Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"How does the previous environment affect pigs’ responses when switching to a barren or enriched environment as assessed by Qualitative Behaviour Assessment?","authors":"Fabiana De Angelis ,&nbsp;Giulia Ferroni ,&nbsp;Christoph Winckler,&nbsp;Sara Hintze","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive pig farming systems are often characterised by barren and monotonous environments, which can impair pig welfare. While enriching the environment enhances pig welfare, less is known about the implications of changes in housing conditions regularly happening on commercial farms. This study investigated the effect of a previously enriched-varying (E) or barren-monotonous (B) environment on pigs’ behavioural expressions when exposed to a switch of environments from E to B or from B to E as assessed by Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA). QBA is based on the assumption that human observers can integrate subtle details in animals' body language to reflect their affective experience by using descriptors like 'lively' or 'apathetic'. Eight groups of pigs underwent a switch of housing conditions from E to B or from B to E (E*B, B*E), while another eight groups moved to different pens, but with the same conditions (E*E, B*B). Pigs’ behaviour was video recorded 24 h before (PRE) and 24 h after the switch (POST). Using Free Choice Profiling, 14 observers blinded to the PRE-switch housing conditions were asked to score pigs’ behavioural expressions on 64 video clips. Two main dimensions (D1, D2) were identified, which accounted for 65.4 % of the variation. Terms describing dimension 1 (D1) ranged from ‘active/engaged/explorative’ to ‘tired/bored’, while dimension 2 (D2) was characterised as ranging from ‘bored/restless/aggressive’ to ‘relaxed/content/calm’. Against expectation, there was no statistical support for an interaction between PRE-switch and POST-switch condition on pigs’ behavioural expression POST-switch (D1: F_1,11 = 0.03, p = 0.86; D2: F_1,11 = 0.57, p = 0.47). We cannot disentangle if the PRE-switch conditions did not affect pigs’ behavioural expression POST-switch or if observers did not pick up potential changes, e.g. because the contrasting POST-switch conditions may have masked subtle effects from the PRE-switch conditions. However, even though not statistically supported, the direction of effects was according to hypotheses with E*B groups being more uniformly assessed as reflecting a negative affective state (tired/bored) compared to B*B, while B*E groups were more consistently judged as reflecting a positive affective state (active/engaged/explorative) compared to E*E. To test if this direction of effect is robust, we propose to show video clips of pigs in the same condition POST-switch (either E or B, not both) with different experiences in PRE-switch conditions in future studies. Moreover, future research should provide insight into what changes in housing conditions mean for pigs’ affective states in the longer term.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106756"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultraviolet light provisioning: Preferences from the broilers’ viewpoint","authors":"Malou van der Sluis ,&nbsp;Jerine A.J. van der Eijk ,&nbsp;Rodania Bekhit ,&nbsp;Dennis E. te Beest ,&nbsp;Henk Gunnink ,&nbsp;Stephanie Melis ,&nbsp;Ingrid C. de Jong","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The light provisioning in barns can have a great impact on broiler health and welfare. In contrast to humans, broilers are able to see ultraviolet light, and it has been suggested that UV-A light provisioning can have beneficial effects on broilers. However, it is yet unclear what broilers’ preferences regarding UV-A light are. This study investigated preferences of in total 168 fast- (Ross 308; <strong>R</strong>) and slower-growing (Hubbard JA757; <strong>H</strong>) broilers, distributed across 14 pens, for two light conditions: UV-A light provided (<strong>UV</strong>) or no UV-A light provided (<strong>non-UV</strong>). These light conditions were provided in replicate pens with two separate compartments (one UV and one non-UV) that the birds could freely move between. From hatching until slaughter age, it was studied 1) where broilers chose to be, 2) what behaviours were performed in the two light conditions, and 3) how much feed was consumed in the two light conditions. Across the day (05.00–23.00 h), both breeds appeared to show a preference for the UV light condition in the first weeks of life but later in life no clear preferences were observed. In the evening (19.00–23.00 h), R birds did not show a clear preference, whereas H birds showed a preference for UV in the first four weeks and a preference for non-UV light in weeks 6–8. Regarding behaviour, more drinking behaviour was observed in the UV condition compared to the non-UV condition in both breeds and more foraging behaviour was observed in H birds in the non-UV light condition than H birds in UV or R birds in either light condition. Furthermore, higher average daily feed intakes were observed on the UV side than on the non-UV side, during the starter feed phase for both breeds and during the finisher feed phase for R birds. Overall, apart from the first weeks, no preference for – or avoidance of – the UV light was observed during the day, but there was a shift in preference from UV to non-UV light in the evening over time for H birds. Furthermore, there were few preferences related to behaviour, but there was an indication for a higher feed intake under UV light conditions. The results of this study emphasize the importance of offering varied light conditions to broilers, so the birds can select their preferred light condition at a given time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106759"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the effect of the Moon cycle on pigeon homing","authors":"Petr Jandačka ,&nbsp;Petr Martinec ,&nbsp;Miloslav Lupták ,&nbsp;Hynek Burda","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the intriguing potential influence of the Moon's phases on the homing orientation of pigeons. