451
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Voellmy IK, Goncalves IB, Barrette MF, Monfort SL, Manser MB. Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats. Horm Behav 2014; 66:759-65. [PMID: 25218254 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Adrenal hormones likely affect anti-predator behavior in animals. With experimental field studies, we first investigated associations between mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) excretion and vigilance and with behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We then tested how vigilance and behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks were affected in individuals administered exogenous cortisol. We found a positive association between mean fGC concentrations and vigilance behavior, but no relationship with the intensity of behavioral responses to alarm calls. However, in response to alarm call playbacks, individuals administered cortisol took slightly longer to resume foraging than control individuals treated with saline solution. Vigilance behavior, which occurs in the presence and absence of dangerous stimuli, serves to detect and avoid potential dangers, whereas responses to alarm calls serve to avoid immediate predation. Our data show that mean fGC excretion in meerkats was associated with vigilance, as a re-occurring anti-predator behavior over long time periods, and experimentally induced elevations of plasma cortisol affected the response to immediate threats. Together, our results indicate an association between the two types of anti-predator behavior and glucocorticoids, but that the underlying mechanisms may differ. Our study emphasizes the need to consider appropriate measures of adrenal activity specific to different contexts when assessing links between stress physiology and different anti-predator behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene K Voellmy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, South Africa
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, South Africa
| | - Marie-France Barrette
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke J1K 2R1, Canada; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA; Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, South Africa
| | - Steven L Monfort
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
| | - Marta B Manser
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Mammal Research Institute, Pretoria University, 00002 Pretoria, South Africa; Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, South Africa.
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452
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453
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Reimert I, Rodenburg TB, Ursinus WW, Kemp B, Bolhuis JE. Selection based on indirect genetic effects for growth, environmental enrichment and coping style affect the immune status of pigs. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108700. [PMID: 25275507 PMCID: PMC4183536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigs living in intensive husbandry systems may experience both acute and chronic stress through standard management procedures and limitations in their physical and social environment, which may have implications for their immune status. Here, the effect of a new breeding method where pigs were selected on their heritable influence on their pen mates' growth, and environmental enrichment on the immune status of pigs was investigated. Hereto, 240 pigs with a relatively positive genetic effect on the growth of their pen mates (+SBV) and 240 pigs with a relatively negative genetic effect on the growth of their pen mates (-SBV) were housed in barren or straw-enriched pens from 4 to 23 weeks of age (n = 80 pens in total). A blood sample was taken from the pigs before, three days after a 24 h regrouping test, and at week 22. In addition, effects of coping style, as assessed in a backtest, and gender were also investigated. Mainly, +SBV were found to have lower leukocyte, lymphocyte and haptoglobin concentrations than -SBV pigs. Enriched housed pigs had a lower neutrophil to lymphocyte (N:L) ratio and lower haptoglobin concentrations, but had higher antibody titers specific for Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) than barren housed pigs. No interactions were found between SBV class and housing. Furthermore, pigs with a proactive coping style had higher alternative complement activity and, in the enriched pens, higher antibody titers specific for KLH than pigs with a reactive coping style. Lastly, females tended to have lower leukocyte, but higher haptoglobin concentrations than castrated males. Overall, these results suggest that +SBV pigs and enriched housed pigs were less affected by stress than -SBV and barren housed pigs, respectively. Moreover, immune activation might be differently organized in individuals with different coping styles and to a lesser extent in individuals of opposite genders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inonge Reimert
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - T. Bas Rodenburg
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Winanda W. Ursinus
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Wageningen UR Livestock Research, Animal Behaviour & Welfare, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bas Kemp
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - J. Elizabeth Bolhuis
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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454
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The dilemma of foraging herbivores: dealing with food and fear. Oecologia 2014; 176:677-89. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3076-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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455
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Silva PIM, Martins CIM, Höglund E, Gjøen HM, Øverli Ø. Feeding motivation as a personality trait in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): role of serotonergic neurotransmission. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2014; 40:1547-1557. [PMID: 24858238 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-014-9947-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Consistent individual variation in behaviour and physiology (i.e. animal personality or coping style) has emerged as a central topic in many biological disciplines. Yet, underlying mechanisms of crucial personality traits like feeding behaviour in novel environments remain unclear. Comparative studies, however, reveal a strong degree of evolutionary conservation of neural mechanisms controlling such behaviours throughout the vertebrate lineage. Previous studies have indicated duration of stress-induced anorexia as a consistent individual characteristic in teleost fishes. This study aims to determine to what degree brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) activity pertains to this aspect of animal personality, as a correlate to feed anticipatory behaviour and recovery of feed intake after transfer to a novel environment. Crucial to the definition of animal personality, a strong degree of individual consistency in different measures of feeding behaviour (feeding latency and feeding score), was demonstrated. Furthermore, low serotonergic activity in the hypothalamus was highly correlated with a personality characterized by high feeding motivation, with feeding motivation represented as an overall measure incorporating several behavioural parameters in a Principle Component Analyses (PCA). This study thus confirms individual variation in brain 5-HT neurotransmission as a correlate to complex behavioural syndromes related to feeding motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia I M Silva
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway,
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456
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Sullivan AW, Beach EC, Stetzik LA, Perry A, D'Addezio AS, Cushing BS, Patisaul HB. A novel model for neuroendocrine toxicology: neurobehavioral effects of BPA exposure in a prosocial species, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Endocrinology 2014; 155:3867-81. [PMID: 25051448 PMCID: PMC6285157 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Impacts on brain and behavior have been reported in laboratory rodents after developmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), raising concerns about possible human effects. Epidemiological data suggest links between prenatal BPA exposure and altered affective behaviors in children, but potential mechanisms are unclear. Disruption of mesolimbic oxytocin (OT)/vasopressin (AVP) pathways have been proposed, but supporting evidence is minimal. To address these data gaps, we employed a novel animal model for neuroendocrine toxicology: the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), which are more prosocial than lab rats or mice. Male and female prairie vole pups were orally exposed to 5-μg/kg body weight (bw)/d, 50-μg/kg bw/d, or 50-mg/kg bw/d BPA or vehicle over postnatal days 8-14. Subjects were tested as juveniles in open field and novel social tests and for partner preference as adults. Brains were then collected and assessed for immunoreactive (ir) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (a dopamine marker) neurons in the principal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (pBNST) and TH-ir, OT-ir, and AVP-ir neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Female open field activity indicated hyperactivity at the lowest dose and anxiety at the highest dose. Effects on social interactions were also observed, and partner preference formation was mildly inhibited at all dose levels. BPA masculinized principal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis TH-ir neuron numbers in females. Additionally, 50-mg/kg bw BPA-exposed females had more AVP-ir neurons in the anterior PVN and fewer OT-ir neurons in the posterior PVN. At the 2 lowest doses, BPA eliminated sex differences in PVN TH-ir neuron numbers and reversed this sex difference at the highest dose. Minimal behavioral effects were observed in BPA-exposed males. These data support the hypothesis that BPA alters affective behaviors, potentially via disruption of OT/AVP pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana W Sullivan
- Department of Biological Sciences (A.W.S., A.S.D., H.B.P.), North Carolina State University, and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology (A.W.S., A.S.D., H.B.P.), Raleigh, North Carolina 27695; and Department of Biology and Integrated Bioscience Program (E.C.B., L.A.S., A.P., B.S.C.), University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44333
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457
