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Author |
van Heel, M.C.V.; Kroekenstoel, A.M.; van Dierendonck, M.C.; van Weeren, P.R.; Back, W. |
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Title |
Uneven feet in a foal may develop as a consequence of lateral grazing behaviour induced by conformational traits |
Type |
Journal Article |
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Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Equine veterinary journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
Equine. Vet. J. |
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Volume |
38 |
Issue |
7 |
Pages |
646-651 |
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Keywords |
Aging/*physiology; Animals; Animals, Newborn/anatomy & histology/growth & development/physiology; Feeding Behavior/*physiology; Female; Forelimb/*anatomy & histology/*physiology; *Horses/anatomy & histology/growth & development/physiology; Male |
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REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Conformational traits are important in breeding, since they may be indicative for performance ability and susceptibility to injuries. OBJECTIVES: To study whether certain desired conformational traits of foals are related to lateralised behaviour while foraging and to the development of uneven feet. METHODS: Twenty-four Warmblood foals, born and raised at the same location, were studied for a year. Foraging behaviour was observed by means of weekly 10 min scan-sampling for 8 h. A preference test (PT) was developed to serve as a standardised tool to determine laterality. The foals were evaluated at age 3, 15, 27 and 55 weeks. The PT and distal limb conformation were used to study the relation between overall body conformation, laterality and the development of uneven feet. Pressure measurements were used to determine the loading patterns under the feet. RESULTS: About 50% of the foals developed a significant preference to protract the same limb systematically while grazing, which resulted in uneven feet and subsequently uneven loading patterns. Foals with relatively long limbs and small heads were predisposed to develop laterality and, consequently unevenness. CONCLUSIONS: Conformational traits may stimulate the development of laterality and therefore indirectly cause uneven feet. |
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Derona Equine Performance Laboratory, Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 12, NL-3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands |
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0425-1644 |
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PMID:17228580 |
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1774 |
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Husted, L.; Andersen, M.S.; Borggaard, O.K.; Houe, H.; Olsen, S.N. |
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Title |
Risk factors for faecal sand excretion in Icelandic horses |
Type |
Journal Article |
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Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Equine Veterinary Journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
Equine Vet J |
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Volume |
37 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
351-355 |
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Keywords |
Animal Feed; Animal Husbandry/methods; Animals; Denmark; Feces/*chemistry; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control/veterinary; Horse Diseases/epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control; Horses/*metabolism; Logistic Models; Male; Pilot Projects; *Poaceae/growth & development; Risk Factors; Silicon Dioxide/administration & dosage/adverse effects/*analysis; Soil/*analysis |
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Abstract |
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Sandy soil is often mentioned as a risk factor in the development of sand-related gastrointestinal disease (SGID) in the horse. There are other variables, but few studies confirm any of these. OBJECTIVE: To investigate soil type, pasture quality, feeding practice in the paddock, age, sex and body condition score as risk factors for sand intake in the horse. METHODS: Faeces were collected from 211 Icelandic horses on 19 different studs in Denmark together with soil samples and other potential risk factors. Sand content in faeces determined by a sand sedimentation test was interpreted as evidence of sand intake. Soil types were identified by soil analysis and significance of the data was tested using logistic analysis. RESULTS: Of horses included in the study, 56.4% showed sand in the faeces and 5.7% had more than 5 mm sand as quantified by the rectal sleeve sedimentation test. Soil type had no significant effect when tested as main effect, but there was interaction between soil type and pasture quality. Significant interactions were also found between paddock feeding practice and pasture quality. CONCLUSION: To evaluate the risk of sand intake it is important to consider 3 variables: soil type, pasture quality and feeding practice. Pasture quality was identified as a risk factor of both short and long grass in combination with sandy soil, while clay soil had the lowest risk in these combinations. Feeding practice in the paddock revealed feeding directly on the ground to be a risk factor when there was short (1-5 cm) or no grass. Also, no feeding outdoors increased the risk on pastures with short grass, while this had no effect in paddocks with no grass. More than 50% of all horses investigated in this study had sand in the faeces. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The identification of risk factors is an important step towards prevention of SGID. Further research is necessary to determine why some horses exhibit more than 5 mm sand in the sedimentation test and whether this is correlated with geophagic behaviour. |
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Department of Large Animal Sciences, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlaegevej 88, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark |
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0425-1644 |
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PMID:16028626 |
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Serial |
1888 |
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Author |
Nocera, J.J.; Forbes, G.J.; Giraldeau, L.-A. |
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Title |