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset of 289 pigeon racing records, covering distances from 333 to 550 km and averaging 2186 pigeons per race, we analyzed the natural homing behavior of pigeons, where variability in speed was notably impacted by weather conditions. This non-experimental approach offers valuable insights into a longstanding question in avian navigation. By employing nonlinear regression analysis of homing speed in relation to the Moon's phase, we identified a potential cyclical pattern, suggesting a lunar influence. We propose three hypotheses to explain this relationship: the first posits that pigeons may synchronize their behavior with visual sensing the lunar cycle; the second examines the role of the Moon’s gravitational effect on pigeon navigation; and the third considers how tidal forces in the Earth’s liquid core might influence geomagnetic fields, thereby affecting orientation. This study opens the door to a deeper understanding of the Moon’s role in avian navigation and the broader implications for animal behavior studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106754"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does environmental enrichment impact the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)?","authors":"Agnese Crisante ,&nbsp;Anna Wilkinson ,&nbsp;Thomas W. Pike ,&nbsp;Erin L. Rickman ,&nbsp;Oliver H.P. Burman","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental enrichment has been shown to be an effective way to improve the welfare of captive animals. Although many studies have investigated the effects of enrichment on mammalian and avian species, there is comparatively little known about this in reptiles. Reptiles are now frequently kept as pets, with bearded dragons (<em>Pogona vitticeps</em>) being one of the most popular species – it is therefore important to understand how housing conditions impact their welfare. In the current study we investigated the effect of different housing conditions (Standard vs. two types of Enriched enclosure: Non-naturalistic and Naturalistic) on the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (<em>Pogona vitticeps</em>). The lizards (n = 12) were housed in each condition for a period of four weeks (balanced for order), with behavioural observations conducted throughout. Their affective state was also assessed using anxiety tests (novel environment and novel object tests) at the end of the four weeks. After experiencing all of the housing conditions, the lizards were given three pairwise preference tests where they could choose between the different enclosures. Bearded dragons housed in Enriched enclosure exhibited significantly higher activity levels, with increased movement and reduced basking and resting compared to those in the Standard enclosure. Additionally, individuals in Standard housing engaged in more behaviours associated with stress (e.g. interaction with a glass barrier and tongue touching). In the anxiety tests, animals from Enriched enclosures displayed greater confidence, approaching novel objects more frequently and showed a trend towards spending more time in the arena’s inner section, while also exhibiting fewer tongue-touch behaviours. Preference tests further revealed a significant preference for Enriched over Standard enclosures, and for the Naturalistic over the Non-naturalistic enriched enclosure. These findings suggest that providing environmental enrichment increases behaviours linked with good welfare while reducing those associated with stress and is preferred by the animals themselves. Housing reptiles in enriched environments is therefore important in order to enhance their welfare in captivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106751"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of depressive-like behaviours in some group-living mammals","authors":"Ida Ilmer ,&nbsp;Tomasz Smoleń","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106753","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106753","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thanks to animal models of depression, we are getting closer to understand the nature of this disorder in humans – but depressive disorders may not be specific only to humans. Although due to the inability to collect a verbal report from animals and the lack of direct insight into their mental states, the diagnosis of depression in animals is based on behavioural observations, which is considered insufficient to diagnose the disorder. Nevertheless, animal models of depression indicate the possibility of depression-like states in laboratory animals. This review aims to bring together previous reports of depressive disorder symptoms in group-living mammalian species living in unnatural environments and/or experiencing relatively frequent contact with humans: primates, marine mammals, domestic horses and elephants. The paper summarizes previous reports of depressive-like symptoms in those species, pointing out the similarity of depression-like symptoms in aforementioned animals to those observable in human depression. The efficacy of pharmacological treatments indicates that the brain biochemistry of depressive-like states is similar in both laboratory animals and humans. Those symptoms in laboratory animals are similar to certain species of group-living mammalian species – furthermore, the methods for inducing similar states are not uncommon in the training of the aforementioned mammals, indicating similar causes of the phenomenon. All previous reports of Major Depressive Disorder symptoms listed in the DSM-V and noticed in animals were considered and redescribed, such as: loss of interest (anhedonia), sleep disorders, psychomotor retardation, fatigue, feeling worthless, decreased concentration, self-harm and impairment in social. In addition, behavioural changes similar to mourning states resulting from changes in herd structure and stereotypies occurring in captive animals were taken into account. The data collected shows that, based on observed behaviours and similarities to symptoms in laboratory animals, at least some of group-living mammalian species experiencing relatively frequent contact with humans may suffer from depression-like symptoms, which may not only extend the knowledge of depression in humans, but also have a significant impact on improving the welfare of captive animals. Perhaps the only difference found between humans and some animals when it comes to depressive disorder is the ability to verbally report one's internal states.