Animal Behavior Research Articles

Simultaneous Dopamine and Serotonin Monitoring in Freely Moving Crayfish Using a Wireless Electrochemical Sensing System.

Dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) are neurotransmitters that regulate a wide range of physiological and behavioral processes. Monitoring of both neurotransmitters with real-time analysis offers important insight into the mechanisms that shape animal behavior. However, bioelectronic tools to simultaneously monitor DA and 5-HT interactive dynamics in freely moving animals are underdeveloped. This is mainly due to the limited sensor sensitivity with miniaturized electronics. Here, we present a semi-implantable electrochemical device achieved by integrating a multi-surface-modified carbon fiber microelectrode with a miniaturized potentiostat module to detect DA and 5-HT in vivo with high sensitivity and selectivity. Specifically, carbon fiber microelectrodes were modified through electrochemical treatment and surface coatings to improve sensitivity, selectivity, and antifouling properties. A customized, lightweight potentiostat module was developed for untethered electrochemical measurements. Integrated with the microelectrode, the microsystem is compact (2.8 × 2.3 × 2.1 cm) to minimize its impacts on animal behavior and achieved simultaneous detection of DA and 5-HT with sensitivities of 48.4 and 133.0 nA/μM, respectively, within submicromolar ranges. The system was attached to the crayfish dorsal carapace, allowing electrode implantation into the heart of a crayfish to monitor DA and 5-HT dynamics, followed by drug injections. The semi-implantable biosensor system displayed a significant increase in oxidation peak currents after DA and 5-HT injections. The device successfully demonstrated the application for in vivo simultaneous monitoring of DA and 5-HT in the hemolymph (i.e., blood) of freely behaving crayfish underwater, yielding a valuable experimental tool to expand our understanding of the comodulation of DA and 5-HT.

3 The impact of early-life cecal microbiota transplantation on injurious behaviors in egg-laying chickens

Abstract Injurious behaviors in laying hens are a critical issue facing the poultry egg industry. Recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota influences host brain function and behavioral characteristics in humans and various animals. In laying hens, it has been reported that injurious behaviors (such as aggression, feather pecking and cannibalism) are associated with dysregulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. To further interrogate the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis on bird behavior, we used two inbred layer chicken lines, 63 and 72 (line 72 displays more aggressive behavior), and transferred pooled cecal contents from either line to day of hatch chicks. Cecal microbiota transplantation (CMT) from each line was conducted once daily, by gavage, from d 1 to 10, then boosted once weekly from wk 3 to 5. We hypothesized that the cecal microbiota composition and animal behavior in recipient birds would be similar to that of their donor animals because of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Microbial communities were compared using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, behavior was recorded in home cages as well as in paired aggression tests, and physiological measurements were taken from brain tissue and blood to measure levels of neurotransmitters and immune function. When examining the differences in the donor birds, hypothalamic serotonin and tryptophan concentrations were greater for line 63 compared with line 72 birds (P < 0.05). Plasma corticosterone, heterophil/lymphocyte ratios, and central norepinephrine concentrations were less for line 63 birds (P < 0.05). Cecal microbial diversity was not statistically different between the lines, but many bacterial taxa were differentially abundant between the two lines. After cecal transplantation, 63-CMT (recipient) birds displayed less aggressive behavior with a greater hypothalamic serotonergic activity at wk 5, similar to donor birds. Correspondingly, two amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) belonging to Lachnospiraceae and one Ruminococcaceae UCG-005 ASV were positively correlated with the concentrations of brain tryptophan and serotonin, respectively. Along with greater aggression, 72-CMT birds seemed to have greater physical growth traits (increased body weight, ileal villus/crypt; P ≤ 0.05), but decreased concentrations of brain norepinephrine and dopamine, and the greatest ileal serotonin turnover in the ileum at wk 5 (P < 0.05). ASVs belonging to Mollicutes RF39 and GCA-900066225 in 72-CMT birds were negatively correlated with the brain 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) at wk 5, and one Bacteroides ASV was negatively correlated with plasma serotonin at wk 16. Meanwhile, 63-CMT birds potentially had better gut health and immune function (greater concentrations of ileal mucosal secretory IgA, plasma IL-10; P < 0.05). These results suggest linkages among serotonergic activity, stress response, innate immunity, and gut microbiota populations and that CMT could be a novel strategy for reducing aggressive behavior through regulating signaling along the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

