Do Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) use predator eyes in risk assessment?

Previous studies have found that Carolina chickadees and tufted titmice use a predator's head orientation to determine risk, taking fewer seeds from a feeder if an avian predator model's head is facing the feeder while ignoring the head orientation. In addition to head orientation, eyes are a cue of predator risk. In the current study, I examined whether or not chickadees and titmice used the presence of eyes of a predator model to determine when to forage for food.

Development of social play in hamsters: Sex differences and their possible functions.

In several rodent species social play appears to be necessary for proper deployment of species-specific patterns of aggressive and reproductive behavior. Specifically, in male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), play has been linked to the development of adult aggression. We quantified several types of social play behavior in same-sex peer groups of Syrian hamsters three times per week for three consecutive weeks after weaning, which included postnatal days 22-42 (PD22 to PD42).

Antibiotic Stimulation of a Migratory Response.

Competitive interactions between bacteria reveal physiological adaptations that benefit fitness. is a Gram-positive species with several adaptive mechanisms for competition and environmental stress. Biofilm formation, sporulation, and motility are the outcomes of widespread changes in a population of .

Do Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) attend to the head or body orientation of a perched avian predator?

Individuals of many prey species adjust their foraging behavior in response to the presence of a predator. Responding to predators takes time away from searching for and exploiting food resources. To balance between the need to avoid predation and the need to forage, individuals should attend to cues from predators that indicate risk.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy experience in Taranaki: a prospective audit in a provincial New Zealand hospital.

Aim: Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been rapidly incorporated into the management of early stage invasive breast cancer. The aim of this study was to review the adoption of sentinel lymph node biopsy at a provincial centre in New Zealand and compare markers of performance against established standards.

Methods: The Taranaki Breast Database was created in 2002 and prospectively records data from all breast cancer patients in the Taranaki area.