Ethanol and a chemical from fox faeces modulate exploratory behaviour in laboratory mice
| Autor: | Estelle Descout, Cécile Bienboire-Frosini, Carlos Grau, Patrick Pageat, Julien Leclercq, Eva Teruel |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Integrated pest management
Rodent biology 05 social sciences 0402 animal and dairy science food and beverages Zoology Ripening 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Olfaction 040201 dairy & animal science Olfactory stimulus Predation Food Animals biology.animal Toxicity 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Animal Science and Zoology 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology Predator |
| Zdroj: | Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 213:117-123 |
| ISSN: | 0168-1591 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.02.003 |
| Popis: | Mice are macrosmatic animals that use olfaction as their main source of information to increase fitness; they process predator cues to assess risk, and plants and fruit cues to find nutritional resources and assess their quality or toxicity. In this study, we examined the effects of ethanol as an olfactory stimulus related to fruit rotting, against 2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT, a fox faeces compound), its native origin, the fox faeces and a negative control on avoidance, locomotor activity, and stress related behaviour, measured by the production of faecal boli. Our results showed that mice clearly avoided ethanol (P= The clear avoidance and behavioural effects of ethanol in mice have direct implications in laboratory animal research, where it is used widely. This avoidance effect could elicit stressful situations and modify behavioural and physiological responses in mice housed in research facilities. In addition, this avoidance could be used as a non-lethal, inexpensive and non-toxic tool in rodent pest management. To explain these results, we suggest ethanol as a probable cue for fruit ripening, in the wild, this chemical cue could convey primordial information about the ripening state of fruits, allowing animals to avoid over-ripe, unhealthy fruits. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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