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Author Nuñez, C.M.V.; Adelman, J.S.; Mason, C.; Rubenstein, D.I.
Title Immunocontraception decreases group fidelity in a feral horse population during the non-breeding season Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 117 Issue 1-2 Pages 74-83
Keywords Equus caballus; Horse; Harem; Stability; Immunocontraception; Porcine zona pellucidae (PZP); Behavior
Abstract The behavioral effects of the immunocontraceptive agent porcine zona pellucida (PZP) have not been adequately studied. Important managerial decisions for several species, including the wild horse (Equus caballus), have been based on this limited research. We studied 30 horses on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, USA to determine the effects of PZP contraception on female fidelity to the harem male. We examined two classes of females: contracepts, recipients of the PZP vaccine (n = 22); and controls, females that have never received PZP (n = 8). We conducted the study during the non-breeding season from December 2005 to February 2006, totaling 102.2 h of observation. Contracepted mares changed groups more often than control mares (P = 0.04). Contracepts also visited more harem groups than did control mares (P = 0.02) and exhibited more reproductive interest (P = 0.05). For both contracepted and control females, the number of group changes (P = 0.01) and number of groups visited (P = 0.003) decreased with the proportion of years mares were pregnant. Our study shows that the application of PZP has significant consequences for the social behavior of Shackleford Banks horses. In gregarious species such as the horse, PZP application may disrupt social ties among individuals and inhibit normal social functioning at the population level.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5095
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Author von Borstel, U.U.; Duncan, I.J.H.; Shoveller, A.K.; Merkies, K.; Keeling, L.J.; Millman, S.T.
Title Impact of riding in a coercively obtained Rollkur posture on welfare and fear of performance horses Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 116 Issue 2-4 Pages 228-236
Keywords Horse; Coercive riding; Welfare; Rollkur; Fear; Training
Abstract Rollkur, the usually coercively obtained hyperflexion of the horse's neck, is employed as a training method by some dressage riders; however, its use is controversial as it may cause discomfort and adversely affect the horse's welfare. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) if horses showed differences in stress, discomfort and fear responses as measured by heart rate and behaviour when ridden in Rollkur (R) obtained by pressure on the reins compared to regular poll flexion (i.e. with the nose-line being at or just in front of the vertical; N), and (2) if they showed a preference between the two riding styles when given the choice. Fifteen riding horses were ridden 30 times through a Y-maze randomly alternating between sides. Riding through one arm of the Y-maze was always followed by a short round ridden in R, whereas riding through the other arm was followed by a short round ridden in N. Immediately after the conditioning phase, horses were again repeatedly ridden into the maze; however, riders left it to the horse to decide which arm of the maze to enter. During R, horses moved slower and showed more often behavioural signs of discomfort, such as tail-swishing, head-tossing or attempted bucks (P < 0.05), and 14 of the 15 horses chose significantly (P < 0.05) more often the maze-arm associated with N rather than R. Subsequently, eight of the horses were also subjected to two fear tests following a short ride in N as well as a ride in R. During R, horses tended to react stronger (P = 0.092) to the fear stimuli and to take longer (P = 0.087) to approach them. These findings indicate that a coercively obtained Rollkur position may be uncomfortable for horses and that it makes them more fearful and therefore potentially more dangerous to ride. Further studies need to assess horses' reaction to gradual training of Rollkur, as opposed to a coercively obtained hyperflexion, in order to decide whether the practice should be banned.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5096
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Author Kay, R.; Hall, C.
Title The use of a mirror reduces isolation stress in horses being transported by trailer Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 116 Issue 2-4 Pages 237-243
Keywords Horse; Isolation; Transport; Trailer; Mirror; Stress
Abstract Horse trailers are a common form of transportation for horses and ponies and often require the animal to travel alone or with a single companion. The current study investigated the effect of transporting horses alone, in company or with an acrylic safety mirror (measuring 81cm61.5cm) that provided surrogate companionship. The behavioural and physiological responses of 12 mature horses during a 30-min journey by trailer under the three treatments were compared. Behaviours (vocalisation, eating, head-tossing, pawing, and head-turning) were recorded. In order to assess circulatory changes that occur as part of the response to transport, heart rate (HR), rectal (Tr) and ear-pinna (Tp) temperatures were recorded. When travelling with a live companion significantly less time was spent vocalising (p<0.001), head-turning (p<0.001), head-tossing (p<0.01) and pawing (p<0.01); eating behaviour increased (p<0.05). Physiological responses (increases in HR and Tr and decreases in Tp) were also significantly reduced when travelling with a live companion (p<0.01). Travelling with the mirror did not significantly affect physiological responses compared with travelling alone, but the rise in Tr and fall in Tp was reduced (p=0.052 and p=0.051, respectively) and can be considered a trend. When travelling with a mirror significantly less time was spent turning the head (p<0.01), vocalising (p<0.05) and head-tossing (p<0.05); eating behaviour increased (p<0.05). The only significant difference between travelling with a live companion and a mirror was that the time spent turning the head round was less with a live companion (p<0.05). The provision of surrogate companionship in the form of a mirror was found to be preferable to travel alone, but where possible a live companion is recommended. Isolation during transportation was found to suppress feeding behaviour. Although peripheral blood flow (Tp) has been used to assess transport stress in other species it has not previously been used in the horse. Further evaluation of this non-invasive measure is now required.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5097
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Author Zharkikh, T.L.; Andersen, L.
