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Prof. Christoph Randler
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen

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0 Science Education
0 Individual Differences
0 chronotype
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Journal article
Published: 29 July 2021 in Birds
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The purpose of this study was to segment birdwatchers into clusters. Members from a wide range of bird related organizations, from highly specialized birders as well as Facebook bird group members were studied to provide a diverse dataset (n = 2766; 50.5% men). Birding specialization was measured with a battery of questionnaires. Birding specialization encompassed the three constructs of skill/competence, behavior, personal and behavioral commitment. Additionally, involvement, measured by centrality to lifestyle, attraction, social bonding, and identity, was used. The NbClust analyses showed that a three-cluster solution was the optimal solution. Then, k-means cluster analysis was applied on three groups: casual/novice, intermediate, and specialist/advanced birdwatchers. More men than women were in the specialist/advanced group and more women than men in the casual/novice group. As a conclusion, this study confirms a three-cluster solution for segmenting German birdwatchers based on a large and diverse sample and a broad conceptualization of the construct birding specialization. These data can be used to address different target audiences (novices, advanced birders) with different programs, e.g., in nature conservation.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler. An Analysis of Heterogeneity in German Speaking Birdwatchers Reveals Three Distinct Clusters and Gender Differences. Birds 2021, 2, 250 -260.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler. An Analysis of Heterogeneity in German Speaking Birdwatchers Reveals Three Distinct Clusters and Gender Differences. Birds. 2021; 2 (3):250-260.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler. 2021. "An Analysis of Heterogeneity in German Speaking Birdwatchers Reveals Three Distinct Clusters and Gender Differences." Birds 2, no. 3: 250-260.

Short communication
Published: 28 July 2021 in Mammal Research
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Monitoring of small nocturnal and arboreal rodents is difficult and often conducted using indirect techniques. Here, we measured the circadian activity of the fat dormouse (Glis glis) directly using camera traps. The study took place at the Spitzberg in SW Germany. Data were collected using six Bushnell Natureview cameras with a macro lens at baited feeding stations. At 14 out of 41 active camera locations, edible dormice occurred. We collected 301 events between 8th July and 5th October 2018. There were 21.5 events per camera trap (SD 30.4), ranging from 1 to 82. The edible dormouse showed a nocturnal pattern, with a mean activity around midnight at 24:15 h. The pattern shows a slightly bimodal activity. Feeding activity started around or even slightly before sunset and stopped right before sunrise. The study shows that circadian activity, in this respect feeding activity, can be captured by camera trapping, which is a non-invasive method, and can be applied easily in the field.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Nadine Kalb. Circadian activity of the fat dormouse Glis glis measured with camera traps at bait stations. Mammal Research 2021, 1 -5.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Nadine Kalb. Circadian activity of the fat dormouse Glis glis measured with camera traps at bait stations. Mammal Research. 2021; ():1-5.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Nadine Kalb. 2021. "Circadian activity of the fat dormouse Glis glis measured with camera traps at bait stations." Mammal Research , no. : 1-5.

Journal article
Published: 17 July 2021 in Sustainability
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Climate change and its consequences have called for actions to mitigate it, triggering society to act and speak out about sustainability policies. Movements like Fridays for Future (FFF) spread beyond the young people pressed for action to combat climate change. The present study aimed to (1) assess the environmental attitudes (EA) and knowledge (EK) of Brazilian and German students and (2) verify whether the frequency of participation in climate strikes changes according to these EA and EK. A total of 658 students participated in our study, 327 from Germany and 331 from Brazil (mean age 25.21 ± 7.91). We applied the Two Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) model and three-dimensional questionnaires to measure EA and EK, respectively. We applied a multivariate general linear model to assess the influence of the variables simultaneously. FFF participation is affected by EA, with strikers showing higher Preservation (PRE) and lower Utilization (UTL) scores; furthermore, our findings suggest that EK affects FFF participation, specifically system-related knowledge. The study adds to the increasing number of validations of the 2-MEV model in different languages and cultures and discusses the differences of EA and EK in student strikers and non-strikers between both countries.

ACS Style

Renan Barbosa; Christoph Randler; José Robaina. Values and Environmental Knowledge of Student Participants of Climate Strikes: A Comparative Perspective between Brazil and Germany. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8010 .

AMA Style

Renan Barbosa, Christoph Randler, José Robaina. Values and Environmental Knowledge of Student Participants of Climate Strikes: A Comparative Perspective between Brazil and Germany. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):8010.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Renan Barbosa; Christoph Randler; José Robaina. 2021. "Values and Environmental Knowledge of Student Participants of Climate Strikes: A Comparative Perspective between Brazil and Germany." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 8010.

