In the Central Andean Highlands people live with Camelids of South America until nearly 5,000 meters above sea level. Camelids of South America are classifiable into four species: alpaca (Lama pacos), llama (Lama glama), vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), and guanaco (Lama guanicoe). The former two are domesticated, whereas the latter two are wild. The main livestock product of alpacas is their fine wool. Llamas are mainly used for transport. The meat of both is also an important for herders.

Camelids in Andean Highlands are unique in two respects: 1. domesticated animals cohabit with their wild ancestors. 2. It is possible to cross each of the four types with the others and the hybrids do not lose their fertile capability. These has affected the way pastoralists manage their livestock. Furthermore, recently the value of each animal is influenced by globalization. Alpacas, whose wool is highly rated in the international market, have become more important. On the other hand, llamas, which are used for transport, recently have less importance as the market and transportation infrastructure is developing. Vicuñas, whose wool is superior to that of alpaca, are very valuable though they are wild animals. I will report on some aspects of the changing relations between herders and South American camelids based on data from my fieldwork, and discuss the ambiguity of the boundary between domestic and wild animals.

In group-living animals, various social traits of offspring are influenced by the mother who is not only the first social partner but also a social role model for their offspring. Female horses (Equus caballus) in a polygynous harem group are known to form and maintain social bonds with other female members, which sometimes last even after the male horse's death. The bonded horses show affiliative interactions and stay close with each other. It has been reported that foals tend to show affiliative behaviors toward the human who contacted friendly with the mother horses, and that foals preferentially associate with another foal whose mother is the most preferred partner of their mothers. However, the maternal effect on the way foals build social relationships has been little studied in feral horse groups living in less managed, natural social settings. I planned to examine whether and how the social environment involving a mother's social life influences the offspring's sociality, such as social tendencies regarding the number of social partners or the strength of the social bonds, as well as the dynamics of social relationships. In the free-roaming Misaki horse harems having foals and yearlings, the affiliative/agonistic social behaviors and proximity between horses were recorded using a video camera and a drone during the summer-early autumn and late autumn of 2021. This presentation is about my fieldwork, video analysis that I am working on and future plans. 

Language: English(slides) & Japanese(speaking)

Abstract：

性格は健康を保つために考慮すべき要因です。もの言えぬ動物を飼育するうえで、彼らの性格を把握することは彼らの福祉に役立てられるかもしれません。本研究では、最も身近な動物であるイヌの２品種、トイプードルとダックスフンドを対象に、性格とそれに関わる遺伝子を調べました。イヌの性格は飼い主を対象とした質問紙調査を用いて評価されました。トイプードルとダックスフンドの間で、異なる性各因子が見られました。これらは、品種作出に過程での選択によるものかもしれません。さらに、関連する遺伝子について、候補遺伝子アプローチとゲノムワイドなアプローチが採られました。候補遺伝子アプローチでは、ドーパミン受容体D4中の２領域とアンドロゲン受容体中の２領域の遺伝子型の効果を各性格因子について調べました。ゲノムワイドアプローチでも同様に各性格因子についてGWASを行いました。GWASによって性格と関連するかもしれない遺伝子変異が見つかりました。 

Personality is a factor that should be taken into consideration to maintain good health. In keeping speechless animals, understanding their personality may be useful for their welfare. In this study, two of the most familiar canine breeds, the Toy Poodle and the Dachshund, were examined for personality and the genes associated with it. Canine personality was assessed using a questionnaire survey of owners. Different sex-specific factors were found between toy poodles and dachshunds. These may be due to selection in the breeding process. In addition, a candidate gene approach and a genome-wide approach were taken for the relevant genes. In the candidate gene approach, the effects of genotypes of two regions in the Dopamine receptor D4 and two regions in the Androgen Receptor were examined for each personality factor. In the genome-wide approach, I performed GWAS for each personality factor, and genetic variants that may be associated with personality were found.