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Stamatakis A, Diamantopoulou A, Panagiotaropoulos T, Raftogianni A, Stylianopoulou F. A novel model of early experiences involving neonatal learning of a T-maze using maternal contact as a reward or its denial as an event of mild emotional adversity. Dev Psychobiol 2014; 56:1651-60. [PMID: 25231083 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We developed a novel animal model of early life experiences in which rat pups are trained during postnatal days (PND) 10-13 in a T-maze with maternal contact as a reward (RER group) or its denial (DER group) as a mildly aversive event. Both groups of animals learn the T-maze, albeit the RER do so more efficiently. Training results in activation of the basal ganglia in the RER and of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in the DER. Moreover, on PND10 DER training leads to increased corticosterone levels and activation of the amygdala. In adulthood, male DER animals show better mnemonic abilities in the Morris water maze while the RER exhibit enhanced fear memory. Furthermore, DER animals have a hypofunctioning serotonergic system and express depressive-like behavior and increased aggression. However, they have increased hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors, indicative of efficient hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, and an adaptive pattern of stress-induced corticosterone response. The DER experience with its relatively negative emotional valence results in a complex behavioral phenotype, which cannot be considered simply as adaptive or maladaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios Stamatakis
- Biology-Biochemistry Lab, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 123 Papadiamantopoulou Str., Athens, 11527, Greece
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458
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Ursinus WW, Van Reenen CG, Reimert I, Bolhuis JE. Tail biting in pigs: blood serotonin and fearfulness as pieces of the puzzle? PLoS One 2014; 9:e107040. [PMID: 25188502 PMCID: PMC4154847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Tail biting in pigs is a widespread problem in intensive pig farming. The tendency to develop this damaging behaviour has been suggested to relate to serotonergic functioning and personality characteristics of pigs. We investigated whether tail biting in pigs can be associated with blood serotonin and with their behavioural and physiological responses to novelty. Pigs (n = 480) were born in conventional farrowing pens and after weaning at four weeks of age they were either housed barren (B) or in straw-enriched (E) pens. Individual pigs were exposed to a back test and novel environment test before weaning, and after weaning to a novel object (i.e. bucket) test in an unfamiliar arena. A Principal Component Analysis on behaviours during the tests and salivary cortisol (novel object test only) revealed five factors for both housing systems, labeled ‘Early life exploration’, ‘Near bucket’, ‘Cortisol’, ‘Vocalizations & standing alert’, and ‘Back test activity’. Blood samples were taken at 8, 9 and 22 weeks of age to determine blood platelet serotonin. In different phases of life, pigs were classified as tail biter/non-tail biter based on tail biting behaviour, and as victim/non-victim based on tail wounds. A combination of both classifications resulted in four pig types: biters, victims, biter/victims, and neutrals. Generally, only in phases of life during which pigs were classified as tail biters, they seemed to have lower blood platelet serotonin storage and higher blood platelet uptake velocities. Victims also seemed to have lower blood serotonin storage. Additionally, in B housing, tail biters seemed to consistently have lower scores of the factor ‘Near bucket’, possibly indicating a higher fearfulness in tail biters. Further research is needed to elucidate the nature of the relationship between peripheral 5-HT, fearfulness and tail biting, and to develop successful strategies and interventions to prevent and reduce tail biting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winanda W. Ursinus
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Animal behaviour & Welfare, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Cornelis G. Van Reenen
- Animal behaviour & Welfare, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Inonge Reimert
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - J. Elizabeth Bolhuis
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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459
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Lee TK, Lee C, Bischof R, Lambert GW, Clarke IJ, Henry BA. Stress-induced behavioral and metabolic adaptations lead to an obesity-prone phenotype in ewes with elevated cortisol responses. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 47:166-77. [PMID: 25001966 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 04/26/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The underlying cause of predisposition to obesity is complex but one marker is cortisol responsiveness. Selection of sheep for high (HR) or low (LR) cortisol responses to adrenocorticotropin shows that HR are more likely to become obese. Increased propensity to obesity is associated with reduced skeletal muscle thermogenesis. We sought to determine whether metabolic or behavioral responses to stress also contribute to altered propensity to obesity in LR and HR. Animals (n=5-10/group) were exposed to 3 stressors and we measured food intake and thermogenesis (recorded with dataloggers implanted into muscle). Stressors were hypoglycaemia (0.125 units/kg insulin, IV), a barking dog and immune challenge (200 ng/kg lipopolysaccharide--LPS, IV). LR animals showed a greater catabolic state in response to both immune and psychosocial stressors. LPS reduced (P<0.01) food intake in both groups but LR showed a greater (P<0.05) reduction in food intake and a more substantial (P<0.05) rise in muscle temperature. Introduction of the barking dog reduced (P<0.05) food intake in LR only. These metabolic differences coincided with differences in cortisol responsiveness, where HR animals had increased (P<0.05) cortisol in response to both immune and psychosocial stressors. We also assessed behavior in the following paradigms: 1, isolation in the open field test; 2, response to a human intruder; and 3, food competition. LR had greater (P<0.05) activity, reduced fearfulness and displayed a proactive coping style of behavior. Thus we demonstrate that high cortisol responsiveness identifies animals with stress-induced metabolic and behavioral traits that may contribute to susceptibility to obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Kevin Lee
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Caroline Lee
- CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
| | - Robert Bischof
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Gavin W Lambert
- Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Iain J Clarke
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Belinda A Henry
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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460
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Bowen MT, Dass SAH, Booth J, Suraev A, Vyas A, McGregor IS. Active coping toward predatory stress is associated with lower corticosterone and progesterone plasma levels and decreased methylation in the medial amygdala vasopressin system. Horm Behav 2014; 66:561-6. [PMID: 25127982 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 08/04/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
An active coping style displayed under stress - which involves proactive investigatory responses toward environmental threats - has been associated with reduced vulnerability to psychiatric illness. However, the neurobiological determinants of coping styles are not well understood. When rats are exposed to a naturalistic stressor (cat fur) in a group, some individuals in the group show robust active investigation of the stimulus while others show a passive response involving retreat, immobility and close aggregation with conspecifics. Here we explored endocrine and epigenetic correlates of these contrasting coping styles. Male Wistar rats (n=48) were exposed to cat fur in groups of 4 and the passive and active responders were identified and assessed for endocrine and epigenetic differences. Three days after the final cat fur exposure, active responders had substantially lower plasma levels of corticosterone and progesterone than passive responders. Plasma and testicular testosterone levels did not differ between active and passive responders. Active responders had markedly less methylation of the AVP CGCG promoter region located at base 4970 in the posterodorsal region of the medial amygdala but did not differ in the methylation status of the CCGG sequence located at base 2243. This is in agreement with prior research suggesting that AVP and progesterone act in opposition within the medial amygdala to modulate stress-related behaviors. The present study reports striking endocrine and epigenetic differences between active and passive responders, providing insight into potential systems involved in the manifestation of differing coping styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Bowen
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shantala A Hari Dass
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jessica Booth
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Anastasia Suraev
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ajai Vyas
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Iain S McGregor
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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461
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Sild E, Meitern R, Männiste M, Karu U, Hõrak P. High feather corticosterone indicates better coccidian infection resistance in greenfinches. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 204:203-10. [PMID: 24953456 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Revised: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Differential exposure or sensitivity to stressors can have substantial effects on the variation in immune responsiveness of animals. However, the questions about the causes and consequences of these processes have remained largely unclear, particularly as regards wild animals and their natural pathogens. Here we ask how a potential marker of stress responses, the feather corticosterone (CORT) content, reflects the resistance to an experimental infection with natural coccidian parasites in wild-caught captive greenfinches (Carduelis chloris). CORT content of tail feathers grown in captivity correlated positively with a behavioural measure of captivity-intolerance, i.e., the amount of damage accrued to tail feathers in captivity that results from flapping against cage bars. This finding is consistent with an idea that feather CORT reflects the amount of stress experienced during feather growth. Experimental infection with heterologous coccidian strains increased feather CORT levels. Birds with highest feather CORT levels appeared most resistant to new infection, assessed on the basis of parasite oocyst shedding at the peak phase of infection. Birds with highest feather CORT levels also cleared the infection faster than the birds with lower feather CORT levels. These findings provide the first evidence about positive covariation between feather CORT and resistance to a natural pathogen in a wild bird species. Assuming that feather CORT levels reflect circulating hormone titres, these findings suggest that parasite-mediated selection may contribute to maintenance of phenotypes with high corticosterone responsiveness to stress, despite potential negative behavioural consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin Sild
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Richard Meitern
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Marju Männiste
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ulvi Karu
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Peeter Hõrak
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia.