Inadvertent social information in breeding site selection of natal dispersing birds |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
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Volume |
273 |
Issue |
1584 |
Pages |
349-355 |
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Keywords |
Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Breeding; *Environment; Female; Logistic Models; Male; Songbirds/growth & development/*physiology |
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Abstract |
Several species use the number of young produced as public information (PI) to assess breeding site quality. PI is inaccessible for synchronously breeding birds because nests are empty by the time the young can collect this information. We investigate if location cues are the next best source of inadvertent social information (ISI) used by young prospectors during breeding site choice. We experimentally deployed ISI as decoys and song playbacks of breeding males in suitable and sub-optimal habitats during pre- and post-breeding periods, and monitored territory establishment during the subsequent breeding season for a social, bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and a more solitary species, Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni). The sparrows did not respond to treatments, but bobolinks responded strongly to post-breeding location cues, irrespective of habitat quality. The following year, 17/20 sub-optimal plots to which bobolink males were recruited were defended for at least two weeks, indicating that song heard the previous year could exert a “carry-over attraction” effect on conspecifics the following year. Sixteen recruited males were natal dispersers, as expected when animals have little opportunity to directly sample their natal habitat quality. We suggest that differences in breeding synchronicity may induce an equivalent clinal distribution of ISI use. |
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Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Bag Service #45111, Fredericton, NB E3B 6E1, Canada. j.nocera@unb.ca |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:16543178 |
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2129 |
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Grafner, G.; Zimmermann, H.; Karge, E.; Munch, J.; Ribbeck, R.; Hiepe, T. |
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Title |
[Incidence and damages inflicted by simuliid flies in the GDR district of Schwerin] |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1976 |
Publication |
Angewandte Parasitologie |
Abbreviated Journal |
Angew Parasitol |
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Volume |
17 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
2-6 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases/*parasitology; Climate; *Diptera/growth & development; Ecology; Ectoparasitic Infestations/*veterinary; Germany, East; Horse Diseases/*parasitology; Horses; Swine; Swine Diseases/*parasitology |
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Systematic faunal studies in the district Schwerin showed at the present time there are 3 more or less damage-biotopes existing in the districts of Perleberg, Ludwigslust and Parchim; 5 river sources can be considered as potential sources, 5 are temporary and 2 are ephemeral whilst in 3 further areas environmental influences such as effluent impairs the flow of the river and the developmental stages of Simuliidae were not observed.--The following species were found: Boophthora erythrocephala, Wilhelmia salopiensis, Wilhelmia equina, Odagmia ornata, Eusimulium aureum and Eusimulium lundstroemi.--The damage statistics covering the period 1966--1971 showed in the district of Schwerin, due to Simuliid attacks, 38 cattle died, 170 were seriously ill; in 1967 5 horses were seriously ill; in 1971, 3 pigs died and 27 were seriously ill.--The symptoms were manifested by pathological petechiae, scabs and oedema, also by insufficiency of the heart and circulatory system, diminished performance and growth disturbance. In severe cases heart and circulation failure occurred, paresis, coma and death followed.--The real economic significance of the Simuliid attacks rest with its strong and prolonged distrubance in young animals, as well as in pronounced irreparable diminished performance in diseased dairy cattle. |
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German |
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Vorkommen und Schadwirkung von Kriebelmucken im DDR-Bezirk Schwerin |
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0003-3162 |
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PMID:1267220 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2699 |
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Author |
Lee, R.D. |
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Rethinking the evolutionary theory of aging: transfers, not births, shape senescence in social species |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |
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Volume |
100 |
Issue |
16 |
Pages |
9637-9642 |
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Keywords |
Adaptation, Physiological; *Aging; Animals; *Biological Evolution; Demography; Economics; Environment; Fertility; Humans; Life Expectancy; Longevity; Models, Theoretical; Parturition; Population Dynamics; Population Growth; Reproduction |
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Abstract |
The classic evolutionary theory of aging explains why mortality rises with age: as individuals grow older, less lifetime fertility remains, so continued survival contributes less to reproductive fitness. However, successful reproduction often involves intergenerational transfers as well as fertility. In the formal theory offered here, age-specific selective pressure on mortality depends on a weighted average of remaining fertility (the classic effect) and remaining intergenerational transfers to be made to others. For species at the optimal quantity-investment tradeoff for offspring, only the transfer effect shapes mortality, explaining postreproductive survival and why juvenile mortality declines with age. It also explains the evolution of lower fertility, longer life, and increased investments in offspring. |
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Department of Demography, University of California, 2232 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720-2120, USA. rlee@demog.berkeley.edu |
