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Author Albright, J.; Sun, X.; Houpt, K.
Title (up) Does cribbing behavior in horses vary with dietary taste or direct gastric stimuli? Type Journal Article
Year Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl Anim Behav Sci
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords Horse; Stereotypy; Cribbing; Diet
Abstract Abstract Concentrated feed diets have been shown to drastically increase the rate of the cribbing, an oral stereotypy in horses, but the specific component causing the rise has not been identified. Furthermore, the mechanism through which feed affects cribbing has not been explored. In the first experiment of this study, we quantified the latency to crib and number of cribs in 15 min after the horses tasted various grain, sugar, and artificial sweetener solutions. Undiluted grain stimulated the most cribs (P < 0.01) compared with all other solutions, and shortest latency to crib, although this was significantly higher only when compared with diluted grain (P = 0.03). In Experiment 2, latency to crib and number of cribs in 15 min after the grain and sugar solutions were administered via nasograstric tube were also evaluated. There were no statistical differences among cribbing responses to grain, fructose, and water administered directly to the stomach although grain stimulated cribbing behavior more quickly than 10% fructose (P = 0.03) and 100% tap water (P = 0.04). These results confirm that highly palatable diets, possibly mediated through the opioid and dopaminergic systems, are one of the most potent inducers of cribbing behavior. The highly palatable taste remains the probable “cribogenic” factor of concentrated diet, although gastric and post-gastric effects cannot be excluded.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6123
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Author Christensen, J.W.; Ahrendt, L.P.; Lintrup, R.; Gaillard, C.; Palme, R.; Malmkvist, J.
Title (up) Does learning performance in horses relate to fearfulness, baseline stress hormone, and social rank? Type Abstract
Year 2012 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal App Anim Behav Sci
Volume 140 Issue 1 Pages 44-52
Keywords Horse; Learning; Fearfulness; Stress; Reinforcement; Social rank
Abstract The ability of horses to learn and remember new tasks is fundamentally important for their use by humans. Fearfulness may, however, interfere with learning, because stimuli in the environment can overshadow signals from the rider or handler. In addition, prolonged high levels of stress hormones can affect neurons within the hippocampus; a brain region central to learning and memory. In a series of experiments, we aimed to investigate the link between performance in two learning tests, the baseline level of stress hormones, measured as faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM), fearfulness, and social rank. Twenty-five geldings (2 or 3 years old) pastured in one group were included in the study. The learning tests were performed by professional trainers and included a number of predefined stages during which the horses were gradually trained to perform exercises, using either negative (NR) or positive reinforcement (PR). Each of the learning tests lasted 3 days; 7min/horse/day. The NR test was repeated in a novel environment. Performance, measured as final stage in the training programme, and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Faeces were collected on four separate days where the horses had been undisturbed at pasture for 48h. Social rank was determined through observations of social interactions during feeding. The fear test was a novel object test during which behaviour and HR were recorded. Performance in the NR and PR learning tests did not correlate. In the NR test, there was a significant, negative correlation between performance and HR in the novel environment (rS=-0.66, P<0.001, i.e. nervous horses had reduced performance), whereas there was no such correlation in the home environment (both NR and PR). Behavioural reactions in the fear test correlated significantly with performance in the NR test in the novel environment (e.g. object alertness and final stage: rS=-0.43, P=0.04), suggesting that performance under unfamiliar, stressful conditions may be predicted by behavioural responses in a fear test. There was a negative correlation between social rank and baseline stress hormones (rS=-0.43, P=0.04), i.e. high rank corresponded to low FCM concentrations, whereas neither rank nor FCM correlated with fearfulness or learning performance. We conclude that performance under stressful conditions is affected by activation of the sympathetic nervous system during training and related to behavioural responses in a standardised fear test. Learning performance in the home environment, however, appears unrelated to fearfulness, social rank and baseline FCM levels.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ S0168-1591(12)00168-2 Serial 5769
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Author Edouard, N.; Fleurance, G.; Dumont, B.; Baumont, R.; Duncan, P.