Journal article
Published: 25 June 2021 in Animals
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Animal Welfare Attitudes (AWA) are defined as human attitudes towards the welfare of animals in different dimensions and settings. Demographic factors, such as age and gender are associated with AWA. The aim of this study was to assess gender differences among university students in a large convenience sample from twenty-two nations in AWA. A total of 7914 people participated in the study (5155 women, 2711 men, 48 diverse). Participants completed a questionnaire that collected demographic data, typical diet and responses to the Composite Respect for Animals Scale Short version (CRAS-S). In addition, we used a measure of gender empowerment from the Human Development Report. The largest variance in AWA was explained by diet, followed by country and gender. In terms of diet, 6385 participants reported to be omnivores, 296 as pescatarian, 637 ate a vegetarian diet and 434 were vegans (n = 162 without answer). Diet was related with CRAS-S scores; people with a vegan diet scored higher in AWA than omnivores. Women scored significantly higher on AWA than men. Furthermore, gender differences in AWA increased as gender inequality decreased.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Ana Adan; Maria-Mihaela Antofie; Arturo Arrona-Palacios; Manecas Candido; Jelle Boeve-De Pauw; Priti Chandrakar; Eda Demirhan; Vassilis Detsis; Lee Di Milia; Jana Fančovičová; Niklas Gericke; Prasun Haldar; Zeinab Heidari; Konrad Jankowski; Juhani Lehto; Ryan Lundell-Creagh; William Medina-Jerez; Adrian Meule; Taciano L. Milfont; Mireia Orgilés; Alexandra Morales; Vincenzo Natale; Xóchitl Ortiz-Jiménez; Babita Pande; Timo Partonen; Atanu Pati; Pavol Prokop; Arash Rahafar; Martin Scheuch; Subhashis Sahu; Iztok Tomažič; Lorenzo Tonetti; Pablo Vallejo Medina; Peter van Petegem; Alejandro Vargas; Christian Vollmer. Animal Welfare Attitudes: Effects of Gender and Diet in University Samples from 22 Countries. Animals 2021, 11, 1893 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Ana Adan, Maria-Mihaela Antofie, Arturo Arrona-Palacios, Manecas Candido, Jelle Boeve-De Pauw, Priti Chandrakar, Eda Demirhan, Vassilis Detsis, Lee Di Milia, Jana Fančovičová, Niklas Gericke, Prasun Haldar, Zeinab Heidari, Konrad Jankowski, Juhani Lehto, Ryan Lundell-Creagh, William Medina-Jerez, Adrian Meule, Taciano L. Milfont, Mireia Orgilés, Alexandra Morales, Vincenzo Natale, Xóchitl Ortiz-Jiménez, Babita Pande, Timo Partonen, Atanu Pati, Pavol Prokop, Arash Rahafar, Martin Scheuch, Subhashis Sahu, Iztok Tomažič, Lorenzo Tonetti, Pablo Vallejo Medina, Peter van Petegem, Alejandro Vargas, Christian Vollmer. Animal Welfare Attitudes: Effects of Gender and Diet in University Samples from 22 Countries. Animals. 2021; 11 (7):1893.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Ana Adan; Maria-Mihaela Antofie; Arturo Arrona-Palacios; Manecas Candido; Jelle Boeve-De Pauw; Priti Chandrakar; Eda Demirhan; Vassilis Detsis; Lee Di Milia; Jana Fančovičová; Niklas Gericke; Prasun Haldar; Zeinab Heidari; Konrad Jankowski; Juhani Lehto; Ryan Lundell-Creagh; William Medina-Jerez; Adrian Meule; Taciano L. Milfont; Mireia Orgilés; Alexandra Morales; Vincenzo Natale; Xóchitl Ortiz-Jiménez; Babita Pande; Timo Partonen; Atanu Pati; Pavol Prokop; Arash Rahafar; Martin Scheuch; Subhashis Sahu; Iztok Tomažič; Lorenzo Tonetti; Pablo Vallejo Medina; Peter van Petegem; Alejandro Vargas; Christian Vollmer. 2021. "Animal Welfare Attitudes: Effects of Gender and Diet in University Samples from 22 Countries." Animals 11, no. 7: 1893.

