Activity patterns in relation to body mass and ambient temperature among overwintering cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus)

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A Eifler ◽  
Norman A Slade
Keyword(s):  
Specific Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
General Linear Model ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Sigmodon Hispidus ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Class Time ◽  
Time Class ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
Probability Of Capture

We examined mass-specific activity patterns among overwintering cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in northeastern Kansas. We livetrapped animals for a 24-h period, checking traps every 2 h. Trapping occurred every 2 weeks for 5 months. We estimated probability of capture for each mass class, time class, and date, then tested for differences in probability of capture (i.e., activity levels) using a General Linear Model with temperature as a covariate. Large cotton rats were significantly less active than small and intermediate-sized cotton rats. Activity of small cotton rats increased with decreasing temperature, whereas larger cotton rats were less responsive to temperature. Finally, activity levels of large and small cotton rats did not vary significantly with time of day, but intermediate-sized cotton rats were significantly less likely to be captured during the night than at dusk.

Influences of weather and moonlight on activity patterns of small mammals: a biogeographical perspective

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 966-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K Stokes ◽  
Norman A Slade ◽  
Susan M Blair
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Data Set ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Term Data ◽  
Probability Of Capture

We analyzed 15 years of trapping data on prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) to elucidate behavioural responses to weather by season and time of day. Use of such a long-term data set is rare and ameliorates many of the problems with short-term data sets typically used for such analysis. The trapping was conducted in the east-central part of Kansas (U.S.A.), near the southern edge of the distribution of prairie voles and the northern edge of the distribution of cotton rats. These distributions provide the framework for differing hypotheses as to responsiveness of individuals of the two species to weather phenomena as indicated by the probability of capture. Probability of capture was statistically significantly affected by weather, most frequently by precipitation and temperature. Effects varied with season and between species, and were generally consistent with hypotheses based on the northern (boreal and temperate) history of prairie voles and southern (subtropical and temperate) history of cotton rats and with predation-avoidance hypotheses. Variation in the probabilities of capture of cotton rats was more associated with weather, especially in the colder seasons, than was variation in the probabilities of capture of prairie voles. In summer, capture rates of prairie voles were more susceptible to weather than were those of cotton rats.

Social status of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) influences their activity patterns during the mating season

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1105-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Martín ◽  
Pilar López
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
The Social ◽  
Body Mass Changes

Not all individual lizards in a population are simultaneously active even when thermal conditions are suitable for activity. We examined inter-individual variability in activity levels of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) in a seminatural enclosure during the mating season, and analyzed whether social status affects their activity levels, time budgets, and body-mass changes. Activity levels of lizards varied significantly with time of day. However, activity levels of individual males were significantly correlated with their rank in the social hierarchy. When the males were active, their status did not influence the time spent basking, resting, or moving, but males with a higher status spent more time in social activities. Higher activity levels were costly, causing males to lose more body mass, although this could have been mainly due to the costs of maintaining a higher social status. We conclude that because attaining a higher status may require a male to be more active and more involved in agonistic encounters, subordinate individuals decrease their activity in order to decrease the costs of social behavior.

scholarly journals Activity, Social Relationships, and Maternal Care in a Bottlenose Dolphin Group under Professional Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-286
Author(s):  
Lisa K. Lauderdale ◽  
Lance J. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
High Association ◽  
Maternal Behaviors ◽  
Professional Care ◽  
Simple Ratio ◽  
Group Compositions

Defining the activity patterns and social relationships of animals can provide valuable information related to animal welfare. Bottlenose dolphins under professional care engage in a variety of social and solitary activities, which may be influenced by conspecifics, time of day, and maternal behaviors. This study examined the social, solitary, and maternal behaviors of eight dolphins at one zoological facility. Data about social and solitary behaviors, nursing occurrences, and mother–calf pair swimming were collected five days per week over a ten-month period. The simple ratio index was used to calculate association rates for all dyads. Affiliative behaviors were the dominant behavior class and all behavior categories and swim states showed temporal oscillations throughout the day. The high association values within the mother–calf dyads suggested these ties remain strong through the second and third years of life. Preferred associates remained the same for some individuals in both social group compositions, while they differed for others. However, no large reductions in associations were recorded, suggesting strong relationships in the subgroups continued when other individuals were present. Examining sociality and activity levels may be a useful tool in continuing to improve welfare as they may be related to social groupings and environmental factors.

