Personality and predictability in fallow deer fighting behaviour: the relationship with mating success

The ultimate pH value of meat (measured at approx. 24 hours post slaughter) gives information about the technological quality, i.e. shelf life, colour, water-holding properties and tenderness and is a direct consequence of muscle glycogen (energy) levels at slaughter. It may therefore also indicate whether or not the animal has been exposed to stressful energy depleting events prior to slaughter. In the present study, 141 animals (130 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 11 fallow deer (Dama dama) were included to investigate the relationship between ultimate pH and residual glycogen concentration in red deer and fallow deer M. longissimus. In addition, the muscle glycogen content and ultimate pH values in three red deer muscles (Mm. triceps brachii, longissimus and biceps femoris) were studied. M. triceps brachii had higher ultimate pH and lower glycogen content compared with the other two studied muscles. The frequency of intermediate DFD (5.8≤ pH<6.2) was 5.4% in red deer M. longissimus, compared with 9.1% in fallow deer, while the frequency of DFD (pH≥ 6.2) was much lower in red deer (3.8%) than in fallow deer (54.5%). A curvilinear relationship between ultimate pH and total glucose concentration (glycogen and glucose) 30 min post slaughter in red deer and fallow deer M. longissimus was found. The relationship between muscle pH and lactic acid concentration however, was indicated to be linear. A significant variation in total glucose concentration at ultimate pH below 5.80 was observed, including values in the range from 18 to 123 mmol/kg wet tissue. It was concluded that further studies are needed to further explore the relationship between muscle glycogen content and technological and sensory quality attributes of meat from different deer species.Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfattning:Köttets pH-värde (mätt ca 24 timmar efter slakt) har stor betydelse för den teknologiska kvaliteten som t. ex. hållbarhet, färg, vattenhållande förmåga och mörhet. Glykogenförrådet (energinivån) i djurens muskulatur vid slakt är helt avgörande för köttets slutliga pH-värde. Därför kan pH-värdet också indikera om hanteringen av slaktdjur varit skonsam eller om stora mängder muskelenergi har förbrukats vid stress. I vår undersökning ingick 141 hjortar (130 kronhjortar (Cervus elaphus) och 11 dovhjortar (Dama dama) för att studera sambandet mellan köttets pH-värde och glykogeninnehållet i M. longissimus. Glykogeninnehåll och pH-värden i 3 muskler från kronhjort (Mm. triceps brachii, longissimus och biceps femoris) undersöktes också. M. triceps brachii hade högre pH-värde och lägre glykogeninnehåll jämfört med de två andra musklerna. Det var inte så stor skillnad i frekvensen av intermediär DFD (pH-värden mellan 5,8 og 6,2) mellan de två hjortarterna (5,4% för kronhjort och 9,1% för dovhjort), däremot var frekvensen av DFD (pH-värden över 6,2) mycket låg hos kronhjort (3,8%) jämfört med dovhjort (54,5%). Det fanns ett kurvlinjärt samband mellan slutligt pH-värde i köttet och total glukoskoncentration (glykogen + glukos) mätt i M. longissimus 30 min efter slakt för både kron- och dovhjort. Ett linjärt samband mellan pH-värde och koncentration av mjölksyra i M. longissimus kunde också visas. Vi fann en mycket stor varitation i glukoskoncentration (18−123 mmol/kg våtvikt) när köttets pH-värdet var 5,8 eller lägre. Det behövs fler undersökningar för att vidare klargöra sambanden mellan glykogeninnehåll i muskulaturen och teknologisk och sensorisk kvalitet i olika typer av hjortkött.

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The relationship between plasma testosterone concentrations and the seasonal variation in voluntary feed intake in fallow bucks (Dama dama)

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859698005279 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 130 (3) ◽

