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At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Behavioral thermoregulation in chicks: the best nest.

The ability of prehomeothermic chicks to thermoregulate behaviorally was studied in chicks with continuous access to heated nests, running wheels, and separate sources of high and low protein. In Experiment 1, cold-reared groups with heated or unheated transparent nests ate the same amount and selected the same dietary fractions, but chicks with heated nests ran less and grew faster. Despite this, groups maintained normal body temperatures. In Experiment 2, chicks were cold- or warm-reared with heated or unheated painted nests, or no nests. Cold-reared chicks with heated nests spent most of their time in them. They selected diets containing a higher protein:carbohydrate ratio than cold-reared chicks with unheated nests but ate less, thereby consuming less absolute protein and growing more slowly. Despite differences in growth, intake, and dietary choice, all chicks maintained normal body temperatures. These data reveal that behavioral thermoregulation has a privileged status for chicks over the first 3 weeks of life. Prehomeothermic chicks exercise complex and effective solutions to energetic challenges when offered behavioral options that simulate those available in nature.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Dopamine production in the caudate putamen restores feeding in dopamine-deficient mice.

Dopamine-deficient (DD) mice cannot synthesize dopamine (DA) in dopaminergic neurons due to selective inactivation of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene in those neurons. These mice become hypoactive and hypophagic and die of starvation by 4 weeks of age. We used gene therapy to ascertain where DA replacement in the brain restores feeding and other behaviors in DD mice. Restoration of DA production within the caudate putamen restores feeding on regular chow and nest-building behavior, whereas restoration of DA production in the nucleus accumbens restores exploratory behavior. Replacement of DA to either region restores preference for sucrose or a palatable diet without fully rescuing coordination or initiation of movement. These data suggest that a fundamental difference exists between feeding for sustenance and the ability to prefer rewarding substances.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1988

Photoperiod, temperature and melatonin effects on thermoregulatory behavior in Djungarian hamsters.

Nesting and burrowing activity were measured in hamsters acclimated to either long or short day photoperiod in thermoneutrality and at 10 degrees C. Hamsters build larger nests under short day photoperiod or at 10 degrees C as compared to long day photoperiod or thermoneutrality. Both environmental cues contributed about 50% to a total increase in nest size from 1.8 g cotton/day to 7.7 g cotton/day (long day thermoneutral versus short day at 10 degrees C). Burrowing activity was suppressed by both cold or short day exposure. Daily melatonin injections, effective in inducing physiological short day adjustment under a long day photoperiod, also increased nesting scores. Hamsters which did not respond to short day conditions or to melatonin treatment physiologically lacked behavioral adjustments as well. Collectively, these results demonstrate analogies in the environmental control of physiological thermoregulatory adjustment and nesting behavior. Burrowing activity seems to be more related to reproductive needs than to thermoregulatory requirements in this hamster.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed2000

Acidification severely suppresses spawning of hime salmon (land-locked sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka).

A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the effects of an acidic environment on the female sexual behavior of hime salmon (land-locked sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka). Spawning hime salmon were extremely sensitive to the acidity of ambient water. Nest-digging behavior was severely inhibited (P<0.05) by very slight acidification (pH below 6.4) of the water. Below pH 6.0, females showed almost no diggings. When the ambient water was returned to nearly neutral (pH 6.6), diggings reappeared in four of the six fish tested, whereas in two individuals, none was observed. Avoidance of slightly acidic water in selection of spawning site or cessation of spawning behavior in weakly acidic environments may be the most potent cause of the reduction of salmonid populations in the early stages of acidification.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Passive immunization against chicken vasoactive intestinal polypeptide suppresses plasma prolactin and crop sac development in incubating ring doves.

Passive immunization of incubating ring doves with daily injections of sheep anti-chicken vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (cVIP) serum prevented the proliferation of crop sac tissue observed in control doves given nonimmune serum. Daily injections of anti-cVIP serum did not prevent crop sac development in nonbreeding doves simultaneously treated with ovine prolactin. The concentrations of plasma prolactin were significantly depressed in birds given anti-cVIP serum although this effect became progressively less pronounced during the course of the 7- or 14-day treatment periods. Body weights and weights of regressed reproductive organs were unaffected by treatment with anti-cVIP serum and did not differ significantly from control birds. Doves showing a decreased prolactin response to anti-cVIP serum treatment developed an immune response to sheep serum which may have immunoneutralized the administered antibody. Concentrations of plasma LH were not consistently affected by anti-cVIP serum administration and were low throughout the study. The depression in plasma LH normally seen in females after their young hatch was not observed in females treated with anti-cVIP serum. No effect of treatment was observed upon the birds' incubation behavior or in their readiness to feed and brood their young. These results suggest that in the ring dove, VIP is the physiological prolactin-releasing factor responsible for stimulating prolactin secretion and consequently the development of the crop sac, during incubation. They further indicate that increased concentrations of plasma prolactin may not be essential for gonadal regression or the maintenance of full incubation and brooding behavior in ring doves under laboratory conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

At what age do rat young stop responding to the maternal pheromone?

We tested postweanling rat young to see if they would continue to respond to the maternal pheromone when pheromone-containing feces were made available in the home cage. We found that they do, and that the consumption of pheromone-containing feces is important for such sustained responsiveness. Nonetheless, interest in the pheromone does not continue past 50 days of age. The possible adaptive significance of the continuation and cessation of pheromonal responsiveness was discussed.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed1992

Maternal behaviour in the Wistar rat under atypical Zeitgeber.

In previous experiments, neonatal rats subjected to atypical Zeitgeber (light and temperature) produce adult animals that present a different reactivity in some test situations. On the other hand, a great body of evidence indicates that physiological and psychological processes, including the maturation of the circadian system, are regulated by maternal behaviour. In order to investigate in which manner the atypical Zeitgeber, mentioned above, influences maternal behaviour, mothers with their young were observed systematically. More precisely, the question was: is the changed reactivity due to the fact that the young experience a situation of classical early privation (e.g., a decrease in social or other sensory stimulation or in nutrition) or is it due to a situation in which only the temporal pattern of the maternal behaviour is modified and thus disturbs the proper development of the circadian system of the young. Results tend to show that the only difference between the experimental and the control group is a modification in the circadian rhythm of several behavioural items. Only one activity (licking of the young) shows a significant difference in the overall mean value but in favour of the experimental group. We would suggest that the modified temporal pattern of the maternal care could be a poor timegiver for the young, in such a way that the development of their circadian rhythms is disturbed. The unusual reactivity in adulthood could depend on this abnormal development of the circadian system and not on a care privation.

Animals↗