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Johny A, Janczak AM, Nordgreen J, Toscano MJ, Stratmann A. Mind the ramp: Association between early life ramp use and spatial cognition in laying hen pullets. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302454. [PMID: 38669289 PMCID: PMC11051627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ramps facilitate earlier access to complex environments and increase early life voluntary exercise, which may positively affect the cognitive development of chickens. This study focused on quantifying individual differences in ramp use and its impact on spatial cognition of laying hen pullets. Sixteen identical pens were housed with Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) chicks of which eight chicks from each pen were colour marked from one day of age (DoA) to serve as focal birds. We quantified overall ramp use (walk/run, wing-assisted incline running, and jump/fly to and from ramps) by scan sampling recorded videos for 6, 10, 12, 20, 27, 41, and 55 DoA for all focal birds. From 56 to 95 DoA, long and short-term spatial memory of three focal birds per pen were assessed in a holeboard test in three consecutive phases: cued, uncued and reversal. Mixed model analysis showed that the spatial cognitive abilities of the birds were linked to differences in ramp use frequency averaged across all observation days. Birds with higher ramp use made fewer reference (Estimate ± Confidence Interval = 0.94 [0.88, 0.99], p = 0.08) and working memory errors (Est ± CI = 0.77 [0.59, 1.00], p = 0.06) in the cued phase than birds with lower ramp use. In contrast, birds with higher ramp use made more reference memory errors (Est ± CI = 1.10 [1.01, 1.20], p = 0.05) in the reversal phase. Birds with higher ramp use also made more reference memory errors compared to birds with lower ramp use as the phases changed from cued to uncued (p = 0.001). Our results indicate that there might be a relationship between early life ramp use and spatial cognition of laying hens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Johny
- VPHI Institute, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, University of Bern, Zollikofen, Switzerland
- Graduate school of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew M. Janczak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Janicke Nordgreen
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Michael J. Toscano
- VPHI Institute, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, University of Bern, Zollikofen, Switzerland
| | - Ariane Stratmann
- VPHI Institute, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, University of Bern, Zollikofen, Switzerland
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2
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Prentice PM, Thornton A, Kolm N, Wilson AJ. Genetic and context-specific effects on individual inhibitory control performance in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1796-1810. [PMID: 37916730 PMCID: PMC10947024 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Among-individual variation in cognitive traits, widely assumed to have evolved under adaptive processes, is increasingly being demonstrated across animal taxa. As variation among individuals is required for natural selection, characterizing individual differences and their heritability is important to understand how cognitive traits evolve. Here, we use a quantitative genetic study of wild-type guppies repeatedly exposed to a 'detour task' to test for genetic variance in the cognitive trait of inhibitory control. We also test for genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) by testing related fish under alternative experimental treatments (transparent vs. semi-transparent barrier in the detour-task). We find among-individual variation in detour task performance, consistent with differences in inhibitory control. However, analysis of GxE reveals that heritable factors only contribute to performance variation in one treatment. This suggests that the adaptive evolutionary potential of inhibitory control (and/or other latent variables contributing to task performance) may be highly sensitive to environmental conditions. The presence of GxE also implies that the plastic response of detour task performance to treatment environment is genetically variable. Our results are consistent with a scenario where variation in individual inhibitory control stems from complex interactions between heritable and plastic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela M. Prentice
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- SRUC, Easter Bush, Roslin Institute BuildingMidlothianUK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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3
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Watrobska CM, Pasquier G, Leadbeater E, Portugal SJ. Metabolic rate does not explain performance on a short-term memory task or personality traits in juvenile chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221650. [PMID: 37711148 PMCID: PMC10498036 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic rate determines life processes and the physiological requirements of an individual, and has recently been implicated as a driver of inter-individual variation in behaviour, with positive correlations associated with boldness, exploration and aggressive behaviours being recorded. While the link between metabolism and personality has been explored, little is known about the influence of metabolism on cognitive abilities. Here we used juvenile female chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) to investigate the relationships between metabolic rate at rest, short-term memory, personality, and dominance. Resting metabolic rates of the chicks were measured over a three-week period, concurrently with measures of short-term memory using an analogue of the radial arm maze. We also measured latency to leave the shelter (boldness), neophobia (fear of novel objects) and dominance within a group, both before and after short-term memory trials. We found that metabolic rate did not explain inter-individual differences in short-term memory, personality traits or dominance, suggesting that energy allocated to these traits is independent of individual metabolic rate, and providing evidence for the independent energy-management hypothesis. Differences in short-term memory were also not explained by boldness or neophobia. Variation in behaviour in chicks, therefore, appears to be driven by separate, currently unknown variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecylia M. Watrobska
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Grégoire Pasquier
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Ellouise Leadbeater
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Steven J. Portugal
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
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4
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Daniel DK, Bhat A. Correlations begin at home: drivers of co-occurrence patterns in personality and cognitive ability in wild populations of zebrafish. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01787-w. [PMID: 37248284 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01787-w] [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: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic habitats are extremely dynamic, with constantly changing ecological factors, which has now been exacerbated due to human-induced rapid environmental change. In such variable environments, it becomes essential to understand how personality and cognition in organisms affect the adaptability of individuals to different habitat conditions. To test this, we studied how personality-related traits as well as cognitive ability differ between populations of wild-caught zebrafish (Danio rerio) from habitats that differed in various environmental factors. We measured emergence into a novel environment as an indicator of boldness, and performance in a spatial task inferred from feeding latencies in a maze over repeated trials to assess learning and memory, as an indicator of cognitive ability. We found that personality affects cognition and although bolder fish are better learners, they show poorer retention of memory across populations. Although personality and cognitive ability varied between habitats, the patterns of their correlations remained similar within each population. However, the individual traits (such as sex and size) that were drivers of personality and cognition differed between the habitats, suggesting that not only do behavioral traits vary between populations, but also the factors that are important in determining them. Personality and cognitive ability and the correlations between these traits determine how well an organism performs in its habitat, as well as how likely it is to find new habitats and adapt to them. Studying these across wild zebrafish populations helps predict performance efficiencies among individuals and also explains how fish adapt to extremely dynamic environments that can lead to variation in behavioral traits and correlations between them. This study not only sheds light on the drivers of interindividual variation and co-occurrence patterns of personality and cognition, but also individual and population factors that might have an effect on them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danita K Daniel
- Department of Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, 741246, India
| | - Anuradha Bhat
- Department of Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, 741246, India.
