Exploring the geneQc determinaQon of aggressive behaviour in adult female pigs to improve human safety and animal welfare

这个博士项目将探索成年母猪攻击行为的遗传决定。母猪对人类、仔猪和其他母猪表现出攻击性。攻击行为有伤害人类的危险，降低了被攻击动物的福利，也可能反映出攻击性母猪自身的福利不佳。在全球范围内，母猪的现代基因型正变得越来越具有攻击性，尤其是对人类。对母猪的攻击行为的研究很少。选择性育种可以导致行为的累积和永久改善，因此迫切需要量化不同环境下母猪攻击行为之间的相互关系，并估计这些行为的遗传基础。我们还寻求证据证实，攻击性较低的母猪能生产出更多的存活仔猪，因为这将通过减少母猪的攻击性带来进一步的福利、经济和可持续性效益。该项目将与瑞士国家养猪组织SUISAG合作。SUISAG希望通过制定一种选择策略来减少和优化母猪的攻击行为，提高农民的安全和猪的福利，从而保持和提高瑞士猪的高标准福利。我们的目标是(1)建立有效的方法来记录母猪的攻击性并估计相关的遗传力；(2)量化不同攻击行为特征之间的遗传相关性，从而确定提高一种攻击行为对其他攻击行为的影响；(3)量化减少攻击对繁殖性状和仔猪福利性状的影响。该学生将在爱丁堡大学注册，该大学位于苏格兰农村学院（SRUC；爱丁堡，英国），并在瑞士的SUISAG进行两次为期3-9个月的实习，其中包括桌面和农场元素。该学生将加入上海人民大学动物行为与福利小组；拥有15名学术人员和17名博士生，是同类中最大的团队之一。他们还将成为瑞士国际咨询集团研发团队的一员。学生将获得实验和项目管理、业务发展以及与学术和非学术受众沟通方面的培训机会。这个多学科的动物科学项目结合了动物行为、福利、定量遗传分析和应用动物育种。管理团队带来了这些领域的必要专业知识，并将支持学生在每个学科的学术技能发展。将育种方面的学术培训应用于行为和福利，再加上接触一家先进的育种公司，预计对未来的雇主极具吸引力。

This PhD project will explore the genetic determination of aggressive behaviour in adult female pigs (sows). Sows express aggression towards humans, piglets and other sows. Aggression risks human injury, reduces the welfare of recipient animals and likely reflects poor welfare of the aggressive sow herself. Globally, modern genotypes of sows are becoming increasingly aggressive, especially towards humans. Aggressive behaviour by sows has been poorly studied. Selective breeding can lead to cumulative and permanent improvements in behaviour and there is a pressing need to quantify the inter-relationships between sow aggressive behaviour performed in different contexts and estimate the genetic basis to these behaviours. We also seek to confirm evidence that less aggressive sows produce more viable piglets as this would deliver further welfare, economic and sustainability benefits from reducing sow aggression. The project will partner with SUISAG, the Swiss national pig breeding organisation. SUISAG wishes to maintain and improve Switzerland's high standards of pig welfare by creating a selection strategy to reduce and optimise sow aggressive behaviour across contexts, improving farmer safety and pig welfare. We aim to (1) develop validated methods to record sow aggression and estimate the associated heritability; (2) quantify the genetic correlations between different aggressive behaviour traits, and hence how improving one form of aggression will impact others; and (3) quantify the impacts of reducing aggression on reproductive and piglet welfare traits. The student will be registered at the University of Edinburgh, based at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC; Edinburgh, UK) and undertake two placements of 3-9 months duration each with SUISAG in Switzerland with desk-based and on-farm elements. The student will join the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Team at SRUC; one of the largest groups of its kind with 15 academic staff and 17 PhD students. They will also become part of the research and development team within SUISAG. The student will gain training opportunities in experimental and project management, business development and communication to academic and non-academic audiences.This multidisciplinary animal science project combines animal behaviour, welfare, quantitative genetic analysis and applied animal breeding. The supervisory team brings the necessary expertise in each of these fields and will support the student in the development of academic skills within each discipline. The combination of academic training in breeding applied to behaviour and welfare and exposure to a progressive breeding company, is expected to be highly attractive to future employers.