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Author Wolter, R.; Pantel, N.; Stefanski, V.; Möstl, E.; Krueger, K.
Title The role of an alpha animal in changing environmental conditions Type Journal Article
Year 2014 Publication (down) Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.
Volume 133 Issue Pages 236-243
Keywords Alpha male; Horse; Equus ferus przewalskii; Bachelor group; Group structure
Abstract Abstract The maintenance and development of conservation areas by grazing of large herbivores, such as Przewalski's horses, is common practice. Several nature conservation areas house male bachelor groups of this species. When males are needed for breeding they are removed from the groups, often without considering group compositions and individual social positions. However, alpha animals are needed for ensuring group stability and decision making in potentially dangerous situations in several species. To investigate the role of the alpha male in a bachelor group, we observed the behaviour of five Przewalski's horse males during the enlargement of their enclosure. We analyzed the group's social structure and movement orders, as well as the animals' connectedness, activity budgets, and whether they moved with preferred group members and how factors such as social rank influenced the horses' behaviour. We also investigated the excretion of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) via faeces of the horses while exploring a new area as a parameter of glucocorticoid production. Our results show that the alpha male is important for a bachelor group in changing environmental conditions. The alpha male had the highest level of connectedness within the group. When exploring the new environment, its position in the group changed from previously being the last to being the first. Furthermore the whole group behaviour changed when exploring the new area. The stallions showed reduced resting behavior, increased feeding and did not stay close to each other. We found that the excretion of glucocorticoid metabolites of most horses rose only marginally during the first days on the new area while only the alpha male showed a significant increased amount of glucocorticoid production during the first day of the enclosure enlargement.
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ISSN 0031-9384 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5818
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Author Christensen, J.W.; Beekmans, M.; van Dalum, M.; VanDierendonck, M.
Title Effects of hyperflexion on acute stress responses in ridden dressage horses Type Journal Article
Year 2014 Publication (down) Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.
Volume 128 Issue Pages 39-45
Keywords Behaviour; Dressage; Horse; Hyperflexion; Rein tension; Stress
Abstract The effects of hyperflexion on the welfare of dressage horses have been debated. This study aimed to investigate acute stress responses of dressage horses ridden in three different Head-and-Neck-positions (HNPs). Fifteen dressage horses were ridden by their usual rider in a standardised 10-min dressage programme in either the competition frame (CF), hyperflexion (“Low-Deep-and-Round”; LDR) or a looser frame (LF) in a balanced order on three separate test days. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability parameters (HRV), behaviour and rein tension were recorded during the test. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured 60min before and 0, 5, 15 and 30min after the test. Rein tension was significantly lower in LF and did not differ between CF and LDR; however approx. 15% of recordings in CF and LDR were above the sensor detection limit of 5kg. The horses had significantly higher cortisol concentrations directly after LDR compared to LF. In addition, the horses showed more distinctive head movements, including head waving, during LDR. There were no significant treatment effects on HR and HRV. In conclusion, the results indicate that LDR may be more stressful to these horses during riding.
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ISSN 0031-9384 ISBN Medium
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6507
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Author Palme, R.
Title Non-invasive measurement of glucocorticoids: Advances and problems Type Journal Article
Year 2019 Publication (down) Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.
Volume 199 Issue Pages 229-243
Keywords Glucocorticoids; Non-invasive; Faecal cortisol/corticosterone metabolites; Immunoassays; Physiological/biological validation
Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs; i.e. cortisol/corticosterone) are a central component of the stress response and thus their measurement is frequently used to evaluate the impact of stressful situations. Their metabolites from faeces of various animal species are more and more taken as a non-invasive aid to assess GC release and thus adrenocortical activity. The current literature review includes an extensive collection (1327 papers) and evaluation (see also Supplementary Tables) of the literature on faecal cortisol/corticosterone metabolite (FCM) analysis published to date. It aims at giving reference for researchers interested in implementing FCM analysis into their study or seeking to improve such methods by providing background knowledge on GC metabolism and excretion, conveying insights into methodological issues and stating caveats of FCM analysis and by highlighting prerequisites for and some examples of a successful application of such methods. Collecting faecal samples and analysing FCMs may appear simple and straightforward, but researchers have to select and apply methods correctly. They also need to be aware of the many pitfalls and potentially confounding factors and, last but not least, have to carefully interpret results. Applied properly, measurement of FCMs is a powerful non-invasive tool in a variety of research areas, such as (stress) biology, ethology, ecology, animal conservation and welfare, but also biomedicine.
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Notes Palme2019_attachment.pdf Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6517
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Author Yarnell, K.; Hall, C.; Billett, E.
Title An assessment of the aversive nature of an animal management procedure (clipping) using behavioral and physiological measures Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication (down) Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.