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106753"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144702475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of experimental parameters for conditioned place aversion testing in neonatal goat kids","authors":"Erica Schmidt ,&nbsp;Beth A. Ventura ,&nbsp;Benjamin Lecorps ,&nbsp;Whitney A. Knauer","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conditioned place aversion (CPA) is a behavioral assay used to investigate animals’ affective responses. Animals are typically conditioned to differing experiences in different places, whereupon they are expected to avoid the place where they experienced the most negative (or least positive) experience based on their memory of the events. This approach has been used to assess the affective component of pain in farm animals but has not yet been applied to neonatal goat kids. As animals’ preferences for different environments may be affected by several environmental factors, our objectives were to assess 1) whether side (left or right) and color (red, white, yellow, or blue) influenced kids' preferences and 2) whether kids should be acclimated to the CPA test apparatus alone or in pairs based on their exploratory and vocalization responses (used as proxy measures of stress). 96 goat kids (8 ± 4d) were randomly allocated to testing in pairs (n = 24 pairs) or alone (n = 48 kids) for a 15-minute acclimation test in a three-compartment pen (two colored side compartments linked by a middle neutral compartment). Kids spent more time in the blue compartment compared to yellow but showed no statistical difference in time spent in blue compared to white or red compartments. Additionally, kids displayed a preference for the right compartment compared to the left, regardless of compartment/color combination. When tested alone as compared to in pairs, kids vocalized five times more and halved their number of visits to side compartments. We suggest that of the color combinations examined in the current study, blue and white appear to be suitable choices for use in future CPA experiments, but side preference must be accounted for in experimental design. Further, acclimating kids to CPA tests in pairs, rather than alone, is recommended to reduce stress and promote exploration. Further work is needed to confirm whether the side bias found here persists in other testing contexts (e.g., after conditioning), and to clarify the impact of testing conditioned place aversion in individual goat kids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106749"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hold your horses: The effect of play behaviour in horses (Equus caballus) under imposed stress","authors":"Jodi Anne Howard,&nbsp;Neville Pillay","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106752","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Horses (<em>Equus caballus</em>) are prone to acute and chronic stress, particularly in equestrian sports, raising significant welfare concerns. We investigated whether and how play can mitigate acute acoustic stress and enhance decision-making in horses. We studied horses in two different stabling and working conditions (intensively vs. extensively managed) and recorded their behaviours in a Y maze for a food reward in three sequential treatments: baseline (no stressor), stress (exposure to a short-term acoustic stressor) and solitary object play with a large ball (exposure to the stressor followed by play). We recorded behavioural diversity, latency to approach the decision point (before choice) and food reward arm, behaviours associated with positive and negative emotional state and overall choices made (decisions) in the maze. Decision-making was significantly better in the play treatment than in both the baseline and stress treatments. Horses in the stress treatment exhibited a greater diversity of behaviours associated with negative emotional states and poorer decision-making compared to the play and baseline treatments. Additionally, intensively managed horses under more constrained conditions, were more stressed than those extensively managed. Our findings suggest that play can effectively reduce stress and improve decision-making in horses, depending on their housing conditions, and highlight the importance of play for equine welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106752"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The duration of urbanization influences avian escape behaviour","authors":"Shuang Yang ,&nbsp;Yuran Liu ,&nbsp;Wei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing pace and scale of urbanization may have a significant impact on the birds that live within it, forcing them to adapt their behaviour to cope with the opportunities and challenges of urbanization. Understanding the impact of urbanization on bird behaviour and the process of behaviour adaptation to human disturbance is crucial for conservation and management of urban-dwelling birds. It also helps to further understand how wildlife responds to human-induced environmental changes and promotes the coexistence of wildlife and human beings. In this study, we selected urban areas with significant different initiation times of urbanization as research sites, and flight initiation distance (FID) was observed for common ground-foraging birds in these cities. The results showed that the duration of urbanization significantly affected the FIDs of birds to human in cities. Birds living in areas with longer periods of urbanization were more tolerant to human disturbance. Our study suggests that the duration of urbanization has an important influence on the escape behavior of birds to human disturbance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106747"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short- or long-term affect? Disentangling the effects of