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5
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Baxter M, O'Connell NE. Large variation in the movement of individual broiler chickens tracked in a commercial house using ultra-wideband backpacks. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7634. [PMID: 37169813 PMCID: PMC10175278 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34149-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the movement patterns of individual broiler chickens in large flocks is extremely limited. Here we report the use of a Real Time Locating System to track individual broilers in a house of 28 000 birds. Broilers were fitted with backpacks containing ultra-wideband tags on day 21 (N = 8 broilers) or day 24 (N = 9 broilers), with tags recording positioning and distance data until Day 38. Tagged birds were penned overnight on Day 31 to avoid 'thinning'. We found no clear evidence of broilers consistently creating similar sized "home ranges". Some broilers spent most time < 10 m from where they were originally found while others visited at least 90% of the house in the period before thinning. While some broilers rapidly returned to the area they were collected from at thinning, the majority did not. Movement data suggested that broilers that restricted themselves to smaller areas of the house were not necessarily less active. Although there was an average reduction in movement with age, this was not linear and there was individual variation. There was also no clear association between movement patterns and broiler weight or gait score, suggesting a more complicated relationship between activity, ranging and some welfare measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Baxter
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, United Kingdom
| | - Niamh E O'Connell
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, United Kingdom.
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Bonnefous C, Calandreau L, Le Bihan-Duval E, Ferreira VHB, Barbin A, Collin A, Reverchon M, Germain K, Ravon L, Kruger N, Mignon-Grasteau S, Guesdon V. Behavioural indicators of range use in four broiler strains. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
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7
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Rubene D, Low M, Brodin A. Birds differentially prioritize visual and olfactory foraging cues depending on habitat of origin and sex. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221336. [PMID: 36778952 PMCID: PMC9905992 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Animals interpret their environment by combining information from multiple senses. The relative usefulness of different senses may vary between species, habitats and sexes; yet, how multimodal stimuli are integrated and prioritized is unknown for most taxa. We experimentally assessed foraging preferences of great tits (Parus major) to test whether urban and forest individuals prioritize visual and olfactory cues differently during foraging. We trained 13 wild-caught birds to associate multimodal (colour + odour) cues with a food reward and assessed their foraging preferences in a cue-separation test. In this, the birds could choose between the multimodal training cue and its olfactory or visual components. Our results suggest that the birds did not perceive multimodal cues in an integrated way, as their response was not stronger than for unimodal cue components. Urban birds preferred olfactory cues, while forest birds preferred visual cues. Nevertheless, female birds preferred the multimodal cue, while males foraged more randomly with respect to which cue was present. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relative roles of vision and olfaction in bird foraging behaviour. Future work should focus on how habitat- and sex-specific sensory prioritization modifies bird foraging behaviour and foraging success in the context of urban adaptations across populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Rubene
- Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Matthew Low
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Brodin
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Bessa Ferreira VH, Dutour M, Oscarsson R, Gjøen J, Jensen P. Effects of domestication on responses of chickens and red junglefowl to conspecific calls: A pilot study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279553. [PMID: 36584172 PMCID: PMC9803126 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Beyond physical and zootechnical characteristics, the process of animal domestication has also altered how domesticated individuals, compared to their wild counterparts, perceive, process, and interact with their environment. Little is known, however, on whether and how domestication altered the perception of conspecific calls on both domesticated and wild breeds. In the present work, we compared the vigilance behavior of domestic and captive-born wild fowl following the playback of chicken alarm calls and contentment calls (control). The playback tests were performed on four different breeds/lines. We first compared the behavioral reaction of domesticated White Leghorn (WL, a breed selected for egg production) and Red Junglefowl (RJF) hens (ancestor of domestic chickens). We also compared the behavior of Red Junglefowl hens selected for high or low fear of humans (RJF HF and RJF LF, respectively), a proxy to investigate early effects of domestication. Contrary to our expectations, no breed/line reacted accordingly to the calls, as the increase in vigilance behavior after the playback calls was similar for both alarm and contentment calls. Although no call discrimination differences were found, breeds did differ on how they reacted/habituated to the calls. Overall, WL were more vigilant than RJF, and birds from the RJF LF line decreased their vigilance over testing days, while this was not the case for the RJF HF line. These results suggest that birds under commercial-like conditions are unable to discriminate between alarm and contentment calls. Interestingly, domestication and selection for low fear of humans may have altered how birds react to vocal stimuli. It is important to consider that farmed animals may interpret and be affected by the vocalizations of their conspecifics in unexpected ways, which warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,* E-mail: (PJ); (VHBF)
| | - Mylène Dutour
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Rebecca Oscarsson
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Johanna Gjøen
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Jensen
- IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,* E-mail: (PJ); (VHBF)
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9
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Albers J, Reichert MS. Personality affects individual variation in olfactory learning and reversal learning in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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10
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Finkemeier MA, Krause A, Tuchscherer A, Puppe B, Langbein J. Personality traits affect learning performance in dwarf goats (Capra hircus). Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:916459. [PMID: 35909682 PMCID: PMC9336648 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.916459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide range of species exhibit time- and context-consistent interindividual variation in a number of specific behaviors related to an individual's personality. Several studies have shown that individual differences in personality-associated behavioral traits have an impact on cognitive abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and learning abilities in dwarf goats. The behavior of 95 goats during a repeated open field (OF) and novel object test (NO) was analyzed, and two main components were identified using principal component analysis: boldness and activity. In parallel, the goats learned a 4-choice visual initial discrimination task (ID) and three subsequent reversal learning (RL) tasks. The number of animals that reached the learning criterion and the number of trials needed (TTC) in each task were calculated. Our results show that goats with the lowest learning performance in ID needed more TTC in RL1 and reached the learning criterion less frequently in RL2 and RL3 compared to animals with better learning performance in ID. This suggests a close relationship between initial learning and flexibility in learning behavior. To study the link between personality and learning, we conducted two analyses, one using only data from the first OF- and NO-test (momentary personality traits), while the other included both tests integrating only animals that were stable for their specific trait (stable personality traits). No relationship between personality and learning was found using data from only the first OF- and NO-test. However, stability in the trait boldness was found to have an effect on learning. Unbold goats outperformed bold goats in RL1. This finding supports the general hypothesis that bold animals tend to develop routines and show less flexibility in the context of learning than unbold individuals. Understanding how individual personality traits can affect cognitive abilities will help us gain insight into mechanisms that can constrain cognitive processing and adaptive behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Antonine Finkemeier