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462
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Guillette LM, Hahn AH, Hoeschele M, Przyslupski AM, Sturdy CB. Individual differences in learning speed, performance accuracy and exploratory behaviour in black-capped chickadees. Anim Cogn 2014; 18:165-78. [PMID: 25060576 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0787-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Revised: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive processes are important to animals because they not only influence how animals acquire, store and recall information, but also may underpin behaviours such as deciding where to look for food, build a nest, or with whom to mate. Several recent studies have begun to examine the potential interaction between variation in cognition and variation in personality traits. One hypothesis proposed that there is a speed-accuracy trade-off in cognition ability that aligns with a fast-slow behaviour type. Here, we explicitly examined this hypothesis by testing wild-caught black-capped chickadees in a series of cognitive tasks that assessed both learning speed (the number of trials taken to learn) and accuracy (post-acquisition performance when tested with un-trained exemplars). Chickadees' exploration scores were measured in a novel environment task. We found that slow-exploring chickadees demonstrated higher accuracy during the test phase, but did not learn the initial task in fewer trials compared to fast-exploring chickadees, providing partial support for the proposed link between cognition and personality. We report positive correlations in learning speed between different phases within cognitive tasks, but not between the three cognitive tasks suggesting independence in underlying cognitive processing. We discuss different rule-based strategies that may contribute to differential performance accuracy in cognitive tasks and provide suggestions for future experimentation to examine mechanisms underlying the relationship between cognition and personality.
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463
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Hiadlovská Z, Macholán M, Mikula O, Vošlajerová Bímová B. The meek inherit the earth: less aggressive wild mice are more successful in challenging situations. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Hiadlovská
- Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics; Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany and Zoology; Faculty of Sciences; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Miloš Macholán
- Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics; Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany and Zoology; Faculty of Sciences; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Mikula
- Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics; Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Barbora Vošlajerová Bímová
- Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics; Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Brno Czech Republic
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464
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Clary D, Skyner LJ, Ryan CP, Gardiner LE, Anderson WG, Hare JF. Shyness-Boldness, but not Exploration, Predicts Glucocorticoid Stress Response in Richardson's Ground Squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii). Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dawson Clary
- Department of Psychology; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - Lindsay J. Skyner
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - Calen P. Ryan
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - Laura E. Gardiner
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - W. Gary Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - James F. Hare
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Manitoba; Winnipeg MB Canada
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465
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Manuel R, Gorissen M, Roca CP, Zethof J, van de Vis H, Flik G, van den Bos R. Inhibitory avoidance learning in zebrafish (Danio rerio): effects of shock intensity and unraveling differences in task performance. Zebrafish 2014; 11:341-52. [PMID: 25004302 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2013.0970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is increasingly used as a model in neurobehavioral and neuroendocrine studies. The inhibitory avoidance paradigm has been proposed as tool to study mechanisms underlying learning and memory in zebrafish. In this paradigm subjects receive a shock after entering the black compartment of a black-white box. On the next day, latency to enter the black compartment is assessed; higher latencies are indicative of increased avoidance learning. Here, we aimed to understand the effects of different shock intensities (0, 1, 3, and 9 V) and to unravel variation in inhibitory avoidance learning in an in-house reared Tuebingen Long-Fin zebrafish (D. rerio) strain. While median latencies had increased in the 1, 3, and 9 V groups, no increase in median latency was found in the 0 V group. In addition, higher shock intensities resulted in a higher number of avoiders (latency ≥180 s) over nonavoiders (latency <60 s). Both changes are indicative of increased avoidance learning. We assessed whole-body cortisol content and the expression levels of genes relevant to stress, anxiety, fear, and learning 2 h after testing. Shock intensity was associated with whole-body cortisol content and the expression of glucocorticoid receptor alpha [nr3c1(alpha)], cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (cart4), and mineralocorticoid receptor (nr3c2), while avoidance behavior was associated with whole-body cortisol content only. The inhibitory avoidance paradigm in combination with measuring whole-body cortisol content and gene expression is suitable to unravel (genetic) mechanisms of fear avoidance learning. Our data further show differences in brain-behavior relationships underlying fear avoidance learning and memory in zebrafish. These findings serve as starting point for further unraveling differences in brain-behavior relationships underlying (fear avoidance) learning and memory in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remy Manuel
- 1 Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen , Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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466
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Coppens CM, de Boer SF, Buwalda B, Koolhaas JM. Aggression and aspects of impulsivity in wild-type rats. Aggress Behav 2014; 40:300-8. [PMID: 24464354 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Aggression is closely related to impulsive behavior both in humans and in animals. To avoid potential negative consequences, aggressive behavior is kept in control by strong inhibitory mechanisms. Failure of these inhibitory mechanisms results in violent behavior. In the present experiments, we investigated whether aggressive behavior is related to impulsive behavior. Furthermore, we investigated if violent behavior can be distinguished from "normal" aggressive behavior in terms of impulsivity levels. We used rats of the wild-type Groningen strain, rats of this strain differ widely in their level of offensive aggression expressed toward an unfamiliar intruder male, ranging from no aggression at all to very high levels of intense and sometimes violent behavior. Violent behavior was displayed by some of the animals that were given repeated winning experience. We used behavioral performance in an unpredictable operant conditioning paradigm for food reinforcement (variable interval 15) and performance in a differential-reinforcement of low rate (DRL-60s) responding as determinants for impulsivity. We predicted that offensive aggression is correlated with behavioral flexibility measured by the VI-15 procedure and that aggressive behavior is characterized by low behavioral inhibition on the DRL task. In addition we expected that violent animals would be characterized by extremely low levels of behavioral inhibition on the DRL task. We showed that the level of offensive aggression indeed positively correlated with VI-15 performance. In addition, we showed that behavioral performance on the DRL procedure is similar in low and high aggressive rats. However, violent animals can be dissociated by a lower efficiency of lever pressing on a DRL-60s schedule of reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Coppens
- Department of Behavioral Physiology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Sietse F. de Boer
- Department of Behavioral Physiology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Bauke Buwalda
- Department of Behavioral Physiology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jaap M. Koolhaas
- Department of Behavioral Physiology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
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467
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Dantzer B, Fletcher QE, Boonstra R, Sheriff MJ. Measures of physiological stress: a transparent or opaque window into the status, management and conservation of species? CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 2:cou023. [PMID: 27293644 PMCID: PMC4732472 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cou023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Revised: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Conservation physiology proposes that measures of physiological stress (glucocorticoid levels) can be used to assess the status and future fate of natural populations. Increases in glucocorticoids may reflect a more challenging environment, suggesting that the influence of human activities on free-living animals could be quantified by measuring glucocorticoids. Biomedical studies suggest that chronic increases in glucocorticoids can have detrimental effects on survival and reproduction, which could influence the viability of populations. Here, we discuss the use of measurements of glucocorticoids in conservation physiology. We first provide an overview of the different methods to quantify glucocorticoids and their utility in conservation physiology. We then discuss five questions we think are essential for conservation physiologists to address. We highlight how intrinsic (e.g. sex, reproductive status, age, recent experiences) and ecological factors (e.g. predation, food availability, snowfall) can, by themselves or through their interactions with anthropogenic disturbances, affect the physiological stress response and mask any general patterns about the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on glucocorticoids. Using a meta-analysis, we show that anthropogenic disturbances are consistently associated with increased glucocorticoids regardless of the type of human disturbance. We also show that males may be more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances than females and that faecal glucocorticoids, but not baseline plasma glucocorticoids, consistently increase in response to anthropogenic disturbances. Finally, we discuss how increases in glucocorticoids in free-living animals can sometimes enhance survival and reproduction. Unfortunately, our literature analysis indicates that this observation has not yet gained traction, and very few studies have shown that increases in glucocorticoid levels resulting from anthropogenic disturbances decrease survival or reproduction. We think that the use of measures of glucocorticoids in conservation physiology has tremendous potential, but there are still a number of methodological concerns, in addition to several crucial questions that should be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Quinn E. Fletcher
