ANIMAL WELFARE (Ethology I) Flashcards
Behaviour
-outward response (observable) of an organism to external or internal stimuli
-locomotion, grooming, reproduction, caring for young, communication, etc.
Ethology
-study of animal behaviour
-quantitative or qualitative assessment through visual observation or use of technology
-includes study of causation, biological functioning and adaptive evolution
Reflexes
-involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to stimulus
-made possible by neural pathways outside of the brain
-Ex. blink reflex, salivation
Centrally-generated patterns
-repetitive movements generated by central circuits
-shaped by sensory and neuromuscular dynamics
-Ex. breathing, chewing
Modal action patterns
-a sequence of behaviours triggered by a particular stimulus
-species-specific
-Ex. nest building, mating, territorial demonstrations
Modulation of modal action patterns
-motivational states, training and experience alters the strength of the response to a stimulus
-hierarchical control from the brain over intuitive or innate responses
Motivated behaviours
-conscious, flexible and with variable glands
Ex. going to sleep, drinking
Rhythms and motivation
-internally generated rhythms and external signals interact with motivational states
Ex. animals normally exhibit a circadian rhythm for feeding, exploring, etc.
Complementary process
-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
Applied ethology
-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
Welfare assessment
-behaviours indicative of good or bad welfare
Optimize productivity
-group housing
-feeding management
Behavioural disorders
-stereotypes
-pathological
-disorders
Behaviour control
-animal training
-virtual fencing
Nobel prize for organizes patterns in animals
-Karl von Frisch
-Konrad Lorenz
-Nikolaas Tinbergen
Tinbergen’s four questions (to explain an observed behaviour)
-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?
Development of animal behaviours
IN: DNA, learning, individual variability
OUT: docile, active, aggressive, territorial
Evolution of behaviour: (3 principles needed for a trait to be modified)
- Priciple of variation
- Priciple of genetic inheritance
- Principle of natural selection
principle of variation
-trait must vary between the individuals of a population
principle of genetic inheritance
-some of the variation in the population is of genetic origin
principle of natural selection
-some variants of the trait must cause variation in the individual’s fitness
Behavioural genetics
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)
Behaviour genetics, dull and brights mice
-dulls get worse at maze over generations
-brights get better at maze over generations
Genetic selection
-of desired behaviour or against undesired behaviour is an important means for improving animal welfare
Potential unsuccessful genetic selection
-indirect genetic control
-environmental factors
-individual variability
-associated production traits
Behaviour genetics + environment
-dulls and brights did better in enriched environment
>great improvement by dulls
Domestication
-behaviours have not appeared or disappeared due to domestication
>they have only been accentuated or masked through selection
Study of feral animals
-all our domestic species can be found surviving in the wild
Mechanisms regulating animal behaviour
- CNS
- Internal factors
- External factors
CNS
-interprets external changes and internal states of the body that serve as inputs to decision-making centre
internal factors
-Chemo- and mechanosensors
-Hormones
-Age, breed, gender
external factors
-Pheromones
-Biological clocks
-Surroundings
Pheromones
-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
Circadian rhythm: biological clocks
-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
Examples of biological clocks
-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
Surroundings
-predators
-threats
-peers
-terrain
-food characteristics
Body signals
-body state is maintained within a tolerable range
-when ranges are crossed, remedial action is taken
Hormones
-feeding: insulin, CCK,
-sexual: testosterone
-maternal: prolactin
-social: sexual hormones
Genetics and experience
-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
