Keyword search (4,163 papers available)

"Weladji RB" Authored Publications:

Title Authors PubMed ID
1 Modelling reindeer rut activity using on-animal acoustic recorders and machine learning Boucher AJ; Weladji RB; Holand Ø; Kumpula J; 38932958
BIOLOGY
2 Exposure to humans and task difficulty levels affect wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) learning Lazure L; Weladji RB; 38912327
BIOLOGY
3 Evidence suggesting that reindeer mothers allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules Engelhardt SC; Weladji RB; Holand Ø; Røed KH; Nieminen M; 38096314
BIOLOGY
4 Mismatch between calf paternity and observed copulations between male and female reindeer: Multiple mating in a polygynous ungulate? Coombs KR; Weladji RB; Holand Ø; Røed KH; 37614915
BIOLOGY
5 Zoo soundscape: Daily variation of low-to-high-frequency sounds. Pelletier C, Weladji RB, Lazure L, Paré P 32735724
BIOLOGY
6 Response of reindeer mating time to climatic variability. Paoli A, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Kumpula J 32727535
BIOLOGY
7 The onset in spring and the end in autumn of the thermal and vegetative growing season affect calving time and reproductive success in reindeer. Paoli A, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Kumpula J 32440272
BIOLOGY
8 Early-life conditions determine the between-individual heterogeneity in plasticity of calving date in reindeer. Paoli A, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Kumpula J 31429472
BIOLOGY
9 Winter and spring climatic conditions influence timing and synchrony of calving in reindeer. Paoli A, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Kumpula J 29694410
BIOLOGY
10 Activity budget and spatial distribution of Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) in open versus closed exhibit designs. Beaudin-Judd J, Weladji RB, Lazure L, Paré P 30997695
BIOLOGY

 

Title:Exposure to humans and task difficulty levels affect wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) learning
Authors:Lazure LWeladji RB
Link:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38912327/
DOI:10.1093/beheco/arae046
Publication:Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology
Keywords:behaviorcognitionforaginginnovationmemoryproblem-solving
PMID:38912327 Category: Date Added:2024-06-24
Dept Affiliation: BIOLOGY
1 Biology Department, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
2 Conservation and Research Department, Zoo de Granby, Granby, Québec, Canada.

Description:

Cognition helps wildlife exploit novel resources and environments. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) have successfully adapted to human presence, in part due to their cognitive abilities. However, interactions between humans and wildlife can create conflict. A better understanding of the raccoon's behavioral flexibility and learning ability could mitigate some conflicts. Our objective was to evaluate wild raccoons learning in contexts varying in terms of exposure to humans (recreational and preservation zoning within protected areas) and task difficulty. Learning can be evaluated over multiple exposures to a cognitive task. Across three years of experiment, we employed 2 food extraction tasks to gauge the change in problem-solving performance over trials. This assessment considered the success probability (the number of successful trials divided by the total number of trials) and the time taken to solve the puzzles. We also looked at the effects of 2 behavioral traits, exploratory diversity and persistence. We found strong evidence for learning over consecutive trials in terms of improved success probability. Improvement in terms of success probability and solving time was more pronounced with the initially easier task. We detected an increase in success probability over trials only in the recreation zones, and there was no evidence of an effect of behavioral traits. The improved performance attributed to learning was also maintained over consecutive years. We provide additional evidence that raccoons can learn how to solve a problem, resulting in a more effective solution in consecutive trials. Finally, we consider the management implications of dealing with raccoons accessing anthropogenic resources.





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