Activity rhythms of southern brown bandicoots Isoodon obesulus (Marsupialia: Peramelidae) in captivity.

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
AN Larcombe
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Late Afternoon ◽  
Activity Rhythms ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
Infra Red ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
The Times

The temporal activity patterns of individually housed captive southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) were recorded using time-lapse infra-red videorecording. Recordings were made over a period of four continuous days per animal under natural lighting and climatic conditions for Perth, Western Australia during March 2002. Analysis showed that all bandicoots were almost entirely nocturnal and spent ~71% (~17 hr day-1) of their time in their nests. The times of onset of activity were remarkably regular, and occurred both following feeding during the late afternoon and again after dusk (average 1841 hrs). Bandicoots were active for an average of ~7 hr night-1. Virtually all activity involved the bandicoots running around their enclosures (~6.5 hr day-1). This running was interspersed with shorter periods spent feeding (~25 min day-1), grooming (~8 min day-1) and drinking (~2 min day-1). No other behaviours were observed. There was a greater degree of variation in the time of cessation of activity between individuals. Time of cessation ranged from 0039 hrs ± 20 min to 0504 hrs ± 25 min. The average time of cessation of activity was 0315 hrs ± 61 min and was not related to either time of onset of activity or sunrise.

Circadian Activity Rhythms of Captive Heath Rats (Pseudomys shortridgei)

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 459
Author(s):  
Richard Woods ◽  
Gerard Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Infrared Sensors ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Activity Rhythms ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
In Captivity

The activity rhythms of four male and four female heath rats (Pseudomys shortridgei) were monitored under natural lighting for 35 days. Activity was detected with passive infrared sensors and recorded on data loggers. Data down-loaded from the loggers were plotted as actograms on a line-printer. During the 35-day recording period, all heath rats showed a markedly nocturnal activity pattern, with 87·7% of activity occurring during the night. In all heath rats, activity levels increased markedly across the night. Activity was bimodally distributed, with the highest levels occurring just prior to dawn. However, a second smaller peak in activity occurred just after dusk. With increasing seasonal photoperiod, all heath rats showed a concomitant compression of nocturnal activity. Little difference was found between activity patterns of males and females. Male heath rats displayed 85·7% (s.d. 4·8%) of their activity at night while females showed 89·7% (s.d. 5·4%) of their activity at night. During the daylight hours, heath rats remained in their nest boxes and emerged on most days just prior to, or at, sunset. The pattern of activity observed in these captive heath rats appears to be more nocturnal than that of heath rats living under natural conditions. This difference may reflect the fact that, in captivity, food was available ad libitum and was of high quality. In the natural habitat, heath rats probably have to spend more time foraging, and food may be of poorer quality. The additional time spent foraging would extend activity into the daylight hours.

scholarly journals A functional linear modeling approach to sleep–wake cycles in dogs

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hope J. Woods ◽  
Ming Fei Li ◽  
Ujas A. Patel ◽  
B. Duncan X. Lascelles ◽  
David R. Samson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Healthy Adult ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Activity Monitors ◽  
Companion Dogs ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Normal Sleep ◽  
The Times

AbstractThe study of companion (pet) dogs is an area of great translational potential, as they share a risk for many conditions that afflict humans. Among these are conditions that affect sleep, including chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction. Significant advancements have occurred in the ability to study sleep in dogs, including development of non-invasive polysomnography; however, basic understanding of dog sleep patterns remains poorly characterized. The purpose of this study was to establish baseline sleep–wake cycle and activity patterns using actigraphy and functional linear modeling (FLM), for healthy, adult companion dogs. Forty-two dogs were enrolled and wore activity monitors for 14 days. FLM demonstrated a bimodal pattern of activity with significant effects of sex, body mass, and age; the effect of age was particularly evident during the times of peak activity. This study demonstrated that FLM can be used to describe normal sleep–wake cycles of healthy adult dogs and the effects of physiologic traits on these patterns of activity. This foundation makes it possible to characterize deviations from normal patterns, including those associated with chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction syndrome. This can improve detection of these conditions in dogs, benefitting them and their potential as models for human disease.

scholarly journals Reconstruction scheme for excitatory and inhibitory dynamics with quenched disorder: application to zebrafish imaging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Chicchi ◽  
Gloria Cecchini ◽  
Ihusan Adam ◽  
Giuseppe de Vito ◽  
Roberto Livi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Light Sheet ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Mean Field Approximation ◽  
Directed Network ◽  
Dynamical Regime ◽  
Power Law Distribution