- Département de biologie, chimie et geographie, Université du Québec á Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5L 3A1
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada M1C 1A4
| | - Michael J. Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
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468
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Maintenance of dominance status is necessary for resistance to social defeat stress in Syrian hamsters. Behav Brain Res 2014; 270:277-86. [PMID: 24875769 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Revised: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Resilience is an active process that involves a discrete set of neural substrates and cellular mechanisms and enables individuals to avoid some of the negative consequences of extreme stress. We have previously shown that dominant individuals show less stress-induced changes in behavior compared to subordinates using a conditioned defeat model in male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). To rule out pre-existing differences between dominants and subordinates, we examined whether 14 days of dominance experience is required to reduce the conditioned defeat response and whether the development of conditioned defeat resistance correlates with defeat-induced neural activation in select brain regions. We paired hamsters in daily 5-min aggressive encounters for 1, 7, or 14 days and then exposed animals to 3, 5-min social defeat episodes. The next day animals received conditioned defeat testing which involved a 5-min social interaction test with a non-aggressive intruder. In separate animals brains were collected after social defeat for c-Fos immunohistochemistry. We found that 14-day dominants showed a decreased conditioned defeat response compared to 14-day subordinates and controls, while 1-day and 7-day dominants did not differ from their subordinate counterparts. Also, the duration of dominance relationship was associated with distinct patterns of defeat-induced neural activation such that only 14-day dominants showed elevated c-Fos immunoreactivity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, medial amygdala, and lateral portions of the ventral medial hypothalamus. Our data suggest that resistance to social stress develops during the maintenance of dominance relationships and is associated with experience-dependent neural plasticity in select brain regions.
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469
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Gracceva G, Herde A, Groothuis TGG, Koolhaas JM, Palme R, Eccard JA. Turning Shy on a Winter's Day: Effects of Season on Personality and Stress Response inMicrotus arvalis. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Gracceva
- Behavioural Physiology; Institute of Behavioural Neurosciences; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
- Behavioural Biology; Institute of Behavioural Neurosciences; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Antje Herde
- Department of Animal Ecology; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology; University of Potsdam; Potsdam Germany
| | - Ton G. G. Groothuis
- Behavioural Biology; Institute of Behavioural Neurosciences; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jaap M. Koolhaas
- Behavioural Physiology; Institute of Behavioural Neurosciences; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Rupert Palme
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry; University of Veterinary Medicine; Vienna Austria
| | - Jana A. Eccard
- Department of Animal Ecology; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology; University of Potsdam; Potsdam Germany
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470
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471
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Niemelä PT, Dingemanse NJ. Artificial environments and the study of ‘adaptive’ personalities. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:245-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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472
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Smith JP, Achua JK, Summers TR, Ronan PJ, Summers CH. Neuropeptide S and BDNF gene expression in the amygdala are influenced by social decision-making under stress. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:121. [PMID: 24782729 PMCID: PMC3986560 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In a newly developed conceptual model of stressful social decision-making, the Stress-Alternatives Model (SAM; used for the 1st time in mice) elicits two types of response: escape or remain submissively. Daily (4d) aggressive social interaction in a neutral arena between a C57BL6/N test mouse and a larger, novel aggressive CD1 mouse, begin after an audible tone (conditioned stimulus; CS). Although escape holes (only large enough for smaller test animals) are available, and the aggressor is unremittingly antagonistic, only half of the mice tested utilize the possibility of escape. During training, for mice that choose to leave the arena and social interaction, latency to escape dramatically decreases over time; this is also true for control C57BL6/N mice which experienced no aggression. Therefore, the open field of the SAM apparatus is intrinsically anxiogenic. It also means that submission to the aggressor is chosen despite this anxiety and the high intensity of the aggressive attacks and defeat. While both groups that received aggression displayed stress responsiveness, corticosterone levels were significantly higher in animals that chose submissive coexistence. Although both escaping and non-escaping groups of animals experienced aggression and defeat, submissive animals also exhibited classic fear conditioning, freezing in response to the CS alone, while escaping animals did not. In the basolateral amygdala (BLA), gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was diminished, at the same time neuropeptide S (NPS) expression was significantly elevated, but only in submissive animals. This increase in submission-evoked NPS mRNA expression was greatest in the central amygdala (CeA), which coincided with decreased BDNF expression. Reduced expression of BDNF was only found in submissive animals that also exhibit elevated NPS expression, despite elevated corticosterone in all socially interacting animals. The results suggest an interwoven relationship, linked by social context, between amygdalar BDNF, NPS and plasma corticosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin P Smith
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Research Service, Sioux Falls VA Healthcare System Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Justin K Achua
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Research Service, Sioux Falls VA Healthcare System Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Tangi R Summers
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA
| | - Patrick J Ronan
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Research Service, Sioux Falls VA Healthcare System Sioux Falls, SD, USA ; Avera Research Institiute, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Cliff H Summers
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA ; Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA
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473
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Hypothalamic oxytocin and vasopressin neurons exert sex-specific effects on pair bonding, gregariousness, and aggression in finches. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:6069-74. [PMID: 24711411 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1322554111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Antagonism of oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTRs) impairs the formation of pair bonds in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and zebra finches (Taenioypygia guttata), and also reduces the preference for the larger of two groups ("gregariousness") in finches. These effects tend to be stronger in females. The contributions of specific peptide cell groups to these processes remain unknown, however. This issue is complicated by the fact that OTRs in finches and voles bind not only forms of OT, but also vasopressin (VP), and >10 cell groups produce each peptide in any given species. Using RNA interference, we found that knockdown of VP and OT production in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus exerts diverse behavioral effects in zebra finches, most of which are sexually differentiated. Our data show that knockdown of VP production significantly reduces gregariousness in both sexes and exerts sex-specific effects on aggression directed toward opposite-sex birds (increases in males; decreases in females), whereas OT knockdown produces female-specific deficits in gregariousness, pair bonding, and nest cup ownership; reduces side-by-side perching in both sexes; modulates stress coping; and induces hyperphagia in males. These findings demonstrate that paraventricular neurons are major contributors to the effects of VP-OT peptides on pair bonding and gregariousness; reveal previously unknown effects of sex-specific peptide on opposite-sex aggression; and demonstrate a surprising lack of effects on same-sex aggression. Finally, the observed effects of OT knockdown on feeding and stress coping parallel findings in mammals, suggesting that OT modulation of these processes is evolutionarily conserved across the amniote vertebrate classes.
