Effect of mothering on the spatial exploratory behavior of quail chicks

Previous maternal deprivation experiments demonstrated that absence of maternal care impacts the behavioral development of young animals. Here we assessed the influence of the presence of a mothering hen on the spatial exploration of Japanese quail chicks, after the mothering period. Brooded and non...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychobiology 2013-04, Vol.55 (3), p.256-264
Main Authors: de Margerie, E., Peris, A., Pittet, F., Houdelier, C., Lumineau, S., Richard-Yris, M.-A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior, Animal
behavioral development
breeding
Cognitive science
Coturnix japonica
exploration
Exploratory Behavior
fearfulness
Japanese quail
Life Sciences
Maternal Deprivation
mothering
Neuroscience
Psychology
Quail
Spatial Behavior
Statistics, Nonparametric
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous maternal deprivation experiments demonstrated that absence of maternal care impacts the behavioral development of young animals. Here we assessed the influence of the presence of a mothering hen on the spatial exploration of Japanese quail chicks, after the mothering period. Brooded and nonbrooded chicks were placed in a novel environment containing feeding troughs. The distribution of chicks and their inter‐individual distances were measured during repeated tests. Brooded chicks exhibited a higher ability to disperse, thereby progressively exploiting larger surfaces and gaining access to food more easily. The fact that exploration by nonbrooded chicks was delayed suggests a deficit in their exploratory motivation and/or spatial skills. We hypothesize that brooded chicks experienced the constraint to follow the mothering hen, and to adapt to frequent reconfigurations of their environment. The lack of this variability in the environment of nonbrooded chicks could have reduced adaptability of their spatial behavior. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 55: 256–264, 2013
ISSN:0012-1630
1098-2302
DOI:10.1002/dev.21019