| 1. |
- Agnvall, Beatrix, et al.
(författare)
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Is evolution of domestication driven by tameness? A selective review with focus on chickens
- 2018
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 205, s. 227-233
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Domestication of animals offers unique possibilities to study evolutionary changes caused by similar selection pressures across a range of species. Animals from separate genera tend to develop a suite of phenotypic alterations referred to as "the domesticated phenotype". This involves changes in appearance, including loss of pigmentation, and alterations in body size and proportions. Furthermore, effects on reproduction and behaviour are typical. It is hypothesized that this recurring phenotype may be secondary effects of the increased tameness that is an inevitable first step in the domestication of any species. We first provide a general overview of observations and experiments from different species and then review in more detail a project attempting to recreate the initial domestication of chickens. Starting from an outbred population of Red Junglefowl, ancestors of all modem chickens, divergent lines were selected based on scores in a standardized fear-of-human test applied to all birds at 12 weeks of age. Up to the eighth selected generation, observations have been made on correlated effects of this selection on various phenotypes. The fear score had a significant heritability and was genetically correlated to several other behavioural traits. Furthermore, low-fear birds were larger at hatch, grew faster, laid larger eggs, had a modified metabolism and increased feed efficiency, had modified social behaviour and reduced brain size. Selection affected gene expression and DNA-methylation in the brains, but the genetic and epigenetic effects were not specifically associated with stress pathways. Further research should be focused on unraveling the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the correlated side-effects of reduced fear of humans.
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| 2. |
- Ahlbeck Bergendahl, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Determining the effects of duration and recency of exposure to environmental enrichment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 176, s. 163-169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experience can help animals adapt their behaviour to fit the environment or conditions that they find themselves in. Understanding how and when experience affects behaviour is important for the animals we rear in captivity. This is particularly true when we rear animals with the intent of releasing them into the wild as part of population rehabilitation and conservation efforts. We investigated how exposure to a changing, more complex environment promotes behavioural development in juvenile trout. Four groups of fish were compared; (i) fish that were maintained without enrichment, (ii) fish that were exposed to an early period of enrichment, but were then returned to a plain environment, (iii) fish that were maintained in plain conditions, but were then exposed to enrichment towards the end of the rearing phase, (iv) a group that were kept in enriched conditions throughout the 12 week rearing period. We then assessed fish anxiety levels, their spatial learning ability, and the capacity of the fish to find their way through a barrier where different routes were presented across 4 different trials. Fish that experienced enriched conditions for the longest duration had superior spatial learning abilities, and they were better at finding the correct route to get past the barrier than fish from the remaining three treatments. Positive effects on behaviour were, however, also found in the fish that only experienced enrichment in the last part of the rearing period, compared to the control, or fish exposed to early enrichment. No effect of enrichment was found on levels of anxiety in any of the groups.
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| 3. |
- Axelsson, Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of group size on behaviour, growth and occurrence of bite marks in farmed mink
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 194, s. 112-119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of stereotypic behaviours and the activity level in farmed mink when group housed in climbing cages and if group housing increase aggression by assessing the prevalence of bite marks. This was studied in juvenile mink of the colour types "demibuff" (n = 165) and "half sapphire" (n = 165). The animals were housed in standard cages (S2: one male, one female), or in climbing cages (C2: one male, one female; C3: one male, two females; C4: two males, two females). Behaviours were recorded for two hours beginning at sunrise and two hours before sunset during six periods of five days each from August-October. After pelting, the leather side of the undried skins were visually inspected for bite marks. Stereotypic behaviours were infrequent (0.1% of observations). Pair housed mink in climbing cages were more "inactive out in cage" than pair housed mink in standard cages (p < 0.0001), but cage type had no effect on the behaviours "being in nest box", "active out in cage", "interactions with enrichments" or "social interactions" (n.s.). Group sizes of three or four mink increased the behaviours "active out in cage" (P < 0.0001) and decreased "being in nest box" (P < 0.001) but had no effect on "interactions with enrichments", "inactive out in cage" or "social interactions" (n.s.). Males had lower growth when kept in groups of four compared to groups of three or pairs (P < 0.001), and shorter skin lengths when kept in groups of four compared to pairs (P < 0.001), but females did not differ in growth or skin lengths between group sizes (n.s.). Number of bite marks on the leather side of the skins did not differ between cage types (n.s.) or group sizes (n.s.). In conclusion, neither the cage design nor the group size affected the occurrence of stereotypies or the occurrence of bite marks, but activity levels increased and the use of a nest box and male growth decreased in larger groups.