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474
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Calcagnoli F, Meyer N, de Boer SF, Althaus M, Koolhaas JM. Chronic enhancement of brain oxytocin levels causes enduring anti-aggressive and pro-social explorative behavioral effects in male rats. Horm Behav 2014; 65:427-33. [PMID: 24681215 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behaviors, including intermale offensive aggression. Recently, we showed that acute enhancement of brain OXT levels markedly suppressed offensive aggression and increased social exploration in resident rats confronted with an intruder in their home territory. Moreover, a different responsivity to the exogenous OXTergic manipulation was observed among individuals based on their baseline aggression. In this study we aimed at evaluating the behavioral response to chronically enhancing or attenuating central OXT levels, and at scrutinizing whether the trait-aggression moderates the treatment-induced behavioral changes. To this end, resident male wild-type Groningen rats were continuously (via osmotic minipumps) intracerebroventricularly infused with synthetic OXT or a selective OXT receptor (OXTR) antagonist for 7days. Changes in behavior were assessed performing a resident-intruder test before and at the end of the treatment period, as well as after 7days of withdrawal. Chronic infusion of OXT was found to selectively suppress aggression and enhance social exploration. Chronic blockage of OXTRs instead increased introductory aggressive behavior (i.e. lateral threat), yet without affecting the total duration of the aggression. The magnitude of the anti-aggressive changes correlated positively with the level of baseline aggression. Interestingly, OXT-induced behavioral changes persisted 7days after cessation of the treatment. In conclusion, these findings provide further evidence that enhanced functional activity of the central OXTergic system decreases social offensive aggression while it increases social explorative behavior. The data also indicate that chronically enhancing brain OXT levels may cause enduring anti-aggressive and pro-social explorative behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Calcagnoli
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Neele Meyer
- Department of Behavioral Biology, University of Muenster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Muenster, Germany
| | - Sietse F de Boer
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Monika Althaus
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jaap M Koolhaas
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
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475
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Reimert I, Bolhuis JE, Kemp B, Rodenburg TB. Social support in pigs with different coping styles. Physiol Behav 2014; 129:221-9. [PMID: 24631308 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.02.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The presence of a conspecific during a stressful situation, i.e. social support, can considerably lower the stress response of an individual compared to experiencing the stressful situation alone. Pigs also benefit from social support, but it is not known whether the extent to which they benefit is dependent on their personality or coping style. In this study, therefore, the effect of social support on behavioral and physiological (i.e. salivary cortisol, heart rate and the heart rate variability parameters standard deviation (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD)) stress responses was studied in pigs with different coping styles. Based on the backtest, piglets were classified as high-resisting (HR) or low-resisting (LR). At 11weeks of age, 12 gilts of each coping style were subjected to a 15min restraint test in a weighing cage without a pen mate present (i.e. no support treatment) and 12 other gilts of each coping style were subjected to this test with a pen mate, a boar with the same coping style, present (i.e. support treatment). With the pen mate present, LR gilts showed less standing alert behavior and they had their ears back less often than without the pen mate present. On the other hand, HR gilts seemed to spend less time on escaping the cage and more HR gilts seemed to urinate in the situation when the pen mate was present than without the pen mate present, but this was not significant. Independently of the test situation, HR gilts grunted more than LR gilts and they were more likely to urinate than LR gilts. Salivary cortisol concentrations were not affected by treatment or coping style, but were increased at 30min after the start of the test after which concentrations decreased again to starting levels. The heart rate and heart rate variability parameters RMSSD and RMSSD/SDNN ratio were not affected by treatment or coping style, but the SDNN was lower in the LR pigs during the first and last 5min of the test when a pen mate was present than without the pen mate present. In addition, heart rate and heart rate variability were increased during the test compared to before and after the test. No differences in behavior and salivary cortisol concentrations were found between the HR and LR accompanying boars. Although effects of social support were not found on all variables measured, the results do indicate that pigs may benefit from social support during a stressful situation and that pigs with a low-resisting coping style will likely benefit more than pigs with a high-resisting coping style.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inonge Reimert
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - J Elizabeth Bolhuis
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bas Kemp
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - T Bas Rodenburg
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Behavioural Ecology Group, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
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476
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Krams IA, Vrublevska J, Sepp T, Abolins-Abols M, Rantala MJ, Mierauskas P, Krama T. Sex-Specific Associations Between Nest Defence, Exploration and Breathing Rate in Breeding Pied Flycatchers. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Indrikis A. Krams
- Institute of Systematic Biology; University of Daugavpils; Daugavpils Latvia
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Tartu Estonia
- Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
| | - Jolanta Vrublevska
- Institute of Systematic Biology; University of Daugavpils; Daugavpils Latvia
| | - Tuul Sepp
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Tartu Estonia
| | | | | | - Pranas Mierauskas
- Department of Environment Policy; Mykolas Romeris University; Vilnius Lithuania
| | - Tatjana Krama
- Institute of Systematic Biology; University of Daugavpils; Daugavpils Latvia
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477
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Animal welfare at the group level: more than the sum of individual welfare? Acta Biotheor 2014; 62:35-45. [PMID: 24114179 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-013-9205-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Currently assessment and management of animal welfare are based on the supposition that welfare status is something experienced identically by each individual animal when exposed to the same conditions. However, many authors argue that individual welfare cannot be seen as an 'objective' state, but is based on the animal's own self-perception; such perception might vary significantly between individuals which appear to be exposed to exactly the same challenges. We argue that this has two implications: (1) actual perceived welfare status of individuals in a population may vary over a wide range even under identical environmental conditions; (2) animals that appear to an external observer to be in better or poorer welfare condition may all in fact perceive their own individual status as the same. This would imply that optimum welfare of a social group might be achieved in situations where individual group members differ markedly in apparent welfare status and perceive their own welfare as being optimal under differing circumstances. Welfare phenotypes may also vary along a continuum between self-regarding and other-regarding behaviour; a variety of situations exist where (social) individuals appear to invest in the welfare of other individuals instead of maximising their own welfare; in such a case it is necessary to re-evaluate individual welfare within the context of a social group and recognise that there may be consequences for the welfare of individuals, of decisions made at the group level or by other group members.