AbstractAn inverse procedure is developed and tested to recover functional and structural information from global signals of brains activity. The method assumes a leaky-integrate and fire model with excitatory and inhibitory neurons, coupled via a directed network. Neurons are endowed with a heterogenous current value, which sets their associated dynamical regime. By making use of a heterogenous mean-field approximation, the method seeks to reconstructing from global activity patterns the distribution of in-coming degrees, for both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, as well as the distribution of the assigned currents. The proposed inverse scheme is first validated against synthetic data. Then, time-lapse acquisitions of a zebrafish larva recorded with a two-photon light sheet microscope are used as an input to the reconstruction algorithm. A power law distribution of the in-coming connectivity of the excitatory neurons is found. Local degree distributions are also computed by segmenting the whole brain in sub-regions traced from annotated atlas.

Effect of climatic conditions on the annual activity and hibernation cycle of Richardson's ground squirrels and Columbian ground squirrels

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail R. Michener
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Annual Activity ◽  
The Times ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels ◽  
Spring Emergence ◽  
Species Ecology

In 1975 and 1976 the times of spring emergence, breeding, and entry into hibernation were compared for Spermophilus richardsonii and S. columbianus in an area of sympatry in the foothills of the southern Alberta Rocky Mountains. Both species emerged earlier in 1976, which had a warmer than normal spring, than in 1975, which had a cooler than normal spring. In both years S. richardsonii emerged earlier than S. columbianus and remained active longer. Juvenile S. richardsonii entered hibernation when 17–20 weeks old whereas juvenile S. columbianus were 10–11 weeks old. Yearling S. richardsonii bred, whereas yearling S. columbianus did not. Breeding success affected the time of entry into hibernation but not the time of emergence from hibernation in the next spring. A possible relationship between the periodic arousals during hibernation and the emergence pattern of squirrels in spring is discussed. The significance of flexibility of spring emergence, length of the active season, and age at breeding to survival and species ecology is considered.

scholarly journals Thermal ecology and activity patterns of the lizard community of the Restinga of Jurubatiba, Macaé, RJ

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. H. HATANO ◽  
D. VRCIBRADIC ◽  
C. A. B. GALDINO ◽  
M. CUNHA-BARROS ◽  
C. F. D. ROCHA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Thermal Ecology ◽  
Congeneric Species ◽  
Late Afternoon ◽  
Hemidactylus Mabouia ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

We analyzed the thermal ecology and activity patterns of the lizard community from the Restinga of Jurubatiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The broadest activity was that of Tropidurus torquatus, a sit-and-wait forager, while the active foraging teiid Cnemidophorus littoralis had the shortest activity. The nocturnal gekkonid Hemidactylus mabouia was found active during the day only during early morning and late afternoon, when environmental temperatures are low. Body temperature was highest for Cnemidophorus littoralis and lowest for the two Mabuya species. The patterns found here are discussed and compared to those of congeneric species in other habitats in Brazil.

Rhythms of larval release in the shore crab Carcinus maenas (Decapoda: Brachyura)

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoshu Zeng ◽  
Ernest Naylor
Keyword(s):  
High Tide ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Continuous Light ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Shore Crab ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Larval Release ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Video Recorder ◽  
The Times

The process of larval release in field collected ovigerous Carcinus maenas was monitored in the laboratory using a time-lapse video recorder. Under constant light (L:L) and simulated natural light/dark cycles (L:D), larval release normally occurred in two or more main events at about daily and/or tidal intervals. Since larval release in the crab was expressed with circadian and circatidal periodicity in continuous light and in the absence of tidal cues, it suggests involvement of endogenous timing. Crabs showing daily larval release rhythms released larvae at various times of the day in L:L. In contrast, under simulated L:D cycles, 37 out of 38 crabs released larvae during the dark phase, suggesting nocturnal release of larvae in the crab under natural conditions. Larval release from freshly collected females which shed larvae within two days of collection occurred predominantly around the times of expected nocturnal high tide. When both local semidiurnal high tides occurred in daylight during long summer days, larval release appeared to start 2–3 h earlier than the expected morning high tide, before the onset of daylight. Larval release at the time around high tide, linked to a previously described larval tidal migration rhythm of ebb-phased upward swimming, is likely to have been selected for by enhancing the larval offshore dispersal process. Nocturnal larval release is probably adaptive in the avoidance of visual predators by ovigerous females as they release larvae.