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| 4. |
- Brännäs, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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A test of "nutritional wisdom" in perch (Perca fluviatilis) by self-selection of encapsulated macronutrients
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 171, s. 219-225
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing optimal diets based on fish macronutrient requirements is an expensive and laborious task requiring years of research. However, many species of fish can compose a species-specific optimal diet from single source macronutrients in capsules through self-selection. Eurasian perch is a species in which commercial culture is still in development and determination of whether this species can self-select its own diet is still unknown. Twenty-four individually held Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) were trained to eat capsules of three different colours (purple, yellow and white) filled with a commercial diet. The fish exhibited a pronounced preference for the purple capsules. After training, capsules of each colour were then filled with either of three pure macronutrients to subvert the colour bias. There was still a preference of purple capsules which decreased with time. The resulting self-selection of macronutrients showed a significant lower selection of capsules with carbohydrates (17%) but no significant difference between fat (45%) and protein (38%). This self-selected proportion of macronutrients deviates from the recommended diet for farmed perch; 62% protein, 26% carbohydrates and 12% fat. The self-selected mean energy level with commercial feed in the capsules (133.0 +/- 10.6 kJ kg BW-1 day(-1)) filled with the commercial diet was significantly lower than when the capsules were filled with macronutrients (197.0 +/- 24.1 kJ kg BW-1 day(-1)). The perch actively selected against carbohydrates and reduced the number of capsules eaten when offered macronutrients, although not sufficient to keep daily energy intake at a constant level compared to the commercial diet. This result together with the preference for a specific colour implies that self-selection of diet composition may not be a suitable tool for the feed optimization of perch. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Carlberg, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Using self-selection to evaluate the acceptance of a new diet formulation by farmed fish
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 171, s. 226-232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evaluation of new diet composition is commonly achieved by performing time-consuming growth trials, which may negatively impact the welfare of a large number of fish if the feed is not accepted. Instead, the fish's behavioural responses to a new diet composition can be used as a first step in the evaluation of new diet composition. The taste acceptance of a new diet by Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) was evaluated over 16 days based on the self-selection of a test diet and a control diet. The test diet contained ingredients from the nutrient-enriched Baltic Sea, and it is hoped that this diet can contribute nutrients to the nutrient-poor waters in northern Sweden in which Arctic charr are farmed. The main ingredients in the test feed were blue mussel meat (Mytilus edulis), meat from sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and herring (Clupea harengus), baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), fish oil and regionally produced rapeseed oil. Individual fish (n = 15) were allowed to choose between abundances of both the test diet and a fishmeal based control diet that mimicked a standard feed for Arctic charr. After only a few days, the fish demonstrated a significant preference for the Baltic Sea test feed. These results may depend on betaine, which was found at concentrations that were four times higher in the test feed than in the control feed. Betaine is a known attractant for many fish species and is abundant in marine animals, such as mussels. Thus, the test diet can be evaluated further without additional taste stimulants before the new feed formula can be used commercially to ensure fish welfare, the product quality and the economic feasibility of the new formula. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- De Oliveira, Daiana, et al.
