Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Animal behaviour

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Worms and welfare: Behavioural and physiological changes associated with gastrointestinal nematode parasitism in lambs.
    (Elsevier B.V., 2023-10-27) Hempstead MN; Waghorn TS; Gibson MJ; Sauermann CW; Ross AB; Cave VM; Sutherland MA; Marquetoux N; Hannaford R; Corner-Thomas RA; Sutherland IA
    Parasitism with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) is a worldwide issue impacting negatively on animal production, health, and welfare. Therefore, early diagnostic signs of parasitism are required to allow for timely interventions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioural and physiological changes in lambs associated with GIN infection. We used 30, 8-month-old Romney-cross wethers, that were administered anthelmintics until faecal egg counts (FEC) were zero and housed in an indoor facility. The study lasted 9 weeks, which comprised a 3-week pre-treatment, and a 6-week treatment phase. Lambs were randomly assigned to one of two treatments (n = 15/treatment) trickle-dosed with: 1) 1500 infective third stage larvae (L3) three days/week for 6 weeks (27,000 total L3; challenged), or 2) water 3 days/week for 6 weeks (control). Within each pen there were 5 pairs of lambs (balanced for liveweight), with each pair comprising a challenged and control lamb. Blood, faecal, and saliva samples were collected 1 week pre-treatment and weekly for 6 weeks of treatment. Behaviour was observed (e.g., feeding, lying, standing) from video-camera recordings using scan sampling every 5 min for 8 h, 1 day pre-treatment and on the day immediately prior to physiological sampling across the 6-week treatment phase (7 days in total). Accelerometers were attached to each lamb to continuously monitor behaviour from 3 weeks pre-treatment and for the remainder of the study. Liveweight, body condition, faecal soiling and faecal consistency scoring were performed weekly as was lipidomic analysis of plasma samples. From week 2 of treatment, challenged lambs spent less time feeding and more time lying than control lambs until week 5 of treatment (P ≤ 0.01). At week 3 of treatment, elevated lipids (mainly triglycerides and phospholipids), loose faeces and faecal soiling around the anus were observed in challenged lambs compared with controls (P ≤ 0.05). From week 4 of treatment, FEC were elevated in the challenged compared to control lambs (P ≤ 0.05). There was also lower liveweight gain at 4 and 5 weeks of treatment in the challenged lambs compared with control lambs (P ≤ 0.05). These results show a clear timeline of changes in behaviour (e.g., feeding and lying), lipids such as triglycerides, and digestive function (e.g., faecal soiling) suggestive of GIN subclinical disease, which show promise for use in future studies on early identification of subclinical GIN parasitism in lambs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Some quantitative changes in the behaviour of the domestic chicken in the first seven weeks after hatching : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1968) Laing, Duncan James
    The study, which was carried out at the Poultry Research Centre, at Massey University. was concerned with the behavioural development of the domestic chicken, and more specifically with the quantitative changes taking place in specific categories of behaviour from hatching to approximately two months after hatching. Observations for the study were carried out under laboratory conditions rather than in the field, for the following reasons. (i) some control of environmental variables could be achieved in the laboratory which could not be attained under field conditions. (ii) that the chicks could be kept in view to permit a detailed surveillance of their movements to be made for the duration of each observation period. This was necessary for a full quantification of the observations to be obtained, and for the data to be of use in statistical analyses. (iii) that a set number of chickens could be observed from the beginning to the end of each trial so that the data would be amenable to statistical treatment. Under field conditions it is doubtful if these requirements could have been met to the satisfaction of the observer. the nature of the topic under study, quantitative techniques were essential, as was the use of statistical tools to extract sufficient information from the raw data to warrant the adoption of the quantitative approach. Five separate trials were performed, using separate groups of newly-hatched chicks for each trial, and taking into account the time required for cleaning and disinfecting between trials, the total time taken for the observations and experiments was approximately 12 months. [From the Introduction]
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The behavioural response of a small prey animal to the odour cues of familiar predators in a New Zealand model system : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Carter, Gaylynne Marie
    There is a rich ethological literature examining the effects of predators upon the behaviour of their prey. There are also apparent discrepancies in results reported particularly with respect to wild versus domesticated or captive subject species, and especially amongst Rodentia where predator avoidance behaviours predominate. Using New Zealand as a model system, the aims of this thesis were to determine how prey animals respond behaviourally to a familiar predator odour; to evaluate the role of predator exposure in prey behaviour; and to test whether captive-derived results are applicable in wild populations. I undertook experiments under three different conditions: the standard laboratory Y-maze choice test, an enclosure test, and a field test. In each experimental scenario the prey (ship rats) were initially presented with odour treatments derived from a familiar predator (stoat), familiar non-predator (possum) and novel