The effect of raised beds on soil structure, waterlogging, and productivity on duplex soils in Western Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Bakker ◽  
G. J. Hamilton ◽  
D. J. Houlbrooke ◽  
C. Spann
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Major Constraint ◽  
No Till ◽  
Poor Soil

Waterlogging and poor soil structure in the root-zone of duplex soils in Western Australia has long been recognised as a major constraint to the production of agricultural crops and pastures. The effect of raised beds on waterlogging, soil structure, and productivity of duplex soils was investigated. Five experimental sites were established, monitored, and operated over 5 years as well as 3 larger scale demonstration sites which were operated over 4 or 3 years. Treatments consisted of raised beds and a normal no-till seed bed as the control. The beds were made with a bed former after the soil had been deep cultivated. Bulk density and steady-state infiltration rate observations indicated significant and lasting improvements in soil structure in the beds. The incidence of waterlogging in raised beds was reduced and this was accompanied by an increase in runoff from the raised beds. The average grain yield increase from the beds was 18% for a variety of crops across a range of climatic conditions and duplex soils. Seven years after the introduction of raised beds for broad-acre farming in Western Australia, more than an estimated 30 000 ha of crops is now grown on raised beds.

Monitoring respiration and activity in the spider Geolycosa domifex (Hancock) using time-lapse television and CO2 gas analysis

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 843-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Culik ◽  
D. J. McQueen
Keyword(s):  
Surface Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Gas Analysis ◽  
Wolf Spiders ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Field Activity ◽  
Vertical Activity ◽  
Burrow Activity

The activities of individual burrowing wolf spiders were continuously recorded with time-lapse television and respiration rates were simultaneously recorded. Five categories of activity and rest were differentiated and it was found that resting rates on the surface of the burrow and in the burrow were indistinguishable and similar to measures recorded in other studies. On average, in-burrow activity required 55% more energy than resting, surface activity required 220% more energy, and vertical activity (moving up the burrow) required 1780% more energy than resting. These data were analyzed with respect to the periodicity of activity patterns observed in the field and it was found that respiration rates that relate to periods of field activity are 40% higher than rates recorded for spiders assumed to be at rest.

The influence of climatic conditions on physiological and behavioural parameters in dairy cows kept in open stables

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zähner ◽  
L. Schrader ◽  
R. Hauser ◽  
M. Keck ◽  
W. Langhans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mean Value ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Air Humidity ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
Relative Air Humidity ◽  
Infra Red ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Humidity Index ◽  
Body Surface Temperature ◽  
Night And Day

AbstractThis study aimed to assess whether cows are able to cope with the range of climatic conditions they are exposed to in open stables on commercial farms in central Europe. On each of four farms, ten lactating cows were observed over a total of five weeks in winter, spring and summer. Based on continuous measurements of air temperature (–13·8 to 28·7ºC) and relative air humidity (0·26 to 0·99), a mean value of a temperature humidity index (THI) was calculated for each farm and each observation day for night and day.THI had significant effects on skin temperature and body surface temperature (infra-red thermography) both during night and day. Rectal temperature, duration of lying and cortisol concentration in the milk was significantly affected by THI during the day but not during the night. Heart rate and frequency of lying did not significantly covary with THI. Differences between farms and interactions between THI and farm were significant for most parameters. These results suggest that the climatic conditions during the day induced stronger thermoregulatory responses than the conditions during the night. Within the measured range of climatic conditions the cows were hardly exposed to severe cold or heat stress.

Observations on Activity Patterns, Population and Den Characteristics of The Water Rat Hydromys chrysogaster Along Badger Creek, Victoria.

1995 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
J.L. Gardner ◽  
M. Serena
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Irrigation Channels ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Hydromys Chrysogaster

The Water Rat Hydromys chrysogaster is Australia's largest amphibious rodent, occupying freshwater rivers, lakes, and coastal and estuarine habitats throughout the continent (Watts and Aslin 1981). Little is known of the species' social organisation or use of space in the wild although Harris (1978) suggested that adults might be intrasexually aggressive. The home ranges of all sex and age classes overlap to some extent but home ranges of adults of the same sex appear to overlap less (Harris 1978). Adult males occupy the largest home ranges which overlap those of one or more females. In captivity individuals kept in groups form hierarchies in which only the dominant females usually breed successfully (Olsen 1982). Fighting occurs primarily among males, with the highest incidence of injuries observed at the beginning of the main September-March breeding season (Olsen 1980, 1982). The results of trapping studies indicate that population density may vary considerably, with the greatest numbers of animals typically occupying man-modified habitats such as irrigation channels or fish farms (McNally 1960, Watts and Aslin 1981, Smales 1984). Aggressive behaviour appears to be related to pelage colour (phenotype) and population density; the higher the density the greater the number of injured individuals (Olsen 1980).

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