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0027-8424 |
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PMID:12878733 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5465 |
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Author |
Gomez, J.-C. |
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Title |
Species comparative studies and cognitive development |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Trends in Cognitive Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Trends. Cognit. Sci. |
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Volume |
9 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
118-125 |
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Animals; Attention/physiology; Brain/*growth & development; Child, Preschool; Cognition/*physiology; Concept Formation/physiology; Dogs; Evolution; Fixation, Ocular; Gorilla gorilla; Humans; Infant; Learning/*physiology; Macaca mulatta; Mental Recall/physiology; Personal Construct Theory; Psychomotor Performance/physiology; Species Specificity |
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Abstract |
The comparative study of infant development and animal cognition brings to cognitive science the promise of insights into the nature and origins of cognitive skills. In this article, I review a recent wave of comparative studies conducted with similar methodologies and similar theoretical frameworks on how two core components of human cognition--object permanence and gaze following--develop in different species. These comparative findings call for an integration of current competing accounts of developmental change. They further suggest that evolution has produced developmental devices capable at the same time of preserving core adaptive components, and opening themselves up to further adaptive change, not only in interaction with the external environment, but also in interaction with other co-developing cognitive systems. |
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Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY15 9JU, UK |
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1364-6613 |
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PMID:15737820 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2851 |
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Author |
Takai, S.; Narita, K.; Ando, K.; Tsubaki, S. |
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Title |
Ecology of Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi in soil on a horse-breeding farm |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1986 |
Publication |
Veterinary Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Vet Microbiol |
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Volume |
12 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
169-177 |
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Keywords |
Actinomycetales/classification/*growth & development; Animals; Corynebacterium/classification/*growth & development; Feces/microbiology; Female; Horses; Serotyping; *Soil Microbiology |
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The ecology of Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi in soil was studied on a horse-breeding farm. R. equi was cultured from soil at a depth of 0, 10, and 20 cm on the six sites of the farm at monthly intervals for 10 months from March to December of 1983. The highest numbers of R. equi were found in the surface soil. The mean number of bacteria in soil samples at every depth increased remarkably from 0 or 10(2) to 10(4) colony-forming units (CFU) g-1 of soil in the middle of April, and later decreased gradually. R. equi inoculated into six soil exudate broths prepared from surface soils at separate sites yielded suspensions with different optical densities, indicating differences in growth. The distribution of serotypes in the soil was similar to that in the horses on the farm. These findings indicated that R. equi could multiply in the soil and flourish in the cycle existing between horses and their soil environment. |
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0378-1135 |
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PMID:3750818 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2683 |
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De Stoppelaire, G.H.; Gillespie, T.W.; Brock, J.C.; Tobin, G.A. |
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Title |
Use of remote sensing techniques to determine the effects of grazing on vegetation cover and dune elevation at Assateague Island National Seashore: impact of horses |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Environmental Management |
Abbreviated Journal |
Environ Manage |
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34 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
642-649 |
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Animals; Animals, Wild; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; *Feeding Behavior; *Horses; Maryland; Plants/*growth & development; Population Dynamics; Silicon Dioxide; *Soil |
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The effects of grazing by feral horses on vegetation and dune topography at Assateague Island National Seashore were investigated using color-infrared imagery, lidar surveys, and field measurements. Five pairs of fenced and unfenced plots (300 m2) established in 1993 on sand flats and small dunes with similar elevation, topography, and vegetation cover were used for this study. Color-infrared imagery from 1998 and field measurements from 2001 indicated that there was a significant difference in vegetation cover between the fenced and unfenced plot-pairs over the study period. Fenced plots contained a higher percentage of vegetation cover that was dominated by American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata). Lidar surveys from 1997, 1999, and 2000 showed that there were significant differences in elevation and topography between fenced and unfenced plot-pairs. Fenced plots were, on average, 0.63 m higher than unfenced plots, whereas unfenced plots had generally decreased in elevation after establishment in 1993. Results demonstrate that feral horse grazing has had a significant impact on dune formation and has contributed to the erosion of dunes at Assateague Island. The findings suggest that unless the size of the feral horse population is reduced, grazing will continue to foster unnaturally high rates of dune erosion into the future. In order to maintain the natural processes that historically occurred on barrier islands, much larger fenced exclosures would be required to prevent horse grazing. |
