Profiles
Dr Mark Whiteside
Lecturer in Animal Welfare
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Biography
Biography
Lecturer in Animal Welfare
Qualifications
2015-2019: Postdoctoral research associate in Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter.
2012-2015: PhD jointly funded by the University of Exeter and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
2009-2010: Animal Behaviour MSc, University of Exeter
2003-2006: Biology BSc, University of Bristol.
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
I am currently contributing to Methods in Biology (BIOL234) and the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Field Course (BIOL224).
Research
Research
Research interests
I am both a behavioural ecologist and an applied ethologist. My research focusses on how early life environments can influence individual behavioural, cognitive and physiological development which I then place into evolutionary and applied frameworks.
My work concentrates on a novel system, pheasant rearing, where I can test for individual characteristics during a time when pheasants are housed in captivity and I can then release them into the wild to follow their behaviour, movement and fate.
Other research
Applied
Pheasants are reared commercially in the UK for recreational shooting and I have been drawn in to highly applied questions related to the species and its role in the landscape. I am interested in the welfare of pheasants at all stages of their life (early development and post release), in particular how we can use physiological, behavioural and cognitive indicators of welfare to determine how best to measure the welfare of pheasants. I am experienced in using environmental manipulation (structural, dietary, social and informational) to improve welfare and survival of pheasants in captivity and in the wild. Finally, with large scale release of pheasants in the UK, I am also involved with understanding the ecological impact of this on the landscape, especially the relationship with predators.
Social
I am interested in how social environments (sex ratios; group sizes) can influence the cognitive (associative learning, memory), physiological (colouration, secondary sexual traits) and behavioural (vigilance patterns, aggression levels) development and how in turn, these can shape social structures (sexual segregation, affiliation, networks) and interactions (mate preference).
Cognition
I also study individual differences in cognitive performance during early life (inhibitory control, associative learning, spatial ability) and how it relates with measures including: other cognitive performances (g), degree of lateralisation, social rank, group size, and environmental perturbations.
Evolutionary
After testing, pheasants can be released into the wild where they are subject to natural pressures. In the wild I am interested in how the biological, physiological and cognitive development can influence behaviour, diet, movement patterns, reproductive success and survival and, thus, demonstrate evolutionary consequences.
Publications
Publications
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
JournalsBeardsworth, C. E., Whiteside, M. A., Laker, P. R., Nathan, R., Orchan, Y., Toledo, S., . . . Madden, J. R. (2021). Is habitat selection in the wild shaped by individual‐level cognitive biases in orientation strategy?. Ecology Letters, 24(4), 751-760. doi:10.1111/ele.13694
Beardsworth, C. E., Whiteside, M. A., Capstick, L. A., Laker, P. R., Langley, E. J. G., Nathan, R., . . . Madden, J. R. (2021). Spatial cognitive ability is associated with transitory movement speed but not straightness during the early stages of exploration. Royal Society Open Science, 8(3), 201758. doi:10.1098/rsos.201758
Langley, E. J. G., Adams, G., Beardsworth, C. E., Dawson, D. A., Laker, P. R., van Horik, J. O., . . . Madden, J. R. (2020). Heritability and correlations among learning and inhibitory control traits. Behavioral Ecology, 31(3), 798-806. doi:10.1093/beheco/araa029
Langley, E. J. G., Horik, J. O., Whiteside, M. A., Beardsworth, C. E., Weiss, M. N., & Madden, J. R. (2020). Early‐life learning ability predicts adult social structure, with potential implications for fitness outcomes in the wild. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(6), 1340-1349. doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13194
Whiteside, M. A., Bess, M. M., Frasnelli, E., Beardsworth, C. E., Langley, E. J. G., van Horik, J. O., & Madden, J. R. (2020). No evidence that footedness in pheasants influences cognitive performance in tasks assessing colour discrimination and spatial ability. Learning & Behavior, 48(1), 84-95. doi:10.3758/s13420-019-00402-8
Madden, J. R., Santilli, F., & Whiteside, M. A. (2020). The welfare of game birds destined for release into the wild: a balance between early life care and preparation for future natural hazards. Animal Welfare, 29(1), 1-18. doi:10.7120/09627286.29.1.001
Griffin, K. R., Beardsworth, C. E., Laker, P. R., van Horik, J. O., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2020). The inhibitory control of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) weakens when previously learned environmental information becomes unpredictable. Animal Cognition, 23(1), 189-202. doi:10.1007/s10071-019-01328-4
van Horik, J. O., Beardsworth, C. E., Laker, P. R., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2020). Response learning confounds assays of inhibitory control on detour tasks. Animal Cognition, 23(1), 215-225. doi:10.1007/s10071-019-01330-w
van Horik, J. O., Beardsworth, C. E., Laker, P. R., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2019). Unpredictable environments enhance inhibitory control in pheasants. Animal Cognition, 22(6), 1105-1114. doi:10.1007/s10071-019-01302-0
