Biology Seminars UMD

BioSeminars – Friday, November 6^th, at noon, SE-117

Title: Are dogs more socially skilled than chimpanzees?

Victoria Wobber, A.M., PhD student in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Abstract: Domestic dogs follow human cues significantly better than do non-human primates. But do their socio-cognitive skills extend beyond the context of cooperating and communicating with humans? I will discuss the results of an experiment demonstrating that in a non-communicative social task, dogs’ social skills are inferior to those of chimpanzees. My results suggest that dogs have acquired only a narrow suite of social abilities pertaining to communication as a result of domestication. In turn, this implies that across species, selection may act on distinct traits within the domain of social cognition.

More about Victoria Wobber: she has been a doctoral student in Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University since 2006, receiving her A.M. from that department in 2008. She received her A.B. in Biological Anthropology from Harvard University in 2006. Her research interests include cognitive evolution, social cognition, and domestication.

Publications

McIntyre, M., Herrmann, E., Wobber, V., Halbwax, M., Mohamba, C., de Sousa, N., Atencia, R., Cox, D., Hare, B. (2009). More human-like finger length ratio (2D:4D) inbonobos than chimpanzees. Journal of Human Evolution 56: 361-365.

Wobber, V., Hare, B., Koler-Matznick, J., Wrangham, R., and Tomasello, M. (2009). Evidence for two waves of selection on the social skills of dogs. Interaction Studies 10 (2): 206-224.

Wobber, V., Hare, B. (2009). Testing the social dog hypothesis: are dogs also more skilled than chimpanzees in non-communicative social tasks? Behavioural Processes 81: 423-428.

Herrmann, E., Wobber, V., Call, J. (2008). Great Apes’ (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus) Understanding of Tool Functional Properties After Limited Experience. Journal of Comparative Psychology 122: 220-230.

Wobber, V., Hare, B., Wrangham, R. (2008). Great apes prefer cooked food. Journal of Human Evolution 55: 340-348.

Wobber, V., Hare, B., Wrangham, R. (submitted). Evidence that selection against aggression juvenilized bonobo social psychology. 

Wobber, V., Hare, B. (submitted). Orphan apes in Pan-African sanctuaries are psychologically healthy.

Hare, B., Wobber, V., Wrangham, R. (in preparation). The self-domestication hypothesis: bonobos evolved due to selection against male aggression. Undergraduate honors thesis: The evolution of cooperative signal comprehension in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Advisor: Richard Wrangham. Awarded summa cum laude distinction.

Grants

Leakey Foundation Grant, 2009-2010. Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, 2009-2010. National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2009-2010. Harvard Anthropology Department Early Research and Training Award, Summer 2008 Harvard GSAS Summer Stipend Award, 2007, 2008, 2009. Harvard College Research Program Awards, Spring 2003, Summer 2003, Spring 2004, Summer 2004, Spring 2005

Awards

Captain Jonathan Fay Prize, 2006: given to the graduating senior who, in the opinion of the selection committee, has produced the most outstanding imaginative work or piece of original research in any field (award for undergraduate honors thesis). Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, 2006: awarded to undergraduates on the basis of outstanding scholarly work or research (award for undergraduate honors thesis). National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention, 2007, 2008.

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Welcome to the Biology Seminars Blog, on behalf of the Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Below you shall find information about the seminar series held and/or sponsored by the Department of Biology, seminars to be presented by invited faculty, graduate students (thesis defense and/or proposal defense), and summaries of topics discussed by the speakers. You can post comments, questions and suggestions concerning the presentations, and the seminar speakers themselves shall engage in open dialog of scientific relevance. Facilitator of BioSeminar Series Dr. Guillermo Paz-y-Mino C. gpazymino@umassd.edu 508-999-8226

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BioSeminars – Wednesday, October 7^th, at noon, SE-117

Title: An analysis of the current method for ageing American shad Alosa sapidissima using scales, with a new validated method using otoliths

Mr. William Duffy, Department of Biology, UMassD

MS Thesis Defense, Committee Members: Dr. Steve Cadrin, Dr. Robert Griffith, Dr. Ken Oliveira, and Dr. Richard McBride

