Liza R Moscovice

• PhD
• Researcher at Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)

Vocalisations and activity are important factors for monitoring animal behaviour. Previous studies have shown that these parameters are altered in the context of disease, farrowing and distress. In the highly standardized conditions of livestock farming, these contexts are often closely linked to specific areas of the barn-enabling to infer informa...

Although best known for its established role in mediating parturition and lactation, the highly-conserved neuropeptide hormone oxytocin also mediates a range of social and stress-buffering processes across mammalian species. Measurements of peripheral oxytocin in plasma have long been considered the gold standard, but there is increasing interest i...

Helping behaviour is of special interest for prosociality because it appears to be motivated by the needs of others. We developed a novel paradigm to investigate helping in pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and tested 75 individuals in eight groups in their home pens. Two identical compartments were attached to the pen, equipped with a window, and a doo...

Helping behaviour is of special interest for the study of prosociality because it appears to be motivated by the needs of others. We developed a novel paradigm to investigate helping behaviour in pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and tested n = 75 individuals in eight groups in their home pens. During familiarization, two identical compartments were att...

In mammals, the costs of reproduction are biased towards females. Lactation is particularly energetically expensive, and behavioral and physiological data indicate that maternal effort during lactation induces energetic stress. Another source of stress in females is male aggression directed towards them when they are cycling. Evaluating the costs o...

Ensuring horse welfare is a central aim in equestrian activities. Training is an important context for welfare, as horses form long-lasting representations of people and actions at a young age. However, only a few studies have addressed horses’ emotional responses during early training with humans. In this study, we followed N = 19 young horses, in...

Group-living primates exhibit variable reactions to intergroup encounters (or IGEs), reflecting species-specific strategies and individual motivations. In chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), dominating in IGEs provides fitness benefits. Less is known about responses to IGEs in bonobos ( Pan paniscus ) despite their equal relevance for understanding th...

Animals respond to inherently rewarding or punishing stimuli with changes in core affective states, which can be investigated with the aid of appropriate biomarkers. In this study we evaluate salivary cortisol (sCORT) and salivary oxytocin (sOXT) concentrations under baseline conditions and in response to two negatively- and two positively-valenced...

Domestic pigs produce twice as many offspring as wild boars, but little is known about the effects of selection pressures for increased productivity on pig behavior and welfare. From an evolutionary perspective, producing larger litters is expected to increase parent-offspring conflict, which may help to explain why piglets from larger litters are...

Modern pig housing environments provide animals with essential resources, but from an animal’s point of view, they are quite barren and deprive them of the opportunity to make full use of their natural behavioural repertoire and actively work for these resources. The lack of stimulation resulting from such environments compromises animal welfare. T...

The extent of differentiation of social relationships within groups is a means to assess social complexity, with greater differentiation indicating greater social complexity. Socio-ecological factors are likely to influence social complexity, but no attempt has been made to explain the differentiation of social relationships using multiple socio-ec...

Altering one’s emotional state in response to the emotional expressions of others, called emotional contagion, is a well-studied phenomenon in humans and many nonhuman animals. Here we describe the methods that are typically used to assess changes in the emotional state in demonstrators and the transmission of emotions to naïve observers. We then r...

In some species habitual same-sex sexual behavior co-occurs with high levels of intra-sexual alliance formation, suggesting that these behaviors may be linked. We tested for such a link by comparing behavioral and physiological outcomes of sex with unrelated same-and opposite-sex partners in female bonobos (Pan paniscus). We analyzed behavioral out...

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology was founded in 1997 with the goal of applying interdisciplinary comparative approaches to advance understanding of the evolutionary history and current behavioral diversity of humans and nonhuman primates. Within the Institute, members of the Department of Primatology gain insights into human evolu...

Objectives: Female bonobos (Pan paniscus) are characterized as highly affiliative and cooperative, but few studies have quantified the strength and stability of female intra-sexual relationships or explored how variation in social relationships influences cooperation. We measure female social preferences, identify causes of variation in preference...

Referential and iconic gesturing provide a means to flexibly and intentionally share information about specific entities, locations, or goals. The extent to which nonhuman primates use such gestures is therefore of special interest for understanding the evolution of human language. Here, we describe novel observations of wild female bonobos (Pan pa...