(författare)
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Early human handling in non-weaned piglets: Effects on behaviour and body weight
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 164, s. 56-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early handling of animals including tactile stimulation (TS) has been shown to have beneficial effects on the physical and psychological development of species where considerable maternal interaction, e.g. in the form of licking, already occurs. But little is known about the magnitude of these effects, if any, in species without this natural mechanism. Piglets from 13 litters (N=127) were subjected to four treatments: AH - all piglets in a litter received TS; NH - none of the piglets in a litter received TS; 50/50H - half of a litter received TS and 50/50NH - half of a litter did not receive TS. The TS was performed by a human stroking the back of the piglet for 2 min from 5 to 35 days of age. At 4 weeks of age the piglets were tested twice in an open-field/human-approach test, with either a familiar (F) or an unfamiliar person (U). Body weight was measured at birth, 5,9 and 12 weeks of age. In the tests, AH and 50/50H piglets allowed more physical contact, regardless of the familiarity of the person (AH: 22.5 +/- 2.3 F; 24.1 +/- 2.3 U, 50/50H: 18.1 +/- 2.2 F; 25.3 +/- 2.2 U, P = 0.05). Additionally, AH piglets vocalized least and were least often in the perimeter zone (PZ) of the arena (AH grunts: 6.0 +/- 0.8, P= 0.002; 12.8 +/- 0.8, P = 0.0005; 18.1 +/- 0.8, P= 0.08; AH PZ: 3.9 +/- 0.8, P=0.009; 9.1 +/- 0.8, P= 0.003; 12.6 +/- 0.7, P= 0.004 in isolation, stationary and moving person phase, respectively). In contrast, NH piglets vocalized most and were most often in the PZ. 50/50NH had higher body weights at 12 weeks than 50/50H, whereas AH and NH piglets were intermediate (AH: 36.9 +/- 0.9, NH: 35.6 +/- 1.0, 50/50H: 34.2 +/- 1.3, 50/50NH: 37.8 +/- 1.3, P= 0.03). This study suggests that early handling changed the way piglets reacted to challenging situations in that handled piglets showed behaviour suggesting they were less fearful in a novel environment and less fearful of being handled by people in general. Interestingly though, the early handling did not result in the same beneficial effects on the physical development of the piglets, as handled piglets were not heavier. Instead, it was the 50/50NH piglets that were the heaviest, implying that the daily presence of a human moving around in the pen to handle the 50/50H piglets seemed to stimulate weight gain. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- De Oliveira, Daiana, et al.
(författare)
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Individual variation over time in piglet's reactions to early handling and its association to weight gain
- 2019
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 215, s. 7-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Individual variation in how animals react in challenging situations is an important topic since it relates to different coping strategies. Previous work with piglets has focused mainly on the backtest, which does not take into account variation within an individual in how it adapts to the challenge. Our aim was to assess individual pig's reactions to human early handling by using different measures of individual variation, including how reactions by the same piglet change over time, and how these measures relate to piglet's weight gain. We stroked 66 piglets on their back for two minutes each day, starting at five days of age. Piglets were scored immediately after each handling session (scale 1-4, lowest reactive to highest reactive), totalling 15 scored sessions. Individual variation was calculated by averaging the scores (AS) of all sessions and by calculating the b-coefficient (b) of linear regressions in order to assess changes in individuals over time. We assessed the relationship between these measures (AS and b) and piglet growth at 5, 9 and 12 weeks of age using generalized mixed models. We found a large variation in piglet scores, and also that there was a continuum on how individual score within a piglet varied over time (b). This measure (b) was related to the piglet's overall weight gain (0-12 weeks of age) in that individuals who became calmer over time gained more weight than those who became more reactive over time (F = 3.87, P = 0.05). AS was positively related to weight gain, in that for each unit of increase in the reactive score, there was an increase of 1.3 kg in body weight at 9 weeks of age (F = 3.79, P = 0.05). We conclude that piglets show a large individual variation in their reaction to human handling, not only in the magnitude of their reactivity which has been shown previously, but also how their reactions change over time. For extreme individuals, this change probably implies habituating or sensitizing to the repeating handling. The change over time (b) was associated with weight gain, and we suggest that this association might be modulated by individual traits. We also suggest that individual traits interact with piglet's developmental plasticity, which are likely influencing their ontogeny, and in turn influence the further development of the piglet. In future studies developmental plasticity measured by changes over time should be considered when assessing individual variation.
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| 8. |
- Doane, Marie, et al.