106 Net energy of soybean meal

Abstract Our current net energy (NE) systems were developed based on work conducted around 40 yr ago. At that time, it was normal that pigs deposited no more than 40% of the protein they were fed. However, modern genetic lines are much leaner than older genetics and they deposit more protein than earlier. It is, therefore, not uncommon that protein deposition in modern genotypes exceeds 60% of dietary protein intake. This means that more of the amino acids in the protein-rich ingredients are used for protein deposition and less are being deaminated with a subsequent reduced energetic cost of deamination associated with feeding protein-rich ingredients. As a consequence, the theoretical energy value of protein rich ingredients such as soybean meal (SBM) is greater when fed to modern pigs than to older genotypes that were used when our current NE systems were developed. Indeed, in several recent experiments it was demonstrated that the ME and NE of SBM is greater than indicated in current feed ingredient tables. A greater NE than predicted has also been demonstrated for field peas, whereas corn does not seem to have increased energy value compared with previous estimates, which is consistent with the hypothesis that it is the increased protein efficiency of modern pigs that is the reason for the greater NE value in SBM. As a consequence of the greater NE value of SBM, less added fat need to be used to reach a certain NE level in the diet, which will reduce overall diet costs. However, because of the greater genetic capacity for protein deposition in modern pigs, there is a need to upgrade the NE system and to develop new equations to predict NE in diets and ingredients based on the protein deposition capacity of modern pigs. It can also be argued that because commercially fed pigs always are group housed and allowed ad libitum intake of feed, pigs fed to generate prediction equations for NE also need to be group housed and allowed ad libitum intake of feed because both animal behavior and level of feed intake may affect the NE value of diets. In conclusion, because of the increased ability of modern genotypes of pigs to retain dietary protein in the body, there is reduced deamination of amino acids and therefore reduced energy loss in modern pigs than in older genotypes, which results in greater NE of protein rich ingredients including SBM. There is, therefore, a need for developing a new NE system that preferably uses group-housed pigs that are allowed ad libitum access to feed.

Effects of systemic inflammation on the network oscillation in the anterior cingulate cortex and cognitive behavior.

Network oscillation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a key role in attention, novelty detection and anxiety; however, its involvement in cognitive impairment caused by acute systemic inflammation is unclear. To investigate the acute effects of systemic inflammation on ACC network oscillation and cognitive function, we analyzed cytokine level and cognitive performance as well as network oscillation in the mouse ACC Cg1 region, within 4 hours after lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 30 μg/kg) administration. While the interleukin-6 concentration in the serum was evidently higher in LPS-treated mice, the increases in the cerebral cortex interleukin-6 did not reach statistical significance. The power of kainic acid (KA)-induced network oscillation in the ACC Cg1 region slice preparation increased in LPS-treated mice. Notably, histamine, which was added in vitro, increased the oscillation power in the brain slices from LPS-untreated mice; for the LPS-treated mice, however, the effect of histamine was suppressive. In the open field test, frequency of entries into the center area showed a negative correlation with the power of network oscillation (0.3 μM of KA, theta band (3-8 Hz); 3.0 μM of KA, high-gamma band (50-80 Hz)). These results suggest that LPS-induced systemic inflammation results in increased network oscillation and a drastic change in histamine sensitivity in the ACC, accompanied by the robust production of systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines in the periphery, and that these alterations in the network oscillation and animal behavior as an acute phase reaction relate with each other. We suggest that our experimental setting has a distinct advantage in obtaining mechanistic insights into inflammatory cognitive impairment through comprehensive analyses of hormonal molecules and neuronal functions.

Dogs understand the role of a human partner in a cooperative task

Humans are exceptionally flexible in cooperation, partly due to our ability to recognize the roles of cooperative partners. While some non-human animals understand the need for a partner in such interactions, it is unclear whether they grasp the consequences of their partner’s actions and adjust accordingly. Previous studies utilizing economic games with non-human animals yielded mixed results. We investigated dogs, known for their close cooperation with humans, in a stag hunt game. Dogs could cooperate for better rewards or defect for lower ones, while their human partners would either cooperate, never cooperate, or act randomly. We control for attraction to food, side bias, and local enhancement. Dogs were more likely to coordinate with their partners when it led to better rewards, suggesting that they understood their partner’s actions. By highlighting this cognitive skill in dogs, we advance our knowledge of the intricate mechanisms driving cooperative behavior in non-human animals.

Parasite infestation patterns differ between ticks and chigger mites on two rodent host species in Taiwan.

