scholarly journals Maternal age and maternal environment affect stress reactivity and measures of social behaviour in laying hens

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana R. L. V. Peixoto ◽  
Leanne Cooley ◽  
Tina M. Widowski
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Parent Stock

AbstractMaternal effects can shape the phenotypes of offspring, but the extent to which a layer breeder’s experience can affect commercial laying hens remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal age and maternal environment on laying hens’ behaviour and stress response. In our first experiment (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of response to manual restraint and social stress were assessed in offspring. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offsprings' stress response were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. In E1, maternal age affected struggling and corticosterone during manual restraint, feather pecking and pulling and comb wounds. Additionally, maternal rearing and housing in aviary systems showed positive effects on measures of behaviour and stress response in offspring. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to methodological differences or higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, we recommend researchers report parent stock age to increase comparison across studies and thus our understanding of maternal age effects.

scholarly journals Maternal age and maternal environment affect stress reactivity and measures of social behaviour in laying hens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana R. L. V. Peixoto ◽  
Leanne Cooley ◽  
Tina M. Widowski
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Commercial Breeder

Abstract Maternal effects can shape the phenotypes of offspring, but the extent to which a layer breeder’s experience can affect commercial laying hens remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal age and maternal environment on laying hens' behaviour and stress response. In our first experiment (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of response to manual restraint and social stress were assessed in offspring. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offspring's stress response were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. In E1, maternal age affected struggling and corticosterone during manual restraint, feather pecking and pulling and comb wounds. Additionally, maternal rearing and housing in aviary systems showed positive effects on measures of behaviour and stress response in offspring. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to methodological differences or higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, we recommend researchers start reporting parent stock's age to increase our understanding of the subject.

scholarly journals Maternal Age and Maternal Environment Affect Egg Composition, Yolk Testosterone, Offspring Growth and Behaviour in Laying Hens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina M. Widowski ◽  
Leanne Cooley ◽  
Simone Hendriksen ◽  
Mariana R.L.V. Peixoto
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Yolk ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Testosterone Concentration ◽  
Natural Decrease ◽  
Offspring Growth ◽  
Egg Composition ◽  
Yolk Testosterone

Abstract Maternal effects have been reported to alter offspring phenotype in laying hens. In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal environment and maternal age on egg traits and offspring development and behaviour. For this, we ran two experiments. First (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of egg composition, yolk testosterone concentration and offspring’s development, anxiety and fearfulness were assessed. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offspring's growth and behaviour were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. Results from E1 showed that maternal age affected the majority of measures including egg composition, yolk testosterone, offspring growth, anxiety and fearfulness. Maternal rearing and housing affected fewer measures but included egg characteristics, offspring weight and behaviour. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, our research confirms that maternal environment and maternal age affect the offspring of laying hens in a variety of ways. These effects may be mediated by the natural decrease in egg yolk testosterone concentration over time.

scholarly journals The role of maternal age and context-dependent maternal effects in the offspring provisioning of a long-lived marine teleost

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 170966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linsey M. Arnold ◽  
Wade D. Smith ◽  
Paul D. Spencer ◽  
Allison N. Evans ◽  
Scott A. Heppell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Narrow Range ◽  
Somatic Growth ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Offspring Quality ◽  
Young Females ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Intrinsic Function

Despite evidence of maternal age effects in a number of teleost species, there have been challenges to the assertion that maternal age intrinsically influences offspring quality. From an evolutionary perspective, maternal age effects result in young females paradoxically investing in less fit offspring despite a greater potential fitness benefit that might be gained by allocating this energy to individual somatic growth. Although a narrow range of conditions could lead to a maternal fitness benefit via the production of lower quality offspring, evolutionary theorists suggest these conditions are seldom met and that the reported maternal age effects are more likely products of the environmental context. Our goal was to determine if maternal effects operated on offspring provisioning in a long-lived rockfish (genus Sebastes ), and to evaluate any such effects as an intrinsic function of maternal age or a context-dependent effect of the offspring release environment. We found that offspring provisioning is a function of both maternal age and the timing of offspring release; older females exhibit increased provisioning over younger females throughout the spawning season despite a decrease in provisioning across all maternal ages as the season progresses. These findings suggest a role for both maternal age effects and a potential context-dependent maternal effect in population productivity, carrying important implications when modelling population persistence and resilience.

scholarly journals Evaluating the inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity in healthy young and older adults: the moderating role of music absorption

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katlyn J. Peck
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
White Noise ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Music Listening