pp. 357-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

R. E. NEWMAN ◽

S. J. McCONNELL ◽

R. H. WESTON ◽

M. REEVES ◽

C. BERNASCONI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Plasma Free Fatty Acid ◽

Reproductive Behaviour ◽

Fallow Deer ◽

Plasma Testosterone ◽

Control Group ◽

Voluntary Feed Intake ◽

Natural Photoperiod ◽

The Relationship

In two experiments conducted at Badgery's Creek, NSW (Latitude 34°S) the roles of testosterone and the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) as possible initiators of the change in voluntary feed intake (VFI) associated with the seasonal reproductive behaviour (rut) in male fallow deer were investigated.In Expt 1, the association between changes in these hormones with the onset of the rut was assessed in deer in which the timing of this event was manipulated by changing the photoperiod, or by melatonin administration. Groups were maintained under either natural photoperiod (n=6; control), a constant long daylength (16 h light[ratio ]8 h dark; n=9; LD group) or a constant long daylength and implanted with melatonin capsules (n=5; LD+M group) for 7 months from December until the following July. Blood samples were obtained weekly and VFI recorded.Feed intake decreased by 94% from the last week of March for 3 weeks in the control group. Changes of a similar magnitude were measured in the LD and LD+M groups but these changes were advanced by 1 and 9 weeks respectively in these groups. In all groups, circulating testosterone concentrations increased markedly at a time corresponding with the decrease in VFI. The concentrations returned to basal levels with the resumption in VFI. A distinct decrease in plasma concentrations of T3 and T4 in all three groups was associated with the decrease in VFI, however, the relationship with T3 was less apparent.In Expt 2, the role of testosterone in the regulation of the decline in VFI was investigated. Fallow bucks were treated with testosterone enanthate every 4 or 5 days for 28 days up to 6 weeks prior to the expected onset of the rut. Plasma testosterone concentrations, which were increased 13-fold, resulted in a decline in VFI which was comparable to that observed in the subsequent rut. Plasma free fatty acid concentrations were correlated negatively with the decline in VFI.Thus, the seasonal increase in circulating testosterone concentrations plays an important role in initiating the fall in VFI associated with the rut. As the rut was still apparent in animals maintained under an extended photoperiod, it is possible that factors other than decreasing daylength act as the cue for the timing of the rut.

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Information gathering during contests: The relationship between lateralisation and contestant behaviour during fallow deer fights

Behavioural Processes ◽

10.1016/j.beproc.2014.01.014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 103 ◽

pp. 278-282 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Dómhnall J. Jennings

Keyword(s):

Fallow Deer ◽

Information Gathering ◽

The Relationship

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Mating success and fidelity to territories in a fallow deer lek: a female removal experiment

The Science of Nature ◽

10.1007/s00114-003-0475-7 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 90 (12) ◽

pp. 553-557 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marco Apollonio ◽

Massimiliano Scotti ◽

L. Morris Gosling

Keyword(s):

Mating Success ◽

Fallow Deer ◽

Removal Experiment

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INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DOMINANCE IN AVIARY GROUPS OF GREAT TITS

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853999500659 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

pp. 23-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 97

Author(s):

Monica E.M. Verbeek ◽

Piet Drent ◽

Piet De Goede ◽

Piet Wiepkema

Keyword(s):

Parus Major ◽

Exploratory Behaviour ◽

Juvenile Male ◽

Behavioural Characteristics ◽

Gradual Development ◽

Dominance Score ◽

Simple Pair ◽

The Relationship ◽

Fighting Behaviour

In previous work we have shown that juvenile male great tits Parus major show consistent behavioural differences in exploratory and aggressive behaviour. Fast and superficial explorers (FE) won from slow and thorough explorers (SE) during controlled pair-wise confrontations in small cages. The present study assesses the relationship between early exploratory behaviour and later dominance in aviary groups of juvenile male great tits; such groups might approach natural conditions better than 'simple' pair-wise confrontations. Observations of nine aviary groups showed that a stable hierarchy is only established after a first dynamic phase of several days with many dominance shifts and a peak in number of interactions. In seven other aviary groups we determined the dominance relationships between FE and SE. In a stable hierarchy, SE had on average a significantly higher dominance score than FE. This finding contrasts our previous results in pair-wise confrontations. However, on the first day in the aviary, FE had on average a higher dominance score and initiated more fights than SE. This agrees with our previous results and indicates a gradual development of the situation in the stable hierarchy. Behavioural observations indicate that during this development, FE took more risks in their fighting behaviour and had more difficulty to cope with defeat than SE. In the stable hierarchy they either won or lost from all SE. SE were more cautious and had intermediate dominance scores in the stable hierarchy. These differences in fighting behaviour and the role of individual differences in exploratory behaviour and in coping with defeat are discussed as possible causes for the unexpected results of this study.

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Preprint: Kordsmeyer & Penke, "The association of three indicators of developmental instability with mating success in humans"

10.31219/osf.io/uqpaj ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Tobias Kordsmeyer ◽

Lars Penke

Keyword(s):

Mating Success ◽

Developmental Instability ◽

Sexual Partners ◽

Negative Association ◽

Equivalence Testing ◽

Men And Women ◽

Perfect Symmetry ◽

Minor Physical Anomalies ◽

The Relationship ◽

Evolutionary Fitness

Developmental instability (DI) has been proposed to relate negatively to aspects of evolutionary fitness, like mating success. One suggested indicator is fluctuating asymmetry (FA), random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral bodily traits. A meta-analytically robust negative association between FA and number of lifetime sexual partners has been previously shown in men and women. We examined the relationship between bodily FA across twelve traits and indicators of quantitative mating success in 284 individuals (141 males, age 19-30 years). Two further indicators of DI, minor physical anomalies (MPAs) and asymmetry in palmar atd angles, were also assessed. For men, no significant associations were detected, whereas for women, unexpected positive relationships of FA with the number of lifetime sexual partners and one-night stands emerged. Thus, in a large sample and using a more highly aggregated FA index, our study fails to replicate previous findings, though equivalence testing also did not support deviation from previous meta-analytic estimates, especially for men. No associations were found for MPAs and FA in atd angles in either sex.

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