Molecular genetics of behaviour: research strategies and perspectives for animal production     

Pierre Mormède 《Livestock Production Science》2005,93(1):15-21

Genetic factors are undoubtedly involved in inter-individual variability of the behaviours that may be important for livestock production, as shown by pedigree studies, comparison of genetic stocks raised in the same environment, and selection experiments. The knowledge of gene polymorphisms responsible for genetic variability would increase the efficiency of selection, as shown for instance by the identification of the ryanodine receptor gene that harbours the mutations responsible for the porcine stress syndrome, that allows the eradication of the susceptibility allele. One strategy is to screen systematically the genes that are known to be involved in regulation of behaviour (functional candidate genes). This strategy is however very difficult for most behavioural traits, since behaviour is an emerging function from the whole brain/body and the molecular pathways involved in genetic variability are very poorly understood. Another strategy is to investigate linkage between trait variation and genetic markers in a segregating population (usually an intercross or backcross between two strains or breeds contrasting for the trait under study). It allows the detection of genomic regions influencing that trait (quantitative trait loci or QTL), and further investigation aims at the identification of the gene(s) located in each of these regions and the molecular polymorphisms involved in phenotypic variation. Although many QTL have been published for behavioural traits in experimental animals, very few examples are available where strong candidate genes have been identified. Further progress will be very much dependent upon the careful definition of behavioural traits to be studied (including their importance for animal production), on the reliability of their measurement in a large number of animals and on the efficient mastering of environmental factors of variability. The fast increase in the knowledge of genome sequence in several species will undoubtedly facilitate the application to farm animal species of the knowledge obtained in model organisms, as well as the use of model organisms to explore candidate genes detected by QTL studies in farm animals.  相似文献   

Behaviour in one fast-growing and one slower-growing broiler (Gallus gallus domesticus) hybrid fed a high- or low-protein diet during a 10-week rearing period     

A. Wallenbeck  S. Wilhelmsson  L. Jönsson  S. Gunnarsson  J. Yngvesson 《Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A - Animal Sciences》2016,66(3):168-176

This study compared behavioural time budgets, presence of comfort behaviours and social behaviours in two different broiler genotypes (the fast-growing Ross 308 (R) and the slower-growing Rowan Ranger (RR)) fed organic diets with high (17.0% crude protein (CP)) or low (14.5% CP) protein content during a 10-week rearing period. 429-day-old chicks (218 R and 211 RR, respectively) were included in the study and behaviour was recorded at 2, 6 and 9 weeks of age. The results showed no effect of diet treatments but that R broilers were less active and sat, ate and drank more frequently than RR broilers, which stood and perched more frequently. However, both hybrids showed decreasing activity and foraging behaviour with increasing age, while time spent eating and sleeping was approximately similar over the entire rearing period.  相似文献   

金佛山黑叶猴对阳光和降雨因子的行为对策     

韩宗先  吴少斌  周先容  马建伦  李宏群 《安徽农业科学》2010,38(6):2968-2970

2007年6～8月和2008年12月～2009年2月,在金佛山自然保护区,采用焦点猴群观察法和连续记录法,通过瞬时扫描行为取样,对野生黑叶猴的个体行为进行研究。结果表明：阳光和降雨是影响黑叶猴活动行为的2个明显的非生物因子。它们都直接地影响环境温度。在夏季和冬季,黑叶猴对阳光照射采取不同的行为对策,对小雨和暴雨采取不同的行为对策。  相似文献   

白杨刨片横纹压缩流变性能   总被引：4，自引：3，他引：4  

王培元 《林业科学》1989,25(6):522-528

用参数分离法对手工刨切的厚为0.8、0.5、0.35、0.25、0.15mm的白杨刨片进行了横纹压缩流变试验。结果表明,用上述几种厚度的刨片所分别叠成的厚约10mm的试件,其柔量大于厚度为10mm木块试件的柔量;刨片越薄,柔量越大。弹性变形及瞬间塑性变形的增长,意味着实木经过刨切,因反复受力而使木材高聚物分子及细胞壁组织都受到影响,并有一定程度的破坏。实木经过刨切成为薄片后再层叠起来所组成的试样,在横纹压缩流变性能方面所体现的变化,一定程度上与木块受压所发生的变化,在趋势上是一致的。然而,由于前者试样系由薄刨片层叠而成,因而在影响其流变性能的诸多因素中,尚有刨片厚度及刨片层叠方向二者明显的影响作用。  相似文献   

Demand-feeding behaviour of sea bass kept in ponds: diel and seasonal patterns,and influences of environmental factors     

Marie-Laure Begout Anras 《Aquaculture International》1995,3(3):186-195

Feeding activity was investigated from June to October in a group of 60 sea bass, Dicentrachus labrax. The fish were kept in an earthen pond in a maritime wetland subject to the fluctuations of the natural environment. The fish fed by operating a demand feeder connected to a data logger which recorded each feeding act with a time reference. Meteorological and hydrological data were also recorded. Diurnal rhythms in feeding activity changed as the months progressed. Fish fed during daylight, preferentially at dawn in June, but in the middle of the day from August to October. Most feeding took place during subdued light. Feeding was closely and positively correlated to both daylength and water temperature; daylength being the most related factor associated with rainfall and East-West wind direction.  相似文献   

The impact of small-scale design interventions on the behaviour patterns of the users of an urban wasteland     