Title (up) Does sward height affect feeding patch choice and voluntary intake in horses? Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 119 Issue 3-4 Pages 219-228
Keywords Patch selection; Intake; Sward height; Horse; Pasture
Abstract The numbers of horses grazing at pasture are increasing in developed countries, so a proper understanding of their feeding selectivity and of the tactics they use for extracting nutrients from swards is essential for the management of horses and grasslands. Resource acquisition in herbivores can be optimised through the modulation of their intake and patch selection, both being strongly dependent on the characteristics of swards. However, the principles by which horses adjust their grazing behaviour in response to variations in sward features are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether the behaviour of horses conforms to optimal foraging models. We hypothesized that, faced with binary choices between vegetative swards of a good and similar quality at three different heights, horses would select the taller sward, i.e. that allowing a higher reward in terms of dry matter intake rate. Three groups of three 2-year-old saddle horses were grazed on a semi-natural pasture that was managed to produce three contrasting sward heights at 6, 11 and 17 cm, in a Latin-square design. The instantaneous intake rate was determined from bite rate measured at pasture on the three sward heights, and bite mass estimated from measurements using swards offered indoors in experimental trays. Daily dry matter intake was estimated individually by total faecal collection and an estimation of digestibility from faecal nitrogen. Short-term (first 30 min) and daily preferences were assessed from the time spent grazing each sward offered in pair-wise tests at pasture. The results show that daily voluntary intake (an average of 21 g DM kg LW-1 day-1) and total grazing time (an average of 14 h day-1) were independent of sward height and of the choice of patches offered. In choice situations, the animals spent more time grazing on the taller sward, both during the first 30 min and at the daily scale. These results show that horses choose between vegetative patches of a good and similar quality according to the predictions from optimal foraging models, and select the one that they can ingest faster. Further research will now have to explore how the horses will adapt their feeding behaviour when they face a trade-off between sward height and quality.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5094
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Author Kaminski, J.; Riedel, J.; Call, J.; Tomasello, M.
Title (up) Domestic goats, Capra hircus, follow gaze direction and use social cues in an object choice task Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 69 Issue 1 Pages 11-18
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Abstract Gaze following is a basic social cognitive skill with many potential benefits for animals that live in social groups. At least five primate species are known to follow the gaze of conspecifics, but there have been no studies on gaze following in other mammals. We investigated whether domestic goats can use the gaze direction of a conspecific as a cue to find food. They were able to do this, at a level comparable to that of primates. In a second experiment, we tested goats' ability to use gaze and other communicative cues given by a human in a so-called object choice situation. An experimenter hid food out of sight of the subject under one of two cups. After baiting the cup the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by using different cues. The goats used communicative cues (touching and pointing) but not gaze by itself. Since domestic dogs are very skilled in this task, whereas wolves are not, one hypothesis is that the use of communicative cues in the object choice task is a side-effect of domestication.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 542
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Author Drummond, H.; Canales, C.
Title (up) Dominance between booby nestlings involves winner and loser effects Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 55 Issue 6 Pages 1669-1676
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Abstract Two-chick broods of the blue-footed booby,Sula nebouxii, ordinarily exhibit stable dominance-subordinance, with the senior (first-hatched) chick habitually aggressive and the junior one habitually submissive (Nelson 1978,The Sulidae: Gannets and Boobies. London: Oxford University Press). But are both the subordinate and the dominant chick affected in their agonistic tendencies by early social experience? To answer this, we permanently paired subordinate and dominant chicks, 2-3 weeks old, with singletons (chicks lacking experience with a nestmate) by cross-fostering. During the first 4 h after pairing, subordinate chicks were seven times less aggressive than singletons and twice as likely to be submissive; dominant chicks were six times as aggressive as singletons. Although most subordinates consistently lost agonistic encounters during the first 10 days after pairing, the proportion of dominants that won decreased progressively until, by day 6, only about half of dominant chicks were winning. Early social experience has a strong but reversable training effect on both subordinates and dominants. Training as a subordinate showed more persistent effects than training as a dominant, possibly in part because our testing situation perpetuated subordinate training and counteracted dominant training.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 861
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Author Giles, S.L.; Nicol, C.J.; Harris, P.A.; Rands, S.A.
Title (up) Dominance rank is associated with body condition in outdoor-living domestic horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords Equine; fatness; obesity; social behaviour; displacement
Abstract Abstract The aim of our study was to explore the association between dominance rank and body condition in outdoor group-living domestic horses, Equus caballus. Social interactions were recorded using a video camera during a feeding test, applied to 203 horses in 42 herds. Dominance rank was assigned to 194 individuals. The outcome variable body condition score (BCS) was recorded using a 9-point scale. The variables age and height were recorded and considered as potential confounders or effect modifiers. Results were analysed using multivariable linear and logistic regression techniques, controlling for herd group as a random effect. More dominant (p = 0.001) individuals generally had a higher body condition score (p = 0.001) and this association was entirely independent of age and height. In addition, a greater proportion of dominant individuals fell into the obese category (BCS >= 7/9, p = 0.005). There were more displacement encounters and a greater level of interactivity in herds that had less variation in age and height, lending strength to the hypothesis that phenotypic variation may aid cohesion in group-living species. In addition there was a strong quadratic relationship between age and dominance rank (p < 0.001), where middle-aged individuals were most likely to be dominant. These results are the first to link behavioural predictors to body condition and obesity status in horses and should prompt the future consideration of behavioural and social factors when evaluating clinical disease risk in group-living animals.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Giles2015 Serial 5864
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Author Araba, B.D.; Crowell-Davis, S.L.