Provisioned Japanese macaques are historical research subjects. Studies of these monkeys have brought a lot of insights into the primate society and evolution. However, because of the socio-ecological effects caused by provisioning, studies of provisioned Japanese macaques have been scaled back in recent decades, and there has been a major shift toward studies of primates living in natural habitats. In addition, some studies reported that provisioning or habituation to humans elevates animal’s aggression and stress levels, which can lead animal welfare debates of provisioned primates in the near future. Given these situations, researchers of provisioned Japanese macaques should start to reconsider the future directions of studies and the management of these monkeys. As the first step in this discussion, I will examine the significance of studying provisioned Japanese macaques by showing recent notable papers, and propose potential future directions of research on these monkeys. 

Sea otters around Japanese waters were hunted to near extinction during the maritime fur trade in the 19th and early 20th centuries, before receiving protection in 1911. Periodic sightings have occurred during the past 20 years along the east coast of Hokkaido, but there has been no concerted effort to document their recovery. From 2018, we conducted surveys of sea otters along the east coast of the Nemuro Peninsula including islands. They fed on sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus intermedius), crabs (Paralithodes brevipes and Telmessus cheiragonus) and chitons (Cryptochiton stelleri), but bivalves (Clinocardium californiense, Callista brevisiphonata and others), were the predominate prey. It is likely that this small population will continue to expand in an area of commercially valuable invertebrates. And recently, there is a report of catastrophic death of sea urchin and chitons along the coast of eastern Hokkaido, caused by red tide. This event will affect both of sea otters feeding habits and fishermen’s life, so policies to mitigate conflict should be anticipated.

For primates, cognitive abilities to understand other beings are important to guide their behaviors adaptively. Previous studies have illustrated chimpanzees’ (Pan troglodytes) pronounced abilities of understanding of others. I carried out experiments on captive chimpanzees to investigate their abilities related to understanding of others, in particular others in unusual conditions or others facing disturbing situations, from both cognitive and affective perspectives. Specifically, I assessed chimpanzees’ visual attention to stimuli by means of eye tracking experiments (cognitive facets) and attempted to probe the role of affective processes by using physiological measurements or by factoring into an alternative hypothesis based on an affective process (affective facets). Specifically, I examined 1) chimpanzees’ gaze and physiological responses toward others’ injury, 2) whether chimpanzees distinguish impossible body movements from possible movements based on their knowledge about the biomechanics, and 3) chimpanzees’ association between other conspecifics’ vocalizations (i.e., alarm and food-associated calls) and relevant objects in environments (i.e., snakes and fruits). I discussed the findings from the three studies in relation to their social environments, more general cognitive abilities, and methodological features of my studies, which I believe may be informative for future research on primate understanding of others.

果たして食う者（捕食者）は、食われる者（被食者）の種や表現型の多様化を促すのだろうか、それとも抑えるのだろうか。もし促すのならば、どのようなメカニズムだろうか。ダーウィン以来問われ続けている生物の進化に関する謎は深く、上記のような普遍的な問いにさえ、我々は未だに明確な解答を得ていない。本発表では、食う者が引き起こす食われる者の多様化の実例として、カタツムリとそれを食うオサムシを対象に行なった自身の研究を紹介する。生物の多様化と維持に対する食う-食われるの関係の見過ごされていた重要性を示したい。

Predator-prey interactions are recognized as the major factor promoting phenotypic evolution. However, it remains unclear how predation causes phenotypic diversity in prey species and how it might lead to speciation. Here, I show the substantial divergence in the phenotypic traits of prey species has occurred among subarctic land snails as a result of adaptation to predator attacks. I try to suggest the importance of predator-prey interactions as a cause of prey divergence in evolutionary biology.

 My past research is on the theme of Relationship between interspecific differences and tolerance of COMT genes in the genus Macaque. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between COMT gene diversity and tolerance in the genus Macaque.

My research activity at WRC is a genetic study that estimates the geographical origin for the purpose of conserving Aonyx cinerea. After introducing the current state of Aonyx cinerea, I will explain a concrete method for estimating the geographical origin. It also describes the current status of the research and the progress of the research.

In my bachelor’s degree, I studied the habitat conditions of lizards (Plestiodon japonicas and Takydromus tachydromoides) in urban green spaces. In this study, I clarified the landscape elememts that define the habitat of lizards and considered the management methods for urban green spaces.

