Giles Sarah L, Harris Pat, Rands Sean A, Nicol Christine J
School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, North Somerset, UK.
Equine Studies Group, WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK.
PeerJ. 2020 Nov 9;8:e10305. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10305. eCollection 2020.
Individual animals experience different costs and benefits associated with group living, which may impact on their foraging efficiency in ways not yet well specified. This study investigated associations between social dominance, body condition and interruptions to foraging behaviour in a cross-sectional study of 116 domestic horses and ponies, kept in 20 discrete herds. Social dominance was measured for each individual alongside observations of winter foraging behaviour. During bouts of foraging, the duration, frequency and category (vigilance, movement, social displacements given and received, scratching and startle responses) of interruptions were recorded, with total interruption time taken as a proxy measure of foraging efficiency. Total foraging time was not influenced by body condition or social dominance. Body condition was associated with social dominance, but more strongly associated with foraging efficiency. Specifically, lower body condition was associated with greater vigilance. This demonstrates that factors other than social dominance can result in stable differences in winter body condition.
个体动物在群体生活中会经历不同的成本和收益，这可能会以尚未明确的方式影响它们的觅食效率。本研究在一项横断面研究中调查了116匹家养马和矮种马的社会优势地位、身体状况与觅食行为中断之间的关联，这些马被饲养在20个独立的马群中。对每个个体测量了社会优势地位，并观察了冬季觅食行为。在觅食期间，记录了中断的持续时间、频率和类别（警惕、移动、给予和接受的社会位移、抓挠和惊吓反应），总中断时间被用作觅食效率的替代指标。总觅食时间不受身体状况或社会优势地位的影响。身体状况与社会优势地位有关，但与觅食效率的关联更强。具体而言，身体状况较差与更高的警惕性有关。这表明，除了社会优势地位之外，其他因素也可能导致冬季身体状况出现稳定差异。
