Socio-ecology and Behaviour Flashcards
What is socio-ecology?
The adaptive significance of the diversity of equus social behaviour within an ecological context
When was the horse domesticated?
4000 BC
In order for domestication to be successful, animal must be:
- a generalist
- high potential for reproduction and simple courtship patterns
- social animals that understand hierarchies
- relatively non-territorial
Prerequisites for domestication include:
- can handle captivity
- don’t want to fight for territory
- adaptive in terms of food source
Domesticating the horse restricted the horses freedom to:
- roam
- select their own food
- select shelter
- select mates and social companions
- deal with us and predators
What are some natural behaviours of the equus?
- flehmen response to detect hormones
- clear signals of anger/aggression (ear pinning and tail swishing)
- wither biting (mutual calming effect)
Home range (km^2)
10-25
Group size
7
Group dynamics
stable
mobility
migratory
mating system
harem
territorial
no
social group
stable harem groups
Dispersal
- sub-adult males leave to join bachelor groups
- sub-adult females join new harems
What parts of the environment could effect horses ability to obtain food/water?
- hierarchy
- poorly designed farms in wet area
- addition of mechanistic practices
- height, size, structure of horse
- too many horses in small area
- season
What make up a horses social behaviour?
Social Organization
- contributes to group stability
Dominance Relationships
- important when training horses = our dominance bond with them
- in the wild, helps control space and avoid conflict
Communication
- visual: body language
- vocal: long distance/deter or make contact
- odor: pheromones
What would be considered maintenance behaviour?
- foraging/grazing
- 14-18 hours/day
- best for GI health and mental well being - grooming
- rolling, rubbing, scratching, licking, nibbling - sleeping
- ~2 hours/day recumbent
- ~5 hours/day standing (stay apparatus)
When do dominance relationships occur?
- Linear hierarchy between females and males
- shared inherited dominance between females
- mare-foal = not just about inhibition and encouragement of good nutrition but also a teaching component
–> leadership and herding
Internal factors controlling feeding behaviour include
- metabolic control
- genetics
- learned aspects
- nutritional wisdom
Explain metabolic control of feeding behaviour
- long term, between meals and within meal control of feeding
- defence of body weight/condition –> secreted based on total amount of adipose tissue and amount of lean tissue
- temperature regulation
- gut fill (chemo and mechanoreceptors sending signals to the brain)
- digestive hormones (insulin = full & glucagon = hungry)
- blood glucose
Explain insulins response to a starch meal
starch digestion –> high glucose –> insulin response –> uptake of glucose by peripheral tissue
Explain the reasoning behind genetics and feeding behaviour
- feed intake
- diet choice
- appetitive and consummatory behaviour
- non-productive behaviours
Explain the reasoning behind learned aspects and feeding behaviour
Mothers and others in herd:
- diet choice
- foraging techniques
- taste aversion learning
- operation of feeders and feeding systems
Explain the reasoning behind nutritional wisdom and feeding behaviour
Homeostatic mechanisms to stimulate consumption of specific essential nutrients (PIKA appetite)
- salt appetite
- aversion to certain plants due to smell/appearance (e.g. high tannin content)
- mineral deficiencies
What are some external factors that control feeding behaviours?
Taste/sight/smell of food
- palatability, quality, flavouring agents
- addition of a palatant can override internal cues
Selective grazing
- horses will eat a pasture to the ground while avoiding certain plants
Social
- social facilitation
- social inhibition
- -> feeding areas & social effect
- feed trough space
- # of feeding spaces
- dividers between areas
- individual feeding systems
What is appetitive behaviour?
- Foraging is a behavioural pattern that increases the likelihood of finding food (innate; programmed into brain)
- behavioural problems (stereotypes) can be related to feeing
increase foraging opportunities = decrease in behaviour problems
What must be considered regarding a feeding management program?
Social ecology, social behaviours and feeding behaviours should be considered when attempting to improve an overall feeding management program
What happens when we misinterpret what an animal needs?
- too much DM = increased fermentation = enlarged cecum/colon = hay belly
- unnecessary grain –> crusty neck and fat deposits throughout body
- abnormal behaviours (wood chewing, cribbing)
Why is social organization within herds important regarding social behaviour?
contributes to group stability, and determines which individuals are dominant over others
True or false: calorie density is a learned aspect affecting feeding behaviours
False - it’s a genetic component
increasing foraging opportunities will result in the decrease of ? such as ? and ?
- behaviour problems
- wood chewing
- cribbing