In species with a high degree of fission-fusion social dynamics, fusions may trigger social conflict and thus provide an opportunity to identify sources of social tension and mechanisms related to its alleviation. We characterized behavioral and endocrine responses of captive female bonobos (Pan paniscus) to fusions within a zoo facility designed t...

Among male chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus), rank positions in the dominance hierarchy are fiercely contested. Physical fighting is costly but relatively rare in this species. Instead, disputes are frequently resolved using displays that include loud, repetitive “wahoo” (two-syllable bark) vocalizations. We previously found that males of al...

The neuro-hypophysial hormone oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in female reproductive and maternal behaviors and in the formation of pair bonds in monogamous species. Here we measure variation in urinary OT concentrations in relation to reproductive biology and socio-sexual behavior in a promiscuously breeding species, the chacma baboon (Papio ham...

This study examines the behavioral ecology of a chimpanzee population on Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, over 40 years after chimpanzees were first introduced to the island from captivity. Despite little pre-release habitat assessment, rehabilitation, or post-release monitoring, these chimpanzees are one of the only released populations...

Analyses of the pattern of associations, social interactions, coalitions, and aggression among chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) in the Okavango Delta of Botswana over a 16-year period indicate that adult females form close, equitable, supportive, and enduring social relationships. They show strong and stable preferences for close kin, parti...

Longevity is a major component of variation in fitness in long-lived iteroparous species [1-4]. Among female baboons, variation in breeding lifespan accounts for approximately 50% of the variation in lifetime fitness [5, 6]. However, we know little about the causes of variation in longevity in primates or other long-lived mammals. Savannah baboons...

In chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus), adult males and lactating females form preferential associations, or ‘friendships’, that provide protection against potentially infanticidal attacks. Little is known about the mechanisms by which males and females form friendships, or the function of friendships for males. We examined the relationship be...

The apparent rarity of contingent cooperation in animals has convinced many investigators that such reciprocity is unimportant, stimulating consideration of alternative explanations for cooperation, such as by-product mutualism and biological markets motivated by the likelihood of immediate reward. Nevertheless, there is also limited evidence that...

The release of any species into a novel environment can evoke transmission of parasites that do not normally parasitize the host as well as potentially introducing new parasites into the environment. Species introductions potentially incur such risks, yet little is currently known about the parasite fauna of introduced primate species over the long...

Adult male chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) form preferential associations, or friendships, with particular lactating females. Males exhibit high levels of affiliative contact with their friends' infants and defend them from potentially infanticidal attacks (Palombit et al. 1997). Little is known about males' associations with juveniles onc...

Sociality has evolved in many animal taxa, but primates are unusual because they establish highly differentiated bonds with other group members. Such bonds are particularly pronounced among females in species like baboons, with female philopatry and male dispersal. These relationships seem to confer a number of short-term benefits on females, and s...

We examined seasonal patterns of fruit availability, dietary quality, and group size in the descendants of an introduced chimpanzee population on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. The site has supported a free-ranging population without provisioning for 40 years. Our goals were to determine whether Rubondo chimpanzees experience periods of fruit shortage,...

We identified 3 nematodes not previously reported in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) introduced on Rubondo Island, Tanzania: Protospirura muricola, Subulura sp., and Anatrichosoma sp. Vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus), rodents, and intermediate insect hosts might maintain Protospirura muricola and Subulura sp., and indigenous monkey...

In socially tolerant settings, naïve individuals may have opportunities to interact jointly with knowledgeable demonstrators and novel tasks. This process is expected to facilitate social learning. Individual experience may also be important for reinforcing and honing socially acquired behaviours. We examined the role of joint interaction and indiv...

The chimpanzee pinworm, Enterobius (Enterobius) anthropopitheci (Gedoelst, 1916) (Nematoda: Oxyuridae), is redescribed based on light and scanning electron microscopy of both sexes collected from the feces of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, of an introduced population on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. Enterobius (E.) anthropopitheci is characterized by ha...

In socially tolerant settings, na€ ıve individuals may have opportunities to interact jointly with knowledgeable demonstrators and novel tasks. This process is expected to facilitate social learning. Individual experience may also be important for reinforcing and honing socially acquired behaviours. We examined the role of joint interaction and ind...