Concepts

The correlation between different demographic parameters (survival, reproduction, productivity) measured across the same time periods within a population

Situations where time spent on one activity reduces time available for other activities

Mortality from roadkill events where animals are struck and killed by vehicles

A survivorship pattern where approximately constant proportions of individuals survive through each age class

A measure of how well acoustic signals maintain their structure when transmitted through different environments

When organisms switch from their primary food to secondary food sources under conditions of high competition or resource limitation

Correlation between behavioral traits at the individual level, estimated while controlling for within-individual variation and environmental effects

Growth pattern characterized by an initial period of mass gain followed by stabilization before hibernation entry

A measure of the variety of behaviors an individual uses, calculated using Shannon index across different behavioral categories during problem-solving trials

Risk-taking behavior calculated from flight initiation distance to a simulated predator approach

The duration of continuous engagement in a particular behavioral activity

Communication between the central and enteric nervous systems as a potential mechanism for microbiome-behavior relationships

Approach where multiple distributed sensors work together to achieve better performance than individual sensors

The evolutionary processes leading to the development of multiple distinct call types in animal communication systems

The concept that signal production and structure depend on an individual's health status and condition

Statistical model allowing phenotypic correlations between traits to vary continuously with environmental predictors

Number of social ties that if cut will result in two or more separate networks, measuring group fragmentation

The practice of making research data publicly available for verification and reuse

The idea that individuals of different age-sex categories contribute differently to social structure and cohesion

Predator recognition abilities that do not require prior learning or experience with predators but are based on innate or genetically-determined responses

Behavioral tendency to investigate novel environments, measured through open-field tests

The total volume of CO₂ emitted during flight trials, which reflects overall flight performance including endurance.

Experimental provision of additional food resources to wild populations to test resource limitation hypotheses

The mean age of females when they lay eggs or give birth, calculated as the inverse of the sum of elasticities of population growth rate to changes in fecundities

Social organization where individuals aggregate in groups, potentially providing antipredator benefits through collective vigilance and dilution effects

Specialization of left and right brain hemispheres to carry out specific activities, with right hemisphere processing threats and left hemisphere processing conspecifics

High diversity of life-history traits among individuals within populations, potentially masking life-history trade-offs

The ability to devise a novel solution to a novel or existing problem, measured as successful opening of puzzle box

The angle between the paths of predator and prey to the prey's refuge, expressing degree to which prey must run towards an approaching predator

Mass gain patterns in young animals during their first active season before hibernation

Behavioral patterns acquired through experience rather than innate programming

Behavior in which a female moves her litter to a new location

The process by which female mammals that develop in male-biased litters show signs of masculinization because they are exposed to testosterone produced by their male siblings in utero

Behavioral test using mirror exposure to gauge shy and bold behavior through observed interactions with reflection

Litters where offspring are sired by more than one male

The combining of information from multiple sensory modalities that influences decision-making

A capture-recapture model that accounts for transitions between different states (e.g., age classes) and estimates state-specific survival and detection probabilities

When any social group contains 2 or more males with neither male forced to leave the group because of conflict

Infection by internal parasites including blood-borne trypanosomes and intestinal parasites that can affect host behavior and physiology

When animals prefer to associate with certain individuals over others within a group

The hypothesis that play provides an opportunity to practice and refine skills that will be needed later in adulthood

Individuals participate in seemingly altruistic behaviors because they have reciprocal relationships and take turns

Unequal distribution of reproduction among group members, with some individuals having much higher reproductive success than others

Classification of female reproductive phase as gestation/lactation or post-reproductive/pre-hibernation

DNA amplification technique that amplifies circular DNA templates using phi29 DNA polymerase

Demographic metric based on information theory quantifying the variation in social group composition across age and sex classes

Learning that occurs through observation or interaction with other individuals

The relationship between the microbiome and sociality in animals

Measures the proportion of relationships within a group where both individuals initiate interactions with each other, indicating mutual social relationships