Week 2 - The study of animal behaviour and its application

Result of the definition of behaviour

Behaviour is the internally coordinated responses (actions or inactions) of whole living organisms (individuals or groups) to internal and/or external stimuli, excluding responses more easily understood as developmental changes.

History of animal behaviour studies

Major traditions in the history of animal behaviour studies

20th Century: Two Major Traditions

• American researchers: controlled laboratory experiments

• European researchers: naturalistic observation of animals’ behaviour in nature

Key question: How should we study animal behaviour?

History of animal behaviour studies: Learning through experience

• Behaviour studied primarily through controlled laboratory experiments

• Common model animals included rats and mice

• Focus on learning and behaviour acquisition

• Behaviour shaped by: Reinforcement & Punishment (general principles of learning)

• The animal's evolutionary history and ecological context were often given relatively little emphasis

Advantage of learning animal behaviour through experience

This approach emphasized what animals do and how their behaviour changes, rather than asking what their behaviour might mean in their natural environments.

How is the development of ethology discovered through observation in a natural context

• strong influence of naturalistic observation

• animals studied in their natural environments

• interest in: instinct, innate and adaptive behaviour

• behaviour was considered in relation to the animal’s ecology and evolutionary history

How does an animal survive and reproduce in its environment

Challenge of observing in a natural context

internal mental processes were difficult to study scientifically because they were not directly observable

Who are the founds of ethology

Niko Tinbergen

• Developed rigorous methods for studying behaviour in free-living animals

• Combined observation with experimentation

• Helped establish experimental ethology

Konrad Lorenz

• Studied innate behaviour and instinct

• Conducted extensive observations and experiments with animals

• Developed influential ideas about the organization and development of innate behaviour

Modern approaches to ethology, 1960s onward

Ethology expanded into a broader scientific study of animal behaviour.Niko Tinbergen helped establish the conceptual framework for studying behaviour. His approach emphasized four questions:

Question Focus

Causation What mechanisms cause the behaviour?

Function What is the biological function or adaptive significance of the behaviour?

Ontogeny How does the behaviour develop during an individual's lifetime?

Phylogeny How did the behaviour evolve across generations/species?

What is the four questions missing?

Cognitive ethology: What cognitive processes may underlie animal behaviour?

Traditional behavioural approaches often focused on observable behaviour.

But animals also:

• Perceive their environment

• Learn from experience

• Remember

• Make decisions

• Solve problems

• Respond to their environment in flexible ways

Application of applied ethology includes:

• welfare assessment

• optimizing production

• behavioural control

• behavioural disorders

• behaviour and conservation biology

Questions to ask when analyzing behaviour to help us assess welfare

1. What behaviours does the animal perform?

2. Which behaviours are important to the animal?

3. Can the animal perform those behaviours?

4. What happens when the behaviour is prevented?

5. Are there behavioural indicators of poor welfare?

Welfare assessment example with laying hens

Limited space can restrict opportunities to:

• Perch

• Dust-bathe

• Forage

• Move freely

What are the consequences of these restrictions?

• Behavioural frustration?

• Changes in motivation?

• Stress?

• Reduced behavioural opportunities?

Welfare assessment example with high stocking density

A floor system may provide more opportunities for movement and behavioural expression than a cage, but high stocking density can create other welfare challenges.

• Possible consequences include:

• Increased competition for resources

• Difficulty avoiding other birds

• Feather pecking

• Cannibalism

Optimizing production: Animals have species-specific patterns of:

• Feeding

• Activity

• Rest

• Social interaction

Optimizing production: For social species, feeding in groups can:

• Allow animals to synchronize feeding behaviour

• Support normal social interactions

• Potentially influence feed intake and digestion

Optimizing production example with weaning in piglets

Weaning involves major changes in:

• Nutrition: milk → solid food

• Environment: familiar → potentially unfamiliar

• Social relationships

• Behaviour

Early or abrupt weaning may result in:

• Reduced feed intake

• Behavioural changes

• Increased stress

• Reduced growth rate

Behavioural control in captive animals. Management involves:

• Preventing escape

• Controlling reproduction

• Managing movement and social interactions

• Adapting animals to housing systems

• Controlling access to food and other resources

How is behavioural control achieved?

• Direct human actions

• Housing and management practices

• Technology and equipment

Behavioural control- Animal behaviour can also inform the design of equipment in:

• Housing systems

• Feeding equipment

• Automated systems

• Handling facilities

• Monitoring technology

Behavioural control - Equipment designed without considering animal behaviour may:

• Restrict normal behaviour

• Cause fear or avoidance

• Increase aggression

• Create competition

• Become damaged or dysfunctional

Behavioural control - if equipment does not account for the social relationships and hierarchies in social animals:

• Dominant animals may monopolize resources

• Subordinate animals may be displaced

• Competition may increase

• Aggression and biting may occur

Animal injury + equipment damage + reduced system efficiency

When behaviour goes wrong, potential factors may include:

• Poor housing conditions

• Inadequate resources

• Social instability

• Poor human–animal interactions

• Malfunctioning equipment

• Insufficient behavioural opportunities

Behavioural disorders: How can we address behavioural problems?

Environmental enrichment

• More opportunities to explore

• Manipulable materials

• Appropriate feeding challenges

• Opportunities for species-typical behaviour

Environmental modification

• Changes to housing

• Increased access to resources

• Improved social management

Behavioural training

• Reinforcing desirable behaviours

• Providing alternative behaviours

Conservation biology: what are the two approaches to conservation

In-situ conservation and its important information

• Understanding behaviour in the wild

• Successful conservation requires knowledge of the species' normal behaviour.

Important information includes:

• Social structure

• Foraging strategies

• Mating behaviour

• Movement patterns

• Territoriality

• Vigilance

Conservation in captivity- applied ethology can help answer:

• What social environment does the species need?

• What behaviours should animals be able to perform?

• What type of enclosure is appropriate?

• How should animals be fed?

• How should breeding be managed?

• How can natural behaviours be maintained?

How can behaviour information conservation in the wild and in captivity

In the wild

• Understand normal behaviour

• Detect environmental changes

• Identify threats

• Improve habitat management

In captivity

• Design appropriate environments

• Support species-typical behaviour

• Improve welfare

• Support successful reproduction

Successful conservation is not just about keeping animals alive. It also requires understanding the behaviour they need to survive and reproduce.