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Annika Krause
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Armin Tuchscherer
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- *Correspondence: Jan Langbein
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Ferreira VHB, Guesdon V, Calandreau L, Jensen P. White Leghorn and Red Junglefowl female chicks use distal and local cues similarly, but differ in persistency behaviors, during a spatial orientation task. Behav Processes 2022; 200:104669. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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12
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Individual differences in spatial learning are correlated across tasks but not with stress response behaviour in guppies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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13
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Garnham LC, Clarke C, Løvlie H. How Inhibitory Control Relates to Positive and Negative Affective States in Red Junglefowl. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:872487. [PMID: 35464350 PMCID: PMC9024352 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.872487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in inhibitory control, an aspect of cognition, are found in many species. How this variation links to affective states is not much explored, and could be relevant for welfare. As less fearful, more optimistic, individuals may act more impulsively, inhibitory control could link to less negative, more positive, affective states. Alternatively, poorer inhibitory control could associate with more negative, less positive, affective states, as poorer inhibitory control can result in individuals being less able to adapt to changing environments and more likely to show stereotypies. We here explored in three cohorts (N = 209) of captive red junglefowl, the ancestor of domestic chickens, how inhibitory control associated with affective states. Specifically, we measured inhibitory control with a detour task, and negative and positive affective states with a tonic immobility test and a cognitive judgement bias test, respectively. Cognition and behaviour can differ between ages and sexes. Therefore, we investigated how inhibitory control related to affective states in younger chicks (≈2.5 weeks old), older chicks (≈5 weeks old) and sexually mature adults (≈28 weeks old) of both sexes. In younger chicks, poorer inhibitory control associated with less negative, more positive, affective states. We found no relationship between inhibitory control and affective states in older chicks or adults, nor sex differences regarding how inhibitory control related to affective states. Overall, our results suggest that inhibitory control can link to affective states and that the nature of these links can change over ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Clare Garnham
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Charlie Clarke
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Hanne Løvlie
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Ferreira VHB, Simoni A, Germain K, Leterrier C, Lansade L, Collin A, Mignon-Grasteau S, Le Bihan-Duval E, Guettier E, Leruste H, Løvlie H, Calandreau L, Guesdon V. Foraging Behavior Shows Individual-Consistency Over Time, and Predicts Range Use in Slow-Growing Free-Range Male Broiler Chickens. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:814054. [PMID: 35198623 PMCID: PMC8858978 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.814054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research on free-range chickens shows that individual behavioral differences may link to range use. However, most of these studies explored individual behavioral differences only at one time point or during a short time window, assessed differences when animals were out of their social group and home environment (barn and range), and in specific tests or situations. Therefore, it is yet unclear how different behaviors relate to range use and how consistent these behaviors are at the individual level. To fill this gap, we here aimed to describe the behavioral budget of slow-growing male broiler chickens (S757N) when in their social group and home environment during the whole rearing period (from the second week of life to the twelfth week, before slaughter), and to relate observed behavioral differences to range use. For this, we followed a sample of individuals in two flocks (n = 60 focal chickens out of 200 chickens per flock), over two seasons, during three periods: before range access (from 14 to 25 days old), during early range access (first weeks of range access, from 37 to 53 days old), and during late range access (last weeks of range access, from 63 to 87 days old). By the end of each period, individual tests of exploration and social motivation were also performed, measuring exploration/activity and sociability propensities. Our results show that foraging (i.e., pecking and scratching at the ground) was the only behavior that correlated to range use for all three rearing periods, independent of the season. Foraging was also the only behavior that showed within-individual consistency from an early age and across the three rearing periods. Foraging may, therefore, serve as a useful behavioral predictor of range use in free-range broiler chickens. Our study increases the knowledge of how behaviors develop and relate to each other in a domesticated and intensely selected species, and improves our understanding of the biology of free-range broiler chickens. These findings can, ultimately, serve as a foundation to increase range use and improve chicken welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, Lille, France
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
| | - Arthur Simoni
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, Lille, France
| | | | - Christine Leterrier
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France
| | - Léa Lansade
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France
| | - Anne Collin
- INRAE, Université de Tours, BOA, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | | | - Hélène Leruste
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, Lille, France
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ludovic Calandreau
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France
| | - Vanessa Guesdon
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, Lille, France
- *Correspondence: Vanessa Guesdon
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15
