Abstract
Simple SummarySince the 1960s, abuses of domestic and of wild animals that have been tamed or are held in captivity have been legally prohibited and laws ensure their well-being. Many scientific investigations carried out in this context recommend ways to adapt farming and thus to avoid physical and/or psychological suffering. Evaluations of animals’ welfare in captivity entail the need to understand in detail the fundamental behaviours of the focus species and to know the degree of their variation to be able to establish objective bases that can ensure breeding conditions that respect the animals’ welfare. Current laws do not apply to invertebrate animals (such as insects or spiders) and consideration of the welfare of these animals in captivity is neglected. Here, I compared the behaviour of wild adult spiders just after collection and that of adult spiders hatched and bred in the laboratory. My results show that captivity induced rapid changes of wild spiders’ behaviour once in captivity. Therefore, it is important to establish the best breeding conditions for the needs of both invertebrate and vertebrate animals in order to promote their well-being.Here I detail the effects of the abiotic/captive environment of an adult wandering spider, Pardosa saltans (Lycosidae) on its behaviour. These studies focused on spiders collected as adults in their natural environment and spiders developed in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Wild-caught spiders were tested either immediately after capture or after being housed for 15 days post-collection. Laboratory reared spiders were kept in different environments: small or large space combined with the presence or absence of litter. Two tests evaluated by sex show the influence of these rearing conditions: an open-field test and a radial-arm maze test. The results show that wild caught spiders of both sexes tested immediately after capture weighed significantly less and were significantly more active than spiders housed in the laboratory for 15 days and spiders reared in the laboratory. Laboratory conditions induced a positive impact on body mass and negative impact on behaviour activities. The locomotor and exploratory activities of spiders of both sexes kept in container without substrate showed lower. My results suggest that the physical enrichment of the environment can reduce these negative effects for females, but not for males that seem to be more affected by being reared under controlled conditions.
Highlights
For a few decades consideration of animal welfare has been growing in scientific circles, the food industry, legislation, and even at private and individual levels
In this context have emerged many studies focusing on the impact of captivity and breeding conditions on the well-being and, more generally, on the behavioural characteristics of many vertebrates [1,2]. It has been general knowledge for some time that the enrichment of an individual’s environment is an important factor that must be taken into consideration to ensure that an individual’s coping skills and physical health are good and that it develops a rich behavioural repertoire [3,4]. These reports show that the well-being of domestic animals as well as that of animals in captivity can be improved by enriching and complexifying their captive environment and by providing sufficient space
We know that, as for vertebrates, environmental constraints experienced during ontogeny can have important effects on the morphological and physiological development of an invertebrate, as well as on the establishment of its behavioural repertoire, as for example its locomotor and exploratory behaviours
Summary
For a few decades consideration of animal welfare has been growing in scientific circles, the food industry, legislation, and even at private and individual levels In this context have emerged many studies focusing on the impact of captivity and breeding conditions on the well-being and, more generally, on the behavioural characteristics of many vertebrates [1,2]. It has been general knowledge for some time that the enrichment of an individual’s environment is an important factor that must be taken into consideration to ensure that an individual’s coping skills and physical health are good and that it develops a rich behavioural repertoire [3,4]. We know that, as for vertebrates, environmental constraints experienced during ontogeny can have important effects on the morphological and physiological development of an invertebrate, as well as on the establishment of its behavioural repertoire, as for example its locomotor and exploratory behaviours
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