Quiz 2 - behavior & outreach, welfare, facility profiles, taxonomy & anatomy

operant conditioning

animal has a say in the outcome of what they are asked to do

• operant = the animal

reinforcement

a behavior that gets reinforced either stays the same or gets stronger

• good chance of having that behavior happen again

punishment

decreasing of behavior from happening again

what does positive mean in regards to behavior

adding something

what does negative mean in regards to behavior

subtracting something

positive reinforcement

animal gets rewarded for a specific behavior

• adding something to the environment that the operator wants

• helps increase change of a behavior from happening again

negative reinforcement

removing something undesirable to the operator / removing something that the object doesn’t want

• increases behavior

positive punishment

adding something that the subject doesn’t want in order to stop a behavior from happening

• decreases behavior

negative punishment

removing something the object would want to stop a behavior from happening

• decreases behavior

primary reinforcer

something that we have to have in order to live

• ex: water, food, shelter, air, space, sleep, enrichment, socialization, control)

  • control & choice is very important

secondary reinforcer

represents of the things you can get for the primary reinforcer / need it in order to have the primary

• represents the primary

• ex: money, saying “good” before giving chocolate when wanted behavior is shown

• classical conditioning

• event marker

• bridge

event maker

precise stimulus such as a clicker sound or distinct verbal cue that is used to indicate the exact moment an animal performs a desired behavior

bridge

a conditioned stimulus such as a click, whistle, or specific word - that marks the exact moment an animal performs a desired behavior and connects it to an upcoming reward

relative

reinforcements are relevant to the amount you are given

prompts / allure

tells the object it needs to pay attention at a specific part / or on a specific object

chaining of behavior

breaks a complex, multi step task into smaller, individual components and links them in sequence

what does an animal need to have a good life

shelter, food, safety, enrichment, basic health

define animal welfare

• described a potentially measurable quality of a living animal at a particular time and hence is a scientific concept

• defines the state of an animal as it attempts to cope with its environment

what are the 5 freedoms

1. freedom from hunger and thirst

2. freedom from discomfort

3. freedom from pain, injury, or disease

4. freedom to express normal behavior

5. freedom from fear and distress

what are the 5 domains

1. nutrition

2. physical environment

3. health

4. behavioral interactions

5. mental state

what are the three spheres

biological functioning, affective state, natural living

the three spheres - biological functioning

health, nutrition, disease, injury, hygiene, mortality, performance, production

the three spheres - affective state

pain, stress, fear, frustration, pleasure, comfort

the three spheres - natural living

environment, social opportunities, motivated behaviors

what is the animal welfare act

• legal federal act or law

• policies are created and administered by USDA APHIS animal care

• compliance is ensured by inspections

• only certain species and certain activities are covered

what species are covered by the animal welfare act

all warm blooded animals used in regulated activities except:

• birds, rats, and mice bred for research

• horses, unless used in biomedical research / teaching

• farm animals used for food, fiber, or other agricultural purposes

what activities are included in the animal welfare act

• commercial dealers

• public exhibitors

• animal research

• commercial transport

what is the purpose of AWA

regulate treatment, handling, care, and transport of certain warm blooded animals used in research, teaching, testing, commercial sale, and public exhibition

what started the AWA

it started due to the public outrage over stolen family pets being sold to research labs

• pepper the dalmatian - stolen pet was traced to a research hospital where she died on an experimentation table

what are the programs involved with AWA

• USDA & APHIS (animal & plant health inspection service)

• licensing and registration

• inspection & compliance

• institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) oversight

• animal welfare information center (AWIC)

• emergency and disaster response program

• animal fighting enforcement program

• commercial dog importation program

what is the AWA blue book

• USDA’s comprehensive compilation of the actual animal welfare act text and code of federal regulations

• helps USDA licensees, registrants, and field inspectors understand and apply federal animal welfare rules consistently

• applies to animals used in research facilities, commercial breeding, operations, zoos, circuses, and commercial transportation

• combines federal statute, title 9, covers housing, feeding, sanitation, handling, veterinary care, & transport

what is the AWA grey book

helps businesses and individuals determine whether they need to be licensed or registered under AWA

• outlines regulated vs exempt businesses

• focuses on licensing and registration guidelines

what is a major change in AWA

birds

origins of taxonomy

carl linnaeous - father of taxonomy

• binomial nomenclature

• credited for the beginning of botanical and zoological nomenclature

• introduced standard hierarchy of class, order, genus, species

convergent evolution

process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches

what is respiration

the physical and chemical processes by which an organism supplies its cells and tissues with the oxygen needed for metabolism and relieves them of the carbon dioxide formed in energy producing reactions

