Temporal behaviour profiles of Mus musculus in nature are affected by population activity

Robbers, Yuri; Koster, Eva A.S.; Krijbolder, D.; Ruijs, Amanda; Berloo, Sander van; Meijer, Johanna H.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.020

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Finally, in contrast to guinea pigs, alert mice are not easy to handle and most researchers have experienced their sharp teeth. The importance of vision may have been underestimated in mice, since it was assumed that they are ‘nocturnal’; however, direct observations of their diurnal activity, both of laboratory mice and mice in the wild, show that they are not truly nocturnal . Mouse spatial vision is relatively poor (0.5 to 0.6 cycles/degree, at least 60 times worse than that of humans) but this is not due to the size of the eye alone.…”

Section: The Mouse Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal models in myopia research

Schaeffel

Feldkaemper

2015

Clinical and Experimental Optometry

150

104

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Our current understanding of the development of refractive errors, in particular myopia, would be substantially limited had Wiesel and Raviola not discovered by accident that monkeys develop axial myopia as a result of deprivation of form vision. Similarly, if Josh Wallman and colleagues had not found that simple plastic goggles attached to the chicken eye generate large amounts of myopia, the chicken model would perhaps not have become such an important animal model. Contrary to previous assumptions about the mechanisms of myopia, these animal models suggested that eye growth is visually controlled locally by the retina, that an afferent connection to the brain is not essential and that emmetropisation uses more sophisticated cues than just the magnitude of retinal blur. While animal models have shown that the retina can determine the sign of defocus, the underlying mechanism is still not entirely clear. Animal models have also provided knowledge about the biochemical nature of the signal cascade converting the output of retinal image processing to changes in choroidal thickness and scleral growth; however, a critical question was, and still is, can the results from animal models be applied to myopia in children? While the basic findings from chickens appear applicable to monkeys, some fundamental questions remain. If eye growth is guided by visual feedback, why is myopic development not self-limiting? Why does undercorrection not arrest myopic progression even though positive lenses induce myopic defocus, which leads to the development of hyperopia in emmetropic animals? Why do some spectacle or contact lens designs reduce myopic progression and others not? It appears that some major differences exist between animals reared with imposed defocus and children treated with various optical corrections, although without the basic knowledge obtained from animal models, we would be lost in an abundance of untestable hypotheses concerning human myopia.

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Section: The Mouse Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal models in myopia research

Schaeffel

Feldkaemper

2015

Clinical and Experimental Optometry

150

104

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“…Animal density measured as number of animals per area or space allowance per animal has a high importance in influencing behaviour in other species as well. In wild animals, like bats ( Rhinopoma microphyllum ), it may be one of the main factors besides food prevalence in spatial behaviour (group formation) of animals [ 24 ] and may modify behaviour profile in mice ( Mus musculus) [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density-Dependent Spacing Behaviour and Activity Budget in Pregnant, Domestic Goats (Capra hircus)

Vas

Andersen

2015

PLoS ONE

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Very little is known about the spacing behaviour in social groups of domestic goats (Capra hircus) in the farm environment. In this experiment, we studied interindividual distances, movement patterns and activity budgets in pregnant goats housed at three different densities. Norwegian dairy goats were kept in stable social groups of six animals throughout pregnancy at 1, 2 or 3 m2 per individual and their spacing behaviours (i.e. distance travelled, nearest and furthest neighbour distance) and activity budgets (e.g. resting, feeding, social activities) were monitored. Observations were made in the first, second and last thirds of pregnancy in the mornings, at noon and in the afternoons of each of these phases (4.5 hours per observation period). The findings show that goats held at animal densities of 2 and 3 m2 moved longer distances when they had more space per animal and kept larger nearest and furthest neighbour distances when compared to the 1 m2 per animal density. Less feeding activity was observed at the high animal density compared to the medium and low density treatments. The phase of gestation also had an impact on almost all behavioural variables. Closer to parturition, animals moved further distances and the increase in nearest and furthest neighbour distance was more pronounced at the lower animal densities. During the last period of gestation, goats spent less time feeding and more on resting, social behaviours and engaging in other various activities. Our data suggest that more space per goat is needed for goats closer to parturition than in the early gestation phase. We concluded that in goats spacing behaviour is density-dependent and changes with stages of pregnancy and activities. Finally, the lower density allowed animals to express individual preferences regarding spacing behaviour which is important in ensuring good welfare in a farming situation.

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“…Such seasonal variations in the timing of daily activity have been described for entrainment under natural conditions in several species including birds and rodents (Aschoff and Wever, 1962;Daan and Aschoff, 1975). In some species, other entrainment cues such as social synchronization and temperature can overtake photic entrainment (Robbers et al, 2015;Fuchikawa et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Clocks in the Wild: Entrainment to Natural Light

2020

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Entrainment denotes a process of coordinating the internal circadian clock to external rhythmic time-cues (Zeitgeber), mainly light. It is facilitated by stronger Zeitgeber signals and smaller period differences between the internal clock and the external Zeitgeber. The phase of entrainment ψ is a result of this process on the side of the circadian clock. On Earth, the period of the day-night cycle is fixed to 24 h, while the periods of circadian clocks distribute widely due to natural variation within and between species. The strength and duration of light depend locally on season and geographic latitude. Therefore, entrainment characteristics of a circadian clock vary under a local light environment and distribute along geoecological settings. Using conceptual models of circadian clocks, we investigate how local conditions of natural light shape global patterning of entrainment through seasons. This clock-side entrainment paradigm enables us to predict systematic changes in the global distribution of chronotypes.

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Temporal behaviour profiles of Mus musculus in nature are affected by population activity

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

Animal models in myopia research

Animal models in myopia research

Density-Dependent Spacing Behaviour and Activity Budget in Pregnant, Domestic Goats (Capra hircus)

Clocks in the Wild: Entrainment to Natural Light

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