Parasites are typically concentrated on a few host individuals, and identifying the mechanisms underlying aggregated distribution can facilitate a more targeted control of parasites. We investigated the infestation patterns of hard ticks and chigger mites on two rodent species, the striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius, and the lesser ricefield rat, Rattus losea, in Taiwan. We also explored abiotic and biotic factors that were important in explaining variation in the abundance of ticks and chiggers on rodent hosts. Ticks were more aggregated than chiggers on both rodent species. Factors important for the variation in parasitic loads, especially biotic factors, largely differed between ticks and chiggers. Variation partitioning analyses revealed that a larger proportion of variation in chiggers than in ticks can be explained, especially by abiotic factors. If, as proposed, the higher number of parasites in males is due to a larger range area or immunity being suppressed by testosterone, when A. agrarius males host more ticks, they are expected to also host more chiggers, given that chiggers adopt a similar host finding approach to that of ticks. Instead, the similar abundance of chiggers in male and female A. agrarius implies that a large home range or suppressed immunity does not predispose males to inevitably host more parasites. More variations were explained by abiotic than biotic factors, suggesting that controlling practices are more likely to be successful by focusing on factors related to the environment instead of host traits. Our study indicated that the extent of parasitism is rarely determined by a sole factor, but is an outcome of complex interactions among animal physiology, animal behavior, characteristics of parasites, and the environments.

A novel animal model for understanding secondary traumatic stress and visceral pain in male rats.

Empathetic relationships and the social transference of behaviours have been shown to occur in humans, and more recently through the development of rodent models, where both fear and pain phenotypes develop in observer animals. Clinically, observing traumatic events can induce 'trauma and stressor-related disorders' as defined in the DSM 5. These disorders are often comorbid with pain and gastrointestinal disturbances; however, our understanding of how gastrointestinal - or visceral - pain can be vicariously transmitted is lacking. Visceral pain originates from the internal organs, and despite its widespread prevalence, remains poorly understood. We established an observation paradigm to assess the impact of witnessing visceral pain. We utilised colorectal distension (CRD) to induce visceral pain behaviours in a stimulus rodent while the observer rodent observed. Twenty four hours post-observation, the observer rodent's visceral sensitivity was assessed using CRD. The observer rodents were found to have significant hyperalgesia as determined by lower visceral pain threshold and higher number of total pain behaviours compared with controls. The behaviours of the observer animals during the observation were found to be correlated with the behaviours of the stimulus animal employed. We found that observer animals had hypoactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, highlighted by reduced corticosterone at 90 minutes post-CRD. Using c-Fos immunohistochemistry we showed that observer animals also had increased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, and decreased activation of the paraventricular nucleus, compared with controls. These results suggest that witnessing another animal in pain produces a behavioural phenotype and impacts the brain-gut axis.

A Point Cloud Segmentation Method for Pigs from Complex Point Cloud Environments Based on the Improved PointNet++

In animal husbandry applications, segmenting live pigs in complex farming environments faces many challenges, such as when pigs lick railings and defecate within the acquisition environment. The pig’s behavior makes point cloud segmentation more complex because dynamic animal behaviors and environmental changes must be considered. This further requires point cloud segmentation algorithms to improve the feature capture capability. In order to tackle the challenges associated with accurately segmenting point cloud data collected in complex real-world scenarios, such as pig occlusion and posture changes, this study utilizes PointNet++. The SoftPool pooling method is employed to implement a PointNet++ model that can achieve accurate point cloud segmentation for live pigs in complex environments. Firstly, the PointNet++ model is modified to make it more suitable for pigs by adjusting its parameters related to feature extraction and sensory fields. Then, the model’s ability to capture the details of point cloud features is further improved by using SoftPool as the point cloud feature pooling method. Finally, registration, filtering, and extraction are used to preprocess the point clouds before integrating them into a dataset for manual annotation. The improved PointNet++ model’s segmentation ability was validated and redefined with the pig point cloud dataset. Through experiments, it was shown that the improved model has better learning ability across 529 pig point cloud data sets. The optimal mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) was recorded at 96.52% and the accuracy at 98.33%. This study has achieved the automatic segmentation of highly overlapping pigs and pen point clouds. This advancement enables future animal husbandry applications, such as estimating body weight and size based on 3D point clouds.

