Principal Component Analysis as a Novel Method for the Assessment of the Enclosure Use Patterns of Captive Livingstone’s Fruit Bats (Pteropus livingstonii)
The Spread of Participation Index (SPI) is a standard tool for assessing the suitability of enclosure design by measuring how captive animals access space. This metric, however, lacks the precision to quantify individual-level space utilization or to determine how the distribution of resources and physical features within an enclosure might influence space use. Here we […]
Behavioral profiles and stress-induced corticosteroid secretion in male Wistar rats subjected to short and prolonged periods of maternal separation
Early life experiences are important for the development of neurobiobehavioral mechanisms and subsequent establishment of mental functions. In experimental animals, early life experiences can be studied using the maternal separation model. Maternal separation has been described to induce neurobiological changes and thus affect brain function, mental state and behavior. We have established a protocol in […]
Inferential and visual analysis of ethogram data using multivariate techniques
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Transport of Animals Between Rooms: A Little-Noted Aspect of Laboratory Procedure That May Interfere With Memory
This study investigated the effects of transporting animals from the experimental room to the animal facility in between experimental sessions, aprocedure routinely employed in experimental research, on long-term social recognition memory. By using the intruder–resident paradigm, independent groups of Wistar rats exposed to a 2-h encounter with an adult intruder were transported from the experimental […]
Interpretation of behavioural reactions of sheep towards fear-eliciting situations
The relationships between 27 behavioural variables, displayed by 206 sheep in three tests used to measure fear in sheep, were assessed using Principal Component Analysis. These animals were individually subjected to the same standardised fear-eliciting situations: isolation from conspecifics (I), a surprise effect (S) and the presence of a human (H). The first component (which […]
Does temperament affect learning in calves?
The aim of the study was to investigate how temperament affects learning ability in calves. Nine two-month-old Holstein-Friesian bull calves were subjected to four challenge tests: novel object (NOT), novel environment (NET), social isolation (SIT), and social isolation with a novel environmental cue (SI/E). During these tests, hypothesised temperament variables were recorded. Hypothesised learning variables […]
Application of the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment system in Finnish pig production, part I: Identification of principal components
The Welfare Quality® (WQ) on-farm welfare assessment protocols for fattening pigs (n = 95 farms) and sows, as well as suckling piglets (n = 103 farms), were applied on Finnish farms. In order to identify distinct types of welfare problems (WPTs) Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to the pooled animal-based items within both categories […]
Application of the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment system in Finnish pig production, part II: Associations between animal-based and environmental measures of welfare
This study aimed to establish associations between the environment and animal-based measures of welfare collected on 158 Finnish farms according to the Welfare Quality systems for pigs. The data consisted of 95 welfare assessments in fattening pigs and 103 in sows, including suckling piglets. Principal Component Analysis had previously been applied to animal-based welfare measures […]