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Garnham LC, Boddington R, Løvlie H. Variation in inhibitory control does not influence social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking, in red junglefowl females. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:867-879. [PMID: 35122185 PMCID: PMC9334373 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01598-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individual variation in cognition, seen in many taxa, is not well understood, despite its potential evolutionary consequences. Inhibitory control is an aspect of cognition which differs between individuals. However, how selection could act on this variation remains unclear. First, individual consistency over time of behaviours affected by inhibitory control, and how these behaviours relate to each other, is not well understood. Second, consequences in ecologically relevant contexts of variation in behaviours affected by inhibitory control, are scarcely investigated. Therefore, we explored the temporal consistency and inter-relatedness of two behaviours influenced by inhibitory control (impulsive action and persistence) and how these link to social rank, foraging efficiency, and risk taking in adult female red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). We measured impulsive action in a detour test, and persistence in both a detour test and a foraging test. Impulsive action and persistence, measured in a detour test, were moderately consistent over time, and positively correlated. This implies that selection could act on inhibitory control via these behaviours, and selection on one behaviour could affect the other. However, we found no evidence of links between inhibitory control and social rank, foraging efficiency, or risk taking. This implies that selection may not act on inhibitory control via these measures, and that, in general, there may be a lack of strong selection on inhibitory control. This, in turn, could help explain individual variation in this aspect of cognition. Future research should explore the specificity of when inhibitory control has implications for individuals, and continue to investigate how variation in cognitive traits influences how individuals behave in contexts with potential evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Clare Garnham
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Robert Boddington
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
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16
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Bold and bright: shy and supple? The effect of habitat type on personality-cognition covariance in the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii). Anim Cogn 2022; 25:745-767. [PMID: 35037121 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01587-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Animals exhibit considerable and consistent among-individual variation in cognitive abilities, even within a population. Recent studies have attempted to address this variation using insights from the field of animal personality. Generally, it is predicted that animals with "faster" personalities (bolder, explorative, and neophilic) should exhibit faster but less flexible learning. However, the empirical evidence for a link between cognitive style and personality is mixed. One possible reason for such conflicting results may be that personality-cognition covariance changes along ecological conditions, a hypothesis that has rarely been investigated so far. In this study, we tested the effect of habitat complexity on multiple aspects of animal personality and cognition, and how this influenced their relationship, in five populations of the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii). Overall, lizards from both habitat types did not differ in average levels of personality or cognition, with the exception that lizards from more complex habitats performed better on a spatial learning task. Nevertheless, we found an intricate interplay between ecology, cognition, and personality, as behavioral associations were often habitat- but also year-dependent. In general, behavioral covariance was either independent of habitat, or found exclusively in the simple, open environments. Our results highlight that valuable insights may be gained by taking ecological variation into account while studying the link between personality and cognition.
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17
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Harrison LM, Noble DWA, Jennions MD. A meta-analysis of sex differences in animal personality: no evidence for the greater male variability hypothesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:679-707. [PMID: 34908228 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The notion that men are more variable than women has become embedded into scientific thinking. For mental traits like personality, greater male variability has been partly attributed to biology, underpinned by claims that there is generally greater variation among males than females in non-human animals due to stronger sexual selection on males. However, evidence for greater male variability is limited to morphological traits, and there is little information regarding sex differences in personality-like behaviours for non-human animals. Here, we meta-analysed sex differences in means and variances for over 2100 effects (204 studies) from 220 species (covering five broad taxonomic groups) across five personality traits: boldness, aggression, activity, sociality and exploration. We also tested if sexual size dimorphism, a proxy for sex-specific sexual selection, explains variation in the magnitude of sex differences in personality. We found no significant differences in personality between the sexes. In addition, sexual size dimorphism did not explain variation in the magnitude of the observed sex differences in the mean or variance in personality for any taxonomic group. In sum, we find no evidence for widespread sex differences in variability in non-human animal personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Harrison
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
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18
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Novelty at second glance: a critical appraisal of the novel object paradigm based on meta-analysis. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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19
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Wascher CAF, Allen K, Szipl G. Learning and motor inhibitory control in crows and domestic chickens. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210504. [PMID: 34703616 PMCID: PMC8527213 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive abilities allow animals to navigate through complex, fluctuating environments. In the present study, we tested the performance of a captive group of eight crows, Corvus corone and 10 domestic chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus, in the cylinder task, as a test of motor inhibitory control and reversal learning as a measure of learning ability and behavioural flexibility. Four crows and nine chickens completed the cylinder task, eight crows and six chickens completed the reversal learning experiment. Crows performed better in the cylinder task compared with chickens. In the reversal learning experiment, species did not significantly differ in the number of trials until the learning criterion was reached. The performance in the reversal learning experiment did not correlate with performance in the cylinder task in chickens. Our results suggest crows to possess better motor inhibitory control compared with chickens. By contrast, learning performance in a reversal learning task did not differ between the species, indicating similar levels of behavioural flexibility. Interestingly, we describe notable individual differences in performance. We stress the importance not only to compare cognitive performance between species but also between individuals of the same species when investigating the evolution of cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A. F. Wascher
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK
| | - Katie Allen
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK
| | - Georgine Szipl
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core facility, University of Vienna, Gruenau, Austria
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20
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Rosenberger K, Simmler M, Langbein J, Keil N, Nawroth C. Performance of goats in a detour and a problem-solving test following long-term cognitive test exposure. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210656. [PMID: 34703619 PMCID: PMC8527204 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive research in long-lived species commonly involves using the same animals in different experiments. It is unclear whether the participation in cognitive tests can notably alter the performance of individuals in subsequent conceptually different tests. We therefore investigated whether exposure to cognitive tests affects future test performance of goats. We used three treatment groups: goats with long-term exposure to human-presented object-choice tests (for visual discrimination and reversal learning tests + cognitive test battery), goats that were isolated as for the test exposure but received a reward from the experimenter without being administered the object-choice tests, and goats that were isolated but neither received a reward nor were administered the tests. All treatment groups were subsequently tested in two conceptually different cognitive tests, namely a spatial A-not-B detour test and an instrumental problem-solving test. We tested dairy goats, selected for high productivity, and dwarf goats, not selected for production traits, each at the same two research sites. We did not find notable differences between treatments with respect to the goats' detour or problem-solving performance. However, high variation was observed between the research sites, the selection lines, and among individuals, highlighting potential pitfalls of making accurate comparisons of cognitive test performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Rosenberger
- Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope, 8355 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - M. Simmler
- Digital Production Group, Agroscope, 8355 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - J. Langbein
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - N. Keil
- Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope, 8355 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - C. Nawroth
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
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21
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Campbell DL, Whitten JM, Slater E, Lee C. Rearing enrichments differentially modified hen personality traits and reduced prediction of range use. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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22
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Loconsole M, Pasculli MS, Regolin L. Space-luminance crossmodal correspondences in domestic chicks. Vision Res 2021; 188:26-31. [PMID: 34280814 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Crossmodal correspondences are spontaneous associations of non-redundant information across different modalities. Infants and some non-human animals (i.e., chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and dogs) showed crossmodal correspondences like adult humans, suggesting a shared origin (at least among mammals) of such a phenomenon. Here we investigate visual-spatial crossmodal correspondences in a precocial avian species, i.e., the domestic chicken. Three-day-old chicks (n = 40) were presented with two (one in the left and one in the right hemispace of an arena) identical panels, either dyed black (low luminance) or white (high luminance). Chicks could circumnavigate either panel to obtain a food reward. Akin to humans, they preferentially chose the left side when presented with black panels and the right side when presented with white panels. The control group (n = 39), tested with grey panels, showed no spatial preference. In light of our results, we discuss crossmodal correspondences in terms of an early available mechanism widespread across different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Loconsole
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, IT, Italy.
| | - M S Pasculli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, IT, Italy
| | - L Regolin
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, IT, Italy
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23
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Rubene D, Løvlie H. Red Junglefowl Chicks Seek Contact With Humans During Foraging Task. Front Psychol 2021; 12:675526. [PMID: 34248772 PMCID: PMC8260840 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.675526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Contact seeking with humans is documented in some domestic animals, mainly dogs, which have advanced communication skills. Domestication as a companion animal is thought to underlie this ability. However, also domesticated horses and goats display similar human-directed behaviors. This suggests either a broader effect of domestication on contact-seeking behavior, or alternatively, that social interactions with humans can result in the development of human contact seeking. As part of another study, we observed contact-seeking behavior in juvenile red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) chicks exposed to behavioral training since hatching, during a foraging task, where chicks were singly required to collect food rewards in a familiar arena using odor cues. If chicks left the arena, we recorded if they approached and looked up at the experimenter, or if they approached other objects (including another human). Chicks approached the experimenter significantly more often than they approached other objects. This behavior was not linked to a fast performance in the test arena, which gave some birds more time to explore the surroundings, or to learning ability measured in a cognitive task. Yet, the preference for the experimenter was lower for chicks that were handled more prior to the experiment. Also, approach probability was positively correlated with escape attempts in a novel arena test. The observed variation in approach behavior suggests a link to aspects of personality, and exposure to human interactions and experimental procedures. Our observations suggest that, although neither domesticated nor selectively bred, red junglefowl that are socialized with humans can potentially develop behavior used to describe contact seeking. Together with evidence from cognitive and behavioral studies, our results suggest that social experiences, not only domestication, can affect human-animal interactions. We propose how interactions between behavior, cognition and handling could be studied further in controlled settings to validate the preliminary findings of our study and uncover the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Rubene
- Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Biology Division, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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24
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Ferreira VHB, Guesdon V, Calandreau L. How can the research on chicken cognition improve chicken welfare: a perspective review. WORLD POULTRY SCI J 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00439339.2021.1924920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- V. H. B. Ferreira
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d’Elevage, Lille Cedex, France
| | - V. Guesdon
- JUNIA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d’Elevage, Lille Cedex, France
| | - L. Calandreau
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
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25
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Iyasere OS, Oyetunji DE, Wheto M, Durosaro SO, Adigun TT, Muraina HA, Akinyemi OO, Daramola JO. Effect of acute heat stress on cognitive performance of chickens in a feed-related discriminant task. J Therm Biol 2021; 98:102914. [PMID: 34016341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.102914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about immediate and long-lasting effect of acute heat stress on chicken cognition. Thirty-five, 9-week-old birds were trained to differentiate two cone colours; white (rewarded, R; with feed underneath) and black (unrewarded, UR; empty). The sixteen birds that learnt the task were randomly assigned to three temperature regimens (TR: 22-24 °C (control), 30-32 and 36-38 °C for 3h/day) for three consecutive days during which rectal (RT), wing (WT) and eye (ET) temperatures were monitored. After the 3 h of exposure, birds were allowed to rest for 1 h before the commencement of the discriminant task. The latencies to open the cones (R and UR) and proportion of cones opened were recorded. A long-lasting effect was tested a week after exposure to TR. TR had a significant effect on RT, WT and ET. The motivation to turn over R cones was weaker in birds exposed to 36-38 °C than birds exposed to 22-24 °C. Also, the proportion of R cones opened were fewer in birds that experienced TR of 36-38 °C compared to birds exposed to 22-24 °C and 30-32 °C specifically on two out of the three cognitive test days (Days 1 and 3). Latency and proportion of UR cones opened was not affected by TR. RT, WT and ET were all negatively and significantly correlated with latency to open the UR cones. Previous exposure of birds to three TR had no effect on the latency to open both cones but the proportion of R cones opened was greater in birds exposed to 30-32 °C compared to the 22-24 °C birds. In conclusion, an immediate (36-38 °C) and long-lasting effect (30-32 °C) of acute heat stress was associated with a weak motivation to perform feed related discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwaseun S Iyasere
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
| | - Damilola E Oyetunji
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Mathew Wheto