Research article
Published: 24 June 2021 in Chronobiology International
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Morningness–Eveningness Stability Scale improved (MESSi) is an assessment tool that evaluates distinctness of daily changes as well as the person’s propensity for morningness and eveningness. The aim of this study is to evaluate psychometric properties of the Turkish version of MESSi and associations of chronotypes and diurnal variations with personality, affect, sleep quality as well as validity of the scale in Turkish adolescents. The sample of this study consisted of 445 students between ages of 10–19. Participants filled in MESSi, Morningness/Eveningness Scale for Children, Composite Scale of Morningness, Personality Traits Scale (BIG-5), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Reliability analysis of the scale showed quite reliable internal consistency values. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test construct validity of three-factor model of MESSi. An acceptable model fit was demonstrated in CFA. There was a moderate and significant relationship between MA and DI subscale scores of MESSi. A moderate but negative correlation was found between MA and EV subscale scores of MESSi. MA and DI subscale scores of MESSi were found to be weakly correlated with conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to experience and subscale scores of BIG-5, respectively. There was a positive correlation of positive affect subscale scores of PANAS with MA and DI subscale scores of MESSi. MA subscale scores of MESSi were found to be negatively correlated with scores of subjective sleep quality, latency, duration, disturbances, habitual sleep efficiency, daytime dysfunction, and global scores of PSQI. This study shows that Turkish version of MESSi is valid and reliable for use in adolescents. Three-factor MESSi provides an advantage over other chronotype scales in adolescence since it includes DI subscale as well as MA and EV subscales. Psychometric results were supported by other chronotype scales and clinical features such as sleep, affect, and personality.

ACS Style

Hakan Öğütlü; Sabide Duygu Uygun; Christoph Randler. Psychometric Properties of the Turkish version of the Morningness - Eveningness Stability Scale improved (MESSi) in Adolescents. Chronobiology International 2021, 1 -9.

AMA Style

Hakan Öğütlü, Sabide Duygu Uygun, Christoph Randler. Psychometric Properties of the Turkish version of the Morningness - Eveningness Stability Scale improved (MESSi) in Adolescents. Chronobiology International. 2021; ():1-9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hakan Öğütlü; Sabide Duygu Uygun; Christoph Randler. 2021. "Psychometric Properties of the Turkish version of the Morningness - Eveningness Stability Scale improved (MESSi) in Adolescents." Chronobiology International , no. : 1-9.

Letter to the editor
Published: 18 June 2021 in Avian Research
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Birds underlie a predation-starvation risk, and foraging should show a diurnal/circadian pattern. Camera traps were used to study visitation patterns and discovery of a novel food source in woodland birds in SW Germany. A total of 18 species occurred at feeders with nine of them being exploratory species. Great Tits (Parus major) discovered novel food sources first in most instances, and first discoveries occurred on average at 10:38, while it took 97 h for the first detection of the food source. Population size was correlated with discovery. The study supports the predation-starvation risk hypothesis with discovery of food sources in the morning.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler. Which species discovers novel food sources first? A camera trap study in a natural environment. Avian Research 2021, 12, 1 -4.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler. Which species discovers novel food sources first? A camera trap study in a natural environment. Avian Research. 2021; 12 (1):1-4.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler. 2021. "Which species discovers novel food sources first? A camera trap study in a natural environment." Avian Research 12, no. 1: 1-4.

Original research
Published: 01 June 2021 in Nature and Science of Sleep
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Purpose: Insufficient nocturnal sleep is a primary source of excessive daytime sleepiness. Most previous research has focused on the disparity between sleep demands and study start times in adolescents. Fewer studies have focused on elementary schoolchildren. We hypothesize that late sleep timing is connected to excessive daytime sleepiness in a sample of Russian children and adolescents. The major goals of our study were to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness in Russian schoolchildren and adolescents using the Russian version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and to estimate its relationship with sleep-wake parameters using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ). Materials and Methods: Student subjects were from public educational facilities in the Republic of Karelia. They completed both the PDSS and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire to estimate sleep parameters and chronotype (MSFsc). Five hundred and eleven students provided data for the PDSS and sleep-wake variables, and 479 for the full MCTQ data. Results: The overall prevalence of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) in our sample was 18%. The total PDSS score was inversely correlated with sleep length on school nights and was independent of respondents’ sex. Higher PDSS scores were associated with later bedtimes on school days and free days, and shorter sleep duration on school days. Late chronotype and more pronounced social jetlag were both positively correlated with high PDSS scores. A negative correlation was found between chronotype and the duration of the sleep period on weekdays (p< 0.001) and a positive correlation was found on weekends (p< 0.001). Longer average sleep duration was positively related to less daytime sleepiness. Conclusion: This study suggests that excessive daytime sleepiness is chronotype-dependent. School start times could be shifted to a later hour to prolong sleep and reduce EDS.

ACS Style

Sergey N Kolomeichuk; Christoph Randler; Artem V Morozov; Denis G Gubin; Christopher L Drake. Social Jetlag and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness from a Sample of Russian Children and Adolescents. Nature and Science of Sleep 2021, ume 13, 729 -737.

