Mood states in animals, exploring individual and external factors that promote resilience

这个发现研究计划的目的是更好地了解动物的情感状态，使用奶牛作为动物模型。这是建立在我之前三个NSERC发现研究项目中完成的工作基础上的。在我的最后一次NSERC发现补助金期间，研究生和本科生成功地参与了一系列研究，这些研究拓宽了我们对牛个性特征个体差异的理解，以及这些信息如何有助于解释当这些动物暴露于压力源（包括疾病）时观察到的大部分变化。 当考虑奶牛时，有无数的压力事件会影响个体动物的福利，包括它们的情绪状态。因此，我的下一个NSERC发现的拟议研究将是第一个系统评估：1）情绪变化是否可以从应对压力情况的快乐驱动行为的减少中推断出来; 2）当暴露于压力源时，动物从社会支持中受益的必要条件;以及3）早期生活的社会经验如何影响动物对未来社会压力源的恢复力。我提议的研究计划将使用在应用压力源之前和之后评估的快乐驱动行为的变化，例如社会混合，疾病，食物的社会竞争，作为进一步了解情绪状态的手段，以及个性和社会等级等个体因素如何有助于暴露于压力源的动物的长期弹性。 这项工作将有助于四个博士，两个硕士的培训，并在一个开放，协作和包容的环境中给理科学生，在那里他们感到支持，并有勇气学习新事物和团队内工作，无论他们的背景，性别，种族或其他个体差异。总的来说，这些高素质的人员将努力提供新的生物学见解的作用，社会环境和动物水平的因素，有助于个体差异的情绪状态和韧性的表达在奶牛。 需要科学奖学金，重点是减少与奶牛的日常护理和管理相关的压力，因为许多动物仍然生病，从而损害奶牛场的经济可持续性。遭受压力和疾病的动物也是公众严重关注的问题;因此，这项研究计划的成果也将有助于动物农业的社会可持续性。

The aim of this Discovery research program is to better understand affective states in animals using dairy cattle as the animal model. This builds on the work completed during my previous three NSERC Discovery research programs. During my last NSERC Discovery grant, graduate and undergraduate students successfully engaged in a suite of studies that broadened our understanding of individual variation in personality traits in cattle and how this information can help explain much of the variation observed when these animals were exposed to stressors, including illness. When considering dairy cattle, there are a myriad of stressful events that can impact the welfare of the individual animal, including their mood state. Thus, the proposed research for my next NSERC Discovery will be the first systematic assessment of: 1) whether mood changes can be inferred from reduction in pleasure-driven behaviors in response to stressful situations; 2) the conditions necessary for animals to benefit from social support when exposed to a stressor; and 3) how early-life social experiences may affect animals' resilience to future social stressors. My proposed research program will use changes in pleasure driven behaviours assessed before and after the application of a stressors such as social mixing, illness, social competition for food as a means to further our understanding of mood states, and how individual factors such as personality and social hierarchy contribute to the long-term resilience of animals exposed to stressors. This work will contribute to the training of four PhD, two MSc and give BSc students in an environment that is open, collaborative, and inclusive and where they feel supported and have the courage to learn new things and work within a team, regardless of their background, gender, race, or other individual differences. Collectively, these highly qualified personnel will strive to provide new biological insights into the role of the social environment and animal-level factors contributing to individual variability in the expression of mood states and resilience in dairy cattle. Scientific scholarship focused on reducing stress associated with the routine care and management of dairy cattle is needed as many animals still become ill and thus compromise the economic sustainability of the dairy farm. Animals subjected to stress and illness are also of grave concern to the public; thus, the outcomes arising from this research program will also contribute to the social sustainability of animal agriculture.