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Samuel O Durosaro
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Taiwo T Adigun
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Habeeb A Muraina
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Olaoluwa O Akinyemi
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - James O Daramola
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
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26
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Ferreira VHB, Simoni A, Germain K, Leterrier C, Lansade L, Collin A, Mignon-Grasteau S, Le Bihan-Duval E, Guettier E, Leruste H, Calandreau L, Guesdon V. Working for food is related to range use in free-range broiler chickens. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6253. [PMID: 33737689 PMCID: PMC7973526 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85867-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
When animals prefer to make efforts to obtain food instead of acquiring it from freely available sources, they exhibit what is called contrafreeloading. Recently, individual differences in behavior, such as exploration, were shown to be linked to how prone an individual may be to contrafreeload. In this work, our main objective was to test whether and how individual differences in range use of free-range broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) were related to the individual motivation to contrafreeload. We also verified whether other behavioral variations could relate to range use. To that aim, over three different periods (before range access, first weeks of range access, and last weeks of range access), chickens with different ranging levels (low and high rangers) were submitted to a contrafreeloading test and had different behaviors recorded (such as foraging, resting, locomotion) in their home environment. During the contrafreeloading test, chickens were conditioned to one chamber presenting a foraging substrate and mealworms, while in the other chamber, mealworms were freely available on the floor. During testing trials, chickens had access to both empty chambers, and the time spent in each chamber was quantified. On average, low rangers preferred the chamber where mealworms were easily accessible (without the foraging substrate), while high rangers preferred the chamber where mealworms were accessible with difficulty, showing greater contrafreeloading. Out of ten behaviors recorded in chickens' home environment, foraging was the only one that differed significantly between our two ranging groups, with low rangers foraging, on average, significantly less than high rangers. These results corroborate previous experiences suggesting that range use is probably linked to chickens' exploratory trait and suggest that individual differences in free-range broiler chickens are present even before range access. Increasing our knowledge of individual particularities is a necessary step to improve free-range chicken welfare on the farm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
- JUNIA ISA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, 48 Boulevard Vauban, BP 41290, 59046, Lille Cedex, France. .,INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
| | - Arthur Simoni
- JUNIA ISA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, 48 Boulevard Vauban, BP 41290, 59046, Lille Cedex, France
| | - Karine Germain
- INRAE, UE EASM, Le Magneraud, CS 40052, 17700, Surgères, France
| | - Christine Leterrier
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Léa Lansade
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Anne Collin
- INRAE, Université de Tours, BOA, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | | | - Hélène Leruste
- JUNIA ISA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, 48 Boulevard Vauban, BP 41290, 59046, Lille Cedex, France
| | - Ludovic Calandreau
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
| | - Vanessa Guesdon
- JUNIA ISA, Comportement Animal et Systèmes d'Elevage, 48 Boulevard Vauban, BP 41290, 59046, Lille Cedex, France
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27
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Roth AM, Dingemanse NJ, Nakagawa S, McDonald GC, Løvlie H, Robledo-Ruiz DA, Pizzari T. Sexual selection and personality: Individual and group-level effects on mating behaviour in red junglefowl. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1288-1306. [PMID: 33630314 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing evidence of the importance of repeatable among-individual differences in behaviour (animal personality) in ecology and evolution, little remains known about the role of animal personalities in sexual selection. Here, we present an investigation of the hypothesis that the personalities of individuals and their sexual partners play a role in different episodes of sexual selection, and the extent to which these effects are modulated by the social environment. We first examined how two repeatable behaviours-exploration and boldness-are associated with pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in male red junglefowl Gallus gallus, using replicate groups across three experimental sex ratio treatments. We further explored how the social environment modulates relationships between male personality and mating performance, and whether mating is assortative or disassortative with respect to exploration or boldness. Finally, we examined behavioural mechanisms linking personality with mating performance. Across all sex ratios, the fastest and slowest exploring males courted females proportionally less, and faster exploring males associated with females more and received more sexual solicitations. In female-biased groups, the fastest and slowest exploring males experienced the highest mating success and lowest sperm competition intensity. Faster exploring males also obtained more mates in female-biased groups when their competitors were, on average, slower exploring, and the proportion of matings obtained by fast-exploring males decreased with the proportion of fast-exploring males in a group, consistent with negative frequency-dependent sexual selection. While boldness did not predict mating performance, there was a tendency for individuals to mate disassortatively with respect to boldness. Collectively, our results suggest that male exploration can play a role in sexual selection, and that sexual selection on personality is complex and contingent on the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Roth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Grant C McDonald
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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28
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Armstrong EA, Voelkl B, Voegeli S, Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Guy JH, Sandilands V, Boswell T, Toscano MJ, Smulders TV. Cell Proliferation in the Adult Chicken Hippocampus Correlates With Individual Differences in Time Spent in Outdoor Areas and Tonic Immobility. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:587. [PMID: 33005647 PMCID: PMC7479223 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Access to outdoor areas is provided as a means of enhancing welfare in commercial systems for laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus), but substantial individual differences exist in their proportional use. Baseline cell proliferation levels of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis (AHN) have been associated with individual differences in reactive vs. proactive coping style, and in both mammals and birds, AHN is upregulated by positive experiences including environmental enrichment and exercise. We thus sought to explore whether individual differences in use of outdoor areas and in tonic immobility responses (indicative of fearfulness) were associated with hippocampal cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Radio frequency identification technology was used to track the ranging behavior of 440 individual focal hens within a commercially-relevant system over a 72-days period, after which tonic immobility durations were measured. Following hippocampal tissue collection from 58 focal hens, proliferation and neuronal differentiation were measured through quantitative PCR for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and doublecortin mRNA, respectively. Individual differences in tonic immobility duration positively correlated with PCNA expression over the whole hippocampal formation, while greater time spent in outdoor areas (the grassy range and stone yard) was associated with higher proliferation in the rostral subregion. Basal proliferation in the chicken hippocampal formation may thus relate to reactivity, while levels in the rostral region may be stimulated by ranging experience. Doublecortin expression in the caudal hippocampus negatively co-varied with time on the grassy range, but was not associated with tonic immobility duration. This suggests that ranging outside may be associated with stress. Within laying hen flocks, individual differences in hippocampal plasticity thus relate to coping style and use of external areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena A Armstrong