why do we need oxygen

• required for energy reproduction

• metabolic processes - cellular respiration

  • krebs cycle

  • oxidative phosphorylation

why do we need to get rid of carbon dioxide

• it is a by-product of cellular respiration

• pH balance

• equilibrium shift with input and output

respiratory systems across taxa

direct, tracheal, cutaneous, branchial, pulmonary, air sac

direct diffusion

• ex: flatform

• species - cnidarians, platyhelminthes

• slow passive transport of oxygen

• small multicellular organisms

• flat shape increases surface area

• evolutionary advantage - no need for specialized respiratory system

tracheal respiration

• ex: grasshopper

• species - insects, arachnids

• spiracles > trachea > tracheoles

• air sacs help ventilate

• air directly in contact with tissues, size limitation

• evolutionary advantage - helps to conserve water

cutaneous respiration

• ex: frog

• species - amphibians, reptiles (turtles, sea snakes), annelids

• more complex than direct diffusion

• blood transports gases between skin and tissues

• thin, skin, highly vascular, moist environment

• evolutionary advantage - aquatic, cold, supplement

captive management considerations of cutaneous respiration

• water quality

• preferred optimum temperature zone

• chemical and toxin exposure

• chytridiomycosis and other fungal diseases

branchial respiration

• ex: shark and fish

• gills - highly vascular, thin barrier, direct contact, lamellae

• concentration gradient

• countercurrent exchange

• ram vs opercular ventilation

• evolutionary advantage - aquatic life

captive management considerations for branchial respiration

• water quality - dissolved oxygen - temperature, salinity, pressure

• pH

• ammonia levels

• test kits & monitoring

pulmonary ventilation

• ex: aye aye

• ventilation via pressure differential

• alveoli - gas exchange

  • thin walled

  • direct contact - capillaries

• bidirectional airflow

• evolutionary advantage - reduced ventilation rate

air sac ventilation

• ex: great horned owls

• species - birds

• bellows system

• air sacs

• unidirectional air flow

• air capillaries - high surface area

• evolutionary advantage - continuous flow of oxygen rich air

captive management considerations for air sac ventilation

• reptiles

  • temperature, humidity, nutrition, minimize stress, substrates

• mammals

  • infectious diseases, aspiration risk, air quality

• restraint considerations - don’t restrict movement of keel

• respiratory irritants

• risk of aspergillosis

divergent evolution

process of tracing back two or more species to their common ancestor, thus becoming a different species to their ancestors and what was once one species has diverged into two

environmental stimuli

light, pressure, sounds, chemical, electrical fields, temperature, gravity

olfaction example

snakes - jacobson’s organ

• used forked tongue to collect chemicals from surrounding air, then hold against organ (roof of mouth)

vision example

• humans and apes - dominant sense

  • photoreceptors

  • humans - short, medium, long wavelengths

• bees - trichromatic

• shrimp - 12 photoreceptors

mechanoreceptors

lateral line - aquatic vertebrates

• detects movement, vibration, pressure gradients

electroreception

• electric eels - electricity is used for both sensory and offensive purposes

• low voltage - electroreception

• high voltage - weapon

skin

largest organ in body that is composed of water, proteins, minerals, & fats

• part of the integumentary system (also includes claws, feathers, glands)

functions of skin

• protection

  • dehydration / infection

• sensory function

• regulation of body temperature

• excretion (sweat)

• absorption of UV (vit D metabolism)

importance of the integument in captivity

• insight into the environment

• possible husbandry and dietary needs

• internal health

layers of the skin

epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue

epidermis

protects underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals, and mechanical stress

dermis

contains tough connective tissue as well as different types of cells and glands

subcutaneous tissue

made up of fat and connective tissue

• also known as hypodermis

skin anatomy of fish

• epidermis - mucus secreting cells

• dermis - blood vessels, nerves, scales

• special feature - mucus

  • makes fish slimy, protects from pathogens, production affected by stress

what husbandry deficiencies could impact mucus production

• poor water quality

• incorrect water temperatures

• inadequate diet

• presence of predators

skin anatomy of amphibians

• epidermis - thin layer

• dermis - glands for mucus and poison

• pigment

• special feature - permeability

  • major function - respiration & absorption of nutrients, suspectible to water quality, dries easily

what factors unique to amphibians skin might need to be considered in captivity

• water quality & pH

• chemicals

• handling - clear gloves, lubrication with amphibian solution

skin anatomy of reptiles

• dry skin with a few glands

• epidermis - keratinized outer layer, scales

• dermis - relatively thin, scutes

• special feature - ecdysis (molting, allows growth)

  • dysecdysis - abnormal molting

skin anatomy of birds

• epidermis - thin and pliable

• dermis - blood vessels, nerves, smooth muscle for movement of feathers

• special feature - feathers

  • provides protection, heat retention, flight, sexual dimorphism

poor feather quality can be due to what

• behavior, diet, parasites, yeast

skin anatomy of mammals

• epidermis - many layers, waterproofing, protection

• dermis - elasticity, glands, hair follicles

• special feature - hair

  • provides protection, insulation, heat, retention, communication, camouflage

why might a mammal have a poor coat

• nutritional deficiencies

• external parasites

• endocrine disorders