ANIMAL WELFARE (Ethology I)

Question 1

Behaviour

Answer 1

-outward response (observable) of an organism to external or internal stimuli
-locomotion, grooming, reproduction, caring for young, communication, etc.

Question 2

Ethology

Answer 2

-study of animal behaviour
-quantitative or qualitative assessment through visual observation or use of technology
-includes study of causation, biological functioning and adaptive evolution

Question 3

Reflexes

Answer 3

-involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to stimulus
-made possible by neural pathways outside of the brain
-Ex. blink reflex, salivation

Question 4

Centrally-generated patterns

Answer 4

-repetitive movements generated by central circuits
-shaped by sensory and neuromuscular dynamics
-Ex. breathing, chewing

Question 5

Modal action patterns

Answer 5

-a sequence of behaviours triggered by a particular stimulus
-species-specific
-Ex. nest building, mating, territorial demonstrations

Question 6

Modulation of modal action patterns

Answer 6

-motivational states, training and experience alters the strength of the response to a stimulus
-hierarchical control from the brain over intuitive or innate responses

Question 7

Motivated behaviours

Answer 7

-conscious, flexible and with variable glands
Ex. going to sleep, drinking

Question 8

Rhythms and motivation

Answer 8

-internally generated rhythms and external signals interact with motivational states
Ex. animals normally exhibit a circadian rhythm for feeding, exploring, etc.

Question 9

Complementary process

Answer 9

-distinctions between processes are not absolute
Ex. checking an ear:
-both reflexive and central emotional and motivational controls that serve the function of minimizing damages

Question 10

Applied ethology

Answer 10

-study of behaviour of animals that are under some form of human management
1. Welfare assessment
2. Optimize productivity
3. Behavioural disorders
4. Behaviour control

Question 11

Welfare assessment

Answer 11

-behaviours indicative of good or bad welfare

Question 12

Optimize productivity

Answer 12

-group housing
-feeding management

Question 13

Behavioural disorders

Answer 13

-stereotypes
-pathological
-disorders

Question 14

Behaviour control

Answer 14

-animal training
-virtual fencing

Question 15

Nobel prize for organizes patterns in animals

Answer 15

-Karl von Frisch
-Konrad Lorenz
-Nikolaas Tinbergen

Question 16

Tinbergen’s four questions (to explain an observed behaviour)

Answer 16

-Causation (mechanism): what causes it to happen?
-Development (ontogeny): how has it developed?
-Function (adaption): why is it doing the behaviour?
-Evolution (phylogeny): how have they evolved?

Question 17

Development of animal behaviours

Answer 17

IN: DNA, learning, individual variability
OUT: docile, active, aggressive, territorial

Question 18

Evolution of behaviour: (3 principles needed for a trait to be modified)

Answer 18

1. Priciple of variation
2. Priciple of genetic inheritance
3. Principle of natural selection

Question 19

principle of variation

Answer 19

-trait must vary between the individuals of a population

Question 20

principle of genetic inheritance

Answer 20

-some of the variation in the population is of genetic origin

Question 21

principle of natural selection

Answer 21

-some variants of the trait must cause variation in the individual’s fitness

Question 22

Behavioural genetics

Answer 22

Ex. Love birds
-Fischer’s: nesting material in beak
-Peach-faced: nesting material tucked in feathers near tail
-Hybrid: tuck nesting material into feather but never let go of it (material does not stay in place)

Question 23

Behaviour genetics, dull and brights mice

Answer 23

-dulls get worse at maze over generations
-brights get better at maze over generations

Question 24

Genetic selection

Answer 24

-of desired behaviour or against undesired behaviour is an important means for improving animal welfare

Question 25

Potential unsuccessful genetic selection

Answer 25

-indirect genetic control
-environmental factors
-individual variability
-associated production traits

Question 26

Behaviour genetics + environment

Answer 26

-dulls and brights did better in enriched environment
>great improvement by dulls

Question 27

Domestication

Answer 27

-behaviours have not appeared or disappeared due to domestication
>they have only been accentuated or masked through selection

Question 28

Study of feral animals

Answer 28

-all our domestic species can be found surviving in the wild

Question 29

Mechanisms regulating animal behaviour

Answer 29

1. CNS
2. Internal factors
3. External factors

Question 30

CNS

Answer 30

-interprets external changes and internal states of the body that serve as inputs to decision-making centre

Question 31

internal factors

Answer 31

-Chemo- and mechanosensors
-Hormones
-Age, breed, gender

Question 32

external factors

Answer 32

-Pheromones
-Biological clocks
-Surroundings

Question 33

Pheromones

Answer 33

-produced by specialized tissues and released to the exterior
>urine and faeces
>skin glands
>saliva
-only has an effect on individuals of same species
-captured by olfactory mucosa and the vomeronasal organ
-flehman or lipcurl response (except in dogs and pigs)
*objective is communication between individuals to modify the receptors behaviour

Question 34

Circadian rhythm: biological clocks

Answer 34

-behaviour and/or physiological changes that fluctuate within 24 hours
-usually synchronized to external time (light or temperature)
-can also persists in absence of signals

Question 35

Examples of biological clocks

Answer 35

-sleep/wake cycles
-growth/fat deposition
-endocrine cycles: seasonal breeding
-sickness/fever: efficacy of treatments
Ex. sheep all eat together, cattle eat around same times, horses eat like all the time

Question 36

Surroundings

Answer 36

-predators
-threats
-peers
-terrain
-food characteristics

Question 37

Body signals

Answer 37

-body state is maintained within a tolerable range
-when ranges are crossed, remedial action is taken

Question 38

Hormones

Answer 38

-feeding: insulin, CCK,
-sexual: testosterone
-maternal: prolactin
-social: sexual hormones

Question 39

Genetics and experience

Answer 39

-behaviours are expressed in function of both
Ex. breast feeding is innate
>not innate until they tries and fail and they successful
>walking is answering to stimuli
*one wont happen without the other