Diurnal and ultradian rhythms of behaviour in a mare group of Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), measured through one year under semi-reserve conditions

Berger, Anne; Scheibe, Klaus-M; Eichhorn, K.; Scheibe, Annemarie; Streich, Jürgen

doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(99)00026-x

Cited by 83 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Taken together, our results showed that daily and seasonal variations of total activity rhythms in athletic Thoroughbred horses kept in stabled conditions were similar to those previously found either in sedentary horse or in Przewalski horses (E. f. przewalskii) maintained under semi-reserve conditions (Berger et al, 1999;Piccione et al, 2005;Arnold et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Our previous investigation in sedentary horses always kept inside their stalls with no physical activity showed robust diurnal activity rhythms (Piccione et al, 2005). The present results also confirmed studies in Przewalski horses maintained under semi-reserve, in free-living Camargue and in domestically managed Dutch Warmblood foals in which behavioural activities occurred primarily during daylight time (Boy and Duncan, 1979;Berger et al, 1999;Kurvers et al, 2006). Athletic Thoroughbred horses had the highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox and the lowest during the winter solstice.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Athletic Thoroughbred horses had the highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox and the lowest during the winter solstice. The highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox would depend on the environmental factors such as the increase of photoperiod (Berger et al, 1999;Arnold et al, 2006) and the ambient temperature comprised in the thermoneutral zone (Morgan, 1998). The lowest amount of horse activity during the winter solstice could be related both to the shortest photoperiods and to the lowest temperatures of the year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seasonal variations of locomotor activity in livestock have been poorly investigated. For instance, previous investigation showed the existence of seasonal variations of locomotor activity in the Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) maintained under semireserve conditions (Berger et al, 1999;Arnold et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses

Bertolucci

Giannetto

Fazio

et al. 2008

Animal

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Circadian rhythms reflect extensive programming of biological activity that meets and exploits the challenges and opportunities offered by the periodic nature of the environment. In the present investigation, we recorded the total activity of athletic horses kept at four different times of the year (vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice), to evaluate the presence of seasonal variations of daily activity rhythms. Athletic Thoroughbred horses were kept in individual boxes with paddock. Digitally integrated measure of total activity of each mare was continuously recorded by actigraphy-based data loggers. Horse total activities were not evenly distributed over the day, but they were mainly diurnal during the year. Daily activity rhythms showed clear seasonal variations, with the highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox and the lowest during the winter solstice. Interestingly, the amount of activity during either photophase or scotophase changed significantly throughout the year. Circadian analysis of horse activities showed that the acrophase, the estimated time at which the peak of the rhythm occurs, did not change during the year, it always occurred in the middle of the photoperiod. Analysing the time structure of long-term and continuously measured activity and feeding could be a useful method to critically evaluate athletic horse management systems in which spontaneous locomotor activity and feeding are severely limited. Circadian rhythms are present in several elements of sensory motor and psychomotor functions and these would be taken into consideration to plan the training schedules and competitions in athletic horses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses

Bertolucci

Giannetto

Fazio

et al. 2008

Animal

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show abstract

“…Los herbívoros son animales que pasan más de la mitad de su jornada diaria alimentándose, por lo cual la disponibilidad de alimento constituye uno de los elementos principales que influencia cambios fisiológicos, que a su vez, están modulados por la cantidad de horas luz presentesen cada estación (Berger, Scheibe, Eichhorn, Scheibe, & Streich, 1999;Crowell-Davis, Houpt, & Carnevale, 1985).En caprinos y ovinos (Gordon & McAllister, 1970), se han descrito un aumento en las jornadas de rumia beta-adrenérgicos de la membrana de los pinealocitos, que se encuentran en la glándula pineal, y su respuesta sigue un ritmo circadiano (Barriga, Martín, Tabla, Ortega, & Rodríguez, 2001;Romero, Zatz, Kebabian, & Axelrod, 1975). Dentro de los pinealicitos, los receptores activan la enzima adenilciclasa y posteriormente esta enzima activa el sistema AMPc, el cual se traduce en la síntesis de las enzimas N-acetil transferasa (NAT), enzima limitante de la velocidad de la biosíntesis de la melatonina, e hidroxindol-metiltransferasa (HIOMT).…”

Section: Influencia De La Melatonina Sobre La Fisiología Y La Conductunclassified