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Bienboire-Frosini C, Muns R, Marcet-Rius M, Gazzano A, Villanueva-García D, Martínez-Burnes J, Domínguez-Oliva A, Lezama-García K, Casas-Alvarado A, Mota-Rojas D. Vitality in Newborn Farm Animals: Adverse Factors, Physiological Responses, Pharmacological Therapies, and Physical Methods to Increase Neonate Vigor. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13091542. [PMID: 37174579 PMCID: PMC10177313 DOI: 10.3390/ani13091542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitality is the vigor newborn animals exhibit during the first hours of life. It can be assessed by a numerical score, in which variables, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, mucous membranes' coloration, time the offspring took to stand up, and meconium staining, are monitored. Vitality can be affected by several factors, and therapies are used to increase it. This manuscript aims to review and analyze pharmacological and physical therapies used to increase vitality in newborn farm animals, as well as to understand the factors affecting this vitality, such as hypoxia, depletion of glycogen, birth weight, dystocia, neurodevelopment, hypothermia, and finally, the physiological mechanism to achieve thermostability. It has been concluded that assessing vitality immediately after birth is essential to determine the newborn's health and identify those that need medical intervention to minimize the deleterious effect of intrapartum asphyxia. Vitality assessment should be conducted by trained personnel and adequate equipment. Evaluating vitality could reduce long-term neonatal morbidity and mortality in domestic animals, even if it is sometimes difficult with the current organization of some farms. This review highlights the importance of increasing the number of stock people during the expected days of parturitions to reduce long-term neonatal morbidity and mortality, and thus, improve the farm's performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Bienboire-Frosini
- Department of Molecular Biology and Chemical Communication, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France
| | - Ramon Muns
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough BT 26 6DR, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Míriam Marcet-Rius
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France
| | - Angelo Gazzano
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Dina Villanueva-García
- Division of Neonatology, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Julio Martínez-Burnes
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Victoria City 87000, Mexico
| | - Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough BT 26 6DR, Northern Ireland, UK
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Karina Lezama-García
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Casas-Alvarado
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
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Belabbas R, Ezzeroug R, García MDLL, Berbar A, Zitouni G, Taalaziza D, Boudjella Z, Boudahdir N, Dis S, Argente MJ. Prenatal factors affecting the probability of survival between birth and weaning in rabbits. WORLD RABBIT SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.4995/wrs.2023.18268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between kit birth weight and litter size with kit survival from birth to weaning, and to estimate the effects of place of birth, nest quality, cannibalism, lactation, parity order, season and sex. A total of 1696 kits from 82 females of the ITLEV2006 synthetic line were used in this study. A logistic regression was performed. Kit birth weight was directly related to the probability of the kit’s survival from birth to weaning, and increasing birth weight by one gram increased the likelihood of kit survival by 8% to 10% (P<0.001). In line with the decrease in birth weight of kits as the number of kits at birth increases, litter size showed a negative relationship to the probability of survival from birth to weaning, and increasing the litter by one kit at birth decreased the probability of survival of the kits by 5% to 9% (P<0.05). Regarding effects, cannibalism events in the litter decreased the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life (P<0.01). Being born in the cage decreased the probability of survival of the kits from birth to weaning, and kits born outside the nest had a lower chance of survival than those born inside the nest (P<0.01). The order of parturition had a positive effect on probability of survival of the kits from 5 days of age to weaning (P<0.05). Female kits had a lower chance of survival than male kits, but only until 5 days of age (P<0.01). The lactation status displayed a negative effect on the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life, and kits gestated in lactating females had a lower chance of survival than those gestated in non-lactating females (P<0.05). In conclusion, the probability of kit survival in the first days after parturition was affected mainly by its weight at birth, litter size, cannibalism events, place of birth of kit, parity order, sex and lactation status, while the probability of kit survival at weaning was directly related to its weight at birth, litter size, place of birth of kit and parity order.
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Zepeda JA, Bautista A, Féron C, Martínez-Gómez M, Robles-Guerrero F, Reyes Meza V, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Patterns and predictors of inter-litter differences in rabbit pup locomotor activity, based on an automatized quantification method. Physiol Behav 2023; 261:114089. [PMID: 36657652 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Individual-level sibling interactions in the litter huddle have been studied extensively, especially in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). However, little is known about inter-litter differences in pup activity patterns during early postnatal life, in particular regarding the drivers of such variation. In our study on 2-3-day-old rabbit pups, we predicted lower locomotor activity in litters with lower mean body masses on the day of birth (starting body mass) and with lower daily milk intake per pup, possibly constituting a behavioral strategy of pups to cope with associated energetic constraints. For an automatized assessment of pup locomotor activity in the litter huddle, we successfully developed and validated a method based on the quantification of dissimilarities between consecutive frames of video footage. Using this method, we could confirm a U-shaped time course of litter-level locomotor activity, with maximum values shortly before and after the once-daily nursing typical for the rabbit. As predicted, between-litter variation in mean starting body mass and in daily milk intake affected the degree of locomotor activity in the litter huddle, in an interactive way. That is, in litters with heavier starting body masses, pup locomotor activity was greater in pups with an initially higher milk intake, suggesting that only pups with better body condition and a higher energy intake could afford higher levels of activity. This interaction was exclusively apparent during the middle phase of the 24 h inter-nursing interval, when litter activity was low. Shortly before nursing, when pups show higher levels of locomotor behavior in anticipation of the mother's arrival, and shortly after nursing when the pups were more active possibly due to adjustments of their positions in the huddle, activity levels were decoupled from pups' starting body mass and previous milk intake. Our findings highlight the importance of pup body mass and daily energy intake, two parameters known to be related to maternal characteristics, in shaping inter-litter differences in pup locomotor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alfredo Zepeda
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Preparatoria Alfonso Calderon Moreno, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Christophe Féron
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Franco Robles-Guerrero
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Verónica Reyes Meza
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France.
