Variable selection is fundamental to high-dimensional statistical modeling in diverse fields of sciences. In our health study, different statistical methods are applied to analyze trauma annual data, collected by 30 General Hospitals in Greece. The dataset consists of 6334 observations and 111...

The "asset-protection principle" created by Clark is based on a dynamic programming model and states that individuals should (1) become more averse to predation risk as they accumulate fitness assets but (2) generally be more willing to accept predation risk later in the foraging season. To test...

We evaluated factors influencing social organization in coastal river otters (Lontra canadensis) to test two hypotheses: group formation is an antipredation strategy, or, alternatively, group information is related to cooperative foraging. Data on group size, group composition, and sociality...

Some predator species appear to conform to the mesopredator release hypothesis (MRH), in which larger predators help limit populations of smaller predators. This hypothesis has been used to explain the possible relationship between coyotes, mesopredators, and resultant cascades involving...

Although conspicuous visual sexual signals, such as bright colors, in males serve to attract females in numerous species, they may also attract the attention of potential predators and thus may be costly in terms of increasing individual risk of mortality to predation. Most models of the...

Mammals scent mark their territories to advertise occupancy and ownership. However, signaling with scent for territorial defense can have a negative effect by advertising an individual's presence and location to predators. In this study, we measured responses to a simulated territorial intrusion...

Animals that scatter cache their food face a trade-off between the benefits of protecting caches from pilferers and the costs associated with caching. Placing food into a large number of widely spaced caches helps to protect it from pilferage but also involves costs such as greater exposure to...

Limited attention may constrain animal behavior in situations in which the rate of relevant information exceeds the threshold processing capacity of the brain. In the present study, we examine why attention is limited by quantifying how attention affects the ubiquitous problem of balancing...

Vigilance in socially foraging animals (e.g., elk) may serve to detect predators (i.e., reduce predation risk) or to monitor the behavior of conspecifics (i.e., reduce conspecific risk and/or increase reproductive benefits). These potential benefits and costs of vigilance may not be equal among...