Context-dependent prey avoidance in chicks persists following complete telencephalectomy

Abstract Young naïve domestic chicks readily attack green insects and avoid insects painted red but show no discrimination of the same colours when applied to fruit-like objects, a discrimination that has been depicted as context-dependent preference. To study the neural representation of such prefe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research bulletin 2008-06, Vol.76 (3), p.289-292
Main Authors: Zachar, Gergely, Schrott, Aniko, Kabai, Péter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amniota
Animals
Aposematic
Avoidance Learning - physiology
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Chickens
Color
Colour
Discrimination Learning - physiology
Neurology
Predatory Behavior - physiology
Preference
Shape
Social Behavior
Telencephalon - pathology
Telencephalon - physiology
Telencephalon - surgery
Unconditional
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Summary:Abstract Young naïve domestic chicks readily attack green insects and avoid insects painted red but show no discrimination of the same colours when applied to fruit-like objects, a discrimination that has been depicted as context-dependent preference. To study the neural representation of such preference we performed bilateral telencephalectomy on 1-day-old domestic chicks and tested them on an unlearned prey discrimination paradigm. Here we show that following complete decerebration, young domestic chicks preferentially peck at red fruit versus red insects and tend to choose green insects over green fruit indistinguishably from unoperated chicks. The present study provides the first direct evidence that sophisticated context-dependent, unlearned colour preference is processed by subtelencephalic areas of an amniote species.
ISSN:0361-9230
1873-2747
DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.02.017