Age and body mass are more important than horns to determine the social position of dairy cows

Deniz, Matheus; Sousa, Karolini Tenffen de; Vale, Marcos Martinez do; Dittrich, João Ricardo

doi:10.1007/s10164-020-00667-x

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Additionally, our results show that heavier females were more dominant, and older females tended to be more dominant. Age and body weight are associated with female dominance status in many group-living mammal species [ 45 – 48 ]. Females with a higher body weight likely outcompete lighter females for resources, and with priority access to food, dominant individuals can maintain and potentially increase the asymmetry in body weight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability of endocrine traits and dominance rank in female guinea pigs

et al. 2022

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Background Glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol) are associated with variation in social behavior, and previous studies have linked baseline as well as challenge-induced glucocorticoid concentrations to dominance status. It is known that cortisol response to an acute challenge is repeatable and correlates to social behavior in males of many mammal species. However, it is unclear whether these patterns are also consistent for females. The aim of this study was to investigate whether baseline and response cortisol concentrations are repeatable in female guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) and whether dominance rank is stable and correlated to baseline cortisol concentration and/or cortisol responsiveness. Results Our results show that cortisol responsiveness (after 1 h: R = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.229, 0.927; after 2 h: R = 0.764, 95% CI = 0.433, 0.951) and dominance rank (R = 0.709, 95% CI = 0.316, 0.935) of females were significantly repeatable after six weeks but not correlated. Baseline cortisol was not repeatable (R = 0, 95% CI = 0, 0.690) and also did not correlate to dominance rank. Furthermore, the difference in repeatability estimates of baseline and response values was due to high within-individual variance of baseline cortisol concentration; the amount of between-individual variance was similar for baseline cortisol and the two measures of cortisol responsiveness. Conclusions Females occupying different dominance ranks did not have long-term differences in cortisol concentrations, and cortisol responsiveness does not seem to be significantly involved in the maintenance of dominance rank. Overall, this study reveals the remarkable stability of cortisol responsiveness and dominance rank in a female rodent, and it remains an open question whether the magnitude of cortisol responsiveness is adaptive in social contexts for females.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability of endocrine traits and dominance rank in female guinea pigs

et al. 2022

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“…The ingestive behavior is also directly related to the social hierarchy that is established through dominant relationships, with social position affecting several behaviors such as feed and water intake [ 65 , 66 , 67 ]. As described by Deniz et al [ 68 ], the social position of a cow influences the time at the feed bunk and is determined by its body mass, body length and age, and social position. Although not evaluated in the present study, displacement at the feeder was frequently observed, especially at the times when the feeders were filled.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Feeding and Drinking Behavior on Performance and Carcass Traits in Beef Cattle

Pires

Reolon

Abduch

et al. 2022

Animals

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Feed and water efficiency are important traits to improve beef cattle production’s economic and environmental sustainability. This study evaluated residual feed intake (RFI) and residual water intake (RWI) and their relationship with performance, ingestive behavior, and carcass traits in Caracu beef cattle. The data were analyzed using a generalized linear model with least squares means. The ingestive behavior, performance, and carcass traits were influenced by sex (p < 0.05). Males showed higher dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), mid-test metabolic weight (BW0.75), rib eye area, and rump fat thickness than females, besides spending more time drinking and eating. Low RFI animals exhibited higher DMI than high RFI animals. Low RWI animals ingested 3.89 L/d of water further than high RWI animals. The interaction between sex and RWI influenced the DMI, BW0.75, and backfat thickness. The ingestive behavior of low and high RFI animals was similar, although high RWI animals visited a smaller number of drinkers than low RWI animals. Water intake positively affects productive efficiency, and the combined use of RWI and RFI may help improve the selection of more efficient animals contributing to reducing the costs of beef cattle production and improving environmental sustainability.

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“…This is consistent with the results that first-parity cows had greater RT, RR, and DS. As previously mentioned, adaptation and social dominance of second-parity cows could be related to better thermoregulation under HS. − Future research should be conducted to identify the contextual factors and mechanisms associated with different responses between first- and second-parity cows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…43 In other words, second-parity cows have already experienced pregnancy, calving, and lactation, and their physiology and behaviors might be more stable, which might facilitate them to better cope with HS. Older cows might also be more socially dominant in the presence of feed, water, 44 and shade, 45 thereby allowing them to have access to more favorable environmental conditions when exposed to HS. Heat-Induced Changes in Production Traits of Firstand Second-Parity Cows.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Responses of Physiological Parameters, Production Traits, and Blood Metabolic Profiling between First- and Second-Parity Holstein Cows in the Comparison of Spring versus Summer Seasons

Brito

Luo

et al. 2023

J. Agric. Food Chem.

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Heat stress (HS) negatively influences cows’ welfare and productivity. Therefore, a better understanding of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of HS responses from multiple parities is paramount for the development of effective management and breeding strategies. In comparison with first-parity cows in the spring (Spring-1), first-parity cows in the summer (Summer-1) had a significantly higher rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), drooling score (DS), and daily activity (DA), while lower (P < 0.05) daily rumination (DR), seven-day average milk yield (7AMY), milk yield on sampling day (MY_S), milk yield on test day (MY_T), and lactose percentage (LP) were observed. When comparing the spring (Spring-2) and summer (Summer-2) of the second-parity cows, significant differences were also found in RT, RR, DS, DA, and DR (P < 0.05), corresponding to similar trends with the first parity while having smaller changes. Moreover, significantly negative impacts on performance traits were only observed on fat percentage (FP) and LP. These results showed that there were different biological responses between first- and second-parity Holstein cows. Further, 18 and 17 metabolites were involved in the seasonal response of first- and second-parity cows, respectively. Nine differential metabolites were shared between the two parities, and pathway analyses suggested that cows had an inhibited tricarboxylic acid cycle, increased utilization of lipolysis, and a dysregulated gut microbiome during the summer. The metabolites identified exclusively for each parity highlighted the differences in microbial response and host amino acid metabolism between two parities in response to HS. Moreover, glucose, ethanol, and citrate were identified as potential biomarkers for distinguishing individuals between Spring-1 and Summer-1. Ethanol and acetone were better predictors for distinguishing individuals between Spring-2 and Summer-2. Taken together, the present study demonstrated the impact of naturally induced HS on physiological parameters, production traits, and the blood metabolome of Holstein cows. There are different biological responses and regulation mechanisms between first- and second-parity Holstein cows.

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Age and body mass are more important than horns to determine the social position of dairy cows

Cited by 12 publications

References 39 publications

Repeatability of endocrine traits and dominance rank in female guinea pigs

Repeatability of endocrine traits and dominance rank in female guinea pigs

Effects of Feeding and Drinking Behavior on Performance and Carcass Traits in Beef Cattle

Differential Responses of Physiological Parameters, Production Traits, and Blood Metabolic Profiling between First- and Second-Parity Holstein Cows in the Comparison of Spring versus Summer Seasons

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