non-predator (chinchilla). The rats’ behaviour was then video recorded for analysis of either avoidance or non-avoidance behaviour. The captive enclosure rats and the free-living rats exhibited clearly definable non-avoidance responses to stoat odour, but in the Y-maze the same captive rats did not exhibit a consistent response. I hypothesized that the non-avoidance behaviours represented a form of predator inspection behaviour. Further captive enclosure and field experiments aimed to test whether the non-avoidance response to stoat odour was specific or generalized. Under both conditions the most marked non-avoidance behaviour was in response to male stoat and secondarily to the mixed sex cat odour. My research concluded with a snap trap experiment pairing stoat-odour lure and no-odour snap traps, yielding an overwhelming capture success in the stoat-odour lured traps. Significant developments in the study of predator-prey behaviour resultant from this research include the development of a captive experimental protocol that generates comparable field results, the description of non-avoidance responses to predator odour, and the reporting of predator inspection a behaviour previously unreported in ship rats and rarely reported within Rodentia. Future studies should aim to verify the non-avoidance behaviours in other rat species as a first step to determining whether this is a ship rat specific behaviour, or if its lack of expression in other rodents is an experimental artefact.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Genome wide association studies for temperament in New Zealand dairy cattle : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science in Animal Breeding and Genetics at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Chan, Fei Yi
    The aim of this thesis was to identify genomic regions associated with cow temperament in New Zealand dairy cattle. The data set used was provided by the Livestock Improvement Corporation, and contains estimated breeding values (EBV) for temperament of 3140 bulls of three breeds; Holstein-Friesian (HF), Jersey (JE) and Crossbreed (XB) born between 1994 and 2006. Biallelic genotype data were also provided containing 700,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Estimated breeding values for cow temperament were adjusted (Adj-EBVtemp) for age, percentage of North American Holstein genes (NAH%), percentage of New Zealand Holstein-Friesian (HF%) and percentage of Jersey (JE%). Using PLINK, the association between individual markers and temperament was investigated. PLINK was also used to produce output with genomic corrected p-values (GC) which adjusts for inflation based on the median chi-square statistic. Suggestive and genome-wide significance thresholds were set at -log10 (1e-4) and -log10 (5e-5) respectively. From literature review, the average estimate of heritability of temperament was 0.17, and average genetic correlation with milk yield was 0.165. JE bulls had the highest average EBV for temperament (0.0352 ± 0.239) followed by XB (0.0079 ± 0.217) and HF bulls (-0.0402 ± 0.256). PLINK analysis show BTA 4 to contain genome-wide significant genomic regions across all three breeds for Adj-EBVtemp. Further investigation on individual chromosomes provided no further information on significant genomic regions affecting temperament. A closer look at many of these regions show they are in domains known as “Junk DNA”. Results suggest that although genomic selection for temperament in dairy cattle is plausible, genetic gain via direct selection for this trait will be slow and desired effects may not be immediate.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An application of satellite tracking technologies to conserve wildlife : a case study approach : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resource Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Thomas, Bindi; Thomas, Bindi
    Wildlife management is an important area of conservation and has become a priority for many countries and organisations around the world. One of the fundamental components of a sound wildlife management plan is a good understanding of a species’ behaviour and habitat. For animals within inaccessible environments, satellite tracking provides a powerful tool for revealing information on animal movements and their habitat requirements. In this dissertation, the conservation benefits and technical effectiveness of satellite tracking are examined through four case studies representing a diverse range of threatened species studied for periods between six months and five years. The studies revealed important ecological insights on the in situ movement and behaviour of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), Kruger National Park, South Africa; the New Zealand bush falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae), Central North Island, New Zealand; the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Darwin, Australia; and the northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi), Taiaroa Head, New Zealand and Chile. For each of these studies, satellite telemetry provided location data enabling analyses of the animals’ movements and home ranges, and these analyses inform specific management recommendations. For example, the long time series study on African elephants highlighted the importance of developing reciprocal animal management policies where cross-boundary movements of animals occurred between adjacent parks. The strengths and weaknesses of different satellite tracking systems are compared and guidelines developed to assist wildlife managers in selecting the best technology to suit their research needs. An assessment of the trade-offs between the technical features built into transmitters and the associated cost is also presented. The study shows how the use of satellite tracking systems provides conservation agencies with a better understanding of wildlife behaviour and strengthens their ability to improve wildlife management planning.