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4
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Rial RV, Akaârir M, Canellas F, Barceló P, Rubiño JA, Martín-Reina A, Gamundí A, Nicolau MC. Mammalian NREM and REM sleep: Why, when and how. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105041. [PMID: 36646258 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
This report proposes that fish use the spinal-rhombencephalic regions of their brain to support their activities while awake. Instead, the brainstem-diencephalic regions support the wakefulness in amphibians and reptiles. Lastly, mammals developed the telencephalic cortex to attain the highest degree of wakefulness, the cortical wakefulness. However, a paralyzed form of spinal-rhombencephalic wakefulness remains in mammals in the form of REMS, whose phasic signs are highly efficient in promoting maternal care to mammalian litter. Therefore, the phasic REMS is highly adaptive. However, their importance is low for singletons, in which it is a neutral trait, devoid of adaptive value for adults, and is mal-adaptive for marine mammals. Therefore, they lost it. The spinal-rhombencephalic and cortical wakeful states disregard the homeostasis: animals only attend their most immediate needs: foraging defense and reproduction. However, these activities generate allostatic loads that must be recovered during NREMS, that is a paralyzed form of the amphibian-reptilian subcortical wakefulness. Regarding the regulation of tonic REMS, it depends on a hypothalamic switch. Instead, the phasic REMS depends on an independent proportional pontine control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén V Rial
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
| | - Mourad Akaârir
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
| | - Francesca Canellas
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut; Hospital Son Espases, 07120, Palma de Mallorca (España).
| | - Pere Barceló
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
| | - José A Rubiño
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut; Hospital Son Espases, 07120, Palma de Mallorca (España).
| | - Aida Martín-Reina
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
| | - Antoni Gamundí
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
| | - M Cristina Nicolau
- Laboratori de Fisiologia del son i els ritmes biologics. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca (España); IDISBA. Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria de les Illes Balears; IUNICS Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut.
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Smeltzer EA, Stead SM, Li MF, Samson D, Kumpan LT, Teichroeb JA. Social sleepers: The effects of social status on sleep in terrestrial mammals. Horm Behav 2022; 143:105181. [PMID: 35594742 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Social status among group-living mammals can impact access to resources, such as water, food, social support, and mating opportunities, and this differential access to resources can have fitness consequences. Here, we propose that an animal's social status impacts their access to sleep opportunities, as social status may predict when an animal sleeps, where they sleep, who they sleep with, and how well they sleep. Our review of terrestrial mammals examines how sleep architecture and intensity may be impacted by (1) sleeping conditions and (2) the social experience during wakefulness. Sleeping positions vary in thermoregulatory properties, protection from predators, and exposure to parasites. Thus, if dominant individuals have priority of access to sleeping positions, they may benefit from higher quality sleeping conditions and, in turn, better sleep. With respect to waking experiences, we discuss the impacts of stress on sleep, as it has been established that specific social statuses can be characterized by stress-related physiological profiles. While much research has focused on how dominance hierarchies impact access to resources like food and mating opportunities, differential access to sleep opportunities among mammals has been largely ignored despite its potential fitness consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Smeltzer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - S M Stead
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - M F Li
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Russell St., Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S2, Canada
| | - D Samson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - L T Kumpan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - J A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
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Lezama-García K, Mota-Rojas D, Martínez-Burnes J, Villanueva-García D, Domínguez-Oliva A, Gómez-Prado J, Mora-Medina P, Casas-Alvarado A, Olmos-Hernández A, Soto P, Muns R. Strategies for Hypothermia Compensation in Altricial and Precocial Newborn Mammals and Their Monitoring by Infrared Thermography. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9050246. [PMID: 35622774 PMCID: PMC9145389 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9050246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermoregulation in newborn mammals is an essential species-specific mechanism of the nervous system that contributes to their survival during the first hours and days of their life. When exposed to cold weather, which is a risk factor associated with mortality in neonates, pathways such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) are activated to achieve temperature control, increasing the circulating levels of catecholamine and cortisol. Consequently, alterations in blood circulation and mechanisms to produce or to retain heat (e.g., vasoconstriction, piloerection, shivering, brown adipocyte tissue activation, and huddling) begin to prevent hypothermia. This study aimed to discuss the mechanisms of thermoregulation in newborn domestic mammals, highlighting the differences between altricial and precocial species. The processes that employ brown adipocyte tissue, shivering, thermoregulatory behaviors, and dermal vasomotor control will be analyzed to understand the physiology and the importance of implementing techniques to promote thermoregulation and survival in the critical post-birth period of mammals. Also, infrared thermography as a helpful method to perform thermal measurements without animal interactions does not affect these parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Lezama-García
- PhD Program in Biological and Health Sciences [Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud], Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico;
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.D.-O.); (J.G.-P.); (A.C.-A.); (P.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Julio Martínez-Burnes
- Animal Health Group, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Victoria City 87000, Tamaulipas, Mexico;
| | - Dina Villanueva-García
- Division of Neonatology, National Institute of Health, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico;
| | - Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.D.-O.); (J.G.-P.); (A.C.-A.); (P.S.)