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.,Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Bernhard Voelkl
- Centre for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Voegeli
- Centre for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Jonathan H Guy
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.,School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Sandilands
- Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Engineering Science, SRUC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Boswell
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.,School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Toscano
- Centre for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tom V Smulders
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.,Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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29
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Range use is related to free-range broiler chickens’ behavioral responses during food and social conditioned place preference tests. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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30
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Boddington R, Gómez Dunlop CA, Garnham LC, Ryding S, Abbey-Lee RN, Kreshchenko A, Løvlie H. The relationship between monoaminergic gene expression, learning, and optimism in red junglefowl chicks. Anim Cogn 2020; 23:901-911. [PMID: 32440792 PMCID: PMC7415762 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01394-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Intra-species cognitive variation is commonly observed, but explanations for why individuals within a species differ in cognition are still understudied and not yet clear. Cognitive processes are likely influenced by genetic differences, with genes in the monoaminergic systems predicted to be important. To explore the potential role of these genes in association with individual variation in cognition, we exposed red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) chicks to behavioural assays measuring variation in learning (discriminative learning, reversal learning, and cognitive flexibility) and optimism (measured in a cognitive judgement bias test). Following this, we analysed prefrontal cortex gene expression of several dopaminergic and serotonergic genes in these chicks. Of our explored genes, serotonin receptor genes 5HT2A and 5HT2B, and dopaminergic receptor gene DRD1 were associated with measured behaviour. Chicks that had higher 5HT2A were less flexible in the reversal learning task, and chicks with higher 5HT2B also tended to be less cognitively flexible. Additionally, chicks with higher DRD1 were more optimistic, whilst chicks with higher 5HT2A tended to be less optimistic. These results suggest that the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems are linked to observed cognitive variation, and, thus, individual differences in cognition can be partially explained by variation in brain gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Boddington
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Clara A Gómez Dunlop
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Laura C Garnham
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sara Ryding
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Robin N Abbey-Lee
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anastasia Kreshchenko
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
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31
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Social motivation and the use of distal, but not local, featural cues are related to ranging behavior in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Anim Cogn 2020; 23:769-780. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01389-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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32
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Ferreira VHB, Reiter L, Germain K, Calandreau L, Guesdon V. Uninhibited chickens: ranging behaviour impacts motor self-regulation in free-range broiler chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus). Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190721. [PMID: 31964255 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibiting impulsive, less flexible behaviours is of utmost importance for individual adaptation in an ever-changing environment. However, problem-solving tasks may be greatly impacted by individual differences in behaviour, since animals with distinct behavioural types perceive and interact with their environment differently, resulting in variable responses to the same stimuli. Here, we tested whether and how differences in ranging behaviour of free-range chickens affect motor self-regulation performance during a cylinder task. For this task, subjects must refrain from trying to reach a food reward through the walls of a transparent cylinder and detour to its open sides, as a sign of inhibition. Free-range chickens exhibited an overall low performance in the motor self-regulation task (31.33 ± 13.55% of correct responses), however, high rangers showed significantly poorer performance than the low rangers (23.75 ± 9.16% versus 40 ± 12.90%, respectively). These results give further support to the impacts of individual behavioural differences on cognitive performances. This is the first demonstration to our knowledge of a relationship between exploratory tendencies and motor self-regulation for an avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira
- Yncréa Hauts-de-France, ISA Lille, 48 bd Vauban, 59046 Lille Cedex, France.,INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Lorène Reiter
- INRAE, UE EASM, Le Magneraud, CS 40052, 17700 Surgères, France
| | - Karine Germain
- INRAE, UE EASM, Le Magneraud, CS 40052, 17700 Surgères, France
| | - Ludovic Calandreau
- INRAE, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Vanessa Guesdon
- Yncréa Hauts-de-France, ISA Lille, 48 bd Vauban, 59046 Lille Cedex, France
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33
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The role of personality, cognition, and affective state in same-sex contests in the red junglefowl. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Intra-species contests are common in the animal kingdom and can have fitness consequences. Most research on what predicts contest outcome focuses on morphology, although differences in personality and cognition may also be involved. Supporting this, more proactive individuals often have dominant status, although the causality of this relationship is rarely investigated. Contest initiators often win; thus, individuals that are more proactive in their personality (e.g., more aggressive, risk-taking) or cognition (e.g., more optimistic, impulsive) may initiate contests more often. To investigate this, we assayed the behavior and cognition of sexually mature male and female red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a species in which both sexes contest over social status, before staging intra-sexual contests. We confirm that contest initiators were more likely to win. In males, individuals that behaved more boldly in a novel arena test were more likely to initiate and win contests. Female initiators tended to be less active in novel object test, more aggressive in a restrained opponent test, and respond less optimistically in a cognitive judgement bias test, whereas the main predictor of whether a female would win a contest was whether she initiated it. These results suggest that behaviors attributed to proactive and reactive personalities, and—at least for female red junglefowl—optimism, can affect contest initiation and outcome. Therefore, within species, and depending on sex, different aspects of behavior and cognition may independently affect contest initiation and outcome. The generality of these findings, and their fitness consequences, requires further investigation.
