproductive status of the individual. We also discussed how brain contents of specific neuroactive compounds and the effects of their administration depend on individual properties of the tested insects, systematic group to which they belong, and externa...
We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine... more We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine and tyramine) on behavior patterns displayed by workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena during dyadic confrontations with four types of opponents: a nestmate, an alien conspecific, an allospecific ant (Formica fusca), and a potential prey, a nymph of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). Significant effects of biogenic amine administration were observed almost exclusively in the case of confrontations with allospecific opponents. Serotonin treatment exerted stimulatory effects on behavior patterns involving physical aggression (biting accompanied by gaster flexing, dragging and formic acid spraying), but these effects were relatively weak and/or documented by indirect evidence. Dopamine administration exerted a stimulatory effect on open-mandible threats directed by F. polyctena to F. fusca and to cricket nymphs, and on biting behavior directed to cricket nymphs. Surprisingly, oc...
The European Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur- ban-industrial environmen... more The European Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur- ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by the species was shown to be interlinked with changes in its ecology and breeding biology. Such adaptations can lead to isolation of urban populations from rural birds. In this paper we investigated genetic differentiation between birds from centre of Warsaw (Centre Group), suburban
We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine... more We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine and tyramine) on behavior patterns displayed by workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena during dyadic confrontations with four types of opponents: a nestmate, an alien conspecific, an allospecific ant (Formica fusca), and a potential prey, a nymph of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). Significant effects of biogenic amine administration were observed almost exclusively in the case of confrontations with allospecific opponents. Serotonin treatment exerted stimulatory effects on behavior patterns involving physical aggression (biting accompanied by gaster flexing, dragging and formic acid spraying), but these effects were relatively weak and/or documented by indirect evidence. Dopamine administration exerted a stimulatory effect on open-mandible threats directed by F. polyctena to F. fusca and to cricket nymphs, and on biting behavior directed to cricket nymphs. Surprisingly, oc...
Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal... more Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal ones. However, foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. This process is called the behavioral reversion. We applied dyadic nestmate reunion tests to explore behavioral differences between five groups of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: callows (newly eclosed workers), nurses, reverted nurses (foragers that switched back to intranidal brood care in response to exposure to brood in absence of nurses), and two groups of foragers. Inter-group differences between the tested ants were related both to age and past and present behavioral specialization. Callows were the least active and their behavior was characterized by the lowest tempo. Nurses usually behaved in a way intermediate in respect to behavior of callows and the ants that had already passed the transition to extranidal tasks. The behavior of reverted nurses showed both similarities and differences with resp...
Presence of amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) in an... more Presence of amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) in ant brains was reported in very few studies. To learn more about factors influencing GABA and Glu levels in ant brains, we applied high-performance liquid chromatography to measure levels of these compounds in single brains of workers of 2 ant species, Myrmica ruginodis (subfamily Myrmicinae) and Formica polyctena (subfamily Formicinae) taken from queenright/queenless colony fragments and tested in dyadic aggression tests consisting of an encounter with a nestmate, an alien conspecific or a small cricket. Brain glutamate levels were higher than those of GABA in both tested species. Brain GABA levels (in μmol/brain) and GABA : Glu ratio were higher in M. ruginodis (a submissive species) than in F. polyctena (a dominant, aggressive species) in spite of smaller brain weight of M. ruginodis. Brain glutamate levels (in μmol/brain) did not differ between the tested species, which implies that glutamate concentration (in μmol/mg of brain tissue) was higher in M. ruginodis. Queen absence was associated with increased worker brain GABA levels in F. polyctena, but not in M. ruginodis. No significant effects of opponent type were discovered. As GABA agonists enhance friendly social behavior in rodents, we hypothesize that elevated brain GABA levels of orphaned workers of F. polyctena facilitate the adoption of a new queen. This is the first report providing information on GABA and glutamate levels in single ant brains and documenting the effects of queen presence/absence on brain levels of amino acid neurotransmitters in workers of social Hymenoptera.