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478
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Calcagnoli F, de Boer SF, Beiderbeck DI, Althaus M, Koolhaas JM, Neumann ID. Local oxytocin expression and oxytocin receptor binding in the male rat brain is associated with aggressiveness. Behav Brain Res 2014; 261:315-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.12.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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479
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480
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Kelly AM, Goodson JL. Personality is tightly coupled to vasopressin-oxytocin neuron activity in a gregarious finch. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:55. [PMID: 24611041 PMCID: PMC3933816 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonapeptides of the vasopressin-oxytocin family modulate social processes differentially in relation to sex, species, behavioral phenotype, and human personality. However, the mechanistic bases for these differences are not well understood, in part because multidimensional personality structures remain to be described for common laboratory animals. Based upon principal components (PC) analysis of extensive behavioral measures in social and nonsocial contexts, we now describe three complex dimensions of phenotype (“personality”) for the zebra finch, a species that exhibits a human-like social organization that is based upon biparental nuclear families embedded within larger social groups. These dimensions can be characterized as Social competence/dominance, Gregariousness, and Anxiety. We further demonstrate that the phasic Fos responses of nonapeptide neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis are significantly predicted by personality, sex, social context, and their interactions. Furthermore, the behavioral PCs are each associated with a distinct suite of neural PCs that incorporate both peptide cell numbers and their phasic Fos responses, indicating that personality is reflected in complex patterns of neuromodulation arising from multiple peptide cell groups. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying sex- and phenotype-specific modulation of behavior, and should be broadly relevant, given that vasopressin-oxytocin systems are strongly conserved across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - James L Goodson
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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481
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Farwell M, Fuzzen MLM, Bernier NJ, McLaughlin RL. Individual differences in foraging behavior and cortisol levels in recently emerged brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1691-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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482
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Treesukosol Y, Boersma GJ, Oros H, Choi P, Tamashiro KL, Moran TH. Similarities and differences between "proactive" and "passive" stress-coping rats in responses to sucrose, NaCl, citric acid, and quinine. Chem Senses 2014; 39:333-42. [PMID: 24510916 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bju002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A stress-coping style describes a set of behavioral and physiological measures that characterize an individual's response to stressful stimuli. It would follow that different stress-coping styles are associated with differential sensitivity for taste stimuli. Animals with stress-coping characteristics better suited to an environment in which new foods are more frequently encountered may show enhanced orosensitivity to cues that signal toxins and/or nutritional value. Here, rats were categorized as "proactive" or "passive" based on results from a defensive burying test. Next, the brief-access taste procedure was used to compare unconditioned licking responses to a concentration array of compounds that humans describe as "sweet" (sucrose), "salty" (NaCl), "sour" (citric acid), and "bitter" (quinine) across the 2 groups. Both groups displayed concentration-dependent lick responses to sucrose, NaCl, citric acid, and quinine. The passive group initiated significantly fewer trials to sucrose than the proactive rats, but the groups did not significantly differ in trial initiation for the other 3 test compounds. Thus, differences in food intake, body weight, and glucose homeostasis between the stress-coping styles are not likely driven by alterations in orosensory responsivity. However, the current findings lend support to the hypothesis that the 2 groups differ in reward-related signaling mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yada Treesukosol
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Ross 615, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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483
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Reimert I, Rodenburg TB, Ursinus WW, Kemp B, Bolhuis JE. Responses to novel situations of female and castrated male pigs with divergent social breeding values and different backtest classifications in barren and straw-enriched housing. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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484
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Kinn Rød AM, Murison R, Mrdalj J, Milde AM, Jellestad FK, Øvernes LA, Grønli J. Effects of social defeat on sleep and behaviour: importance of the confrontational behaviour. Physiol Behav 2014; 127:54-63. [PMID: 24472325 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We studied the short- and long-term effects of a double social defeat (SD) on sleep parameters, EEG power, behaviour in the open field emergence test, corticosterone responsiveness, and acoustic startle responses. Pre-stress levels of corticosterone were assessed before all rats were surgically implanted with telemetric transmitters for sleep recording, and allowed 3weeks of recovery. Rats in the SD group (n=10) were exposed to 1hour SD on two consecutive days, while control rats (n=10) were left undisturbed. Telemetric sleep recordings were performed before SD (day -1), day 1 post SD, and once weekly for 3weeks thereafter. The open field emergence test was performed on day 9 and weekly for 2weeks thereafter. Blood samples for measures of corticosterone responsiveness were drawn after the last emergence test (day 23). Acoustic startle responses were tested on day 24 post SD. Overall, SD rats as a group were not affected by the social conflict. Effects of SD seemed, however, to vary according to the behaviours that the intruder displayed during the social confrontation with the resident. Compared to those SD rats showing quick submission (SDS, n=5), SD rats fighting the resident during one or both SD confrontations before defeat (SDF, n=5) showed more fragmented slow wave sleep, both in SWS1 and SWS2. They also showed longer latency to leave the start box and spent less time in the open field arena compared to SDS rats. In the startle test, SDF rats failed to show response decrement at the lowest sound level. Our results indicate that how animals behave during a social confrontation is more important than exposure to the SD procedure itself, and that rapid submission during a social confrontation might be more adaptive than fighting back.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marie Kinn Rød
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Robert Murison
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Jelena Mrdalj
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Anne Marita Milde
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Finn Konow Jellestad
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Leif Arvid Øvernes
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Janne Grønli
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway; Norwegian Competence Centre for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Liesvei 65, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
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485
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Beaulieu M, Costantini D. Biomarkers of oxidative status: missing tools in conservation physiology. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 2:cou014. [PMID: 27293635 PMCID: PMC4806730 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cou014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent ecological studies have shown that oxidative status could have a significant impact on fitness components in wild animals. Not only can oxidative status reflect the environmental conditions that animals experience, but it can also predict their chances of reproduction and survival in the future in their natural habitat. Such important characteristics make markers of oxidative status informative tools to evaluate a priori individual perspectives of reproduction and survival as well as to assess a posteriori the effect of human activities on the fitness of species of conservation concern and wildlife in general. Markers of oxidative status may therefore help conservation practitioners to identify conservation threats to animal populations and to maximize the success of wildlife management. Despite these potential benefits for animal conservation programmes, up to now markers of oxidative status have only been reported anecdotally in conservation studies. The aim of this review is therefore to raise awareness by conservation practitioners of the use of markers of oxidative status. Towards this end, we first describe how environmental disruptions due to human activities can translate into variation in oxidative status. Second, we show how individual and population variation in oxidative status may contribute to the success or the failure of reintroduction or translocation programmes. Finally, we emphasize the technical features specific to the measurement of markers of oxidative status in conservation programmes, which may help investigators with the interpretation of their results. Such prior knowledge about markers of oxidative status may encourage conservation physiologists to use them in order to enhance the success of conservation programmes and wildlife management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Beaulieu
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Johann-Sebastian Bach Straße 11/12, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- Corresponding authors: Tel: +49 3834 86 4268. ,
| | - David Costantini
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, DC 135, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- Institute for Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
- Corresponding authors: Tel: +49 3834 86 4268. ,
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486
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Ros AF, Vullioud P, Bruintjes R, Vallat A, Bshary R. Intra- and interspecific challenges modulate cortisol but not androgen levels in a year-round territorial damselfish. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:1768-74. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.093666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Interactions between individuals of different species are commonplace in animal communities. Some behaviors displayed during these interspecific social interactions may be very similar to those displayed during intraspecific social interactions. However, whether functional analogies between intra- and interspecific behaviors translate at the proximate level into an overlap in their underlying endocrine mechanisms remain largely unknown. Because steroids both mediate social behaviors and respond to them, we approached this question by comparing the behavioral and steroid response of free living dusky gregories (Stegastes nigricans [Lacepède, 1802]) to standardized territorial intrusions (sTI) of either conspecific or heterospecific food competitors. S. nigricans is a year-round territorial fish that “cultivates” the algae on which it feeds and is highly aggressive to both intra- and interspecific intruders. Behavioral differences between intra- and interspecific aggressive responses to sTI were marginal, and sTI tests caused an increase in cortisol levels that was positively related with the levels of aggression. In contrast, androgen levels did not increase in response to sTI, yet they showed a positive relationship with agonistic behavior. These results parallel a pattern that was first described for year-round territorial bird species. Furthermore they suggest that changes in endocrine-hormone levels during territoriality might be independent of the species that induces the territorial response.
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487
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Welfare implication of measuring heart rate and heart rate variability in dairy cattle: literature review and conclusions for future research. Animal 2013; 8:316-30. [PMID: 24308850 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731113002140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart rate (HR) measurements have been used to determine stress in livestock species since the beginning of the 1970s. However, according to the latest studies in veterinary and behaviour-physiological sciences, heart rate variability (HRV) proved to be more precise for studying the activity of the autonomic nervous system. In dairy cattle, HR and HRV indices have been used to detect stress caused by routine management practices, pain or milking. This review provides the significance of HR and HRV measurements in dairy cattle by summarising current knowledge and research results in this area. First, the biological background and the interrelation of the autonomic regulation of cardiovascular function, stress, HR and HRV are discussed. Equipment and methodological approaches developed to measure interbeat intervals and estimate HRV in dairy cattle are described. The methods of HRV analysis in time, frequency and non-linear domains are also explained in detail emphasising their physiological background. Finally, the most important scientific results and potential possibilities for future research are presented.