Chronic exposure to stress at any age is associated with a myriad of negative physiological and psychological consequences, and as such, development of effective low-cost and non-invasive stress reduction interventions are important. Music listening has been shown to promote faster physiological recovery from acute stress. However, there is a paucity of research examining the potential inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity, as well as potential modifier’s that may influence this effect such as music selection and music absorption. Hence, the current study examined the potential inoculation effect of music in response to acute stress, as measured by a comprehensive set of stress indices. It was hypothesized that listening to music prior to acute stress exposure would decrease stress reactivity compared to white noise (WN), and that self-selected music (SSM) would serve as a stronger inoculator than researcher-selected music (RSM). Finally, it was hypothesized that music absorption would moderate the inoculation effect of music, with a greater decrease in stress reactivity observed in high absorbers. Exploratory sub-groups analyses were also performed to examine any potential age differences in the aforementioned associations. Participants were randomly assigned to either RSM (n = 37), SSM (n = 38), or a WN group (n = 33) and listened to either music or white noise prior to undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Outcome indices of stress included skin conductance, heart rate, salivary cortisol and self-report affect. Mixed analyses of covariance showed that music listening did not inoculate the stress response compared with WN and SSM did not serve as a more effective inoculator than RSM. A main effect of music absorption was found, suggesting that high absorbers are more reactive than low absorbers. Although the study hypotheses were not supported, exploratory sub-group analyses in older adults suggest that music listening and absorption may modulate the stress response. This study provides new insight into the effect of music listening on stress reactivity and presents a new line of questions that require further investigation.

scholarly journals Evaluating the inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity in healthy young and older adults: the moderating role of music absorption

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katlyn J. Peck
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
White Noise ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Music Listening

Chronic exposure to stress at any age is associated with a myriad of negative physiological and psychological consequences, and as such, development of effective low-cost and non-invasive stress reduction interventions are important. Music listening has been shown to promote faster physiological recovery from acute stress. However, there is a paucity of research examining the potential inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity, as well as potential modifier’s that may influence this effect such as music selection and music absorption. Hence, the current study examined the potential inoculation effect of music in response to acute stress, as measured by a comprehensive set of stress indices. It was hypothesized that listening to music prior to acute stress exposure would decrease stress reactivity compared to white noise (WN), and that self-selected music (SSM) would serve as a stronger inoculator than researcher-selected music (RSM). Finally, it was hypothesized that music absorption would moderate the inoculation effect of music, with a greater decrease in stress reactivity observed in high absorbers. Exploratory sub-groups analyses were also performed to examine any potential age differences in the aforementioned associations. Participants were randomly assigned to either RSM (n = 37), SSM (n = 38), or a WN group (n = 33) and listened to either music or white noise prior to undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Outcome indices of stress included skin conductance, heart rate, salivary cortisol and self-report affect. Mixed analyses of covariance showed that music listening did not inoculate the stress response compared with WN and SSM did not serve as a more effective inoculator than RSM. A main effect of music absorption was found, suggesting that high absorbers are more reactive than low absorbers. Although the study hypotheses were not supported, exploratory sub-group analyses in older adults suggest that music listening and absorption may modulate the stress response. This study provides new insight into the effect of music listening on stress reactivity and presents a new line of questions that require further investigation.

Parental breeding age effects on descendants’ longevity interact over two generations in matrilines and patrilines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zac Wylde ◽  
Foteini Spagopoulou ◽  
Amy K Hooper ◽  
Alexei A Maklakov ◽  
Russell Bonduriansky
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Age ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Paternal Age ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Larval Diet ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Two Generations

Individuals within populations vary enormously in mortality risk and longevity, but the causes of this variation remain poorly understood. A potentially important and phylogenetically widespread source of such variation is maternal age at breeding, which typically has negative effects on offspring longevity. Here, we show that paternal age can affect offspring longevity as strongly as maternal age does, and that breeding age effects can interact over two generations in both matrilines and patrilines. We manipulated maternal and paternal ages at breeding over two generations in the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis. To determine whether breeding age effects can be modulated by the environment, we also manipulated larval diet and male competitive environment in the first generation. We found separate and interactive effects of parental and grandparental ages at breeding on descendants’ mortality rate and lifespan in both matrilines and patrilines. These breeding age effects were not modulated by grandparental larval diet quality or competitive environment. Our findings suggest that variation in maternal and paternal ages at breeding could contribute substantially to intra-population variation in mortality and longevity.

scholarly journals Application of Selenium Conjugated to Animal Protein in Laying Hens’ Diet for the Production of Selenium-Enriched Eggs

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1224
Author(s):  
Kai Qiu ◽  
Youbiao Ma ◽  
Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Haijun Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Intestinal Morphology ◽  
Feed Additive ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Organic Selenium ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Enhanced Production ◽  
Immune Capacity ◽  
Biochemical Indices