| | - Jocelyn Gómez-Prado
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.D.-O.); (J.G.-P.); (A.C.-A.); (P.S.)
| | - Patricia Mora-Medina
- Department of Livestock Science, FESC, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuautitlán Izcalli 54714, Mexico;
| | - Alejandro Casas-Alvarado
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.D.-O.); (J.G.-P.); (A.C.-A.); (P.S.)
| | - Adriana Olmos-Hernández
- Division of Biotechnology—Bioterio and Experimental Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR-LGII), Mexico City 14389, Mexico;
| | - Paola Soto
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 04960, Mexico; (A.D.-O.); (J.G.-P.); (A.C.-A.); (P.S.)
| | - Ramon Muns
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Livestock Production Sciences Unit, Hillsborough BT26 6DR, Northern Ireland, UK;
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Fernández Y, Arteaga L, Zepeda JA, Rödel HG, Hudson R, Bautista A. Stable individual differences in the frequency of chin‐marking behavior across development in the domestic rabbit. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yesenia Fernández
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - Lourdes Arteaga
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - José Alfredo Zepeda
- Preparatoria Alfonso Calderon Moreno Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Puebla Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée (LEEC) Université Sorbonne Paris Nord Villetaneuse France
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Laboratorio de Psicobiología del Desarrollo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de Mexico Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
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8
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González-Mariscal G, Hoy S, Hoffman KL. Rabbit Maternal Behavior: A Perspective from Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Animal Production, and Psychobiology. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:131-176. [PMID: 36169815 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Rabbit maternal behavior (MB) impacts meat and fur production on the farm, survival of the species in the wild, and pet welfare. Specific characteristics of rabbit MB (i.e., three-step nest building process; single, brief, daily nursing bout) have been used as models for exploring particular themes in neuroscience, like obsessive-compulsive actions, circadian rhythms, and cognition. Particular hormonal combinations regulate nest building by acting on brain regions controlling MB in other mammals. Nonhormonal factors like type of lodging and the doe's social rank influence nursing and milk production. The concurrency of pregnancy and lactation, the display of nonselective nursing, and the rapid growth of altricial young - despite a minimal effort of maternal care - have prompted the study of mother-young affiliation, neurodevelopment, and weaning. Neurohormonal mechanisms, common to other mammals, plus additional strategies (perhaps unique to rabbits) allow the efficient, adaptive display of MB in multiple settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Steffen Hoy
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Kurt L Hoffman
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
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9
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Szenczi P, González D, Martínez-Byer S, Rödel HG, Hudson R, Bánszegi O. Motivation matters: lighter littermates of the domestic cat compete more successfully for meat at weaning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03079-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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10
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Caba M, Lehman MN, Caba-Flores MD. Food Entrainment, Arousal, and Motivation in the Neonatal Rabbit Pup. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:636764. [PMID: 33815041 PMCID: PMC8010146 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.636764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In the newborn rabbit, the light entrainable circadian system is immature and once a day nursing provides the primary timing cue for entrainment. In advance of the mother's arrival, pups display food anticipatory activity (FAA), and metabolic and physiological parameters are synchronized to this daily event. Central structures in the brain are also entrained as indicated by expression of Fos and Per1 proteins, GFAP, a glial marker, and cytochrome oxidase activity. Under fasting conditions, several of these rhythmic parameters persist in the periphery and brain, including rhythms in the olfactory bulb (OB). Here we provide an overview of these physiological and neurobiological changes and focus on three issues, just beginning to be examined in the rabbit. First, we review evidence supporting roles for the organum vasculosum of lamina terminalis (OVLT) and median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) in homeostasis of fluid ingestion and the neural basis of arousal, the latter which also includes the role of the orexigenic system. Second, since FAA in association with the daily visit of the mother is an example of conditioned learning, we review evidence for changes in the corticolimbic system and identified nuclei in the amygdala and extended amygdala as part of the neural substrate responsible for FAA. Third, we review recent evidence supporting the role of oxytocinergic cells of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) as a link to the autonomic system that underlies physiological events, which occur in preparation for the upcoming next daily meal. We conclude that the rabbit model has contributed to an overall understanding of food entrainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Caba
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Michael N Lehman
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
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11
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Saxmose Nielsen S, Alvarez J, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Depner K, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortázar Schmidt C, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Roberts HC, Sihvonen LH, Stahl K, Velarde Calvo A, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Candiani D, Fabris C, Mosbach-Schulz O, Van der Stede Y, Spoolder H. Stunning methods and slaughter of rabbits for human consumption. EFSA J 2020; 18:e05927. [PMID: 32626482 PMCID: PMC7008888 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.5927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This opinion on the killing of rabbits for human consumption (‘slaughtering’) responds to two mandates: one from the European Parliament (EP) and the other from the European Commission. The opinion describes stunning methods for rabbits known to the experts in the EFSA working group, which can be used in commercial practice, and which are sufficiently described in scientific and technical literature for the development of an opinion. These are electrical stunning, mechanical stunning with a penetrative and non‐penetrative captive bolt and gas stunning. The latter method is not allowed in the EU anymore following Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009, but may still be practiced elsewhere in the world. Related hazards and welfare consequences are also evaluated. To monitor stunning effectiveness as requested by the EP mandate, the opinion suggests the use of indicators for the state of consciousness, selected on the basis of their sensitivity, specificity and ease of use. Similarly, it suggests indicators to confirm animals are dead before dressing. For the European Commission mandate, slaughter processes were assessed from the arrival of rabbits in containers until their death, and grouped in three main phases: pre‐stunning (including arrival, unloading of containers from the truck, lairage, handling/removing of rabbits from containers), stunning (including restraint) and bleeding (including bleeding following stunning and bleeding during slaughter without stunning). Ten welfare consequences resulting from the hazards that rabbits can be exposed to during slaughter are identified: consciousness, animal not dead, thermal stress (heat or cold stress), prolonged thirst, prolonged hunger, restriction of movements, pain, fear, distress and respiratory distress. Welfare consequences and relevant animal‐based measures (indicators) are described. Outcome tables linking hazards, welfare consequences, indicators, origins, preventive and corrective measures are developed for each process. Mitigation measures to minimise welfare consequences are also proposed.
