Boumans Iris J M M, de Boer Imke J M, Hofstede Gert Jan, Bokkers Eddie A M
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338, Wageningen, AH 6700, The Netherlands.
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338, Wageningen, AH 6700, The Netherlands.
Physiol Behav. 2018 Oct 1;194:23-40. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.04.032. Epub 2018 Apr 26.
Animals living in groups compete for food resources and face food conflicts. These conflicts are affected by social factors (e.g. competition level) and behavioural strategies (e.g. avoidance). This study aimed to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between social factors and behavioural strategies affecting feeding and social interaction patterns in animals. We focused on group-housed growing pigs, Sus scrofa, which typically face conflicts around the feeder, and of which patterns in various competitive environments (i.e. pig:feeder ratio) have been documented soundly. An agent-based model was developed to explore how interactions among social factors and behavioural strategies can affect various feeding and social interaction patterns differently under competitive situations. Model results show that pig and diet characteristics interact with group size and affect daily feeding patterns (e.g. feed intake and feeding time) and conflicts around the feeder. The level of competition can cause a turning point in feeding and social interaction patterns. Beyond a certain point of competition, meal-based (e.g. meal frequency) and social interaction patterns (e.g. displacements) are determined mainly by behavioural strategies. The average daily feeding time can be used to predict the group size at which this turning point occurs. Under the model's assumptions, social facilitation was relatively unimportant in the causation of behavioural patterns in pigs. To validate our model, simulated patterns were compared with empirical patterns in conventionally housed pigs. Similarities between empirical and model patterns support the model results. Our model can be used as a tool in further research for studying the effects of social factors and group dynamics on individual variation in feeding and social interaction patterns in pigs, as well as in other animal species.
群居动物会争夺食物资源并面临食物冲突。这些冲突受到社会因素（如竞争水平）和行为策略（如回避）的影响。本研究旨在加深我们对影响动物进食和社会互动模式的社会因素与行为策略之间复杂相互作用的理解。我们聚焦于群养的生长猪，即野猪，它们通常在喂食器周围面临冲突，并且在各种竞争环境（即猪与喂食器的比例）下的模式已有充分记录。我们开发了一个基于主体的模型，以探索在竞争情况下社会因素与行为策略之间的相互作用如何不同地影响各种进食和社会互动模式。模型结果表明，猪和饮食特征与群体大小相互作用，并影响每日进食模式（如采食量和进食时间）以及喂食器周围的冲突。竞争水平会导致进食和社会互动模式出现转折点。超过一定竞争点后，基于餐次的（如餐次频率）和社会互动模式（如驱赶行为）主要由行为策略决定。平均每日进食时间可用于预测出现该转折点时的群体大小。在该模型的假设下，社会促进在猪的行为模式形成中相对不重要。为了验证我们的模型，将模拟模式与传统饲养猪的实证模式进行了比较。实证模式与模型模式之间的相似性支持了模型结果。我们的模型可作为进一步研究的工具，用于研究社会因素和群体动态对猪以及其他动物物种进食和社会互动模式个体差异的影响。