AMA Style

Sergey N Kolomeichuk, Christoph Randler, Artem V Morozov, Denis G Gubin, Christopher L Drake. Social Jetlag and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness from a Sample of Russian Children and Adolescents. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2021; ume 13 ():729-737.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sergey N Kolomeichuk; Christoph Randler; Artem V Morozov; Denis G Gubin; Christopher L Drake. 2021. "Social Jetlag and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness from a Sample of Russian Children and Adolescents." Nature and Science of Sleep ume 13, no. : 729-737.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2021 in Animals
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Biodiversity is declining, and knowledge about biodiversity declines in a similar way. Previous studies have already addressed predictors of species knowledge. Here, we studied bird species knowledge related to demographics, but also to individual differences in affinity to nature, by including (i) birding specialization and (ii) bird-related activities/interest. Data were collected from July to October 2020 via an online questionnaire, containing demographic data, birding specialization, interest/activity, and images of 28 bird species native to Germany. Participants were adult students, lecturers and administrative staff of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen. A total of 1967 questionnaires were returned in this study (35.3% male, 53.8% students, 69% had access to a garden). Mean identification score was 16.31 ± 6.38. Thus, participants were able to identify more than half of the species (total species n = 28). Men identified more species than women, garden owners had higher identification scores than non-owners, while hometown size was not significant. A distance to the next forest patch >10 km was related to lower identification scores. Employees scored higher than students. Correlation between species knowledge and birding specialization was high, as was the correlation with bird interest/activity. Higher scores were found in older people. In the linear univariate model, birding specialization and bird interest were the most influential predictors of species knowledge, followed by distance to next forest patch and occupation (student vs employees). Other variables were not significant. We suggest including such measures (interest, attitude, etc.) into further studies and move forward from the urban–rural narrative to more complex analyses of living circumstances.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Felicitas Heil. Determinants of Bird Species Literacy—Activity/Interest and Specialization Are More Important Than Socio-Demographic Variables. Animals 2021, 11, 1595 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Felicitas Heil. Determinants of Bird Species Literacy—Activity/Interest and Specialization Are More Important Than Socio-Demographic Variables. Animals. 2021; 11 (6):1595.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Felicitas Heil. 2021. "Determinants of Bird Species Literacy—Activity/Interest and Specialization Are More Important Than Socio-Demographic Variables." Animals 11, no. 6: 1595.

Research article
Published: 07 May 2021 in Journal of Sleep Research
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Birdwatching (birding) is a nature‐based recreational activity, often including arising early in the morning. In the present study, we tested the effect of a negative social jetlag (SJL) in birders. Negative SJL implies that people have an even earlier sleep–wake rhythm on free days or weekends. As birds’ activities start before or shortly after sunrise, especially during spring and early summer, birdwatchers follow this diurnal pattern. Further, birders are not homogeneous and vary greatly in recreational specialisation. The study was based on an online survey with 2,404 birdwatchers (55% male) who responded to questions about their sleep–wake times and about their birding activities. Birders show the same differences between weekdays and weekends/free days sleep like most other people. However, birdwatching days started earlier than weekdays (14 min) and lasted longer. Thus, birdwatching days are shifted towards an earlier sleep–wake rhythm in total. Birdwatchers experience a sleep curtailment during birding. Instead of sleeping ~30 min longer on weekends, they arise ~15 min earlier, summing up to a sleep reduction of about ~45 min compared to a regular weekend. The more psychologically committed birders are, the less they sleep, the earlier they arise, and the earlier is their midpoint of sleep on birdwatching days; meaning that highly specialised birders shift their sleep–wake rhythm to an earlier time compared to their regular weekend, and even their weekday sleep. Thus, birders may suffer more from the short‐ and long‐term consequences of negative SJL. The results might stand representatively for other nature‐related leisure activities.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Naomi Staller; Piotr Tryjanowski. Negative social jetlag – Special consideration of leisure activities and evidence from birdwatchers. Journal of Sleep Research 2021, e13372 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Naomi Staller, Piotr Tryjanowski. Negative social jetlag – Special consideration of leisure activities and evidence from birdwatchers. Journal of Sleep Research. 2021; ():e13372.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Naomi Staller; Piotr Tryjanowski. 2021. "Negative social jetlag – Special consideration of leisure activities and evidence from birdwatchers." Journal of Sleep Research , no. : e13372.