Rethinking core affect: the role of dominance in animal behaviour and welfare research

Rethinking core affect: the role of dominance in animal behaviour and welfare research

Bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Environmental Toxicology Studies: A Perspective of AI-Enabled Zebrafish High-Throughput Screening.

The booming development of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought excitement to many research fields that could benefit from its big data analysis capability for causative relationship establishment and knowledge generation. In toxicology studies using zebrafish, the microscopic images and videos that illustrate the developmental stages, phenotypic morphologies, and animal behaviors possess great potential to facilitate rapid hazard assessment and dissection of the toxicity mechanism of environmental pollutants. However, the traditional manual observation approach is both labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this Perspective, we aim to summarize the current AI-enabled image and video analysis tools to realize the full potential of AI. For image analysis, AI-based tools allow fast and objective determination of morphological features and extraction of quantitative information from images of various sorts. The advantages of providing accurate and reproducible results while avoiding human intervention play a critical role in speeding up the screening process. For video analysis, AI-based tools enable the tracking of dynamic changes in both microscopic cellular events and macroscopic animal behaviors. The subtle changes revealed by video analysis could serve as sensitive indicators of adverse outcomes. With AI-based toxicity analysis in its infancy, exciting developments and applications are expected to appear in the years to come.

Understanding the research and practical needs required to control toxocariasis in Iran.

Human toxocariasis (HT) is a widespread zoonotic infection globally, notably prevalent in tropical areas. Enhancing our understanding of toxocariasis can lead to increased attention towards the socioeconomic impact and control of this neglected zoonosis. We conducted a comprehensive review of all available articles and official documents on toxocariasis in Iran to identify research gaps and critical needs for its control. This review highlights that despite numerous studies exploring various aspects of toxocariasis in definitive and paratenic hosts, as well as humans and environmental contamination, significant data deficiencies and gaps persist across different regions in the country. These gaps involve investigating the worm burden and reinfection rates in definitive hosts, developing more sensitive methods to detect and differentiate of Toxocara species, and understanding the behavior of definitive host animals. Additionally, identifying potential paratenic hosts for HT and exploring the organ-specific affinity and survival duration of Toxocara larvae within these hosts are essential areas for exploration. It's also imperative to comprehend the sylvatic and domestic cycles of the parasite in paratenic hosts. Furthermore, assessing egg density in the environment, exploring potential new sources such as water, and identifying regions with optimal climatic conditions for the survival and development of Toxocara eggs are crucial for the formulation of effective prevention and control strategies. Identifying at-risk groups, developing early diagnosis techniques, employing imaging methods, and identifying long-term complications in humans are also crucial. Community health organizations should prioritize health education for the public and professionals. Furthermore, accurately estimating definitive host populations, monitoring and preventing their movements in public places, implementing regular deworming practices for pets and stray hosts, and recognizing the infection's significance as a health priority are critical. This comprehensive understanding advocates for a holistic "one health" approach to control of HT.

Large-language models facilitate discovery of the molecular signatures regulating sleep and activity.

Sleep, locomotor and social activities are essential animal behaviors, but their reciprocal relationships and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we elicit information from a cutting-edge large-language model (LLM), generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) 3.5, which interprets 10.2-13.8% of Drosophila genes known to regulate the 3 behaviors. We develop an instrument for simultaneous video tracking of multiple moving objects, and conduct a genome-wide screen. We have identified 758 fly genes that regulate sleep and activities, including mre11 which regulates sleep only in the presence of conspecifics, and NELF-B which regulates sleep regardless of whether conspecifics are present. Based on LLM-reasoning, an educated signal web is modeled for understanding of potential relationships between its components, presenting comprehensive molecular signatures that control sleep, locomotor and social activities. This LLM-aided strategy may also be helpful for addressing other complex scientific questions.

Environmental Monitoring in Internet of Things (IOT)

Abstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) connects physical objects to the internet, enabling autonomous data collection and analysis. In environmental monitoring, IoT plays a crucial role in gathering real-time data on parameters like air and water quality, weather, wildlife behavior, and urban heat islands. This abstract explores how IoT is used in environmental monitoring, covering standards, device types, and applications. IoT comprises interconnected devices that collect environmental data and transmit it for analysis, facilitating continuous observation and better resource management. Standards like MQTT and communication technologies like Wi-Fi govern IoT implementation. Environmental monitoring involves assessing air and water quality, weather conditions, wildlife behavior, and urban heat islands. Air quality monitoring measures pollutant levels in the atmosphere using IoT-based sensor networks. Water quality monitoring assesses chemical and biological characteristics of water bodies. Weather and climate monitoring observe atmospheric conditions using IoT-based sensor networks. Wildlife monitoring tracks animal movements and behavior using IoT-enabled devices. Urban heat island monitoring assesses temperature distribution in urban areas using IoT-based sensors. IoT revolutionizes environmental monitoring by enabling real-time, remote observation across various domains, contributing to better resource management and sustainability efforts.