Volume 118 Issue Pages 32-39
Keywords Thermography; Eye temperature; Cortisol; Horse; Welfare; Clipping
Abstract Animal management often involves procedures that, while unlikely to cause physical pain, still cause aversive responses. The domestic horse (Equus caballus) regularly has excessive hair clipped off to facilitate its use as a riding/driving animal and this procedure causes adverse behavioral responses in some animals. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and physiological measures to assess the aversive effect of this procedure. Ten horses were selected on the basis of being either compliant (C: n=5) or non-compliant (NC: n=5) during this procedure. The horses were subjected to a sham clipping procedure (SC: where the blades had been removed from the clippers) for a period of ten minutes. Measures were taken pre, during and post SC (-10min to +30min) and mean values calculated for ALL horses and for C and NC separately. Behavioral activity was scored (scale 1-5) by twenty students from video footage in (phase/group-blind scoring). Heart rate (HR), salivary cortisol and eye temperature were monitored throughout the procedure. The NC horses were found to be significantly more behaviorally active/less relaxed throughout the trial than C horses (p<0.05) with the greatest difference occurring during the SC procedure (p<0.01). NC horses were more active/less relaxed during, compared with pre or post SC (p<0.05), but showed no behavioral difference pre and post SC. HR of the NC horses was higher than that of the C horses throughout the trial but only significantly so after 10min of SC (p<0.01). ALL horses showed a significant increase in HR between +5 and +10min into the procedure (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in salivary cortisol concentration in ALL horses post procedure (p<0.01) with levels peaking at 20minute post SC. No significant differences in salivary cortisol concentration between C and NC were found at any stage of the trial. Eye temperature increased significantly in ALL horses during SC, peaking at +10min into the procedure (p<0.05) and then decreased substantially when SC had ceased (p<0.01). Although no significant differences were found between C and NC per se, there was a significant interaction between group and phase of trial (p<0.05) with the NC group showing a greater decrease in eye temperature post SC. There was a significant positive correlation between changes in salivary cortisol concentration and eye temperature (p<0.01) but no correlation between any of the other measures. Although the behavioral response of C and NC to this procedure was significantly different the physiological responses indicated that ALL horses found the procedure aversive. Eye temperature could be used as an objective and immediate measure of how an animal is responding to a specific situation in order to evaluate management procedures and adapt them where appropriate to reduce the negative impact on animal health and welfare.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6611
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Author Lucidi, P.; Bacco, G.; Sticco, M.; Mazzoleni, G.; Benvenuti, M.; Bernabò, N.; Trentini, R.
Title Assessment of motor laterality in foals and young horses (Equus caballus) through an analysis of derailment at trot Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication (down) Physiology & Behavior Abbreviated Journal Physiol. Behav.
Volume 109 Issue Pages 8-13
Keywords Horse; Laterality; Longeing; Sidedness
Abstract The conflicting results regarding the study of motor laterality in horses may indicate that there does not exist a proper method to assess the degree and the direction of motor bias in these animals. Unfortunately, even less is known about the development of laterality in horses, and to what extent early manipulations can still exert their effects in adulthood. We propose a new method that can be easily applied at a very early age thus avoiding testing adult horses eventually biased by human handling and/or training. Forty-six horses (29 nine-month-old foals and 17 two-year old horses) were handled since birth bilaterally and housed in groups in wide areas. At the time of the analysis, in order to minimize environmental and sensorial disturbances, each horse was tested in a round pen individually or as dyad mother-foal. The ability/inability to properly execute a circle at trot was then recorded, assuming the direction of derailment, i.e. the cutting of the circle, as an indicator of motor bias. From the results of the study it is arguable that motor laterality in horses is acquired over time: in fact foals tested while their mothers were being subjected to longeing showed a higher percentage of ambidextrous animals, while two-year-old horses appeared biased toward the right (p<0.05). Results are discussed in the light of the scientific knowledge about equine biomechanics, taking into account horses' locomotion that leads to the advancement of the body mass through the activation of a kinetic chain that originates from the hindquarters.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6666
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Author Thornton Alex; Lukas Dieter
Title Individual variation in cognitive performance: developmental and evolutionary perspectives Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication (down) Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
Volume 367 Issue 1603 Pages 2773-2783
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Publisher Royal Society Place of Publication Editor
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Notes doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0214 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6555
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Author Tebbich Sabine; Griffin Andrea S.; Peschl Markus F.; Sterelny Kim
Title From mechanisms to function: an integrated framework of animal innovation Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication (down) Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
Volume 371 Issue 1690 Pages 20150195
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Abstract Animal innovations range from the discovery of novel food types to the invention of completely novel behaviours. Innovations can give access to new opportunities, and thus enable innovating agents to invade and create novel niches. This in turn can pave the way for morphological adaptation and adaptive radiation. The mechanisms that make innovations possible are probably as diverse as the innovations themselves. So too are their evolutionary consequences. Perhaps because of this diversity, we lack a unifying framework that links mechanism to function. We propose a framework for animal innovation that describes the interactions between mechanism, fitness benefit and evolutionary significance, and which suggests an expanded range of experimental approaches. In doing so, we split innovation into factors (components and phases) that can be manipulated systematically, and which can be investigated both experimentally and with correlational studies. We apply this framework to a selection of cases, showing how it helps us ask more precise questions and design more revealing experiments.
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Notes doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0195 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6557
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Author Mann Janet; Patterson Eric M.
Title Tool use by aquatic animals Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication (down) Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Phil. Trans. Biol. Sci.
Volume 368 Issue 1630 Pages 20120424
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Notes doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0424 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6579
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Author Van Schaik, C.P.; Burkart, J.M.
Title Social learning and evolution: the cultural intelligence hypothesis Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication (down) Philos Trans R Soc B Abbreviated Journal
Volume 366 Issue Pages
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Van Schaik2011 Serial 6227
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Author Emery, N.J.; Clayton, N.S.; Frith, C.D.
Title Introduction. Social intelligence: from brain to culture Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication (down) Philos Trans R Soc B Abbreviated Journal Philos Trans R Soc B
Volume 362 Issue Pages
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Emery2007 Serial 6302
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