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Zepeda JA, Rödel HG, Monclús R, Hudson R, Bautista A. Sibling differences in litter huddle position contribute to overall variation in weaning mass in a small mammal. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2777-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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13
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The birth weight of rabbits: Influencing factors and effect on behavioural, productive and reproductive traits: A review. Livest Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Zepeda JA, Bautista A, Rangassamy M, Monclús R, Bocquet C, Martínez-Gómez M, Gouat P, Féron C, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Individual differences in early body mass affect thermogenic performance and sibling interactions in litter huddles of the house mouse. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:825-835. [PMID: 29998571 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
We asked whether within-litter differences in early body mass are associated with differences in house mouse pups' thermogenic performance and whether such variation predicts individual differences in competitive interactions for thermally more advantageous positions in the huddle. We explored pups' thermogenic performance in isolation by measuring changes in (maximal) peripheral body temperatures during a 5-min thermal challenge using infrared thermography. Changes in peripheral body temperature were significantly explained by individual differences in body mass within a litter; relatively lighter individuals showed an overall quicker temperature decrease leading to lower body temperatures toward the end of the thermal challenge compared to heavier littermates. Within the litter huddle, relatively lighter pups with a lower thermogenic performance showed consistently more rooting and climbing behavior, apparently to reach the thermally advantageous center of the huddle. This suggests that within-litter variation in starting body mass affects the pups' thermal and behavioral responses to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Zepeda
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.,Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.,Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Marylin Rangassamy
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Raquel Monclús
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, University Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Celine Bocquet
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Patrick Gouat
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Christophe Féron
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
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Harshaw C, Leffel JK, Alberts JR. Oxytocin and the warm outer glow: Thermoregulatory deficits cause huddling abnormalities in oxytocin-deficient mouse pups. Horm Behav 2018; 98:145-158. [PMID: 29277701 PMCID: PMC5828998 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 11/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a social and reproductive hormone that also plays critical roles in a range of homeostatic processes, including thermoregulation. Here, we examine the role of oxytocin (OT) as a mediator of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, cold-induced huddling, and thermotaxis in eight-day-old (PD8) OT 'knock out' (OTKO) mouse pups. We tested OTKO and wildtype (WT) pups in single- and mixed-genotype groups of six, exposing these to a period of ambient warmth (~35°C) followed by a period of cold (~21.5°C). Whether huddling exclusively with other OTKO or alongside WT pups, OTKO pups showed reduced BAT thermogenesis and were significantly cooler when cold-challenged. Huddles of OTKO pups were also significantly less cohesive than WT huddles during cooling, suggesting that thermoregulatory deficits contribute to contact abnormalities in OTKO pups. To further explore this issue, we examined thermotaxis in individuals and groups of four OTKO or WT pups placed on the cool end of a thermocline and permitted to freely locomote for 2h. When tested individually, male OTKO pups displayed abnormal thermotaxis, taking significantly longer to move up the thermocline and settling upon significantly lower temperatures than WT pups during the 2h test. OTKO mouse pups thus appear to have deficits in both thermogenesis and thermotaxis-the latter deficit being specific to males. Our results add to a growing body of work indicating that OT plays critical roles in thermoregulation and also highlight the entanglement of social and thermoregulatory processes in small mammals such as mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Harshaw
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
| | - Joseph K Leffel
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Alberts
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Improvements in the conception rate, milk composition and embryo quality of rabbit does after dietary enrichment with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Animal 2018; 12:2080-2088. [PMID: 29332610 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731117003706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This work attempts to confirm the effect of an enriched diet with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) trying to mitigate the reproductive performances issues such as low conception rate of primiparous rabbits. A total of 127 does were fed ad libitum throughout their two first cycles with two diets with different fat sources: mixed fat in the control and salmon oil in the enriched one, with 3.19 g/100 g (n=63 does) and 28.77 g/100 g (n=64 does) of n-3 of the total fatty acid, respectively. Feed intake was similar between groups (P>0.05). Plasma progesterone concentration was higher in the enriched females than in control ones at 7 (30.9±2.18 v. 23.9±2.30 ng/ml, respectively; P=0.029) and 14 (38.7±2.18 v. 28.2±2.30 ng/ml, respectively; P=0.001) days of first gestation. Considering both cycles, reproductive parameters of mothers (fertility, duration of gestation and prolificacy) and litter parameters (weight at parturition and weaning, mortality and average daily gain (ADG) of kits during lactation) were similar in both groups. However, individual measurements of neonates of enriched group improved 5.87%, 7.10% and 18.01% (P0.05), but embryo apoptosis rate was higher in control group than in enriched one (31.1±4.56% v. 17.1±3.87%, respectively; P<0.05). In conclusion, dietary PUFA enrichment from the rearing and throughout two productive cycles improved plasma progesterone during pregnancy, fertility, milk fatty acid profile and neonates development of primiparous supporting the beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation in rabbit does.