Analysis and Comparison of New-Born Calf Standing and Lying Time Based on Deep Learning

Standing and lying are the fundamental behaviours of quadrupedal animals, and the ratio of their durations is a significant indicator of calf health. In this study, we proposed a computer vision method for non-invasively monitoring of calves’ behaviours. Cameras were deployed at four viewpoints to monitor six calves on six consecutive days. YOLOv8n was trained to detect standing and lying calves. Daily behavioural budget was then summarised and analysed based on automatic inference on untrained data. The results show a mean average precision of 0.995 and an average inference speed of 333 frames per second. The maximum error in the estimated daily standing and lying time for a total of 8 calf-days is less than 14 min. Calves with diarrhoea had about 2 h more daily lying time (p < 0.002), 2.65 more daily lying bouts (p < 0.049), and 4.3 min less daily lying bout duration (p = 0.5) compared to healthy calves. The proposed method can help in understanding calves’ health status based on automatically measured standing and lying time, thereby improving their welfare and management on the farm.

Chronic Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Four Novel N-Benzyl-2-phenylethylamine Derivatives Recently Identified as "Psychoactive" in Adult Zebrafish Screens.

Potently affecting human and animal brain and behavior, hallucinogenic drugs have recently emerged as potentially promising agents in psychopharmacotherapy. Complementing laboratory rodents, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful model organism for screening neuroactive drugs, including hallucinogens. Here, we tested four novel N-benzyl-2-phenylethylamine (NBPEA) derivatives with 2,4- and 3,4-dimethoxy substitutions in the phenethylamine moiety and the -F, -Cl, and -OCF3 substitutions in the ortho position of the phenyl ring of the N-benzyl moiety (34H-NBF, 34H-NBCl, 24H-NBOMe(F), and 34H-NBOMe(F)), assessing their behavioral and neurochemical effects following chronic 14 day treatment in adult zebrafish. While the novel tank test behavioral data indicate anxiolytic-like effects of 24H-NBOMe(F) and 34H-NBOMe(F), neurochemical analyses reveal reduced brain norepinephrine by all four drugs, and (except 34H-NBCl) - reduced dopamine and serotonin levels. We also found reduced turnover rates for all three brain monoamines but unaltered levels of their respective metabolites. Collectively, these findings further our understanding of complex central behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronically administered novel NBPEAs and highlight the potential of zebrafish as a model for preclinical screening of small psychoactive molecules.

High mirror symmetry in mouse exploratory behavior

The physicality of the world in which the animal acts—its anatomical structure, physiology, perception, emotional states, and cognitive capabilities—determines the boundaries of the behavioral space within which the animal can operate. Behavior, therefore, can be considered as the subspace that remains after secluding all actions that are not available to the animal due to constraints. The very signature of being a certain creature is reflected in these limitations that shape its behavior. A major goal of ethology is to expose those constraints that carve the intricate structure of animal behavior and reveal both uniqueness and commonalities between animals within and across taxa. Exploratory behavior in an empty arena seems to be stochastic; nevertheless, it does not mean that the moving animal is a random walker. In this study, we present how, by adding constraints to the animal’s locomotion, one can gradually retain the ‘mousiness’ that characterizes the behaving mouse. We then introduce a novel phenomenon of high mirror symmetry along the locomotion of mice, which highlights another constraint that further compresses the complex nature of exploratory behavior in these animals. We link these findings to a known neural mechanism that could explain this phenomenon. Finally, we suggest our novel finding and derived methods to be used in the search for commonalities in the motion trajectories of various organisms across taxa.

[A study on the regulation of motor behavior in mouse based on temporal interference].

