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

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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.