title: Postural laterality in Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica: effects of age, sex and nursing suggest stress and social information.
abstract: Most studies of lateralized behaviour have to date focused on active behaviour such as sensorial perception and locomotion and little is known about lateralized postures, such as lying, that can potentially magnify the effectiveness of lateralized perception and reaction. Moreover, the relative importance of factors such as sex, age and the stress associated with social status in laterality is now a subject of increasing interest. In this study, we assess the importance of sex, age and reproductive investment in females in lying laterality in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Using generalized additive models under an information-theoretic approach based on the Akaike information criterion, we analyzed lying laterality of 78 individually marked ibexes. Sex, age and nursing appeared as key factors associated, in interaction and non-linearly, with lying laterality. Beyond the benefits of studying laterality with non-linear models, our results highlight the fact that a combination of static factors such as sex, and dynamic factors such as age and stress associated with parental care, are associated with postural laterality.
authors.affiliation: a Grupo Biología de las Especies Cinegéticas y Plagas (RNM-118) , Sevilla , Spain.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarasa
authors.forename: Ramón C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Soriguer
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: José-Enrique
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Granados
authors.forename: Jesús M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006041:Goats / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Lateralization; Lying posture; Sexual dimorphism; Social status; Ungulate