emotion and mood on pigs’ decisions on a Judgement Bias Task","authors":"Sara Hintze ,&nbsp;Katharine Creagh ,&nbsp;Lorenz Gygax ,&nbsp;Jean-Loup Rault","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Judgement Bias Task (JBT) is a promising proxy measure of animals’ affective states, a growing field in animal welfare science and beyond. However, it remains unclear if judgement biases are predominantly affected by long-term mood, short-term emotions or a combination of both. This study aimed to systematically disentangle the effect of mood- and emotion-inducing treatments on pigs’ decisions on a JBT using positive human-pig interactions as affect manipulation. Across three batches, thirty-six pigs were trained on a spatial Go/No-go task with active trial initiation. During the three weeks of training and during testing, 12 pigs were administered five minutes of positive interactions daily with a familiar human (MoodPlus), whereas the remaining 24 pigs did not receive such treatment (MoodMinus). When pigs were tested on the JBT, all 12 MoodPlus and 12 of the MoodMinus pigs received three test sessions that were preceded by five minutes of positive interactions (EmoPlus) and three test sessions without positive interaction before (EmoMinus). The remaining 12 MoodMinus pigs were allocated to a control group, which did not receive any specific positive interaction treatment. Thirty pigs (83 %) reached the learning criterion and were tested across six test sessions. Pigs from all treatment groups showed highly “optimistic” responses to all ambiguous cues, leading to a ceiling effect, which may have overshadowed potential treatment differences (all effects apart from cue type: <span><math><msubsup><mrow><mi>χ</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msubsup></math></span> ≤ 1.75, p ≥ 0.19). Results from Human Approach and Avoidance Tests at the end of the study and the analysis of the behaviour of pigs during EmoPlus sessions indicated that all pigs, independent of treatment, had developed a positive relationship with the experimenter over the course of the study. These results suggest that positive human-animal interactions may not be an ideal treatment in the context of JBT when training requires regular contact with humans. MoodMinus pigs tended to respond more “optimistically” in EmoMinus sessions than Control pigs (χ²₁ = 3.58, p = 0.06), which may indicate a carry-over effect from EmoPlus to EmoMinus sessions. We call for future studies with a different treatment than human-animal interactions that implements both long- and short-term interventions in a systematic way to disentangle the effect of mood and/or emotion on judgement biases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106748"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of selection for divergent levels of social motivation on behavioral repertoire and synchronization in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)","authors":"Jeanne Seressia ,&nbsp;Marie Gellé ,&nbsp;Fabien Cornilleau ,&nbsp;Julie Lemarchand ,&nbsp;Léa Lansade ,&nbsp;Per Jensen ,&nbsp;Ludovic Calandreau ,&nbsp;Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Behavioral synchronization occurs when individuals perform the same behavior simultaneously and in close proximity. It is widely recognized as a key mechanism that fosters social cohesion, coordination, and cooperation within groups, providing substantial adaptive benefits. However, since individuals within a group often exhibit inter-individual differences in social tendencies, these variations may influence group organization and the extent to which synchronization occurs. Here, we investigated how genetic selection for social motivation (i.e., an individual’s internal drive to seek contact, approach and remain close to a group of conspecifics) in Japanese quail (<em>Coturnix japonica</em>) impacts their behavioral repertoire and their behavioral synchronization, by comparing 10 trios (groups of three) constituted of individuals selected for high social motivation (S+) and 10 trios constituted of individuals selected for low social motivation (S-). For this purpose, trios were placed for 24 consecutive hours in an arena filled with wood shavings and providing <em>ad libitum</em> access to feed and water. Birds’ behaviors were recorded and analyzed during four one-hour time windows (hour 1: 8:30–9:30 am, hour 2: 11:00–12:00 am, hour 3: 1:30–2:30 pm and hour 4: 4:00–5:00 pm). Results revealed that S- quail exhibited more locomotion behaviors, while S+ quail displayed more inactivity behaviors and particularly \"sit relaxed\" behaviors. Also, S+ individuals had a longer total synchronization duration than S- individuals. Specifically, S+ quail performed more synchronized \"sit relaxed\" behaviors, spent more time in this state and remained synchronized longer during a \"sit relaxed\" bout compared to S- quail. The S+ group also exhibited a significantly higher overall Kappa coefficient, as well as a higher Kappa coefficient for the behavior \"Sit relaxed\", both of which significantly differed from 0, indicating a structured pattern of behavioral synchronization consistent with coordinated group dynamics. Notably, during synchronization bouts of the behavior \"Sit relaxed\", birds reduced inter-individual distances, indicating an active preference for staying closer together during this activity. Overall, these findings suggest that individuals with higher social motivation are more likely to engage in synchronized behaviors, particularly during resting behaviors, which may promote close proximity and strengthen social bonds. Such synchronization may foster social cohesion and lead to more harmonious and stable group dynamics. Further studies will be necessary to better elucidate these effects and confirm these different hypotheses. This research highlights the critical role of individual differences in social motivation in shaping collective behavior. These insights enhance our understanding of animal social dynamics and could contribute to more effective management strategies in animal husbandry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106750"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}