The current experiment was conducted to investigate the application effects of selenium conjugated to insect protein (SCIP) in the production of selenium-enriched eggs. A total of 450 laying hens were randomly assigned to five dietary groups, each group consisting of six replicates. Hens in the control group received a diet without selenium supplementation, whereas hens in the other four groups received diets supplemented with either 1, 2, 5, or 10 mg/kg of selenium from SCIP. The productive performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immune capacity, biochemical indices, intestinal morphology, and oviduct health of laying hens were evaluated. The results showed that the supplementation of organic selenium provided by SCIP in the diets of laying hens enhanced performance and egg quality without any toxicity effect, even at the 10 mg/kg inclusion level. A level of 2 mg/kg of selenium provided by SCIP in diets tentatively improved the serum antioxidant and immune capacity, intestinal development, and oviduct health of laying hens in a conspicuous manner. Hence, the biosafety and positive effects of SCIP as a feed additive supplement in laying hens’ diet have been demonstrated with the enhanced production of safe and selenium-enriched eggs.

scholarly journals Replacing Maize Grain with Ancient Wheat Lines By-Products in Organic Laying Hens’ Diet Affects Intestinal Morphology and Enzymatic Activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6554
Author(s):  
Nicola Francesco Addeo ◽  
Basilio Randazzo ◽  
Ike Olivotto ◽  
Maria Messina ◽  
Francesca Tulli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Enzymatic Activity ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Intestinal Morphology ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Maize Grain ◽  
By Products

The effects of replacement of maize grain with ancient wheat by-products on intestinal morphometry and enzymatic activity in laying hens was studied. Eighty hens were divided into two groups (40 each, 8 replicates, 5 hens/replicate) fed two isoproteic and isoenergetic diets. In the treated group, part of the maize was replaced by a mix of ancient grains (AGs) middling, in a 50:50 ratio of Triticum aestivum L. var. spelta (spelt) and Triticum durum dicoccum L. (emmer wheat). The AG diet affected the weight of all the large intestine tracts, decreasing the weight of caeca (p < 0.01) and increasing those of colon (p < 0.01), rectum and cloaca (p < 0.05). Villus height in the AG group was higher (p < 0.01) than the control for the duodenum and jejunum, while for the ileum, the control group showed the highest values (p < 0.01). The submucosa thickness was higher (p < 0.01) in the control group for the duodenum and ileum, while the jejunum for the AG group showed the highest (p < 0.05) submucosa thickness. The crypts depth was higher (p < 0.01) in the control group for the duodenum and ileum. Enzyme activity was enhanced by AGs (p < 0.01) in the duodenum. Regarding the jejunum, sucrase-isomaltase and alkaline phosphatase had higher activity (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) in the AG group. In the ileum, sucrase-isomaltase showed higher activity (p < 0.01) in the control group, while alkaline phosphatase showed the highest values (p < 0.05) in the AG group. Overall, results suggested that the dietary inclusion of AGs exerted positive effects in hens, showing an improved intestinal function.

A Virtual Reality Version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A Pilot Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Wallergård ◽  
Peter Jönsson ◽  
Gerd Johansson ◽  
Björn Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Virtual Humans ◽  
Arithmetic Task

One of the most common methods of inducing stress in the laboratory in order to examine the stress response in healthy and clinical populations is the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Briefly, the participant is asked to deliver a speech and to perform an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee. The committee, consisting of three trained actors, does not respond emotionally during the test, which makes the situation very stressful for the participant. One disadvantage of the TSST is that it can be difficult to hold the experimental conditions constant. In particular, it may be difficult for actors to hold their acting constant across all sessions. Furthermore, there are several practical problems and costs associated with hiring professional actors. A computerized version of the TSST using virtual humans could be a way to avoid these problems provided that it is able to induce a stress response similar to the one of the original TSST. The purpose of the present pilot study was therefore to investigate the stress response to a virtual reality (VR) version of the TSST visualized using an immersive VR system (VR-TSST). Seven healthy males with an average age of 24 years (range: 23–26 years) performed the VR-TSST. This included delivering a speech and performing an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee consisting of three virtual humans. The VR equipment was a CAVE equipped with stereoscopy and head tracking. ECG and respiration were recorded as well as the participant's behavior and comments. Afterward, a semi-structured interview was carried out. In general, the subjective and physiological data from the experiment indicated that the VR version of the TSST induced a stress response in the seven participants. In particular, the peak increase in heart rate was close to rates observed in studies using the traditional TSST with real actors. These results suggest that virtual humans visualized with an immersive VR system can be used to induce stress under laboratory conditions.

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