Research article
Published: 19 March 2021 in Anthrozoös
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Concerns about animal welfare are becoming increasingly important. Recent research suggests that age and gender are associated with attitudes toward animal welfare in adolescents. In this study, we analyzed attitudes toward animal welfare in adolescents from five geographic regions: Colombia, France, Germany, and two regions in India (Raipur and Kalyani). Individuals responded to the Composite Respect for Animals Scale (CRAS-S). The CRAS-S score integrates 10 facets of attitudes toward animal welfare: the use of animals in research, for food, as pets, for recreation, for clothing, farm animal husbandry, and the conservation of animals, as well as emotional aspects such as feeling superior to animals or emotional affection. A total of 627 males and 506 females (n = 1,133) participated in this study (France, 134; Colombia, 193; Germany, 377; Raipur, 210; Kalyani, 219). Females scored significantly higher than males (2.9% of variance explained). There was no consistent relationship with age. No relationship was found in Colombia, France, and Raipur, and a negative relationship in attitudes toward animal welfare was found in Germany and Kalyani.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Jean-Marie Ballouard; Xavier Bonnet; Priti Chandrakar; Atanu Kumar Pati; William Medina-Jerez; Babita Pande; Subhashis Sahu. Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare Among Adolescents from Colombia, France, Germany, and India. Anthrozoös 2021, 34, 359 -374.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Jean-Marie Ballouard, Xavier Bonnet, Priti Chandrakar, Atanu Kumar Pati, William Medina-Jerez, Babita Pande, Subhashis Sahu. Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare Among Adolescents from Colombia, France, Germany, and India. Anthrozoös. 2021; 34 (3):359-374.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Jean-Marie Ballouard; Xavier Bonnet; Priti Chandrakar; Atanu Kumar Pati; William Medina-Jerez; Babita Pande; Subhashis Sahu. 2021. "Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare Among Adolescents from Colombia, France, Germany, and India." Anthrozoös 34, no. 3: 359-374.

Journal article
Published: 28 February 2021 in International Journal of Science Education
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Vertebrate species knowledge, a key factor for conserving biodiversity, is a compulsory part of school curricula. This study evaluated the vertebrate species knowledge of sixth-grade German grammar school pupils (aged 11–13) to investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors (gender, size of hometown, mother tongue), personal expectations (favourite school subject, performance in biology, expected test results) and possibilities to do nature observations (favourite playing area, number of excursions to nature) on identification skills. In addition, the study examined whether schoolchildren's taxonomic knowledge changed over the years. In a species identification test, participants (N = 984) scored an average of 14.18 ± 3.82 out of 25 points. The results showed that their species knowledge was significantly influenced by their personal expectations on test performance, the school, favourite playing area, mother tongue and gender. Hometown size, the number of excursions to nature, favourite school subject and performance in biology did not significantly affect children's species knowledge. Mammals had the highest identification rates, whereas birds and reptiles were rather unknown. These results were compared with a similar dataset in 2006 indicating a 15% loss in pupils’ species knowledge within the last decade. A change in the curriculum as a reason for this decline in taxonomic knowledge is discussed.

ACS Style

Thomas Gerl; Christoph Randler; Birgit Jana Neuhaus. Vertebrate species knowledge: an important skill is threatened by extinction. International Journal of Science Education 2021, 1 -21.

AMA Style

Thomas Gerl, Christoph Randler, Birgit Jana Neuhaus. Vertebrate species knowledge: an important skill is threatened by extinction. International Journal of Science Education. 2021; ():1-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thomas Gerl; Christoph Randler; Birgit Jana Neuhaus. 2021. "Vertebrate species knowledge: an important skill is threatened by extinction." International Journal of Science Education , no. : 1-21.

Research article
Published: 07 February 2021 in Ethology
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Numerical competence—the ability to estimate and process the number of objects and events—is important during antipredator strategies because it influences individual's survival chances. Animals can benefit from numerical competence during mobbing—when a prey moves toward and vocalizes at or harasses a predator. Mobbing responses of some species are related to the number of conspecific callers, and responses are stronger during playbacks simulating multiple callers. Here, we tested heterospecific individual vocal recognition (IVR) in combination with numerical competence in great tits (Parus major). Since previous work showed that great tits respond to mobbing calls of chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), we predict that great tits showed a stronger response when two or four different individual chaffinches were played back versus only one individual by keeping the duty cycle (number of total calls/min) identical. Individuals were exposed to playbacks simulating calling by one, two or four heterospecific callers, or singing by one caller (control song). Great tits approached the speaker closer and produced more calls during the mobbing calls treatments than during the control treatment (song). However, in contrast to our prediction, great tits responded similarly to mobbing calls from several heterospecific callers as they did toward mobbing calls from one heterospecific caller. Maybe the great tits still are capable of determining the identity of the callers, but what might matter most for them in this very specific situation might be the mobbing intensity. We assume that the duty cycle itself has the stronger impact on the response.

ACS Style

Mylène Dutour; Christoph Randler. Mobbing responses of great tits ( Parus major ) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers. Ethology 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Mylène Dutour, Christoph Randler. Mobbing responses of great tits ( Parus major ) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers. Ethology. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mylène Dutour; Christoph Randler. 2021. "Mobbing responses of great tits ( Parus major ) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers." Ethology , no. : 1.

