Familiarity and Mate Preference Assessment with the Partner Preference Test

Abstract. Light plays an important role in poultry development, production performance, health, and well-being. Light technology continues to advance, and accordingly new light products are finding applications in poultry operations. However, research concerning responses of young and adult laying hens to light sources is relatively lacking. This study assessed the choice between a Dim-to-Red poultry-specific light-emitting diode (LED) light (PS-LED, correlated color temperature or CCT = 2000K) and a warm-white fluorescent light (FL, CCT = 2700K) by pullets and laying hens (W-36 breed) via preference test. Birds with different prior lighting experiences were evaluated for their light choice, including (1) pullets (14 to 16 weeks of age or WOA) reared under incandescent light (designated as PINC), (2) layers (44 to 50 WOA) under PS-LED (LLED) throughout the pullet and laying phases, and (3) layers under FL (LFL) throughout the pullet and laying phases. Each bird category consisted of 12 replicates, three birds per replicate. Each replicate involved a 6-day preference test, during which the birds could move freely between two interconnected compartments that contained PS-LED and FL, respectively. Time spent and feed intake by the birds under each light were measured and then analyzed with generalized linear mixed models. Results showed that regardless of prior lighting experience, birds in all cases showed stronger choice for FL (p = 0.001 to 0.030), as evidenced by higher proportions of time spent under it. Specifically, the proportion of time spent (mean ±SEM) under FL versus PS-LED was 58.0% ±2.9% vs. 42.0% ±2.9% for PINC, 53.7% ±1.6% vs. 46.3% ±1.6% for LLED, and 54.2% ±1.2% vs. 45.8% ±1.2% for LFL. However, the proportions of daily feed intake occurring under FL and PS-LED were comparable in all cases (p = 0.419 to 0.749). The study thus reveals that prior lighting experience of the pullets or layers did not affect their choice of FL versus PS-LED. While the birds exhibited a somewhat stronger choice for FL, this tendency did not translate into differences in the proportion of feed use under each light type. Keywords: Behavior and welfare, Computer vision, Poultry Lighting, Preference assessment.

Download Full-text

Variation in male mate preference for female size in the swordtail Xiphophorus malinche

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853909x446172 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 146 (6) ◽

pp. 727-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Scarlett Tudor ◽

Molly Morris

Keyword(s):

Preference Test ◽

Mate Preferences ◽

Mate Preference ◽

Large Female ◽

Female Size ◽

Male Size ◽

Female Mate ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Difference ◽

Male Mate

AbstractMale and female mate preferences have the potential to influence one another, and such interactions could help explain variation in female mate preferences. In Xiphophorus malinche, larger females prefer asymmetrical males while smaller females prefer symmetrical males. We used a two-part preference test to determine if there were differences in mate preferences between symmetrical and asymmetrical males for female size that could influence female mate preference. We found no significant difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical male's preferences. A preference for large female size was detected during the time males directly interacted with females and in standard dichotomous choice tests that followed, as long as the males had been isolated less than 30 days. We did detect variation in male preference for female size depending on male size and the amount of time a male was isolated. These results suggest that variation in male mate preference is not likely to have produced the difference in female preference for symmetry between large and small females, but should be considered where females vary in their preference for male size. In addition, our results suggest that males may shift their preferences from large to small females depending on time since last mating opportunity.

Download Full-text

Sexual behavior of female rats in a multiple-partner preference test

Hormones and Behavior ◽

10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.11.012 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 290-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

A. Ferreira-Nuño ◽

A. Morales-Otal ◽

Raúl G. Paredes ◽

J. Velázquez-Moctezuma

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behavior ◽

Preference Test ◽

Female Rats ◽

Partner Preference ◽

Multiple Partner

Download Full-text

How prior pair-bonding experience affects future bonding behavior in monogamous prairie voles

10.1101/2020.06.05.135160 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kelsey J. Harbert ◽

Matteo Pellegrini ◽

Katelyn M. Gordon ◽

Zoe R. Donaldson

Keyword(s):

Preference Test ◽

Pair Bond ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Partner Preference ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Separation Time ◽

Pair Bonds ◽

Preference Strength ◽

The Stability ◽

Insight Into

AbstractMonogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) form mating-based pair bonds. Although wild prairie voles rarely re-pair following loss of a partner, laboratory studies have shown that previous pairing and mating does not negate the ability to form a new partner preference. However, little is known about how prior bond experience may alter the trajectory and display of a new pair bond. In the present study, we disrupted an initial pair bond by separating partners and then varied the amount of time before a new partner was introduced. We assessed how separation time affected the stability of partner preference over time and influenced decision-making in male voles performing a head-to-head partner preference test in which they chose between the first and second partner. We found that the ability to consistently display a preference for the second partner, supplanting the initial pair bond, depended on how long the test animal was separated from their first partner. Prior bonding experience also shaped the subsequent effects of mating on partner preference. Partner preference strength was sensitive to latency to mate with the second partner but not the first partner, irrespective of separation time. These results suggest that the ability to form a consistent, strong preference for a new partner after an initial pair bond depends upon the amount of time that has passed since separation from the first partner. These results provide valuable insight into how social bonds are dynamically shaped by prior social experience and identify variables that contribute to recovery from partner loss and the ability to form a new pair bond.