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Bautista A, Zepeda JA, Reyes-Meza V, Féron C, Rödel HG, Hudson R. Body mass modulates huddling dynamics and body temperature profiles in rabbit pups. Physiol Behav 2017; 179:184-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Rödel HG, Bautista A, Roder M, Gilbert C, Hudson R. Early development and the emergence of individual differences in behavior among littermates of wild rabbit pups. Physiol Behav 2017; 173:101-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Self-organised criticality in the evolution of a thermodynamic model of rodent thermoregulatory huddling. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005378. [PMID: 28141809 PMCID: PMC5308865 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A thermodynamic model of thermoregulatory huddling interactions between endotherms is developed. The model is presented as a Monte Carlo algorithm in which animals are iteratively exchanged between groups, with a probability of exchanging groups defined in terms of the temperature of the environment and the body temperatures of the animals. The temperature-dependent exchange of animals between groups is shown to reproduce a second-order critical phase transition, i.e., a smooth switch to huddling when the environment gets colder, as measured in recent experiments. A peak in the rate at which group sizes change, referred to as pup flow, is predicted at the critical temperature of the phase transition, consistent with a thermodynamic description of huddling, and with a description of the huddle as a self-organising system. The model was subjected to a simple evolutionary procedure, by iteratively substituting the physiologies of individuals that fail to balance the costs of thermoregulation (by huddling in groups) with the costs of thermogenesis (by contributing heat). The resulting tension between cooperative and competitive interactions was found to generate a phenomenon called self-organised criticality, as evidenced by the emergence of avalanches in fitness that propagate across many generations. The emergence of avalanches reveals how huddling can introduce correlations in fitness between individuals and thereby constrain evolutionary dynamics. Finally, a full agent-based model of huddling interactions is also shown to generate criticality when subjected to the same evolutionary pressures. The agent-based model is related to the Monte Carlo model in the way that a Vicsek model is related to an Ising model in statistical physics. Huddling therefore presents an opportunity to use thermodynamic theory to study an emergent adaptive animal behaviour. In more general terms, huddling is proposed as an ideal system for investigating the interaction between self-organisation and natural selection empirically. Huddling is an adaptive behavior that emerges from simple interactions between animals. Huddling is a particularly important self-organising system because the behavior that emerges at the level of the group directly impacts the fitness of the individual. The huddle insulates the group, allowing pups to thermoregulate at a reduced metabolic cost, however a huddle can only self-organise if pups in turn contribute heat. Contributing too much heat is costly but contributing too little compromises the ability of the huddle to self-organise. To investigate how the resulting tension between co-operation and competition in the huddle might affect natural selection, litters of simulated rodents were subjected to a simple evolutionary process. After interacting with its littermates, the individual that incurred the greatest metabolic cost for thermoregulation was iteratively replaced by another with random thermal properties. Simulations resulted in the emergence of a phenomenon called self-organised criticality. Criticality is a hallmark of complex systems, and is evidenced here by the emergence of a power-law distribution of thermal properties in the evolving composition of the group. The model therefore reveals how complexity can emerge in a well-defined biological system (thermoregulation), where experiments can be designed to investigate the interaction between self-organisation and natural selection.