Significance statement
In red junglefowl, we explored how behavior previously shown to describe personality, cognition, and affective state affected initiation and outcome of intra-sexual contests, by staging contests between sexually mature individuals previously assayed in behavioral and cognitive tests. In both sexes, contest initiators usually won. Bolder males were more likely to initiate and win contests. Female contests initiators were less active, more aggressive, and less optimistic. Our results suggest that personality and cognition could affect the initiation and outcome of contests and that how this occurs may differ between sexes.
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Zidar J, Balogh ACV, Leimar O, Løvlie H. Generalization of learned preferences covaries with behavioral flexibility in red junglefowl chicks. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:1375-1381. [PMID: 31579147 PMCID: PMC6765379 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between animal cognition and consistent among-individual behavioral differences (i.e., behavioral types, animal personality, or coping styles), has recently received increased research attention. Focus has mainly been on linking different behavioral types to performance in learning tasks. It has been suggested that behavioral differences could influence also how individuals use previously learnt information to generalize about new stimuli with similar properties. Nonetheless, this has rarely been empirically tested. Here, we therefore explore the possibility that individual variation in generalization is related to variation in behavioral types in red junglefowl chicks (Gallus gallus). We show that more behaviorally flexible chicks have a stronger preference for a novel stimulus that is intermediate between 2 learnt positive stimuli compared to more inflexible chicks. Thus, more flexible and inflexible chicks differ in how they generalize. Further, behavioral flexibility correlates with fearfulness, suggesting a coping style, supporting that variation in generalization is related to variation in behavioral types. How individuals generalize affects decision making and responses to novel situations or objects, and can thus have a broad influence on the life of an individual. Our results add to the growing body of evidence linking cognition to consistent behavioral differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefina Zidar
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Campus Valla, inköping, Sweden
| | - Alexandra C V Balogh
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Campus Valla, inköping, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olof Leimar
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Campus Valla, inköping, Sweden
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35
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Ferreira VHB, Peuteman B, Lormant F, Valenchon M, Germain K, Brachet M, Leterrier C, Lansade L, Calandreau L, Guesdon V. Relationship between ranging behavior and spatial memory of free-range chickens. Behav Processes 2019; 166:103888. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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36
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Szabo B, Noble DW, Byrne RW, Tait DS, Whiting MJ. Precocial juvenile lizards show adult level learning and behavioural flexibility. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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37
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Campbell DLM, Taylor PS, Hernandez CE, Stewart M, Belson S, Lee C. An attention bias test to assess anxiety states in laying hens. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7303. [PMID: 31333910 PMCID: PMC6626526 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear is a response to a known threat, anxiety is a response to a perceived threat. Both of these affective states can be detrimental to animal welfare in modern housing environments. In comparison to the well-validated tests for assessing fear in laying hens, tests for measuring anxiety are less developed. Perception of a threat can result in an attention bias that may indicate anxious affective states in individual hens following playback of an alarm call. In Experiment 1, an attention bias test was applied to hens that differed in their range access to show that hens that never ranged were more vigilant (stretching of the neck and looking around: P < 0.001) and slower to feed following the second alarm call playback (P = 0.01) compared with hens that ranged daily. All hens showed a reduction in comb temperature following the first alarm call (P < 0.001). In Experiment 2, an open field test was used to determine an effective dose of 2 mg/kg for the anxiogenic drug meta-Chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) in adult laying hens. Hens dosed with 2 mg/kg showed reduced locomotion compared with a saline solution (P < 0.05). In Experiment 3, 2 mg/kg m-CPP or saline was administered to adult hens previously habituated to the open field arena to pharmacologically validate an attention bias test as a measure of anxiety. Hens dosed with m-CPP were slower to feed (P = 0.02) and faster to vocalize following a second alarm call playback (P = 0.03) but these hens did not exhibit the same vigilance behavior as documented in Experiment 1. The m-CPP hens also spent more time stepping and vocalizing (both P < 0.001) than the saline hens. An attention bias test could be used to assess anxiety. However, behavioral responses of hens may vary depending on their age or test environment familiarity, thus further refinement of the test is required. In these tests, 2 mg/kg of m-CPP resulted in motionless behavior when the environment was novel, but more movement and vocalizing when the environment was familiar. The extreme behavioral phenotypes exhibited by individually-tested birds may both be indicators of negative states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana L M Campbell
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia.,School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Peta S Taylor
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Carlos E Hernandez
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia.,School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.,Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mairi Stewart
- AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Sue Belson
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Caroline Lee
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia.,School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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38
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Sophisticated Fowl: The Complex Behaviour and Cognitive Skills of Chickens and Red Junglefowl. Behav Sci (Basel) 2018; 8:bs8010013. [PMID: 29342087 PMCID: PMC5791031 DOI: 10.3390/bs8010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The world’s most numerous bird, the domestic chicken, and their wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, have long been used as model species for animal behaviour research. Recently, this research has advanced our understanding of the social behaviour, personality, and cognition of fowl, and demonstrated their sophisticated behaviour and cognitive skills. Here, we overview some of this research, starting with describing research investigating the well-developed senses of fowl, before presenting how socially and cognitively complex they can be. The realisation that domestic chickens, our most abundant production animal, are behaviourally and cognitively sophisticated should encourage an increase in general appraise and fascination towards them. In turn, this should inspire increased use of them as both research and hobby animals, as well as improvements in their unfortunately often poor welfare.
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