Title (up) Dominance relationships and aggression of foals (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
Year 1994 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 41 Issue 1-2 Pages 1-25
Keywords aggression; dominance; horse; Equus caballus
Abstract Studied a herd of 15 Belgian brood-mares and 10 foals. Specific aspects of social structure studied were dominance-subordinance relationships, preferred associates, social spacing, aggression rates, the frequency of aggressions administered down the dominance hierarchy, and interactive play bouts. The rank order of the foals, both before and after weaning, was positively correlated with the rank order of their dams. There was also a significant relationship between a foal's rank and its total aggression or aggression rate per subordinate post-weaning. Higher ranking foals had higher rates of aggression. Over 80% of threats were directed down the dominance hierachy. The play-rank order of the foals, scored by the number of times foal left a play bout, was not significantly correlated with the rank order as scored by agonistic interactions. -from Authors
Address Dept Anatomy and Radiology, Univ of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 790
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Author Rutberg, A.T.; Greenberg, S.A.
Title (up) Dominance, aggression frequencies and modes of aggressive competition in feral pony mares Type Journal Article
Year 1990 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 322-331
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Abstract Feral pony mares, Equus caballus, at Assateague Island, Maryland, formed linear dominance hierarchies within bands. Generally, older mares dominated younger mares, and larger mares dominated smaller mares. Large mares initiated aggression more often than small mares when age was controlled for but, surprisingly, older mares initiated aggression less often than younger mares when size was controlled for. Thus, mares peak in aggressiveness fairly soon after achieving full size and then, while maintaining or improving their rank in the domainance hierarchy, progressively reduce their involvement in aggression as they grow older, Involvement in aggression per mare increased as number of mares in the group increased; this effect was independent of nearest-mare distances. Frequency of involvement in aggression did not differ between mares that had changed bands within the year and mares whose band association had continued for a year or more. Aggression was directed more frequently than expected at subordinate mares who were nursing, and also occurred more frequently than expected at water holes. The proportion of aggressive encounters during grazing closely matched the total proportion of time spent grazing. Subordinate mares with foals received aggression more often than subordinate mares without foals. The high frequency of aggression associated with foals and nursing suggests that interference with reproduction of subordiantes is an important mode of competition between mares. Such interference may be common in animals that feed on dispersed resources and live in small, cohesive groups.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 755
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Author Mulder, R.A.; Langmore, N.E.
Title (up) Dominant males punish helpers for temporary defection in superb fairy-wrens Type Journal Article
Year 1993 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 45 Issue Pages 830-833
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Notes 10.1006/anbe.1993.1100 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4922
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Author Patris, B.; Perrier, G.; Schaal, B.; Coureaud, G.
Title (up) Early development of filial preferences in the rabbit: implications of nursing- and pheromone-induced odour learning? Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 305-314
Keywords learning; mammary pheromone; mother-young relationship; Oryctolagus cuniculus; rabbit; recognition
Abstract Newborn rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, discriminate between different categories of adult conspecifics on the basis of their abdominal odour cues. Whether these cues can support the development of filial preferences has not been adequately tested. Using a two-choice paradigm, we assessed the ability of 3-8-day-old pups to orient selectively to the mother versus an unfamiliar female, either spontaneously or after odour conditioning. In experiment 1, nonconditioned pups roamed indifferently over the mother and an unfamiliar female. In experiment 2, pups conditioned to a neutral odorant while nursing or with the mammary pheromone became attracted by the odorant. In experiment 3, pups that had learned the odorant while nursing oriented for longer to any female carrying it, but the unscented mother and a scented unfamiliar female were equally attractive. Finally, in experiment 4, pups that had learned the odorant paired with the mammary pheromone showed a preference for their scented mother, but not systematically for a scented unfamiliar female; furthermore, they were equally attracted by the unscented mother and a scented unfamiliar female. In sum, pups did not spontaneously evince an olfactory preference for the mother when opposed to an unfamiliar female, although they seemed able to detect individual maternal odours. In fact, they appeared to react to both species-specific cues and individual cues that they had learned, and their responses depended on their degree of familiarity with the cues and on the context. The mammary pheromone by itself might act as both a releasing and a reinforcing signal in these early socially oriented behaviours.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4646
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