Title Behaviour of Bachelor Males of the Przewalski Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) at the Reserve Askania Nova Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Der Zoologische Garten Abbreviated Journal Zoologische Garten
Volume 78 Issue 5-6 Pages 282-299
Keywords Equid; Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii); Bachelor group; Social behaviour
Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate social relationships between Przewalski horses at a high density in a bachelor group housed in a 3.5-ha enclosure. The group consisted of 16 males aged 5 to 16. Behavioural data were collected during 18 days, total 216 h. Fifteen minute focal animal sampling was used; each horse was observed three times a day for a total of 45 min. The occurrence of 25 behaviours was recorded, and group spacing behaviour was studied using nearest neighbour recordings. The group divided into four subgroups; this supports earlier findings of bachelor groups (n>=10) dividing into two or more subgroups if they included several males aged >5 years. The total frequency of social interactions was 14.6±1.1 h-1. Although the density of the group in this study was higher than in other zoos, the males interacted agonistically only 3.6 h-1. The most frequently observed social behaviour categories were friendly interactions. This study shows possibilities to use some investigative behaviours (marking, flehmen, olfactory investigation, etc.) as indicators of social status of animals in a group.
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ISSN 0044-5169 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5098
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Author Lusseau, D.; Conradt, L.
Title The emergence of unshared consensus decisions in bottlenose dolphins Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Abbreviated Journal Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol.
Volume 63 Issue 7 Pages 1067-1077
Keywords Behavioral ecology – Decision-making process – Bottlenose dolphin – Group living
Abstract Abstract  Unshared consensus decision-making processes, in which one or a small number of individuals make the decision for the rest of a group, are rarely documented. However, this mechanism can be beneficial for all group members when one individual has greater knowledge about the benefits of the decision than other group members. Such decisions are reached during certain activity shifts within the population of bottlenose dolphins residing in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Behavioral signals are performed by one individual and seem to precipitate shifts in the behavior of the entire group: males perform side flops and initiate traveling bouts while females perform upside-down lobtails and terminate traveling bouts. However, these signals are not observed at all activity shifts. We find that, while side flops were performed by males that have greater knowledge than other male group members, this was not the case for females performing upside-down lobtails. The reason for this could have been that a generally high knowledge about the optimal timing of travel terminations rendered it less important which individual female made the decision.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5109
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Author Dyer, J.R.G.; Johansson, A.; Helbing, D.; Couzin, I.D.; Krause, J.
Title Leadership, consensus decision making and collective behaviour in humans Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Phil. Trans. Biol. Sci.
Volume 364 Issue 1518 Pages 781-789
Keywords * leadership * consensus decision making * collective behaviour * human group
Abstract This paper reviews the literature on leadership in vertebrate groups, including recent work on human groups, before presenting the results of three new experiments looking at leadership and decision making in small and large human groups. In experiment 1, we find that both group size and the presence of uninformed individuals can affect the speed with which small human groups (eight people) decide between two opposing directional preferences and the likelihood of the group splitting. In experiment 2, we show that the spatial positioning of informed individuals within small human groups (10 people) can affect the speed and accuracy of group motion. We find that having a mixture of leaders positioned in the centre and on the edge of a group increases the speed and accuracy with which the group reaches their target. In experiment 3, we use large human crowds (100 and 200 people) to demonstrate that the trends observed from earlier work using small human groups can be applied to larger crowds. We find that only a small minority of informed individuals is needed to guide a large uninformed group. These studies build upon important theoretical and empirical work on leadership and decision making in animal groups.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5122
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Author Conradt, L.; Krause, J.; Couzin, I. D.; Roper, T. J.