Korczyńska J., Gryziak G. 2011. Failure of microsatellite's cross-species amplification in common... more Korczyńska J., Gryziak G. 2011. Failure of microsatellite's cross-species amplification in common ground beetle Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Baltic J. Coleopterol.,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] In the present paper, we describe results of cross-species amplification of microsatellite loci in wing dimorphic carabid Pterostichus melanariusmodel species for diverse ecological studies. In particular wing dimorphism determined genetically, with simple Mendelian fashion and discovery of brachyptery gene provides unique opportunities to study gene flow within metapopulation. One hundred individuals originating form nine island populations of Mamry Lake archipelago were studied. Using PCR primers from five different species of Carabidae, especially including closely related species -Pterostichus oblongopunctatus we failed to establish firm ground of population genetic tool for the beetle. We review works on crossspecies amplification in invertebrates and show that success of cross-species strategy among coleopteran species from different genus is rather highly doubtful. We present procedures and results that that might be of importance for ecologists tempted by scientific opportunities given by P. melanarius.
Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranida... more Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal activities, but this process may be reversed: foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. The transition foragerreverted nurse is known as the behavioral reversion. Ant foragers are known to avoid illuminated zones less strongly than intranidal workers, but illumination responses of reverted nurses were so far never investigated. We compared dark-light choice behavior of three classes of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: nurses, foragers and reverted nurses. Sets of ten ants belonging to the same class were tested in Bdouble nests^made of two interconnected test tubes, one kept in darkness and the other exposed to light. The number of ants present in the illuminated zone of each nest (n i ) was recorded on 10 sample points at 30 min intervals. The values of n i were lower in nurses than in foragers and reverted nurses and decreased as a function of time in all three groups. Nurses differed from foragers with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior, but reverted nurses did not differ in that respect either from nurses, or from foragers. Reverted nurses and foragers did not differ significantly from each other with respect to the overall level of avoidance of illuminated zone, nor with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior. This implies that behavioral reversion is not accompanied by the return of illumination responses of workers of F. polyctena to the state characteristic for nurses.
The available evidence on dogs’ scent preferences is quite limited. The purpose of this study was... more The available evidence on dogs’ scent preferences is quite limited. The purpose of this study was to verify the canine response to selected odors that may also be preferred by humans. The experiment was performed using 14 adult dogs (10 female and 4 male) of different breeds, body size, and age (1–14 years). During the experiment, dogs were exposed to 33 odor samples: a neutral sample containing pure dipropylene glycol (control) and 32 samples containing dipropylene glycol and fragrance oils. The dog was brought to the experimental area by its handler, who then stopped at the entrance, unleashed the dog, and remained in the starting position. The dog freely explored the area for 30 s. All dog movements and behavior were recorded and analyzed. The methodology of observing the dogs freely exploring the experimental area allowed us to determine the smells that were the most attractive to them (food, beaver clothing). Our study shows that dogs interacted more frequently with the scents ...
Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) Profesor Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) był wybitnym polskim neurobiolog... more Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) Profesor Bogdan Sadowski (1932-2021) był wybitnym polskim neurobiologiem, badaczem biologicznych mechanizmów zachowania i autorytetem w dziedzinie badań mózgu. Przez wiele lat pracował w Centrum Medycyny Doświadczalnej i Klinicznej PAN w Warszawie. Następnie kierował Zakładem Zachowania się Zwierząt w Instytucie Genetyki i Hodowli Zwierząt PAN w Jastrzębcu, a ostatnich dwóch dekadach życia pracował jako wykładowca w Wyższej Szkole Inżynierii i Zdrowia w Warszawie. Badał szerokie spektrum neurobiologicznych, neurofarmakologicznych i genetycznych uwarunkowań przyczynowych różnorodnych fizjologicznych i behawioralnych zjawisk i procesów obserwowanych u różnych gatunków zwierząt, w tym zwłaszcza u myszy, królików i psów. W szczególności, badał układ nagrody mózgu i rolę układu opioidowego w analgezjii indukowanej przez stres. Był też szeroko znany jako autor i/lub współautor cenionych polskich podręczników akademickich przekazujących aktualny stan wiedzy o fi...
tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur-ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by ... more tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur-ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by the species was shown to be interlinked with changes in its ecology and breeding biology. Such adaptations can lead to isolation of urban populations from rural birds. In this paper we investigated genetic differentiation between birds from centre of Warsaw (Centre Group), suburban area of the city (Suburban Group) and one rural area (Rural Group). We analyse polymorphism of six microsatellite loci in 56 kestrels. The results shown moderate and significant differentiation between Centre and Rural groups and interme-diate differentiation among Suburban and two other groups. Although our study is based on small number of individuals and only one rural sampling site, it suggested some level of isolation between city and rural environment. We assumed that observed differentiation might be the result of Urban Island system of appearance and main-tenance of kestrel population in Warsaw. We als...
ment in response to a wide range of external stimuli including, in particular, signals and cues p... more ment in response to a wide range of external stimuli including, in particular, signals and cues provided by other individuals (Wilson and Hölldobler 1988; Gordon 1996; Hölldobler and Wilson 2009; bubak et al. 2016; leonHardt et al. 2016). The behavior of each individual is thus mediated not only by internal factors, but also by environmental ones, including, in particular, factors related to the so called social context (social environment of the individual defined largely by the properties of colony/social group in which it lives) (lenoir 1987; szczuka 1996; robinson et al. 1997; Godzińska 2006, 2019; Wnuk and Godzińska 2006; MazurkieWicz et al. 2015; leonHardt et al. 2016). Insect societies also strive to maintain the so called social cohesion allowing them to act as more or less well defined units capable of solving complex problems (for instance, the decision to engage in aggressive conflicts with neighbors; bubak et al. 2016). Social cohesion is based mostly on the phenomenon o...
Comparative research devoted to biological roots of social behavior owes a lot to numerous studie... more Comparative research devoted to biological roots of social behavior owes a lot to numerous studies using as subjects social insects, in particular the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and many species of ants (Wilson 1975; Godzińska 2005, 2006, 2016, 2019; GoWdy and krall 2016; Moffett 2018). The use of ants as subjects in behavioral research provides many advantages in comparison with the use of the honeybee. Ants are much more long-lived than honeybees: ant workers may live up to several years, and ant queens up to 30 years (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990; keller and Genoud 1997; keller 1998; Godzińska et al. 1999; JeMielity et al. 2005). Long lifespan of ants facilitates long-term research and experiments devoted to ontogeny and acquired modifications of behavior (Godzińska 1997). Behavioral repertories of ants are very rich, and social behavior of these insects shows great complexity, plasticity and flexibility (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990, 1998, 2009; Godzińska 1996a, 2007, 2016; korczyńsk...
Jednym z najważniejszych elementów społecznego trybu życia są zachowania prospołeczne, czyli dzia... more Jednym z najważniejszych elementów społecznego trybu życia są zachowania prospołeczne, czyli działania, z których korzyści odnoszą inne osobniki. Do najbardziej interesujących podkategorii ryzykownych zachowań prospołecznych należą zachowania ratunkowe, czyli spieszenie z pomocą osobnikom, które znalazły się w niebezpiecznej sytuacji. W świecie zwierząt zachowania ratunkowe zostały po raz pierwszy opisane u mrówek legionistek z gatunku Eciton hamatum, a następnie badano je również u mrówek z wielu innych gatunków należących do podrodzin Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae i Dolichoderinae. Badania te były prowadzone zarówno w terenie, jak i w warunkach laboratoryjnych i stosowano w nich szeroką gamę testów behawioralnych, podczas których potencjalne ratowniczki konfrontowano bądź z osobnikami o ograniczonej mobilności (unieruchomionymi w wyniku zasypania lub też uwięzionymi w sztucznym sidle), bądź też z mrówkami zaatakowanymi przez wrogów naturalnych, takich jak larwy mrówkolwa, pają...
Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranida... more Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal activities, but this process may be reversed: foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. The transition foragerreverted nurse is known as the behavioral reversion. Ant foragers are known to avoid illuminated zones less strongly than intranidal workers, but illumination responses of reverted nurses were so far never investigated. We compared dark-light choice behavior of three classes of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: nurses, foragers and reverted nurses. Sets of ten ants belonging to the same class were tested in Bdouble nests^made of two interconnected test tubes, one kept in darkness and the other exposed to light. The number of ants present in the illuminated zone of each nest (n i) was recorded on 10 sample points at 30 min intervals. The values of n i were lower in nurses than in foragers and reverted nurses and decreased as a function of time in all three groups. Nurses differed from foragers with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior, but reverted nurses did not differ in that respect either from nurses, or from foragers. Reverted nurses and foragers did not differ significantly from each other with respect to the overall level of avoidance of illuminated zone, nor with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior. This implies that behavioral reversion is not accompanied by the return of illumination responses of workers of F. polyctena to the state characteristic for nurses.