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González-Mariscal G, Caba M, Martínez-Gómez M, Bautista A, Hudson R. Mothers and offspring: The rabbit as a model system in the study of mammalian maternal behavior and sibling interactions. Horm Behav 2016; 77:30-41. [PMID: 26062431 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Jay Rosenblatt effectively promoted research on rabbit maternal behavior through his interaction with colleagues in Mexico. Here we review the activities of pregnant and lactating rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), their neuro-hormonal regulation, and the synchronization of behavior between mother and kits. Changing concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin throughout gestation regulate nest-building (digging, straw-carrying, fur-pulling) and prime the mother's brain to respond to the newborn. Nursing is the only mother-young contact throughout lactation. It happens once/day, inside the nest, with ca. 24h periodicity, and lasts around 3min. Periodicity and duration of nursing depend on a threshold of suckling as procedures reducing the amount of nipple stimulation interfere with the temporal aspects of nursing, though not with the doe's maternal motivation. Synchronization between mother and kits, critical for nursing, relies on: a) the production of pheromonal cues which guide the young to the mother's nipples for suckling; b) an endogenous circadian rhythm of anticipatory activity in the young, present since birth. Milk intake entrains the kits' locomotor behavior, corticosterone secretion, and the activity of several brain structures. Sibling interactions within the huddle, largely determined by body mass at birth, are important for: a) maintaining body temperature; b) ensuring normal neuromotor and social development. Suckling maintains nursing behavior past the period of abundant milk production but abrupt and efficient weaning occurs in concurrently pregnant-lactating does by unknown factors. CONCLUSION female rabbits have evolved a reproductive strategy largely dissociating maternal care from maternal presence, whose multifactorial regulation warrants future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - M Caba
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - M Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - A Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - R Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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Contribution of within-litter interactions to individual differences in early postnatal growth in the domestic rabbit. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Differential metabolism of brown adipose tissue in newborn rabbits in relation to position in the litter huddle. J Therm Biol 2015; 51:33-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Intrauterine position as a predictor of postnatal growth and survival in the rabbit. Physiol Behav 2015; 138:101-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Hudson R, Rangassamy M, Saldaña A, Bánszegi O, Rödel HG. Stable individual differences in separation calls during early development in cats and mice. Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S12. [PMID: 26816512 PMCID: PMC4722366 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The development of ethologically meaningful test paradigms in young animals is an essential step in the study of the ontogeny of animal personality. Here we explore the possibility to integrate offspring separation (distress) calls into the study of consistent individual differences in behaviour in two species of mammals, the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus). Such vocal responses in young mammals are a potentially useful test option as they represent an important element of mother-offspring communication with strong implications for offspring survival. In addition, the neural control of vocalisation is closely associated with emotional state. Results We found marked similarities in the pattern of individual responses of the young of both species to separation from their mother and littermates. In the domestic cat as well as in the mound-building mouse, individual differences in the frequency of calls and to a lesser extent in locomotor activity were repeatable across age, indicating the existence of personality types. Such consistencies across age were also apparent when only considering relative individual differences among litter siblings. In both species, however, individual patterns of vocalisation and locomotor activity were unrelated. This suggests that these two forms of behavioural responses to isolation represent different domains of personality, presumably based on different underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. Conclusions Brief separation experiments in young mammals, and particularly the measurement of separation calls, provide a promising approach to study the ontogeny of personality traits. Future long-term studies are needed to investigate the association of these traits with biologically meaningful and potentially repeatable elements of behaviour during later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad Universitaria; Mexico City DF Mexico
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Nuñez-Villegas M, Bozinovic F, Sabat P. Interplay between group size, huddling behavior and basal metabolism: an experimental approach in the social degu. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 217:997-1002. [PMID: 24311802 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.096164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Mammals exposed to low temperatures increase their metabolic rate to maintain constant body temperature and thus compensate for heat loss. This high and costly energetic demand can be mitigated through thermoregulatory behavior such as social grouping or huddling, which helps to decrease metabolic rate as function of the numbers of individuals grouped. Sustained low temperatures in endothermic animals produce changes over time in rates of energy expenditure, by means of phenotypic plasticity. However, the putative modulating effect that huddling exerts on the flexibility of the basal metabolic rate (BMR) due to thermal acclimation remains unknown. We determined BMR values in Octodon degus, an endemic Chilean rodent, after being acclimated to either 15 or 30°C during 60 days, both alone and in groups of three and five individuals. At 15°C, BMR of huddling individuals was 40% lower than that of animals housed alone. Moreover, infrared thermography revealed a significant increase in local surface temperatures in huddled animals. Furthermore, individual thermal conductance was lower in individuals acclimated to 15°C than to 30°C, but no differences were observed between single and grouped animals. Our results indicate that huddling prevents an increase in BMR when animals are acclimated to cold conditions and that this effect is proportional to the number of animals grouped.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Nuñez-Villegas
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
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Schlolaut W, Hudson R, Rödel H. Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review. WORLD RABBIT SCIENCE 2013. [DOI: 10.4995/wrs.2013.1029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Bautista A, Castelán F, Pérez-Roldán H, Martínez-Gómez M, Hudson R. Competition in newborn rabbits for thermally advantageous positions in the litter huddle is associated with individual differences in brown fat metabolism. Physiol Behav 2013; 118:189-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2012] [Revised: 02/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad Universitaria; México; DF; Mexico
| | - Hans Distel
- Institut für Medizinische Psychologie; Ludwig-Maximilians Universität; München; Germany