Title “Leading According to Need” in Self-Organizing Groups Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication The American Naturalist Abbreviated Journal Am Nat
Volume 173 Issue 3 Pages 304-312
Keywords behavioral synchrony, collective group decisions, democracy and egalitarianism in animals, public goods experiments, sexual segregation, social choice theory
Abstract Self&#8208;organizing&#8208;system approaches have shed significant light on the mechanisms underlying synchronized movements by large groups of animals, such as shoals of fish, flocks of birds, or herds of ungulates. However, these approaches rarely consider conflicts of interest between group members, although there is reason to suppose that such conflicts are commonplace. Here, we demonstrate that, where conflicts exist, individual members of self&#8208;organizing groups can, in principle, increase their influence on group movement destination by strategically changing simple behavioral parameters (namely, movement speed, assertiveness, and social attraction range). However, they do so at the expense of an increased risk of group fragmentation and a decrease in movement efficiency. We argue that the resulting trade&#8208;offs faced by each group member render it likely that group movements are led by those members for which reaching a particular destination is most crucial or group cohesion is least important. We term this phenomenon leading according to “need” or “social indifference,” respectively. Both kinds of leading can occur in the absence of knowledge of or communication about the needs of other group members and without the assumption of altruistic cooperation. We discuss our findings in the light of observations on fish and other vertebrates.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5121
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Author Cameron, E.Z.; Setsaas, T.H.; Linklater, W.L.
Title Social bonds between unrelated females increase reproductive success in feral horses Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Abbreviated Journal Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
Volume 106 Issue 33 Pages 13850-13853
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Abstract In many mammals, females form close social bonds with members of their group, usually between kin. Studies of social bonds and their fitness benefits have not been investigated outside primates, and are confounded by the relatedness between individuals in primate groups. Bonds may arise from kin selection and inclusive fitness rather than through direct benefits of association. However, female equids live in long-term social groups with unrelated members. We present 4 years of behavioral data, which demonstrate that social integration between unrelated females increases both foal birth rates and survival, independent of maternal habitat quality, social group type, dominance status, and age. Also, we show that such social integration reduces harassment by males. Consequently, social integration has strong direct fitness consequences between nonrelatives, suggesting that social bonds can evolve based on these direct benefits alone. Our results support recent studies highlighting the importance of direct benefits in maintaining cooperative behavior, while controlling for the confounding influence of kinship.
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Notes 10.1073/pnas.0900639106 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5152
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Author Mitani, J.C.
Title Male chimpanzees form enduring and equitable social bonds Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 77 Issue 3 Pages 633-640
Keywords chimpanzee; Pan troglodytes; social behaviour; social relationship
Abstract Controversy exists regarding the nature of primate social relationships. While individual primates are frequently hypothesized to form enduring social bonds with conspecifics, recent studies suggest that relationships are labile, with animals interacting only over short periods to satisfy their immediate needs. Here I use data collected over 10 years on a community of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, to investigate whether male chimpanzees establish long-term social relationships and to determine the factors that affect variation in relationship quality and the stability of social bonds. Kinship and dominance rank influenced the quality of relationships. Maternal brothers and males of the same dominance rank class groomed each other more equitably than did unrelated males and males that were dissimilar in rank. In addition, males that formed strong social bonds groomed more equitably than did males that displayed weaker bonds. Social bonds were stable over time, with relationships in one year predicting those in subsequent years. Kinship and the quality of social relationships affected bond stability. Maternal half siblings and males that groomed each other equitably maintained longer-lasting bonds than did nonkin and males that groomed each other unevenly. Virtually all of the males established at least one enduring relationship with another individual. The most enduring bonds formed between a few pairs of maternal brothers and dyads that maintained balanced grooming interactions. These results indicate that male chimpanzees maintain long-lasting and equitable social bonds whose formation is affected by maternal kinship and the quality of social relationships.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5164
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Author Kurvers, R.H.J.M.; Eijkelenkamp, B.; van Oers, K.; van Lith, B.; van Wieren, S.E.; Ydenberg, R.C.; Prins, H.H.T.
Title Personality differences explain leadership in barnacle geese Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 78 Issue 2 Pages 447-453
Keywords barnacle goose; boldness; Branta leucopsis; group behaviour; leadership; personality
Abstract Personality in animal behaviour describes the observation that behavioural differences between individuals are consistent over time and context. Studies of group-living animals show that movement order among individuals is also consistent over time and context, suggesting that some individuals lead and others follow. However, the relationship between leadership and personality traits is poorly studied. We measured several personality traits and leadership of individual barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis. We measured body size and scored the dominance of individuals living in a stable group situation before subjecting them to an open-field test, an activity test, a novel-object test, and a leadership test in which the order of the movement of individuals in pairs towards a feeding patch was scored. We found high repeatability for activity and novel-object scores over time. Leadership was strongly correlated with novel-object score but not with dominance rank, activity or exploration in an open field. These results provide evidence that leadership is closely related to some aspects of personality. Interestingly, an individual's arrival at the food patch was affected not only by the novel-object score of the focal individual, but also by the novel-object score of the companion individual, indicating that movement patterns of individuals living in groups are affected by the personality traits of other group members and suggesting that movement patterns of a group may be shaped by the mix of personality types present in the group.
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ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5172
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