Previous studies have shown that a variety of animals including humans are sensitive to social cues from others and shift their attention to the same objects attended to by others. However, little is known about how animals process conspecifics' and another species' actions, although primates recognize conspecific faces better than those of another species. In this study, using unrestrained eye...

The dynamics of heterospecific and conspecific mating between Florida strains of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus was examined. In nonchoice experiments where conspecific males were not available, dissection of the spermathecae showed that heterospecific insemination was an infrequent event for both species combinations (10.6% for Ae. albopictus with Ae. aegypti males, 3.6% for the reciprocal...

We investigated the effects of pilferage on caching behavior in the Merriam’s kangaroo rat by manipulating two factors associated with pilferage: the presence of a conspecific, and the opportunity for pilferage. In one experiment we assessed animals in either ‘‘Stealer’’ or ‘‘Victim’’ roles and measured changes in caching, space use, and behavior after caches were pilfered. Victims shifted from...

A complex set of interactions among neighbors influences plant performance and community structure. Understanding their joint operation requires extensive information on species characteristics and individual performance. We evaluated first-year survival of 35719 tropical forest seedlings of 222 species and 15 annual cohorts relative to the density of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors an...

Male frogs vocalize calls to attract conspecific females as well as to announce their own territories to other male frogs. In the choruses, acoustic interaction allows the male frogs to alternate their calls with each other. Such call alternation is reported in various species of frogs including Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica). During call alternation, both male and female frogs are likely ...

A dominant theme of acoustic communication is the partitioning of acoustic space into exclusive, species-specific niches to enable efficient information transfer. In insects, acoustic niche partitioning is achieved through auditory frequency filtering, brought about by the mechanical properties of their ears. The tuning of the antennal ears of mosquitoes and flies, however, arises from active a...

Protective ant-plant mutualisms that are exploited by non-defending parasitic ants represent prominent model systems for ecology and evolutionary biology. The mutualist Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus is an obligate plant-ant and fully depends on acacias for nesting space and food. The parasite Pseudomyrmex gracilis facultatively nests on acacias and uses host-derived food rewards but also external fo...

Selective logging may impact patterns of genetic diversity within populations of harvested forest tree species by increasing distances separating conspecific trees, and modifying physical and biotic features of the forest habitat. We measured levels of gene diversity, inbreeding, pollen dispersal and spatial genetic structure (SGS) of an Amazonian insect-pollinated Carapa guianensis population ...

Animal pollination is essential for the reproductive success of many wild and crop plants. Loss and isolation of (semi-)natural habitats in agricultural landscapes can cause declines of plants and pollinators and endanger pollination services. We investigated the independent effects of these drivers on pollination of young cherry trees in a landscape-scale experiment. We included (i) isolation ...

Studies of zoochorous seed dispersal systems often consider crop size, yet seldom consider the kinds and amounts of fruits surrounding parent plants (the fruit neighborhood) when attempting to explain among-plant variation in fruit removal. We studied avian frugivory at 24 Schefflera morototoni trees from February to May 1998 in central Puerto Rico. The number of fruits removed by avian seed di...