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Description: |
1 online resource (x, 22 pages) : illustrations |
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Dissertation Note: |
M.S. University of Wyoming 2016 |
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Bibliography Note: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 19-22). |
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Summary, Etc. Note: |
Abstract: Innovative problem solving and behavioral flexibility are important cognitive abilities of many successful species. Animals capable of innovative problem solving are more likely to experience benefits like increased mating success and adapt to the increasing demands of living in peri-urban and urban landscapes. Here, we investigated which mechanisms enable the generation of innovative and flexible behaviors and if the widespread success of an adaptive generalist carnivore could be due in part to having these advanced cognitive traits. Additionally, we examine the implications of our results for two of the leading hypotheses proposed to explain the evolution of behavioral flexibility: the adaptive flexibility hypothesis and the cognitive buffer hypothesis. Raccoons are an abundant, generalist species that are anecdotally well-known problem-solvers. We gave twenty raccoons a multi-access puzzle box in captivity to determine whether raccoons exhibit innovation and behavioral flexibility, defined as multiple occurrences of distinct innovations. Over two-thirds of raccoons tested were not only innovative, but also behaviorally flexible. We identified behaviors predictive of success at various stages of the problem-solving process, including exploratory diversity, persistence, and neophobia. This study informs our understanding of behavioral flexibility, provides evidence consistent with both cognitive hypotheses related to adaptive behavior, and contributes to knowing which mechanisms could be driving species success in human-altered habitats. |