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Rödel HG, Meyer S. Early development influences ontogeny of personality types in young laboratory rats. Dev Psychobiol 2012; 53:601-13. [PMID: 21866542 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Features of an individual's early development are frequently reported to alter the postnatal ontogeny in litter-bearing mammals with respect to various physiological parameters. We hypothesized that such effects might also apply to the ontogeny of personality types. On the one hand, litter size effects by means of more contacts with littermates, might lead to the development of more offensive types. On the other hand, smaller and less developed young from larger litters might be less offensive due to their lower physical capabilities to deal with challenging situations. We studied these contrasting hypotheses in young rats, which we tested in a battery of emotionality tests. There were clear indications for the existence of distinct behavioral types by means of consistencies in behavioral responses within and across contexts. Based on these responses, we calculated three new variables by PCA, which we interpreted to mainly reflect boldness, exploration, and anxiety. Overall, our results strongly suggest that the early development alters the ontogeny of personality types, with heavier individuals being bolder and more explorative. Furthermore, body mass and litter size influenced the changes in the behavioral responses in successive tests, further supporting the importance of the litter size-dependent body mass for the ontogeny of personalities. Anxiety also depended on litter size, however, in a nonlinear way. Animals born to litters of small or large sizes had higher scores, whereas individuals from medium-sized litters were less anxious. This optimum curve indicates that opposing effects of litter size are involved in shaping personalities in young rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko G Rödel
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
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Private heat for public warmth: how huddling shapes individual thermogenic responses of rabbit pups. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33553. [PMID: 22438947 PMCID: PMC3306396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 02/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Within their litter, young altricial mammals compete for energy (constraining growth and survival) but cooperate for warmth. The aim of this study was to examine the mechanisms by which huddling in altricial infants influences individual heat production and loss, while providing public warmth. Although considered as a textbook example, it is surprising to note that physiological mechanisms underlying huddling are still not fully characterised. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The brown adipose tissue (BAT) contribution to energy output was assessed as a function of the ability of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) pups to huddle (placed in groups of 6 and 2, or isolated) and of their thermoregulatory capacities (non-insulated before 5 days old and insulated at ca. 10 days old). BAT contribution of pups exposed to cold was examined by combining techniques of infrared thermography (surface temperature), indirect calorimetry (total energy expenditure, TEE) and telemetry (body temperature). Through local heating, the huddle provided each pup whatever their age with an ambient "public warmth" in the cold, which particularly benefited non-insulated pups. Huddling allowed pups facing a progressive cold challenge to buffer the decreasing ambient temperature by delaying the activation of their thermogenic response, especially when fur-insulated. In this way, huddling permitted pups to effectively shift from a non-insulated to a pseudo-insulated thermal state while continuously allocating energy to growth. The high correlation between TEE and the difference in surface temperatures between BAT and back areas of the body reveals that energy loss for non-shivering thermogenesis is the major factor constraining the amount of energy allocated to growth in non-insulated altricial pups. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE By providing public warmth with minimal individual costs at a stage of life when pups are the most vulnerable, huddling buffers cold challenges and ensures a constant allocation of energy to growth by reducing BAT activation.
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Possible contribution of position in the litter huddle to long-term differences in behavioral style in the domestic rabbit. Physiol Behav 2011; 104:778-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Revised: 07/07/2011] [Accepted: 07/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Hudson R, Bautista A, Reyes-Meza V, Montor JM, Rödel HG. The effect of siblings on early development: A potential contributor to personality differences in mammals. Dev Psychobiol 2011; 53:564-74. [PMID: 21866540 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
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34
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Individual differences in testosterone and corticosterone levels in relation to early postnatal development in the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Physiol Behav 2011; 103:336-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 02/21/2011] [Accepted: 02/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Prager G, Stefanski V, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Family matters: maternal and litter-size effects on immune parameters in young laboratory rats. Brain Behav Immun 2010; 24:1371-8. [PMID: 20654710 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.07.240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2010] [Revised: 07/13/2010] [Accepted: 07/14/2010] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A functional immune system is important for the survival of mammalian young, particularly at weaning when they lose the immunological support provided by the mother's colostrum and milk. In altricial mammals, litter size and maternal characteristics are important components of an animal's early environment, which affect postnatal growth and development. In a study of unculled litters of Long-Evans laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus), we asked whether such parameters are also associated with the immune status of the young shortly before weaning. On postnatal day 17, we assessed numbers of several leukocyte and lymphocyte subsets, the activity of the complement system, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations in the serum. Averaging the values of all pups per litter, we found negative correlations between litter size and lymphocyte counts, complement system activity and IgG concentration. Maternal effects were seen in the positive correlation between maternal postpartum body mass and granulocyte and monocyte counts. In addition, lymphocyte and monocyte counts as well as complement activity were lower for the young of multiparous than of primiparous mothers. This suggests a trend towards a better developed immune system in such offspring, which may be relevant for their immediate and long-term survival. The effects described here have potential implications for the design and interpretation of biomedical studies of immune parameters in laboratory rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Prager
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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36
