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Knots: attractive places with high path tortuosity in mouse open field exploration.

ABSTRACT: When introduced into a novel environment, mammals establish in it a preferred place marked by the highest number of visits and highest cumulative time spent in it. Examination of exploratory behavior in reference to this "home base" highlights important features of its organization. It might therefore be fruitful to search for other types of marked places in mouse exploratory behavior and examine their influence on overall behavior.Examination of path curvatures of mice exploring a large empty arena revealed the presence of circumscribed locales marked by the performance of tortuous paths full of twists and turns. We term these places knots, and the behavior performed in them-knot-scribbling. There is typically no more than one knot per session; it has distinct boundaries and it is maintained both within and across sessions. Knots are mostly situated in the place of introduction into the arena, here away from walls. Knots are not characterized by the features of a home base, except for a high speed during inbound and a low speed during outbound paths. The establishment of knots is enhanced by injecting the mouse with saline and placing it in an exposed portion of the arena, suggesting that stress and the arousal associated with it consolidate a long-term contingency between a particular locale and knot-scribbling.In an environment devoid of proximal cues mice mark a locale associated with arousal by twisting and turning in it. This creates a self-generated, often centrally located landmark. The tortuosity of the path traced during the behavior implies almost concurrent multiple views of the environment. Knot-scribbling could therefore function as a way to obtain an overview of the entire environment, allowing re-calibration of the mouse's locale map and compass directions. The rich vestibular input generated by scribbling could improve the interpretation of the visual scene.

SUBMITTER: Dvorkin A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2796396 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Knots: attractive places with high path tortuosity in mouse open field exploration.

Dvorkin Anna A Szechtman Henry H Golani Ilan I

PLoS computational biology 20100115 1

When introduced into a novel environment, mammals establish in it a preferred place marked by the highest number of visits and highest cumulative time spent in it. Examination of exploratory behavior in reference to this "home base" highlights important features of its organization. It might therefore be fruitful to search for other types of marked places in mouse exploratory behavior and examine their influence on overall behavior.Examination of path curvatures of mice exploring a large empty a ...[more]

PMID: 20090825

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Project description:Background and Aims Root soil penetration and path optimization are fundamental for root development in soil. We describe the influence of soil strength on root elongation rate and diameter, response to gravity, and root-structure tortuosity, estimated by average curvature of primary maize roots. Methods Soils with different densities (1·5, 1·6, 1·7?g cm-3), particle sizes (sandy loam; coarse sand mixed with sandy loam) and layering (monolayer, bilayer) were used. In total, five treatments were performed: Mix_low with mixed sand low density (three pots, 12 plants), Mix_medium - mixed sand medium density (three pots, 12 plants), Mix_high - mixed sand high density (three pots, ten plants), Loam_low sandy loam soil low density (four pots, 16 plants), and Bilayer with top layer of sandy loam and bottom layer mixed sand both of low density (four pots, 16 plants). We used non-invasive three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging to quantify effects of these treatments. Key Results Roots grew more slowly [root growth rate (mm h-1); decreased 50?%] with increased diameters [root diameter (mm); increased 15?%] in denser soils (1·7 vs. 1·5?g cm-3). Root response to gravity decreased 23?% with increased soil compaction, and tortuosity increased 10?% in mixed sand. Response to gravity increased 39?% and tortuosity decreased 3?% in sandy loam. After crossing a bilayered-soil interface, roots grew more slowly, similar to roots grown in soil with a bulk density of 1·64?g cm-3, whereas the actual experimental density was 1·48±0·02?g cm-3. Elongation rate and tortuosity were higher in Mix_low than in Loam_low. Conclusions The present study increases our existing knowledge of the influence of physical soil properties on root growth and presents new assays for studying root growth dynamics in non-transparent media. We found that root tortuosity is indicative of root path selection, because it could result from both mechanical deflection and active root growth in response to touch stimulation and mechanical impedance.

Project description:Variation in foraging tactics and diet is usually attributed to differences in morphology, experience and prey availability. Recently, consistent individual differences in behaviour (personality) have been shown to be associated with foraging strategies. Bolder or more exploratory individuals are predicted to have a faster pace-of-life and offset the costs of moving more or in risky areas, with higher energetic gains by encountering profitable foraging opportunities and prey. However, the relationship between personality, foraging and diet is poorly understood. We investigated how exploratory behaviour in red knots Calidris canutus is associated with foraging tactics and diet by combining laboratory experiments, field observations and stable isotope analysis. First, we developed a mobile experimental arena to measure exploration speed in controlled settings. We validated the method by repeated testing of individuals over time and contexts. This setup allowed us to measure exploratory personality at the field site, eliminating the need to bring birds into captivity for long periods of time. After releasing birds within days of their capture, we asked whether exploration speed was associated with differences in foraging tactics and diet in the wild. We found that tactile foraging red knots mainly caught hard-shelled prey that are buried in the sediment, whereas visual foraging knots only captured soft preys located close to or on the surface. We also found that faster explorers showed a higher percentage of visual foraging than slower explorers. By contrast, morphology (bill length and gizzard size) had no significant effect on foraging tactics. Diet analysis based on δ15 N and δ13 C stable isotope values of plasma and red blood cells confirmed our field observations with slower explorers mainly consumed hard-shelled prey while faster explorers consumed more soft than hard-shelled prey. Our results show that foraging tactics and diet are associated with a personality trait, independent of morphological differences. We discuss how consistent behaviour might develop early in life through positive feedbacks between foraging tactics, prey type and foraging efficiency.

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Knots: attractive places with high path tortuosity in mouse open field exploration.

Publications

Knots: attractive places with high path tortuosity in mouse open field exploration.

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