Głównym celem tego przeglądu było ukazanie, że nawet stosunkowo proste testy behawioralne mogą um... more Głównym celem tego przeglądu było ukazanie, że nawet stosunkowo proste testy behawioralne mogą umożliwić uzyskanie ważnych wyników. Test spotkania dwójki towarzyszek stosowany w badaniach zachowań społecznych mrówek polega na konfrontacji dwóch towarzyszek z tej samej kolonii i może być poprzedzany różnymi zabiegami, takimi jak izolacja społeczna lub podawanie związków neuroaktywnych. Dwójkowy test badający zachowania ratunkowe polega na konfrontacji swobodnie poruszającej się mrówki z towarzyszką znajdującą się w niebezpieczeństwie. Testy spotkania dwójki towarzyszek umożliwiają uzyskiwanie ogromnego bogactwa wyników poszerzających naszą wiedzę o behawioralnych efektach izolacji społecznej, uwarunkowaniach przyczynowych różnych typów kontaktów społecznych, rozpoznawaniu towarzyszek z tej samej kolonii, roli amin biogennych w sterowaniu zachowaniami społecznymi mrówek, polimorfizmie behawioralnym i podziale pracy w społeczeństwach mrówek, ontogenezie behawioralnej mrówek, różnorodno...
The main aim of this review was to show that proximate causation of insect social behavior involv... more The main aim of this review was to show that proximate causation of insect social behavior involves complex interplay of cues and signals originating from both lower and higher levels of organization encountered in insect societies. We focused our review on context-dependence of neuromodulation of insect social behavior by specific neuroactive compounds including several biogenic amines (octopamine, serotonin, dopamine and tyramine), and classical amino acid neurotransmitters [γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu)]. We provided numerous examples of the role of these compounds in the mediation of affiliative social contacts, aggressive behavior, ontogeny of behavior (including behavioral reversion), and modifications of the reproductive status of the individual. We also discussed how brain contents of specific neuroactive compounds and the effects of their administration depend on individual properties of the tested insects, systematic group to which they belong, and externa...
We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine... more We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine and tyramine) on behavior patterns displayed by workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena during dyadic confrontations with four types of opponents: a nestmate, an alien conspecific, an allospecific ant (Formica fusca), and a potential prey, a nymph of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). Significant effects of biogenic amine administration were observed almost exclusively in the case of confrontations with allospecific opponents. Serotonin treatment exerted stimulatory effects on behavior patterns involving physical aggression (biting accompanied by gaster flexing, dragging and formic acid spraying), but these effects were relatively weak and/or documented by indirect evidence. Dopamine administration exerted a stimulatory effect on open-mandible threats directed by F. polyctena to F. fusca and to cricket nymphs, and on biting behavior directed to cricket nymphs. Surprisingly, oc...
The European Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur- ban-industrial environmen... more The European Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (L.) is commonly observed in ur- ban-industrial environment. Colonization of cites by the species was shown to be interlinked with changes in its ecology and breeding biology. Such adaptations can lead to isolation of urban populations from rural birds. In this paper we investigated genetic differentiation between birds from centre of Warsaw (Centre Group), suburban
We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine... more We investigated the effect of injections of four biogenic amines (serotonin, dopamine, octopamine and tyramine) on behavior patterns displayed by workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena during dyadic confrontations with four types of opponents: a nestmate, an alien conspecific, an allospecific ant (Formica fusca), and a potential prey, a nymph of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). Significant effects of biogenic amine administration were observed almost exclusively in the case of confrontations with allospecific opponents. Serotonin treatment exerted stimulatory effects on behavior patterns involving physical aggression (biting accompanied by gaster flexing, dragging and formic acid spraying), but these effects were relatively weak and/or documented by indirect evidence. Dopamine administration exerted a stimulatory effect on open-mandible threats directed by F. polyctena to F. fusca and to cricket nymphs, and on biting behavior directed to cricket nymphs. Surprisingly, oc...
Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal... more Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal ones. However, foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. This process is called the behavioral reversion. We applied dyadic nestmate reunion tests to explore behavioral differences between five groups of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: callows (newly eclosed workers), nurses, reverted nurses (foragers that switched back to intranidal brood care in response to exposure to brood in absence of nurses), and two groups of foragers. Inter-group differences between the tested ants were related both to age and past and present behavioral specialization. Callows were the least active and their behavior was characterized by the lowest tempo. Nurses usually behaved in a way intermediate in respect to behavior of callows and the ants that had already passed the transition to extranidal tasks. The behavior of reverted nurses showed both similarities and differences with resp...
Presence of amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) in an... more Presence of amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) in ant brains was reported in very few studies. To learn more about factors influencing GABA and Glu levels in ant brains, we applied high-performance liquid chromatography to measure levels of these compounds in single brains of workers of 2 ant species, Myrmica ruginodis (subfamily Myrmicinae) and Formica polyctena (subfamily Formicinae) taken from queenright/queenless colony fragments and tested in dyadic aggression tests consisting of an encounter with a nestmate, an alien conspecific or a small cricket. Brain glutamate levels were higher than those of GABA in both tested species. Brain GABA levels (in μmol/brain) and GABA : Glu ratio were higher in M. ruginodis (a submissive species) than in F. polyctena (a dominant, aggressive species) in spite of smaller brain weight of M. ruginodis. Brain glutamate levels (in μmol/brain) did not differ between the tested species, which implies that glutamate concentration (in μmol/mg of brain tissue) was higher in M. ruginodis. Queen absence was associated with increased worker brain GABA levels in F. polyctena, but not in M. ruginodis. No significant effects of opponent type were discovered. As GABA agonists enhance friendly social behavior in rodents, we hypothesize that elevated brain GABA levels of orphaned workers of F. polyctena facilitate the adoption of a new queen. This is the first report providing information on GABA and glutamate levels in single ant brains and documenting the effects of queen presence/absence on brain levels of amino acid neurotransmitters in workers of social Hymenoptera.
Korczyńska J., Gryziak G. 2011. Failure of microsatellite's cross-species amplification in common... more Korczyńska J., Gryziak G. 2011. Failure of microsatellite's cross-species amplification in common ground beetle Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Baltic J. Coleopterol.,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] In the present paper, we describe results of cross-species amplification of microsatellite loci in wing dimorphic carabid Pterostichus melanariusmodel species for diverse ecological studies. In particular wing dimorphism determined genetically, with simple Mendelian fashion and discovery of brachyptery gene provides unique opportunities to study gene flow within metapopulation. One hundred individuals originating form nine island populations of Mamry Lake archipelago were studied. Using PCR primers from five different species of Carabidae, especially including closely related species -Pterostichus oblongopunctatus we failed to establish firm ground of population genetic tool for the beetle. We review works on crossspecies amplification in invertebrates and show that success of cross-species strategy among coleopteran species from different genus is rather highly doubtful. We present procedures and results that that might be of importance for ecologists tempted by scientific opportunities given by P. melanarius.
Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranida... more Social insect workers usually start adult life from intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal activities, but this process may be reversed: foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. The transition foragerreverted nurse is known as the behavioral reversion. Ant foragers are known to avoid illuminated zones less strongly than intranidal workers, but illumination responses of reverted nurses were so far never investigated. We compared dark-light choice behavior of three classes of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: nurses, foragers and reverted nurses. Sets of ten ants belonging to the same class were tested in Bdouble nests^made of two interconnected test tubes, one kept in darkness and the other exposed to light. The number of ants present in the illuminated zone of each nest (n i ) was recorded on 10 sample points at 30 min intervals. The values of n i were lower in nurses than in foragers and reverted nurses and decreased as a function of time in all three groups. Nurses differed from foragers with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior, but reverted nurses did not differ in that respect either from nurses, or from foragers. Reverted nurses and foragers did not differ significantly from each other with respect to the overall level of avoidance of illuminated zone, nor with respect to the dynamics of dark-light choice behavior. This implies that behavioral reversion is not accompanied by the return of illumination responses of workers of F. polyctena to the state characteristic for nurses.
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Papers by Anna Szczuka