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Nicolás L, Martínez-Gómez M, Hudson R, Bautista A. Littermate presence enhances motor development, weight gain and competitive ability in newborn and juvenile domestic rabbits. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 53:37-46. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.20485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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Rödel HG, Meyer S, Prager G, Stefanski V, Hudson R. Litter size is negatively correlated with corticosterone levels in weanling and juvenile laboratory rats. Physiol Behav 2010; 99:644-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2009] [Revised: 01/14/2010] [Accepted: 01/26/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Bautista A, García-Torres E, Prager G, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Development of behavior in the litter huddle in rat pups: within- and between-litter differences. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 52:35-43. [PMID: 19877117 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Early postnatal growth in mammals can be considerably influenced by litter size and often differs among littermates in relation to birth mass. In a study of Long Evans laboratory rats we asked whether within- and between-litter differences in body mass and growth are related to behavioral development during early postnatal life. For this, we analyzed the amount of general motor activity and the display of directed, seemingly goal-oriented interactions within the litter huddle in previsual pups. During the study period from postnatal days 2 to 11, we found significant changes in pup behavior, showing a nonlinear, quadratic shape. General motor activity and, more specifically, the display of behaviors apparently directed to reaching central positions in the litter huddle increased during the first postnatal days and then decreased again. However, pups from small litters that grow more rapidly than pups from large litters, showed a faster increase in both behaviors, whereas the young from large litters reached a higher maximum. We also found striking within-litter differences in the amount of directed behavior performed by light and heavy pups, with higher levels in the former group, most probably because light pups that have a less favorable body mass-to-volume ratio and more often occupy peripheral positions in the litter huddle, make a greater effort to reach thermally favorable central positions. In conclusion, our study shows there to be consistent between-litter as well as within-litter differences in behavioral patterns during early life. These differences might have important implications for an individual's long-term behavioral and physiological performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
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Gilbert C, McCafferty D, Le Maho Y, Martrette JM, Giroud S, Blanc S, Ancel A. One for all and all for one: the energetic benefits of huddling in endotherms. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2009; 85:545-69. [PMID: 20039866 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2009.00115.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Huddling can be defined as "an active and close aggregation of animals". It is a cooperative group behaviour, permitting individuals involved in social thermoregulation to minimize heat loss and thereby lower their energy expenditure, and possibly allowing them to reallocate the saved energy to other functions such as growth or reproduction. Huddling is especially important in the case of animals faced with high heat loss due to a high surface-to-volume ratio, poor insulation, or living in cold environments. Although numerous experimental studies have focused on the huddling behaviour of a wide range of species, to our knowledge, this is the first attempt to review the various implications of this widely used behavioural strategy. Huddling allows individuals to maximise energy savings by (1) decreasing their cold-exposed body surface area, (2) reducing their heat loss through warming of ambient temperatures surrounding the group, and (3) eventually lowering their body temperature through physiological processes. Huddling provides substantial energy savings and is estimated to reduce energy expenditure by between 6 and 53%. Broad variations in the energetic benefits of huddling depend on the number of individuals and species involved in huddles, the ambient temperatures to which individuals are exposed and the density of the aggregations. It has been shown that huddling individuals have increased survival, a lower food intake, a decreased body mass loss, increased growth rate, reduced water loss, and/or a more constant body temperature together with a significant reduction in metabolic rate. Though huddling has been studied widely, this review reveals the intricacies of this adaptive behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Gilbert
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France.
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Hatchwell BJ, Sharp SP, Simeoni M, McGowan A. Factors influencing overnight loss of body mass in the communal roosts of a social bird. Funct Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01511.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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41
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Muciño E, Bautista A, Jiménez I, Martínez-Gómez M, Hudson R. Differential development of body equilibrium among littermates in the newborn rabbit. Dev Psychobiol 2009; 51:24-33. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.20339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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42
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Rödel HG, Bautista A, García-Torres E, Martínez-Gómez M, Hudson R. Why do heavy littermates grow better than lighter ones? A study in wild and domestic European rabbits. Physiol Behav 2008; 95:441-8. [PMID: 18675835 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2008] [Revised: 06/23/2008] [Accepted: 07/07/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Birth mass can vary considerably among mammalian littermates. Heavier pups often show higher growth rates than their lighter siblings, which might positively affect fitness-relevant parameters during later life. Such a correlation between birth mass and pre-weaning growth within litters was confirmed by our study of wild-type and domestic European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) living in a semi-natural environment and under laboratory housing conditions, respectively. Our study indicates that at least two main mechanisms account for this relationship in our study species: heavier pups had a higher milk intake and also showed a more efficient conversion of milk into body mass. Furthermore, our study suggests that the better milk conversion by heavy pups was driven by three synergistic mechanisms: heavier pups had comparatively more huddling partners in the nest, they did not need to perform large amounts of proactive behavior in order to reach and remain in a central position within the litter huddle, and they could maintain a comparatively higher body temperature most probably due to their more favorable surface area to volume ratio. In conclusion, our study of European rabbits provides strong evidence that both under natural conditions and in the laboratory, within-litter differences in birth mass are maintained and may even increase during pups' early postnatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko G Rödel
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
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Arteaga L, Bautista A, Martínez-Gómez M, Nicolás L, Hudson R. Scent marking, dominance and serum testosterone levels in male domestic rabbits. Physiol Behav 2008; 94:510-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2007] [Revised: 02/07/2008] [Accepted: 03/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Rödel HG, Hudson R, von Holst D. Optimal litter size for individual growth of European rabbit pups depends on their thermal environment. Oecologia 2008; 155:677-89. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-008-0958-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2007] [Accepted: 12/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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45
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Siblicide in Serengeti spotted hyenas: a long-term study of maternal input and cub survival. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0421-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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46
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47
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Hudson R, Trillmich F. Sibling competition and cooperation in mammals: challenges, developments and prospects. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0417-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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