Download Full-text

Development of the grain energy bars with the high content of dietary fibers

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202128505006 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 285 ◽

pp. 05006

Author(s):

Irina Krasina ◽

Anna Kurakina ◽

Cholpon Kasymova ◽

Ekaterina Krasina

Keyword(s):

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Gum Arabic ◽

Consumer Preference ◽

Preference Assessment ◽

Preference Test ◽

Dietary Fibers ◽

Quantitative Descriptive Analysis ◽

Texture Characteristics ◽

Quantitative Descriptive ◽

Energy Bar

The research results on the development of grain energy bars are given. The experimental plan for the mixtures was used to create the grain energy bars with prebiotic properties. Inulin, oligofructose and gum-arabic were selected as prebiotic ingredients, which were added to the binding syrup, and subsequently to cereals and fruits. Grain energy bars were analyzed by quantitative descriptive analysis and the best formulae were determined according to the preference test. It was found that the gum-arabic was responsible for the influence on the appearance of cereal flake dryness, hardness and chewability, while the oligofructosis increased the color brightness and the crunch when bitten. The optimized composition of the grain energy bar sample showed that the fiber mixture gave the bars better texture characteristics than each fiber individually. The viscosity of the syrup, which is strongly influenced by the gum-arabic concentration, had a negative correlation with the consumer preference assessment. The selected recipe of the grain energy bar allows to reduce energy value by 18-20% with simultaneous increasing of total amount of dietary fibers by 200%.

Download Full-text

Prenatal exposure to EDCs dis-integrates and reconstitutes neuromolecular-behavioral relationships in adult rats

10.1101/2020.10.12.335984 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Morgan E. Hernandez Scudder ◽

Rebecca L. Young ◽

Lindsay M. Thompson ◽

Pragati Kore ◽

David Crews ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Prenatal Exposure ◽

Social Preference ◽

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽

Preference Test ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Mate Preference ◽

Adult Rats ◽

Preference Behavior ◽

Opposite Sex

AbstractExposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is ubiquitous in all species, including humans. Previous studies have shown behavioral deficits caused by EDCs that have implications for social competence and sexual selection. The neuromolecular mechanisms for these behavioral changes induced by EDCs have not been thoroughly explored. Here, we tested the hypothesis that EDCs administered to rats during a critical period of embryonic brain development would lead to disruption of normal social preference behavior, and that this involves a network of underlying gene pathways in brain regions that regulate these behaviors. Rats were exposed prenatally to human-relevant concentrations of EDCs [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), an industrial chemical mixture; vinclozolin (VIN), a fungicide], or vehicle. In adulthood, a sociosexual preference test (choice between hormone-primed and hormone-depleted opposite-sex rats) was administered. We profiled gene expression of in three brain regions involved in these behaviors [preoptic area (POA), medial amygdala (MeA), ventromedial nucleus (VMN)]. Prenatal PCBs impaired sociosexual preference in both sexes, and VIN disrupted this behavior in males. Each brain region (POA, MeA, VMN) had unique sets of genes altered in a sex- and EDC-specific manner. Sexually dimorphic gene expression disruption was particularly prominent for gene modules pertaining to sex steroid hormones and nonapeptides in the MeA. EDC exposure also changed the relationships between gene expression and behavior in the mate preference test, a pattern we refer to as dis-integration and reconstitution. These findings underscore the profound effects that developmental exposure to EDCs can have on adult social behavior, highlight sex-specific and individual variation in responses, and provide a foundation for further work on the disruption of mate preference behavior after prenatal exposure to EDCs.

Download Full-text

Brain functional networks associated with social bonding in monogamous voles

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.55081 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

M Fernanda López-Gutiérrez ◽

Zeus Gracia-Tabuenca ◽

Juan J Ortiz ◽

Francisco J Camacho ◽

Larry J Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Preference Test ◽

Social Bonding ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Pair Bonding ◽

Partner Preference ◽

Affiliative Behavior ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Related Pair ◽

Socially Relevant

Previous studies have related pair-bonding in Microtus ochrogaster, the prairie vole, with plastic changes in several brain regions. However, the interactions between these socially relevant regions have yet to be described. In this study, we used resting-state magnetic resonance imaging to explore bonding behaviors and functional connectivity of brain regions previously associated with pair-bonding. Thirty-two male and female prairie voles were scanned at baseline, 24 hr, and 2 weeks after the onset of cohabitation. By using network-based statistics, we identified that the functional connectivity of a corticostriatal network predicted the onset of affiliative behavior, while another predicted the amount of social interaction during a partner preference test. Furthermore, a network with significant changes in time was revealed, also showing associations with the level of partner preference. Overall, our findings revealed the association between network-level functional connectivity changes and social bonding.

Download Full-text