van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2019). A single factor explanation for associative learning performance on colour discrimination problems in common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Intelligence, 74, 53-61. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2018.07.001
Whiteside, M. A., van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Beardsworth, C. E., Capstick, L. A., & Madden, J. R. (2019). Patterns of association at feeder stations for Common Pheasants released into the wild: sexual segregation by space and time. Ibis, 161(2), 325-336. doi:10.1111/ibi.12632
Whiteside, M. A., Bess, M. M., Frasnelli, E., Beardsworth, C. E., Langley, E. J. G., van Horik, J. O., & Madden, J. R. (2018). Low survival of strongly footed pheasants may explain constraints on lateralization. Scientific Reports, 8(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32066-1
Cauchoix, M., Chow, P. K. Y., van Horik, J. O., Atance, C. M., Barbeau, E. J., Barragan-Jason, G., . . . Morand-Ferron, J. (2018). The repeatability of cognitive performance: a meta-analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1756), 20170281. doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0281
Madden, J. R., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., Beardsworth, C. E., & van Horik, J. O. (2018). The quick are the dead: pheasants that are slow to reverse a learned association survive for longer in the wild. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1756), 20170297. doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0297
Madden, J. R., Hall, A., & Whiteside, M. A. (2018). Why do many pheasants released in the UK die, and how can we best reduce their natural mortality?. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 64(4). doi:10.1007/s10344-018-1199-5
Langley, E. J. G., van Horik, J. O., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2018). Individuals in larger groups are more successful on spatial discrimination tasks. Animal Behaviour, 142, 87-93. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.020
van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., Laker, P. R., & Madden, J. R. (2018). Intra-individual variation in performance on novel variants of similar tasks influences single factor explanations of general cognitive processes. Royal Society Open Science, 5(7), 171919. doi:10.1098/rsos.171919
van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., Laker, P. R., Beardsworth, C. E., & Madden, J. R. (2018). Do detour tasks provide accurate assays of inhibitory control?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1875), 20180150. doi:10.1098/rspb.2018.0150
Langley, E. J. G., van Horik, J. O., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2018). Group social rank is associated with performance on a spatial learning task. Royal Society Open Science, 5(2), 171475. doi:10.1098/rsos.171475
Meier, C., Pant, S. R., van Horik, J. O., Laker, P. R., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., . . . Madden, J. R. (2017). A novel continuous inhibitory-control task: variation in individual performance by young pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Animal Cognition, 20(6), 1035-1047. doi:10.1007/s10071-017-1120-8
Whiteside, M. A., van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Beardsworth, C. E., Laker, P. R., & Madden, J. R. (2017). Differences in social preference between the sexes during ontogeny drive segregation in a precocial species. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(7). doi:10.1007/s00265-017-2332-2
van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., & Madden, J. R. (2017). Differential participation in cognitive tests is driven by personality, sex, body condition and experience. Behavioural Processes, 134, 22-30. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2016.07.001
Whiteside, M. A., Langley, E. J. G., & Madden, J. R. (2016). Males and females differentially adjust vigilance levels as group size increases: effect on optimal group size. Animal Behaviour, 118, 11-18. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.04.025
Whiteside, M. A., Sage, R., & Madden, J. R. (2016). Multiple behavioural, morphological and cognitive developmental changes arise from a single alteration to early life spatial environment, resulting in fitness consequences for released pheasants. Royal Society Open Science, 3(3), 160008. doi:10.1098/rsos.160008
Whiteside, M. A., Sage, R., & Madden, J. R. (2015). Diet complexity in early life affects survival in released pheasants by altering foraging efficiency, food choice, handling skills and gut morphology. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84(6), 1480-1489. doi:10.1111/1365-2656.12401
Madden, J. R., & Whiteside, M. A. (2014). Selection on behavioural traits during ‘unselective’ harvesting means that shy pheasants better survive a hunting season. Animal Behaviour, 87, 129-135. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.10.021
Madden, J. R., & Whiteside, M. A. (2013). Variation in female mate choice and mating success is affected by sex ratio experienced during early life. Animal Behaviour, 86(1), 139-142. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.003
Langley, E. J. G., van Horik, J. O., Whiteside, M. A., Beardsworth, C. E., & Madden, J. R. (n.d.). The relationship between social rank and spatial learning in pheasants, Phasianus colchicus: cause or consequence?. PeerJ, 6, e5738. doi:10.7717/peerj.5738
Whiteside, M. A., van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Beardsworth, C. E., & Madden, J. R. (n.d.). Size dimorphism and sexual segregation in pheasants: tests of three competing hypotheses. PeerJ, 6, e5674. doi:10.7717/peerj.5674
van Horik, J. O., Langley, E. J. G., Whiteside, M. A., Beardsworth, C. E., & Madden, J. R. (n.d.). Pheasants Learn Five Different Binomial Color Discriminations and Retain these Associations for at Least 27 Days. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 5(3), 268-278. doi:10.26451/abc.05.03.02.2018