Undirected singing rate as a non-invasive tool for welfare monitoring in isolated male zebra finches.

Autor: Yamahachi H; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Zai AT; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Tachibana RO; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Stepien AE; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Rodrigues DI; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Cavé-Lopez S; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Lorenz C; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Institut des Neurosciences Paris Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France., Arneodo EM; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Giret N; Institut des Neurosciences Paris Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France., Hahnloser RHR; Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2020 Aug 10; Vol. 15 (8), pp. e0236333. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Aug 10 (Print Publication: 2020).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236333
Abstrakt: Research on the songbird zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has advanced our behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic understanding of vocal learning. However, little is known about the impact of typical experimental manipulations on the welfare of these birds. Here we explore whether the undirected singing rate can be used as an indicator of welfare. We tested this idea by performing a post hoc analysis of singing behavior in isolated male zebra finches subjected to interactive white noise, to surgery, or to tethering. We find that the latter two experimental manipulations transiently but reliably decreased singing rates. By contraposition, we infer that a high-sustained singing rate is suggestive of successful coping or improved welfare in these experiments. Our analysis across more than 300 days of song data suggests that a singing rate above a threshold of several hundred song motifs per day implies an absence of an acute stressor or a successful coping with stress. Because singing rate can be measured in a completely automatic fashion, its observation can help to reduce experimenter bias in welfare monitoring. Because singing rate measurements are non-invasive, we expect this study to contribute to the refinement of the current welfare monitoring tools in zebra finches.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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