Temporal interference (TI) as a new neuromodulation technique can be applied to non-invasive deep brain stimulation. In order to verify its effectiveness in the regulation of motor behavior in animals, this paper uses the TI method to focus the envelope electric field to the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus in the deep brain of mouse to regulate left- and right-turning motor behavior. The focusability of TI in the mouse VPL was analyzed by finite element method, and the focus area and volume were obtained by numerical calculation. A stimulator was used to generate TI current to stimulate the mouse VPL to verify the effectiveness of the TI stimulation method, and the accuracy of the focus location was further determined by c-Fos immunofluorescence experiments. The results showed that the electric field generated by TI stimulation was able to focus on the VPL nuclei when the stimulation current reached 800 μA; the mouse were able to make corresponding left and right turns according to the stimulation position; and the c-Fos positive cell markers in the VPL nuclei increased significantly after stimulation. This study confirms the feasibility of TI in regulating animal motor behavior and provides a non-invasive stimulation method for brain tissue for animal robots.

Effects of atrazine on movement, metabolism and gene expression in Pelophylax nigromaculatus larvae under global warming

Global warming and environmental pollutants both pose a threat to the behavior and physiology of animals, but research on the combined effects of the two is limited. Atrazine, a widely used herbicide, has toxic effects on organisms. In this study, the effects of environmental concentrations of atrazine exposure (100 μg/L) for seven days on the movement, metabolism and gene expression related to motility of Pelophylax nigromaculatus larvae (GS8) were investigated under global warming. The results showed that compared to the optimal growth temperature (18 °C), atrazine treatment under global warming (21 °C) significantly increased the average speed (about 11.2 times) and maximum acceleration (about 1.98 times) of P. nigromaculatus larvae, altered the relative abundance of 539 metabolites, including Formyl-5-hydroxykynurenamine, 2,4-Dihydroxybenzophenone, and FAPy-adenine, and changed the nucleotide metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and purine metabolism, as well as increased the gene expression of SPLA2 (about 6.46 times) and CHK (about 3.25 times). In summary, atrazine treatment under global warming caused metabolic disorders in amphibian larvae and increased the expression of some movement-related genes in the brain, resulting in abnormally active.

Effects of capture and GPS-tagging in spring on migration timing and reproduction in Pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus

BackgroundGPS-transmitters enable detailed study of animal behaviour but may impact the animals. Impacts vary from short-term stress and habituation to longer-term effects on e.g., migration and reproduction. To study impacts, ideally, true controls (i.e., uncaptured or untagged animals) are used, but unbiased assessments of their migration timing and breeding performance are challenging, especially in remote areas. Alternatively, quasi-controls can be used: individuals tagged longer ago, or the same tagged individuals but in later years. Quasi-controls reveal tagging effects that differ between the first and following years.ResultsWe captured Pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) in spring and summer and deployed GPS-transmitter neckbands. In spring, geese were caught with cannon or clap nets on stopovers in Norway and Finland, 2 weeks before departure to breeding areas in Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. In summer, geese were rounded up during wing moult in Svalbard. First, we compared geese tagged recently in spring with geese tagged in spring or summer 1–4 years prior. Newly tagged geese migrated significantly later, by 2 days, than previously tagged geese, both at departure from the spring stopover and arrival to the breeding grounds, while migration duration did not differ. Breeding propensity and laying date did not differ, but nesting success tended to be lowered, resulting in a significantly lower annual probability to produce hatchlings in recently tagged geese than in previously tagged geese. Second, within individuals tagged in spring, spring migration advanced in their next year, suggesting delay in their first spring. This was likely not an ageing effect, as geese tagged in summer showed no advancing spring migration timing over the years. Third, in Svalbard, observed brood sizes of geese tagged in summer and untagged geese did not differ 1 year after tagging.ConclusionsThe capture and GPS-tagging of geese 2 weeks before spring departure delayed their spring migration and lowered their probability to produce hatchlings in that year. These effects lasted longer than previously reported week-long effects of GPS-tagging on time budgets in summer and of neck-banding on spring body condition. Additional study is needed to evaluate longer-term or permanent effects which remain undetected with quasi-controls.

Animal behaviour and welfare research: A One Health perspective

Animal behaviour and welfare research are part of a wider endeavour to optimize the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and ecosystems. As such, it is part of the One Health research agenda. This article applies ethical principles described by the One Health High Level Expert Panel to animal behaviour and welfare research. These principles entail that animal behaviour and welfare research should be valued equitably alongside other research in transdisciplinary and multisectoral collaboration. It should include and promote a multiplicity of marginalized voices, including those of animals, and it should apply and describe a harmonious balance between human—animal-environment interactions. Lastly, it should describe how humans need to change behaviour, adopt sustainable solutions and recognize the importance of animal welfare and the integrity of the whole ecosystem.