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488
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Yayou KI, Ito S, Yamamoto N. Relationships of neonatal plasma oxytocin with the behavioral characteristics of cattle introduced into a novel environment. Anim Sci J 2013; 85:481-93. [PMID: 24261853 DOI: 10.1111/asj.12151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To examine the influence of postnatal oxytocin (OXT) on behavioral development, we examined individual variations in basal OXT and suckling-induced changes in OXT, and their relationship with emotional traits during development. Blood OXT were measured in 20 Holstein heifer calves at 1 (wk1), 2 (wk2), and 6 weeks of age (wk6). The relationships of OXT variables with principal component scores in the open-field tests at wk2 and 2 months and the number of flinch, step and kick responses during first artificial insemination and machine milking were analyzed. The basal OXT showed individual variability and significantly correlated (wk1 vs. wk2: r = 0.753, P < 0.001; wk1 vs. wk6: r = 0.499, P < 0.05; wk2 vs. wk6: r = 0.476, P < 0.05). The personality traits reflecting a response in the form of escape from novel environments in the open-field test at wk2 were inversely correlated with basal OXT at wk1 (rs = -0.640, P < 0.01) and wk2 (rs = -0.447, P < 0.05). However, none of the behavioral variables after 2 months correlated with OXT. These findings suggest that, postnatal OXT might be related to behavioral characteristics in novel environments only during the early stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken-ichi Yayou
- Animal Physiology Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan
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489
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Stamatakis A, Diamantopoulou A, Panagiotaropoulos T, Raftogianni A, Stylianopoulou F. Effects of an Early Experience Involving Training in a T-Maze Under either Denial or Receipt of Expected Reward through Maternal Contact. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2013; 4:178. [PMID: 24298269 PMCID: PMC3828526 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The mother is the most salient stimulus for the developing pups and a number of early experience models employ manipulation of the mother-infant interaction. We have developed a new model which in addition to changes in maternal behavior includes a learning component on the part of the pups. More specifically, pups were trained in a T-maze and either received (RER rats) or were denied (DER) the reward of maternal contact, during postnatal days 10-13. Pups of both experimental groups learn the T-maze, but the RER do so more efficiently utilizing a procedural-type of learning and memory with activation of the dorsal basal ganglia. On the other hand, the DER experience leads to activation of the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala in the pups. In adulthood, male DER animals exhibit better mnemonic abilities in the Morris water maze and higher activation of the hippocampus, while they have decreased brain serotonergic activity, exhibit a depressive-like phenotype and proactive aggressive behavior in the resident-intruder test. While male RER animals assume a reactive coping style in this test, and showed increased freezing during both contextual and cued memory recall following fear conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios Stamatakis
- Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Anastasia Diamantopoulou
- Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Theofanis Panagiotaropoulos
- Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Androniki Raftogianni
- Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Fotini Stylianopoulou
- Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- *Correspondence: Fotini Stylianopoulou, Biology-Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 123 Papadiamantopoulou Street, Athens 11527, Greece e-mail:
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490
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Zheng DJ, Foley L, Rehman A, Ophir AG. Social recognition is context dependent in single male prairie voles. Anim Behav 2013; 86:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.015. [PMID: 24273328 PMCID: PMC3834614 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Single males might benefit from knowing the identity of neighbouring males when establishing and defending boundaries. Similarly, males should discriminate between individual females if this leads to more reproductive opportunities. Contextual social cues may alter the value of learning identity. Knowing the identity of competitors that intrude into an animal's territory may be more salient than knowing the identity of individuals on whose territory an animal is trespassing. Hence, social and environmental context could affect social recognition in many ways. Here we test social recognition of socially monogamous single male prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster. In experiment 1 we tested recognition of male or female conspecifics and found that males discriminated between different males but not between different females. In experiment 2 we asked whether recognition of males is influenced when males are tested in their own cage (familiar), in a clean cage (neutral) or in the home cage of another male (unfamiliar). Although focal males discriminated between male conspecifics in all three contexts, individual variation in recognition was lower when males were tested in their home cage (in the presence of familiar social cues) compared to when the context lacked social cues (neutral). Experiment 1 indicates that selective pressures may have operated to enhance male territorial behaviour and indiscriminate mate selection. Experiment 2 suggests that the presence of a conspecific cue heightens social recognition and that home-field advantages might extend to social cognition. Taken together, our results indicate social recognition depends on the social and possibly territorial context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren Foley
- Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, U.S.A
| | - Asad Rehman
- Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, U.S.A
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491
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Bokony V, Lendvai AZ, Vagasi CI, Patras L, Pap PL, Nemeth J, Vincze E, Papp S, Preiszner B, Seress G, Liker A. Necessity or capacity? Physiological state predicts problem-solving performance in house sparrows. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
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492
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Warne RW, Kardon A, Crespi EJ. Physiological, behavioral and maternal factors that contribute to size variation in larval amphibian populations. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76364. [PMID: 24143188 PMCID: PMC3797114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Size variance among similarly aged individuals within populations is a pattern common to many organisms that is a result of interactions between intrinsic and extrinsic traits of individuals. While genetic and maternal effects, as well as physiological and behavioral traits have been shown to contribute to size variation in animal populations, teasing apart the influence of such factors on individual growth rates remain a challenge. Furthermore, tracing the effects of these interactions across life stages and in shaping adult phenotypes also requires further exploration. In this study we investigated the relationship between genetics, hatching patterns, behaviors, neuroendocrine stress axis activity and variance in growth and metamorphosis among same-aged larval amphibians. Through parallel experiments we found that in the absence of conspecific interactions, hatch time and to a lesser extent egg clutch identity (i.e. genetics and maternal effects) influenced the propensity for growth and development in individual tadpoles and determined metamorphic traits. Within experimental groups we found that variance in growth rates was associated with size-dependent foraging behaviors and responses to food restriction. We also found an inverse relationship between glucocorticoid (GC) hormone levels and body mass and developmental stage among group-reared tadpoles, which suggests that GC expression plays a role in regulating differing within-population growth trajectories in response to density-dependent conditions. Taken together these findings suggest that factors that influence hatching conditions can have long-term effects on growth and development. These results also raise compelling questions regarding the extent to which maternal and genetic factors influence physiological and behavioral profiles in amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin W. Warne
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Adam Kardon
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
| | - Erica J. Crespi
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
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493
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Fargallo JA, Velando A, Lopez-Rull I, Ganan N, Lifshitz N, Wakamatsu K, Torres R. Sex-specific phenotypic integration: endocrine profiles, coloration, and behavior in fledgling boobies. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
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494
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Sant’Anna AC, Paranhos da Costa MJ. Validity and feasibility of qualitative behavior assessment for the evaluation of Nellore cattle temperament. Livest Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2013.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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495
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Behavioural testing to determine differences between coping styles in Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) with and without feather damaging behaviour. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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496
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Calcagnoli F, de Boer SF, Althaus M, den Boer JA, Koolhaas JM. Antiaggressive activity of central oxytocin in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 229:639-51. [PMID: 23624810 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3124-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE A substantial body of research suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin promotes social affiliative behaviors in a wide range of animals including humans. However, its antiaggressive action has not been unequivocally demonstrated in male laboratory rodents. OBJECTIVE Our primary goal was to examine the putative serenic effect of oxytocin in a feral strain (wild type Groningen, WTG) of rats that generally show a much broader variation and higher levels of intermale aggression than commonly used laboratory strains of rats. METHODS Resident animals were intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered with different doses of synthetic oxytocin and oxytocin receptor antagonist, alone and in combination, in order to manipulate brain oxytocin functioning and to assess their behavioral response to an intruder. RESULTS Our data clearly demonstrate that acute icv administered oxytocin produces dose-dependent and receptor-selective changes in social behavior, reducing aggression and potentiating social exploration. These antiaggressive effects are stronger in the more offensive rats. On the other hand, administration of an oxytocin receptor antagonist tends to increase (nonsignificantly) aggression only in low-medium aggressive animals. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that transiently enhancing brain oxytocin function has potent antiaggressive effects, whereas its attenuation tends to enhance aggressiveness. In addition, a possible inverse relationship between trait aggression and endogenous oxytocinergic signaling is revealed. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of brain oxytocinergic signaling for regulating intermale offensive aggression. This study supports the suggestion that oxytocin receptor agonists could clinically be useful for curbing heightened aggression seen in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders like antisocial personality disorder, autism, and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Calcagnoli