(författare)
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A modified combined C-BARQ and QoL for both the companion dog and its owner. An embryo to a companion dog welfare measurement?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 213, s. 91-106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The results of this pilot study demonstrate that it is possible to construct a reliable questionnaire from prior validated surveys. This questionnaire displays possible suitability for further development into a tool for a comprehensive dog welfare assessment. The welfare model used is assuming that canine welfare consists of three major considerations, the dogs’ behavior, the dogs’ quality of life (QoL dog) and the owner’s quality of life as pertaining to being a dog owner (QoL Owner). A questionnaire was constructed and tested. Three different parts from reliable and validated sections of previous surveys were included: 1) a modified C-BARQ, 2) QoL for the dog, and 3) QoL owner. 185 satisfactory answers were obtained from the respondents, dog owners in Sweden, Canada and USA. Principal component factor analysis rendered 13 extracted factors similar to the original questionnaires, suggesting that the construct is valid. Eleven of the thirteen factors showed moderate internal consistency of Cronbach’s alpha >0.7, the remaining two factors were relatively low with Cronbach’s alpha >0.6.Several significant correlations between the extracted factors were found. Quality of life as a dog owner (QoL owner) was significantly affected by stress caused by dogs displaying fear, excitability and separation anxiety. No significant correlations were found between any factors describing aggressive behaviors and the dogs QoL or QoL owner. Several significant correlations were found between the extracted factors and the demographics, for instance, the Swedes are more active with their dogs compared to Americans and Canadians. Further investigations should be commenced to validate the results in a larger population.
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| 9. |
- Eken Asp, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Breed differences in everyday behaviour of dogs
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 169, s. 69-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The domestication of the dog and the ensuing breed creation has resulted in a plethora of dog breeds that differ not only in morphology but also in terms of behaviour. In addition, a majority of the dogs today are no longer utilized for their working ability, but are mainly kept as companion animals. The main aim of this study was to estimate breed differences in everyday behaviour traits, as well as to study the phenotypic correlations between these traits. Dog owners described their dogs' everyday behaviour in a questionnaire. The responses to the questions were combined into 18 behavioural subscale scores (BSS). After editing, the material included dog owner responses for 3591 dogs from 20 different breeds. The breeds represent both working and non-working breeds.We can conclude that breed (and grouping into working vs non-working breeds), age and sex had significant effects on many everyday behaviour traits. The working breeds were about 10% more trainable, showed 30% more interest in playing with humans and were 10-60% less fearful. Furthermore, our results showed that fearful dogs were more aggressive, whereas more social dogs were less fearful and less aggressive. We also found that dogs that were more eager to play with humans were also easier to train. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Hanson, Michaela, et al.
(författare)
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Facial expressions and other behavioral responses to pleasant andunpleasant tastes in cats (Felis silvestris catus)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 181, s. 129-136
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The goal of the present study was to assess how cats react to tastes previously reported to be preferredor avoided relative to water. To this end, the facial and behavioral reactions of 13 cats to differentconcentrations of l-Proline and quinine monohydrochloride (QHCl) as well as mixtures with differentconcentrations of the two substances were assessed using a two-bottle preference test of short duration.The cats were videotaped and the frequency and duration of different behaviors were analyzed. Significantdifferences in the cats’ behavior in response to the taste quality of the different solutions included,but were not limited to, Tongue Protrusions (p < 0.039), Mouth smacks (p = 0.008) and Nose Licks (p = 0.011)with four different stimulus concentrations. The cats responded to preferred taste by keeping their Eyeshalf-closed (p = 0.017) for significantly longer periods of time with four different stimulus concentrationscompared to a water control. When encountering mixtures containing l-Proline and QHCl the cats performedTongue protrusion gapes (p < 0.038) significantly more frequently with three different stimulusconcentrations compared to an l-Proline control. A stepwise increase in the concentration of l-Prolinefrom 5 mM to 500 mM in mixtures with 50 M QHCl did not overcome the negative impact of the bittertaste on intake. The results of the present study suggest that behavioral responses provide an additionaldimension and may be more informative than consumption data alone to assess whether cats perceivetastes as pleasant or unpleasant. Thus, the analysis of behavioral responses to different taste qualitiesmay be a useful tool to assess and improve the acceptance of commercial food by cats.
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