Abstract: American shad Alosa sapidissima is an anadromous fish ranging from Florida to Canada.  Once a commercially important species, a century of exploitation and habitat destruction have completely depleted the fishery. Management of the species requires knowing key life history data of which age is vital. American shad are aged primarily using their scales. However, in recent years, the reliability of those ages has come into question. We tested whether or not the Cating (1953) method of ageing American shad is applicable to rivers other than the Hudson. Based on these results we conclude that the TGFA on shad scales are different in shad from different populations. We therefore express caution when using Cating’s method to age American shad scales. With the recent failure to validate the ageing method for American shad using scales from the Delaware River (McBride et al. 2005), there is a need for research into an alternative structure for ageing purposes. This study explores the use of otoliths as an ageing structure for American shad. Using otoliths from known age fish from the Delaware River we were able to develop a method of ageing American shad. The reading and interpretation of annuli was performed with a high degree of accuracy. Because these otoliths are from known age fish, we are confident that these results also validate this ageing method using otoliths for the Delaware River for ages (4, 5, 6, 7, and 9). We are also confident that the otolith is a suitable ageing structure for shad from all populations. 

More about William Duffy: he graduated from Bradford College in 1999 with a BA in Natural Science and Mathematics, with a concentration in Conservation Biology. He is currently employed as a Biological Science Technician for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Woods Hole. He works in the Age and Growth Laboratory where his primary duties include processing age structures; going to sea to assist with sampling; and ageing fish.  He is currently in the Oliveira laboratory conducting age and growth research on American shad.  His future interests are conducting age and growth research on ground fish and elasmobranch species.

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Filed under: Graduate Student Presentations

BioSeminars – Friday, September 25th, at noon, SE-117

Ms. Pamela Rapoza, Department of Biology UMassD

Title: Exploring Immunological Differences: A comparison of the mammalian and teleost (bony fish) immune systems

Dissertation advisor: Dr. Erin Bromage, Department of Biology, UMassD

The level of understanding regarding the teleost immune system is limited, hindering the production of viable vaccines to pathogens detrimental to successful aquaculture, such as the bacterium Streptococcus iniae, which has a high mortality rate and the annual monetary impact of this bacterium is estimated to be hundreds of millions globally. Demand for fish continues to increase in the face of the decline of wild fish stocks, making finding solutions to aquaculture problems imperative. With this goal in mind, this research attempts to characterize the similarities and differences between the mammalian and teleost immunological paradigms, particularly in regards to humoral immunity.

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BioSeminars – Wednesday, September 16th, at noon, SE-318

Title: Characterizing the role of tbx22 in zebrafish craniofacial development

Ms. Tammy Silva, Department of Biology UMassD

Dissertation Committee: Dr. Tracie Ferreira (advisor), Dr. Kathy Kavanagh, Dr. Whitney Hable (all at UMassD).

Abstract: Mutations in human TBX22 cause X-linked cleft palate with anklyoglossia syndrome. The two zebrafish tbx22 splice isoforms, tbx22a and tbx22b, encode proteins of 444 and 400 amino acids, respectively. tbx22a  resembles canonical Tbx22 orthologs, while tbx22b lacks conserved N-terminal sequence. Zebrafish Tbx22 mRNA expression mirrors mammalian tbx22 expression and is consistent with early patterning of the vertebrate face. In zebrafish, tbx22 mRNA is strongly expressed in ectomesenchymal cells underlying the stomodeum, a bilaminar epithelial structure demarcating the early forming mouth and therefore, is hypothesized to be involved in jaw development. The goal of this work is to characterize the role of tbx22 during craniofacial development in zebrafish. Morpholino technology was used to knockdown tbx22b expression in zebrafish and Alcian Blue staining was used to analyze developing cartilages in tbx22-MO injected zebrafish embryos. Changes in  mRNA expression of genes normally expressed near the developing jaw joint and pharyngeal arches was examined in tbx22-MO injected fish using whole mount in-situ hybridization. Our results demonstrate that Tbx22 plays a role in proper patterning of several craniofacial cartilages.

More about Tammy Silva: She attended Stonehill College in Easton, MA, where she majored  in Biology and minored in Chemistry.  At Stonehill, Tammy conducted research under Dr. Roger Denome and presented a senior honors thesis on the population genetics of the red-backed salamander. Tammy is a member of Dr. Tracie Ferreira’s lab, at UMass Dartmouth, where she studies molecular biology and craniofacial development in zebra fish. Tammy is interested in animal conservation and would like to work at a zoo or an aquarium conducting research that combines molecular biology with animal behavior and conservation.

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Filed under: Graduate Student Presentations