Anna-Liisa Unt  Simon Bell 《Urban Forestry & Urban Greening》2014,13(1):121-135

Urban derelict space can form a valuable complementary element to the formal green spaces of a city: wastelands are often biologically diverse and their unregulated status can provoke innovative spatial activities by a wide range of users. Using the case of an urban brownfield in Tallinn, Estonia, this paper examines how such a space is used and evaluates the magnitude of the impact of minor design interventions – so-called urban acupuncture – on the activities carried out by the users. The study used field observations and behaviour mapping to compare the spatial pattern of the users before and after small design interventions. Although there was widespread use beforehand there was both an increase in use and a different pattern afterwards, which was clearly detectable from the composite behaviour maps of both arrangements, where users follow the properties of the particular environment. The small improvements tested showed the largest effect on the female and the older user groups, raising the number of overall visits and increasing the occurrence of active behaviour almost five times. The research demonstrates that small, inexpensive and possibly temporary interventions can have a major positive effect.  相似文献   

Winter flocking behaviour of speckled warblers and the Allee effect     

Janet L Gardner 《Biological conservation》2004,118(2):195-204

The aggregation of individuals into foraging flocks is one behavioural trait that, if disrupted, can cause the Allee effect, which is a slowing in population growth at low density or small population size, and this can greatly increase the risk of extinction. Here, I describe intraspecific flocking behaviour of a colour-banded population of speckled warblers, Chthonicola sagittata, a species that has declined across a large part of its range in the fragmented temperate woodlands of Australia. I make predictions about the context in which the Allee effect might be expressed and the consequences for the viability of populations living in small habitat remnants. Speckled warblers lived in discrete, stable social groups throughout winter, the nucleus of which was the residents from one or more adjacent breeding territories. The timing and mode of flock formation and the size of flocks varied between two winters, apparently in response to the severity of conditions; thus flocking probably facilitates increased foraging efficiency and predator detection, potentially leading to increased survival in harsh conditions. Because flock territories were up to 30 ha each, and larger territories are likely, birds living in remnants smaller than 40 ha may suffer increased mortality if there are too few birds available to form flocks of an appropriate size to facilitate the benefits of grouping when conditions are most extreme. Further, in small remnants where survival is reduced, dominance behaviour and male-male competition may act to compound the Allee effect by reducing reproductive success. Regardless of these predictions, speckled warbler populations may only be viable in remnants that are large enough to support multiple flocks, to enable rapid recruitment to breeding vacancies and thus provide adequate numbers of birds for flocking.  相似文献   

Questions and possible new directions for research into the biology of terrestrial isopods     

Mark Hassall  Martin Zimmer  Susana Loureiro 《European Journal of Soil Biology》2005,41(3-4):57-61

New directions for research identified during the final plenary discussion of the Sixth Symposium on the Biology of Terrestrial Isopods included: locating enzymes buffering pleon fluids during excretion of ammonia and the use of isopods in ecotoxicology including how they adapt to or tolerate high contaminant levels; how they interact with free living and endosymbiotic microbiota and how Wolbacchia avoids the immune response of isopods. New analyses of mating behaviour raised questions concerning mate choice while new microsatellite techniques may help resolve issues of multiple paternity and sperm competition. In relation to their ecology and biogeography new questions included how does the ability to learn the location of high quality food patches in spatially heterogeneous environments and the existence of an Allee effect, influence the population biology of isopods in the field and how do patterns of invasion and colonisation vary between species with different motility and life history strategies?  相似文献   

Reaction of Calves to Two Flooring Materials Offered Simultaneously in One Pen     

J. Stefanowska  D. Swierstra  A. C. Smits  J. V. Van Den Berg  J. H. M. Metz 《Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A - Animal Sciences》2013,63(2):57-64

Now that group housing is replacing individual crates, so that calves can lie, stand and walk on the pen floor, the quality of the floor for group-housed calves has become the focus of attention. The reaction of two groups of four calves to a double area of floor made from two materials (wooden slats and synthetic slats with a rubber coating) was examined round the clock for 5 days. The calves were switched between pens twice, and in each case the 5 day observation period was repeated. In all three phases all calves spent significantly more time ( P <0.01) lying on the wooden floor: on average 656 min day -1 compared with 294 min day -1 on the synthetic floor. The time spent in the standing/walking position on both floors, occurrence of slip incidents and self-maintenance behaviour did not differ significantly between floors. The observations on use of the pen floor for lying and for standing/walking in combination with feeding, plus observations on fouling of the floors with excreta suggest that future pen design could be functionally divided into lying and walking/eating areas.  相似文献   

Sow performance and maternal behaviour in organic and conventional herds     

A. Wallenbeck  G. Gustafson  L. Rydhmer 《Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A - Animal Sciences》2013,63(3):181-191

Abstract

The study evaluates the first three parities of 144 Swedish Landrace×Yorkshire sows from three certified organic and three conventional commercial piglet-producing herds. Sows and litters were weaned at seven and five weeks post partum (pp) in organic and conventional herds, respectively. Herdsmen judged sow behaviour and maternal ability at farrowing, two weeks pp and at weaning. Herdsmen collected registrations of litter size, litter weight and sow fat status at farrowing and at weaning. Piglet mortality and oestrous signs were registered continuously during the nursing period. Sows in organic herds were scored to be more cautious among piglets, and to have better nursing behaviour and maternal ability in early lactation than sows in conventional herds. Piglet mortality was higher in organic than in conventional herds. Oestrus during lactation was only observed among sows in organic herds, and sows showing oestrus during lactation were fatter at weaning.  相似文献