Original article
Published: 19 January 2021 in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
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Numerical competence—the ability to represent, discriminate, and process numerical quantity information—is a widespread cognitive ability in animals that influences survival and reproductive success. Little is known about the role of numerical competence during predator mobbing—when a prey moves toward and harasses a predator. Since being in a larger group dilutes the risk of injury or death during a mobbing event and large groups are more efficient than small groups at repelling predators, the capacity to evaluate the number of mobbers before joining the mobbing flock may be highly beneficial for individuals. We tested whether the strength of the mobbing response of great tits (Parus major), a songbird that frequently mobs predators, is related to the number of callers. The minimum distance to the loudspeaker tended to be lower, and the number of calls produced by great tits was higher during playbacks simulating several callers than during the playbacks of one caller. These results suggest that numerical competence plays a central role during mobbing and that great tits reduce uncertainty of information by collating information from several individuals. We suggest further studies testing whether birds use individual vocal discrimination to assess the number of heterospecifics during mobbing. Can animals count? Although historically the ability to count has distinguished humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, studies in the last decades have shown that numerical competence, the ability to represent, discriminate, and process numerical quantity information, is a widespread cognitive ability in animals. While this competence influences an individual’s survival success, little is known about the role of numerical competence during predator mobbing. Using a field-based playback experiment on a population of wild great tits (Parus major), we demonstrate that great tit responses to mobbing calls were affected by the number of individuals calling. The minimum distance to the loudspeaker tended to be lower and the number of calls produced by great tits tended to be higher during playbacks simulating multiple callers than during the playbacks of one caller. Thus, numerical assessments are used to decide whether or not to participate in mobbing responses.

ACS Style

Mylène Dutour; Nadine Kalb; Ambre Salis; Christoph Randler. Number of callers may affect the response to conspecific mobbing calls in great tits (Parus major). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 2021, 75, 1 -8.

AMA Style

Mylène Dutour, Nadine Kalb, Ambre Salis, Christoph Randler. Number of callers may affect the response to conspecific mobbing calls in great tits (Parus major). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2021; 75 (2):1-8.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mylène Dutour; Nadine Kalb; Ambre Salis; Christoph Randler. 2021. "Number of callers may affect the response to conspecific mobbing calls in great tits (Parus major)." Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75, no. 2: 1-8.

Journal article
Published: 17 December 2020 in Birds
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In birds, aggressive behavior can be elicited in the field with a simulated territory intrusion (STI). Here, we compared four different STI methods in nuthatches in the non-breeding season: playback only, playback combined with an inactive wooden model mounted on a robot device, playback and an active model mounted on a robot device, and playback with the robot device only. In the control treatment, birds were not exposed to STI. Experiments were carried out in 12 territories. Behavioral observations included latency to approach, latency to start calling, time spent in the same tree, number of flyovers, minimum distance, number of individuals, number of flights into the tree, and number of calls. There was no significant influence of stimulus presentation. Nuthatches responded equally to all four experimental manipulations, but order of presentation had a strong influence.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Erik Randler. Territorial Responses of Nuthatches Sitta europaea—Evaluation of a Robot Model in a Simulated Territorial Intrusion. Birds 2020, 1, 53 -63.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Erik Randler. Territorial Responses of Nuthatches Sitta europaea—Evaluation of a Robot Model in a Simulated Territorial Intrusion. Birds. 2020; 1 (1):53-63.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Erik Randler. 2020. "Territorial Responses of Nuthatches Sitta europaea—Evaluation of a Robot Model in a Simulated Territorial Intrusion." Birds 1, no. 1: 53-63.

Journal article
Published: 22 November 2020 in Animals
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Motion-triggered trail cameras (hereafter camera traps) are powerful tools which are increasingly used in biological research, especially for species inventories or the estimation of species activity. However, camera traps do not always reliably detect animal visits, as a target species might be too fast, too small, or too far away to trigger an image. Therefore, researchers often apply attractants, such as food or glandular scents, to increase the likelihood of capturing animals. Moreover, with attractants, individuals might remain in front of a camera trap for longer periods leading to a higher number of images and enhanced image quality, which in turn might aid in species identification. The current study compared how two commonly used attractants, bait (tuna) and glandular scent (mustelid mix), affected the detection and the number of images taken by camera traps compared to control camera sites with conventional camera traps. We used a before–after control group design, including a baseline. Attractants increased the probability of detecting the target species and number of images. Tuna experiments produced on average 7.25 times as many images per visit than control camera traps, and scent lures produced on average 18.7 times as many images per visit than the control traps.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Tobias Katzmaier; Jochen Kalb; Nadine Kalb; Thomas K. Gottschalk. Baiting/Luring Improves Detection Probability and Species Identification—A Case Study of Mustelids with Camera Traps. Animals 2020, 10, 2178 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Tobias Katzmaier, Jochen Kalb, Nadine Kalb, Thomas K. Gottschalk. Baiting/Luring Improves Detection Probability and Species Identification—A Case Study of Mustelids with Camera Traps. Animals. 2020; 10 (11):2178.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Tobias Katzmaier; Jochen Kalb; Nadine Kalb; Thomas K. Gottschalk. 2020. "Baiting/Luring Improves Detection Probability and Species Identification—A Case Study of Mustelids with Camera Traps." Animals 10, no. 11: 2178.