How high is high? Using percentile thresholds to identify peak bat activity

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Adams ◽  
Liam P. McGuire ◽  
Lauren A. Hooton ◽  
M. Brock Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Specific Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Peak Activity ◽  
Passive Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Bat Activity ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Passive Acoustic

Passive acoustic monitoring is a common tool used for monitoring bat activity levels. Identifying periods and locations of peak levels provides insight into bat ecology and has important management implications. One limitation of passive acoustic monitoring is the relative nature of the data, often relying on subjective interpretation of descriptive terminology such as “higher” or “lower”. We propose the use of percentile thresholds (PTs) for objectively identifying peak activity. By compiling a reference data set, it is possible to define percentiles of the observed activity levels and these percentiles can provide objective thresholds for comparing activity levels. We used acoustic recordings from sites in Canada and calculated PTs based on the distribution of the number of calls per hour across all nights and sites for three species of bat. Given species ecologies (e.g., hibernating, migrating), we were able to use PTs to objectively identify peak activity levels on a species-specific basis. Percentile thresholds are also a replicable method of describing within-night activity by evaluating species-specific activity patterns and important times of night. Our analyses and examples represent a proof of concept. The next step is to move towards a standardized distribution to generate PTs. Creating a public repository of acoustic data sets to evaluate activity of a species in the context of its entire range would allow us to standardize terms such as “high” activity in an objective manner.

scholarly journals Novel approach to modeling high-frequency activity data to assess therapeutic effects of analgesics in chronic pain conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zekun Xu ◽  
Eric Laber ◽  
Ana-Maria Staicu ◽  
B. Duncan X. Lascelles
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
High Frequency Activity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Chronic Pain Conditions

AbstractOsteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition often associated with pain, affecting approximately fourteen percent of the population, and increasing in prevalence. A globally aging population have made treating OA-associated pain as well as maintaining mobility and activity a public health priority. OA affects all mammals, and the use of spontaneous animal models is one promising approach for improving translational pain research and the development of effective treatment strategies. Accelerometers are a common tool for collecting high-frequency activity data on animals to study the effects of treatment on pain related activity patterns. There has recently been increasing interest in their use to understand treatment effects in human pain conditions. However, activity patterns vary widely across subjects; furthermore, the effects of treatment may manifest in higher or lower activity counts or in subtler ways like changes in the frequency of certain types of activities. We use a zero inflated Poisson hidden semi-Markov model to characterize activity patterns and subsequently derive estimators of the treatment effect in terms of changes in activity levels or frequency of activity type. We demonstrate the application of our model, and its advance over traditional analysis methods, using data from a naturally occurring feline OA-associated pain model.

scholarly journals Resistance of Cotton Rats, Sigmodon hispidus, to Primary Infection by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis

2002 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 423-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendra WIBAWA ◽  
Deni NOVIANA ◽  
Kimiyuki TSUCHIYA ◽  
Fadjar SATRIJA ◽  
Yoichiro HORII
Keyword(s):  
Primary Infection ◽  
Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽  
Sigmodon Hispidus ◽  
Cotton Rats

scholarly journals 82 The impact of feeding treats containing cannabidiol (CBD) on the daily activity level of dogs

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Morris ◽  
Susanna E Kitts-Morgan ◽  
Dawn M Spangler ◽  
Kyle R McLeod ◽  
David L Harmon
Keyword(s):  
Daily Activity ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Total Activity ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Quiet Time ◽  
Activity Duration ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Growing public interest in and use of Cannabidiol (CBD) in companion animals has amplified the need to elucidate potential impacts. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of CBD on daily activity of adult dogs. Twenty-four dogs (18.0 ± 3.4 kg) were utilized in a randomized complete block design with treatments consisting of control, 2 mg CBD/kg BW/d, and 4 mg CBD/kg BW/d split between two treats administered after twice-daily exercise (7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). Four hours each day (10:00-12:00, AM and 13:30-15:30, PM), were designated as time when no persons entered the kennels, with 2 h designated as Quiet Time and the other 2 h as Music Time, where calming music played over speakers. Quiet and Music sessions were randomly allotted to daily AM or PM times. Activity monitors were fitted to dogs’ collars for continuous collection of activity parameters. Data were collected over a 2-wk baseline period to block dogs by activity level (high or low) before randomly assigning dogs within each block to treatments. After 1 wk of treatment adaptation, activity parameters were collected for 2 wk. Data were tested for normality using the UNIVARIATE procedure in SAS before examining differences using the MIXED procedure in SAS, including effects of treatment, day, session (Quiet or Music), time of day (AM or PM), and accompanying interactions. CBD did not alter total activity points (P = 0.9971) or activity duration (P = 0.8776). CBD tended (P = 0.0692) to reduce scratching compared to control. Irrespective of treatment, dogs were more active in PM than AM (P < 0.0001). Regardless of session, dogs receiving 4 mg/kg/d tended (P = 0.0914) to be less active in the PM than control. CBD did not affect activity duration during exercise periods (P = 0.1425), but dogs receiving CBD ran more than control (P = 0.0339). These results indicate that when supplemented up to 4 mg/kg/d, CBD does not negatively impact daily activity levels of dogs.

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