Kembro, J. M. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

Thanks to repetition, dustbathing detection can be automated combining accelerometry and wavelet analysis

Dustbathing is performed by many groups of birds, including Galliformes. It consists of a well-defined orderly sequence of movements. Repetitive changes in body position during dustbathing can be automatically detected through data processing of body mounted accelerometer recordings, specifically the complex Morlet continuous wavelet transform. The approach was tested in 13 adult male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) fitted with a backpack containing a triaxial accelerometer and video-recorded during at least 6h. Rhythmicity (period 25-60s) in the y-axis acceleration vector is reflected as large power values, and is associated almost exclusively to dustbathing events. Thus, by implementing a threshold value we detected events automatically with an accuracy of 80% (range 66-100%). We show potential uses for characterizing temporal dynamics (e.g. daily rhythms) of dustbathing and for the assessment of intra- and inter-individual variability over long-term studies, even within large complex environments (e.g. natural environments or breeding facilities). Summary statementWe propose a method for automatically detecting dustbathing (i.e a behavior performed by many groups of birds, including Galliformes) from triaxial accerometer recoding using a wavelet technique.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2022

Context- and scale-dependent effects of thymol bioactivity on biological networks: contributions from quail under heat stress

A defining feature of healthy function is adaptability, the capacity to dynamically respond to novel and/or unpredictable factors, such as exposition to environmental challenges. Here we explore the role of context (i.e., order in which factors are applied) on the configuration of networks of behavioral and physiological traits from Japanese quail that were supplemented dietary thymol prior, jointly or after onset of a chronic heat stress protocol (i.e., supplementation strategies). Basal diet and standard environmental temperature were used as controls. We begin by showing that each supplementation strategy evolved differently over the 5-week experimental period in regard to body weight and feed- intake. At the end of this experimental period, context-dependency was also observed in the non- trivial functional relationships among 27 traits from 4 subsystems from distinct spatial-temporal scales. When considered separately, whole-organism level subsystems (i.e. somatic maintenance and egg production traits), are predominantly functionally related to environmental temperature. Conversely, at the molecular level, the live[r]s antioxidant system response is fundamentally dominated by the supplementation strategy. Interestingly, the serums antioxidant system shows an intermediate response, not dominated by a given factor. Overall, network configurations were highly dependent on context, and could be associated with specific induced physiological states. Our work constitutes the first study that includes network, integrative, and experimentally comparative analyses applied to the field of dietary supplementation under environmental challenges. This perspective could help understand complex biological responses important for developing efficient and welfare orientated supplementation protocols for farm animals and for interpreting the background in this field.

physiology↗