Original studies
Published: 17 November 2020 in Somnologie
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Background and objective In this study, we researched the effects of the COVID-19 restriction measures on the sleep health of N = 681 German residents (mean age: 28.63 years, SD: 10.49 years). Methods The data were collected with an anonymous online survey composed of validated questionnaires and additional questions to quantify changed circumstances during the pandemic. Data were collected from May 18 to June 17, 2020, while governmental restrictions were imposed in Germany. We exclusively analysed participants working in home office during this time. Results Participants woke up about 1 hour later during the COVID-19 restriction phase, while going to bed at almost the same time as before. During the week, participants slept about an hour longer, while sleep at weekends did not differ significantly. Social jetlag decreased from 1:39 ± 1:00 to 0:49 ± 0:42 min in our sample. The number of children in the household was a significant factor predicting sleep timing. Participants with children living in the same household slept longer and sleep onset was later. Conclusion In terms of sleep behaviour and, consequently, sleep health, participants benefited from the transition to home office. They were able to adapt their waking and working hours better to their biological rhythm, which reduced social jetlag.

ACS Style

Naomi Staller; Christoph Randler. Changes in sleep schedule and chronotype due to COVID-19 restrictions and home office. Somnologie 2020, 25, 131 -137.

AMA Style

Naomi Staller, Christoph Randler. Changes in sleep schedule and chronotype due to COVID-19 restrictions and home office. Somnologie. 2020; 25 (2):131-137.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Naomi Staller; Christoph Randler. 2020. "Changes in sleep schedule and chronotype due to COVID-19 restrictions and home office." Somnologie 25, no. 2: 131-137.

Journal article
Published: 07 October 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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The new corona virus infection SARS-CoV2 which was later renamed COVID-19 is a pandemic affecting public health. The fear and the constraints imposed to control the pandemic may correspondingly influence leisure activities, such as birding, which is the practice of observing birds based on visual and acoustic cues. Birders are people who carry out birding observations around the globe and contribute to the massive data collection in citizen science projects. Contrasting to earlier COVID-19 studies, which have concentrated on clinical, pathological, and virological topics, this study focused on the behavioral changes of birders. A total of 4484 questionnaire survey responses from 97 countries were received. The questionnaire had an open-ended style. About 85% of respondents reported that COVID-19 has changed their birding behavior. The most significant change in birdwatchers’ behavior was related to the geographic coverage of birding activities, which became more local. People focused mostly on yard birding. In total, 12% of respondents (n = 542 cases) reported having more time for birding, whereas 8% (n = 356 cases) reported having less time for birding. Social interactions decreased since respondents, especially older people, changed their birding behavior toward birding alone or with their spouse. Women reported more often than men that they changed to birding alone or with their spouse, and women also reported more often about canceled fieldtrips or society meetings. Respondents from higher developed countries reported that they spend currently more time for birding, especially for birding alone or with their spouse, and birding at local hotspots. Our study suggests that long lockdowns with strict regulations may severely impact on leisure activities. In addition, a temporal and spatial shift in birding due to the pandemic may influence data quality in citizen science projects. As nature-based recreation will be directed more toward nearby sites, environmental management resources and actions need to be directed to sites that are located near the users, e.g., in urban and suburban areas. The results can be applied with caution to other nature-based recreational activities.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Piotr Tryjanowski; Jukka Jokimäki; Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki; Naomi Staller. SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Pandemic Lockdown Influences Nature-Based Recreational Activity: The Case of Birders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 7310 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Piotr Tryjanowski, Jukka Jokimäki, Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki, Naomi Staller. SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Pandemic Lockdown Influences Nature-Based Recreational Activity: The Case of Birders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (19):7310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Piotr Tryjanowski; Jukka Jokimäki; Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki; Naomi Staller. 2020. "SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Pandemic Lockdown Influences Nature-Based Recreational Activity: The Case of Birders." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 19: 7310.