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands,
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497
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Graunke KL, Nürnberg G, Repsilber D, Puppe B, Langbein J. Describing temperament in an ungulate: a multidimensional approach. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74579. [PMID: 24040289 PMCID: PMC3769396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on animal temperament have often described temperament using a one-dimensional scale, whereas theoretical framework has recently suggested two or more dimensions using terms like “valence” or “arousal” to describe these dimensions. Yet, the valence or assessment of a situation is highly individual. The aim of this study was to provide support for the multidimensional framework with experimental data originating from an economically important species (Bos taurus). We tested 361 calves at 90 days post natum (dpn) in a novel-object test. Using a principal component analysis (PCA), we condensed numerous behaviours into fewer variables to describe temperament and correlated these variables with simultaneously measured heart rate variability (HRV) data. The PCA resulted in two behavioural dimensions (principal components, PC): novel-object-related (PC 1) and exploration-activity-related (PC 2). These PCs explained 58% of the variability in our data. The animals were distributed evenly within the two behavioural dimensions independent of their sex. Calves with different scores in these PCs differed significantly in HRV, and thus in the autonomous nervous system’s activity. Based on these combined behavioural and physiological data we described four distinct temperament types resulting from two behavioural dimensions: “neophobic/fearful – alert”, “interested – stressed”, “subdued/uninterested – calm”, and “neoophilic/outgoing – alert”. Additionally, 38 calves were tested at 90 and 197 dpn. Using the same PCA-model, they correlated significantly in PC 1 and tended to correlate in PC 2 between the two test ages. Of these calves, 42% expressed a similar behaviour pattern in both dimensions and 47% in one. No differences in temperament scores were found between sexes or breeds. In conclusion, we described distinct temperament types in calves based on behavioural and physiological measures emphasising the benefits of a multidimensional approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina L. Graunke
- Ethology Unit, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AUF), PHENOMICS office, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Gerd Nürnberg
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Bioinformatics and Biomathematics Unit, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Dirk Repsilber
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Bioinformatics and Biomathematics Unit, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Ethology Unit, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AUF), Behavioural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Ethology Unit, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- * E-mail:
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498
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Bentz AB, Navara KJ, Siefferman L. Phenotypic plasticity in response to breeding density in tree swallows: an adaptive maternal effect? Horm Behav 2013; 64:729-36. [PMID: 23994066 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Revised: 08/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Territorial animals breeding in high-density environments are more likely to engage in aggressive competition with conspecifics for resources necessary for reproduction. In many avian species, increased competition among breeding females results in increased testosterone concentrations in egg yolks. Generally, elevated yolk testosterone increases nestling growth, competitive behaviors, and bold behavioral traits. However, few studies provide an environmental context with which to examine the potential adaptive benefits of these phenotypic changes. In this study, tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) breeding density was altered to modify levels of social competition and yolk testosterone. We measured nestling growth, competitive ability, and breathing rate in response to a stressor using a partial cross-foster design. Females breeding at high-density experienced more aggressive, competitive interactions and their eggs had higher testosterone concentrations. Nestlings that hatched in high-density environments grew faster and displayed more competitive behaviors and a higher breathing rate response to a stressor regardless of post-hatching density. Our study demonstrates that phenotypic plasticity occurs in response to yolk testosterone variation resulting from different breeding densities. These findings suggest that naturally-induced maternal effects prepare offspring for competitive environments, supporting the idea that maternal effects are adaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra B Bentz
- Biology Department, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers St., Boone, NC 28608, USA.
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499
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Reimert I, Rodenburg TB, Ursinus WW, Duijvesteijn N, Camerlink I, Kemp B, Bolhuis JE. Backtest and novelty behavior of female and castrated male piglets, with diverging social breeding values for growth. J Anim Sci 2013; 91:4589-97. [PMID: 23942705 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2013-6673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigs housed together in a group influence each other's growth. Part of this effect is genetic and can be represented in a social breeding value. It is unknown, however, which traits are associated with social breeding values. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate whether personality and response to novelty could be associated with social breeding values for growth in piglets. Female and castrated male piglets from 80 litters, with either an estimated relative positive or negative social breeding value (+SBV or -SBV) for growth, were individually tested in a backtest and novel environment test, and group-wise in a novel object (i.e., a feeder with feed) test and human approach test. All tests were performed during the suckling period. No differences between +SBV and -SBV piglets were found for the frequency and latency of struggling and vocalizing in the backtest (at least, P > 0.30). In the novel object test, piglets with a +SBV for growth touched the feeder faster than piglets with -SBV for growth (P = 0.01) and were more frequently present near the person in the human approach test (P < 0.01). No behavioral differences between +SBV and -SBV piglets were found in the novel environment test (at least, P > 0.40), but piglets that struggled more in the backtest walked more in this test (P = 0.02). Behavior was affected by gender in each test. Female piglets were faster than castrated male piglets to start struggling in the backtest (P = 0.047). In the novel object test, females were faster than males to touch the feeder and sample the feed. In the human approach test, they were also faster than male piglets to touch a person (all, P < 0.001). Females were also more frequently present near the feeder (P < 0.001) and person (P = 0.03). In the novel environment test, female piglets explored the floor more (P = 0.046), produced less low- (P = 0.04) and high-pitched vocalizations (P = 0.02), and defecated (P = 0.08) and urinated less than male piglets (P < 0.01). It was concluded that +SBV and -SBV piglets do not differ in their response to the backtest, and only subtle differences were found in their response to novelty. More research is warranted to identify the traits underlying SBV for growth in pigs. Moreover, castrated male piglets seemed to react more fearfully to each test than female piglets.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Reimert
- Wageningen University, Department of Animal Sciences, Adaptation Physiology Group, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Baugh AT, van Oers K, Naguib M, Hau M. Initial reactivity and magnitude of the acute stress response associated with personality in wild great tits (Parus major). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 189:96-104. [PMID: 23665102 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Revised: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 04/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic correlations, such as those between functionally distinct behavioral traits, can emerge through the action of selection on individual traits, on trait combinations, and through pleiotropic mechanisms. Steroid hormones are known to have pleiotropic effects on a suite of behavioral and physiological traits, including stable individual differences in coping with stress. Characterizing the stress axis in relation to personality, however, has typically focused on estimating baseline and peak levels of glucocorticoids, principally in captive animals. In contrast, the reactivity of the stress response-how quickly it turns on and persists-may better indicate the ability of an individual to cope with challenges, particularly in free-living animals. Using wild great tits (Parus major) we tested the hypothesis that cautious individuals respond to a standardized stressor with a more reactive stress response compared to bolder individuals. Wild birds were captured and tested for exploration behavior in a novel environment-an operational measure of personality in this species-and assessed separately for their glucocorticoid response to a standardized stressor. Slower explorers exhibited a greater elevation in glucocorticoid levels within the first three minutes after capture. Further, slower explorers reached a higher maximum CORT concentration and had higher total exposure to glucocorticoids during the stressor period. These data provide evidence that the temporal reactivity of the endocrine stress response, specifically its speed and magnitude, is associated with stable behavioral traits in free-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Migration and Immunoecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.
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