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US Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA. georgia.destoppelaire@my.FWC.com |
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0364-152X |
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PMID:15633024 |
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1896 |
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Author |
Smith, D.G.; Pearson, R.A. |
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A review of the factors affecting the survival of donkeys in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Tropical Animal Health and Production |
Abbreviated Journal |
Trop Anim Health Prod |
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Volume |
37 Suppl 1 |
Issue |
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Pages |
1-19 |
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Africa South of the Sahara; Animal Nutrition Physiology; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cattle; Equidae/growth & development/*physiology; Socioeconomic Factors |
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The large fluctuations seen in cattle populations during periods of drought in sub-Saharan Africa are not evident in the donkey population. Donkeys appear to have a survival advantage over cattle that is increasingly recognized by smallholder farmers in their selection of working animals. The donkey's survival advantages arise from both socioeconomic and biological factors. Socioeconomic factors include the maintenance of a low sustainable population of donkeys owing to their single-purpose role and their low social status. Also, because donkeys are not usually used as a meat animal and can provide a regular income as a working animal, they are not slaughtered in response to drought, as are cattle. Donkeys have a range of physiological and behavioural adaptations that individually provide small survival advantages over cattle but collectively may make a large difference to whether or not they survive drought. Donkeys have lower maintenance costs as a result of their size and spend less energy while foraging for food; lower energy costs result in a lower dry matter intake (DMI) requirement. In donkeys, low-quality diets are digested almost as efficiently as in ruminants and, because of a highly selective feeding strategy, the quality of diet obtained by donkeys in a given pasture is higher than that obtained by cattle. Lower energy costs of walking, longer foraging times per day and ability to tolerate thirst may allow donkeys to access more remote, under-utilized sources of forage that are inaccessible to cattle on rangeland. As donkeys become a more popular choice of working animal for farmers, specific management practices need to be devised that allow donkeys to fully maximize their natural survival advantages. |
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Department of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK. d.g.smith@abdn.ac.uk |
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0049-4747 |
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PMID:16335068 |
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no |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4231 |
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Author |
Punzo, F.; Ludwig, L. |
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Title |
Contact with maternal parent and siblings affects hunting behavior, learning, and central nervous system development in spiderlings of Hogna carolinensis (Araeneae: Lycosidae) |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
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Volume |
5 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
63-70 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Central Nervous System/*growth & development; Female; *Learning; Male; *Predatory Behavior; Social Isolation; *Spiders |
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Abstract |
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of early experience (rearing conditions) on the central nervous system (CNS) and behavior of spiderlings of Hogna carolinensis (Lycosidae). We were interested in whether or not spiderlings that were allowed to remain in contact with their maternal parent and siblings (enriched condition, EC) would exhibit differences in CNS development or subsequent behavior when compared with those reared in isolation (improverished condition, IC). Spiderlings emerged from their egg sacs and climbed onto the dorsal surface of their mother's abdomen where they remained until their yolk supply was depleted (5 days). They dispersed on day 6 after emergence. We compared the ability of 16-day-old EC and IC spiderlings to capture prey in a linear runway and to learn a complex maze (spatial learning). We also compared certain aspects of CNS development (brain weight, total number of brain cells, volume of central body and protocerebral neuropil) in EC and IC spiderlings. Results indicated that EC subjects are more efficient at capturing moving prey (crickets) and exhibited improved performance (significantly fewer blind alley errors) in the maze. The volume of the protocerebral neuropil in 6-day-old EC animals increased 30% over a 5-day period after emergence as compared to IC animals of the same age. The volume of the central body of EC animals increased 34.8% over the same time period. On day 6 after emergence, the weight of the protocerebrum was significantly greater in EC versus IC subjects. There were no significant effects of rearing condition (EC vs IC) or age (1- and 6-day-old spiderlings) on the total number of nerve cells in the protocerebrum, suggesting that the difference in protocerebral weight was due primarily to differences in supporting glial tissues and neuropil matrix. In conclusion, the data suggest that early contact with the maternal parent and siblings is of vital importance to CNS development in lycosid spiderlings and can influence the capacity for spatial learning as well as the ability to capture prey. |
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Box 5F-Dept. of Biology, University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606, USA. fpunzo@ut.edu |
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English |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:12150037 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2607 |
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