I’d like to contribute to endangered mammals’ population recovery, so my research activities at WRC focuses on the breeding cycle of Iriomote wildcat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis). I will be introducing the current status of the Iriomote wildcat and how and why I plan to clarify their breeding cycle.

My past research activity is about the spatial synchrony analysis the data in the number of culled Asian Black Bears(Ursus thibetanus). The aim of this research was to assess 1) the number of times Asian Black Bears appears within residential areas and 2) is spatial synchrony seen in the relationship between the number of Asian Black Bears and the abundance of Japanese beech.

My research activities at WRC focuses on the epigenetic age estimation in Okinawa Rail(Gallirallus okinawae). I will be introducing the importance of estimating age, the methodology I plan to use and the progress I have done by now. And I will touch the topics  the possible future directions in using this techniques.

During my undergraduate, I investigated the effects of precipitation patterns on the livestock health via vegetation in Mongolia. I measured the nutritional status and energy balance of livestock, then I examined their relationship to annual changes in vegetation. At WRC, I plan to investigate the relationship between behavioral changes and changes in stress hormone levels during the reintroduction process of the Tsushima leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus). I’ll explain how I plan to observe the behavior, the significance of monitoring individual stress during the acclimatization process, and how this research can lead to the conservation of endangered species.

Presenter : K Arai

Abstract:  During my undergraduate, my research activities involved looking at avian egg physiology to see what influences eggshell gas exchange. Specifically, investigating the effects of embryonic muscle twitching and embryonic heart rate on eggshell gas exchange. I also carried out personality studies in developing avian chicks, to investigate whether physical characteristics would affect their personality. My research activities at WRC focuses on the epigenetic age estimation in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). I will be introducing the importance of estimating age, the methodology I plan to use and the possible future directions in using this technique.  

Presenter : T Sugimoto 

Abstract: Humans(Homo sapiens sapiens) also evaluate others by observing interactions between third parties, which are not directly related to their own interests. Examining which species have the ability of third-party evaluation will help us understand the evolutionary origins of humans’ cooperative societies. In my previous research, I investigated whether horses (Equus caballus ) perform third party evaluation by observing interactions between humans that are not directly related to their own interests. For my Master’s project, I will continue to research whether horses have the ability of third-party evaluation. I will verify the following hypotheses. The first one is whether horses show positivity bias and negativity bias. The second one is whether females show this ability more saliently. The last one is whether horses evaluate third parties interactions between humans and horses. Comparing the ability of third-party evaluation in various species will provide important material for thinking about what it means to be human.   

 During my Master's study, I mainly investigated the infrared shape recognition in short-tailed pit vipers (Gloydius brevicaudus). Snakes underwent operant conditioning in the Y-maze. Different infrared shapes were displayed in both arms of the maze with various stimuli applied. Snakes were trained to distinguish the shapes to escape from the aversive stimuli or acquire the food reward.

 For my doctoral study, I'm planning to conduct behavioral and eye-tracking experiments to compare the the likely differences of social learning mechanisms for extractive tool use between bonobos and chimpanzees. 

I study on social intelligence of corvids (Large-billed crow), by investigating their gaze behavior. I built the motion capture system to record their head movements and investigated how they look at the object of interest last year.   I'm planning to investigate their way to look at other individuals using motion capture system, and their visual fields and eye movements using a well-established ophthalmoscopic reflex technique in this year.  I'll talk about my past works and future plans.

I am studying the relationship between cats and humans. In the master's study, I investigated facial morphology, behavior, and endocrine in domestic cats. I am planning two studies in doctoral program WRC. The first is a human survey of the cat's facial morphology. The second is about the formation of bonds between cats and humans. I would like to introduce these research plan.

I am interested in discovering behavioral similarities between humans and wildlife in evolutionary perspective. In this presentation, I will explain how I shaped my current research interest by introducing my previous research experiences and how I have planned to design my future study at Kumamoto Sanctuary for studying the evolution of social status by investigating prestige in chimpanzees and bonobos.

I study on conservation physiology of endangered species, especially snow leopard (Panthera uncia) with Japanese zoos and overseas NPO/NGO to understand how do changes in the external environment (living / social environment) affect the physiological state / behavior of animals. In this seminar, I'll introduce my research works which has been carried out for this five years.