Journal article
Published: 07 September 2020 in Personality and Individual Differences
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Chronotype influences the success of mate choice. Evening types reproducibly report higher mating success than morning types. In this study, we directly assessed the reasons for these advantages, hypothesizing the degree of choosiness a person has concerning mate choice being causal. A total of N = 1247 (male = 440/female = 807) heterosexuals participated in an experiment. We defined two facets of choosiness: attractiveness rating and dating desire. Participants rated the attractiveness of opposite sex stimuli and indicated whether they had a desire to date the stimuli or not. Morningness in males correlated with a higher attractiveness-rating and dating desire, while results of evening-orientated males, and females in general were not significant. The causes of higher mating success in eveningness remains unclear. Unexpectedly, we showed that eveningness is related to a higher choosiness.

ACS Style

Naomi Staller; Christoph Randler. Chronotype dependent choosiness and mate choice. Personality and Individual Differences 2020, 168, 110375 .

AMA Style

Naomi Staller, Christoph Randler. Chronotype dependent choosiness and mate choice. Personality and Individual Differences. 2020; 168 ():110375.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Naomi Staller; Christoph Randler. 2020. "Chronotype dependent choosiness and mate choice." Personality and Individual Differences 168, no. : 110375.

Journal article
Published: 06 August 2020 in Behavioural Processes
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Animals trade-off predation risk against feeding opportunities and prey species may use signals or cues of predators to assess predation risk. We analyzed the mesopredators pine and stone marten (Martes martes, M. foina) and nocturnal and diurnal rodents (Glis glis, Apodemus spp., Sciurus vulgaris). The non-experimental approach used camera traps at feeders which were visited by both, predator and prey. As prey species can eavesdrop on predator signals/cues, there should show some avoidance behavior. The study was conducted on a small mountain in Germany, largely covered by wood, between 29.6.2018 and 5.10.2018. Camera traps were placed 0.6 m near a feeder. Food was replenished regularly to provide a continuous food supply. 34 camera traps provided data for an analysis; total trap nights were 513 (12,312 h). Martens detected the food sources first in 10 instances, and prey species Apodemus/G. glis in 24 instances. G. glis seemed to generally avoid places where martens were feeding while Apodemus and Sciurus did not. The visitations of G. glis depended on whether martens were the first visitors and it significantly avoided such places. Similarly, Apodemus appeared less often at a feeder when martens have been present as a first visitor. The time interval to resume feeding to a monitored feeder after a marten visit was significantly longer compared to a control in G. glis, but not in Apodemus and S. vulgaris. The study shows different responses, with the weakest in the diurnal rodent, and the highest in G. glis. Thus, if a food resource was known by prey species before a predator occurred, the trade-off was shifted towards feeding, but when the predators detect the food source first, the trade-off was shifted to predator avoidance.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Jochen Kalb. Predator avoidance behavior of nocturnal and diurnal rodents. Behavioural Processes 2020, 179, 104214 .

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Jochen Kalb. Predator avoidance behavior of nocturnal and diurnal rodents. Behavioural Processes. 2020; 179 ():104214.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Jochen Kalb. 2020. "Predator avoidance behavior of nocturnal and diurnal rodents." Behavioural Processes 179, no. : 104214.

Review
Published: 13 May 2020 in Avian Biology Research
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Tail flicking is a common behavior that can be observed in many bird species. Various studies have investigated this behavior in different contexts such as during foraging, social interactions, or during predator–prey interactions. Nonetheless, there has been no statistical synthesis of results concerning the most commonly hypothesized functions of tail flicking. We conducted meta-analyses of published studies reporting flicking rates of birds in different contexts to identify a general function of tail flicking across species. We found evidence that tail flicking does not serve only one function but most likely has various functions across species. We found the general trend for flicking being a reflection of vigilance and predation risk. Flicking was related to flock size as rates decreased with increasing flock size, which might be related to a decreased individual predation risk in larger flocks. Moreover, we found flicking to be related to body condition and prey flushing. However, effect sizes for these hypotheses were only available from very few studies (body condition k = 2, prey flushing k = 3). Hence, future research concerning these two functions are necessary. Finally, our results suggested that flicking is not used for social communication, as it was not related to the presence of a conspecific or social status of an individual.

ACS Style

Christoph Randler; Nadine Kalb. The functions of tail flicking in birds: A meta-analysis. Avian Biology Research 2020, 13, 70 -77.

AMA Style

Christoph Randler, Nadine Kalb. The functions of tail flicking in birds: A meta-analysis. Avian Biology Research. 2020; 13 (3):70-77.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Randler; Nadine Kalb. 2020. "The functions of tail flicking in birds: A meta-analysis." Avian Biology Research 13, no. 3: 70-77.