Study Logistics
Are kangaroo rats solitary or social animals?
solitary
What was the central hypothesis for the paper?
That kangaroo rats translocated with neighbors would see greater survival rates, # offspring, health and longevity
What is a solitary animal?
Solitary animals hunt, sleep, and live by themselves, only interacting with members of their species during mating or fighting
In Figure 1a, which group traveled less before settling?
With neighbor group
Social communication between individual Stephens’ kangaroo rats would be known as ________ communication.
Intraspecific!
True or false - engaging in fights was an important sign of high energy and therefore correlated to establishment rates.
false
What was the title of the article?
Fitness Costs of Neighborhood Disruption in Translocations of a Solitary Mammal
What is translocation, and when might it be used?
Translocation is moving animals to a new area to help conserve or rebuild wild populations when habitat fragmented/lost
Which factors were the best indicators of long term survival and success?
Distance traveled to settlement, survival %, offspring
Kangaroo rats defending their territory with footdrums is an example of what concept(s) from lecture? (name any one)
Harmless threat displays, conspicuous behavior, territoriality
How many kangaroo rats were used in the study, and what were their demographics?
99 kangaroo rats, 39 male, 30 female, 30 juvenile
Why were the researchers focused on translocation for solitary animals?
There has been little to no focus in past, poor success with translocations
What does “founder group” mean in the context of conservation?
group of individuals used to establish a population in a new area
In figure 3 (scatterplot), what variables were compared?
Settlement distance and probability of survival
Recall the concept “dilution effect” from lecture. How do the results of this paper support this concept?
Kangaroo rats with neighbors are able to reduce their individual predation risk by sticking in groups and therefore produce more offspring, similar to what is explained in the “dilution effect”
Why did the researchers choose to study kangaroo rats? (give 3 reasons, “extra points” for 4)
Solitary, territorial/ aggressive, but are able to recognize neighbors and tolerate them to a degree, endangered
In what figure was the mistake in the paper?
Figure 2c
What is the “dear enemy” effect?
phenomenon when territorial animals are less aggressive toward familiar neighbors than strangers
What was the reproductive outcome difference between groups?
Ones translocated with neighbors were 24x more successful.
What are two other real-world species where neighborhood familiarity impacts behavior or survival?
Elephants and prairie dogs are two examples—both benefit from familiar social groups for safety and success.
What are the researcher’s names (first and last)?
Debra Shier and Ronald Swaisgood
What scientific journal was the article published in?
Conservation Biology
How do “familiarity” and “neighbor recognition” improve fitness?
reduce stress, conserve energy, and may increase cooperation or tolerance
What was the difference between female survival % with and without neighbors (in percentage)?
62.5-15=47.5%
Stephens’ kangaroo rats are known to be philopatric, which can contribute to kin selection. What does philopatry mean?
Young rats do not disperse far and often settle adjacent to their mothers