Understanding cow reactivity and maternal behaviour and their associations with calf growth, survival and behaviour

了解奶牛的反应性和母性行为及其与小牛生长、生存和行为的关联

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-02997
• 负责人: CeballosBetancourt, MariaCamila
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=763623
• 关键词: Understanding; cow; reactivity; maternal; behaviour

Selection of domesticated species over thousands of years has been (and remains) influenced by their reactions to humans; consequently, human-animal interactions have strongly influenced domesticated animal selection. Domestication implies side-effects of selection, including behavioural changes (with a genetic basis), such as reduced fear, increased sociability and reduced anti-predator responses. Therefore, when selecting for a specific behavioural characteristic (e.g., reduced fear response to humans: reactivity), other important characteristics can be affected, including maternal behaviour traits (e.g., calf care, bonding and protection). Thus, it is crucial to understand the association of various domesticated animal behavioural traits (human handling reactivity and maternal behaviours) and how they are related to animal fitness (e.g., reproductive success and offspring growth and survival), to identify better artificial selection strategies under domesticated conditions. The long-term goal of my research program is to elucidate, across time and various human-related contexts, relationships between various maternal behaviour traits and cow fear responses to human handling (reactivity), and their impacts on cow reproductive success, calf fitness, and reactivity. The overall hypotheses are: 1) Cow maternal behaviour and reactivity are associated and affect reproductive success, as well as her calf's fitness and reactivity; and 2) Cow fear responses toward humans can be modified by learning processes. My research program will generate fundamental new knowledge on animal behaviour science, using beef cattle as a model. In addition, it will provide outcomes that can be directly used to improve animal husbandry, selective breeding, animal welfare, and and human safety in the agricultural sector. The principal aim is to better understand how an important behavioural characteristic, that has highly influenced selection of domestic animals (i.e., fear responses toward humans), is related to behavioural characteristics that are important to survival of the species (i.e., maternal bonding and maternal protective behaviour) as well their influences on offspring development and reactivity. Understanding stability across time and contexts of those phenotypic characteristics and how they are related to calf development and fitness will inform strategies to enhance domestic animal selection. In association with high-quality training, the proposed research will prepare HQP to be very competitive for future careers in academia or agri-industries. This research can also inform improvement of beef cow welfare in relation to human-animal interactions in production systems, by influencing practices related to the cow (including handling, selection, and decisions to retain or cull).

数千年来，驯化物种的选择一直（并且仍然）受到它们对人类的反应的影响;因此，人类与动物的相互作用强烈影响了驯化动物的选择。驯化意味着选择的副作用，包括行为变化（具有遗传基础），如减少恐惧、增加社交能力和减少反捕食者反应。因此，当选择特定的行为特征（例如，对人类的恐惧反应减少：反应性），其他重要特征可能会受到影响，包括母性行为特征（例如，小腿护理、粘合和保护）。因此，了解各种驯养动物行为特征（人类处理反应和母性行为）的关联以及它们如何与动物适应性（例如，繁殖成功和后代的生长和存活），以确定更好的人工选择策略驯化条件下。我的研究计划的长期目标是阐明，在不同的时间和各种人类相关的背景下，各种母亲的行为特征和母牛对人类处理的恐惧反应（反应性）之间的关系，以及它们对母牛繁殖成功，小牛健身和反应性的影响。总体假设为：1）母牛的母性行为和反应性是相关的，并影响繁殖成功，以及她的小牛的健身和反应性; 2）母牛对人类的恐惧反应可以通过学习过程来改变。我的研究计划将产生动物行为科学的基础新知识，使用肉牛作为模型。此外，它还将提供可直接用于改善畜牧业，选择性育种，动物福利和农业部门的人类安全的成果。主要目的是更好地了解一个重要的行为特征，这对家畜的选择有很大的影响（即，对人类的恐惧反应），与对物种生存至关重要的行为特征有关（即，母亲的结合和母亲的保护行为），以及它们对后代发育和反应的影响。了解这些表型特征的时间和背景的稳定性以及它们与小牛发育和健康的关系将为加强家畜选择的策略提供信息。与高质量的培训相结合，拟议的研究将使HQP在学术界或农业行业的未来职业生涯中具有很强的竞争力。这项研究还可以通过影响与奶牛相关的实践（包括处理，选择和保留或剔除的决定），为生产系统中与人畜相互作用有关的肉牛福利的改善提供信息。