scholarly journals Welfare of zebra finches used in research

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Homare Yamahachi ◽  
Anja T. Zai ◽  
Ryosuke O. Tachibana ◽  
Anna E. Stepien ◽  
Diana I. Rodrigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
The Past ◽  
Head Fixation ◽  
Ongoing Work ◽  
Irreversible Impairment ◽  
Behavioral Monitoring

AbstractOver the past 50 years, songbirds have become a valuable model organism for scientists studying vocal communication from its behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic perspectives. Many advances in our understanding of vocal learning result from research using the zebra finch, a close-ended vocal learner. We review some of the manipulations used in zebra finch research, such as isolate housing, transient/irreversible impairment of hearing/vocal organs, implantation of small devices for chronic electrophysiology, head fixation for imaging, aversive song conditioning using sound playback, and mounting of miniature backpacks for behavioral monitoring. We highlight the use of these manipulations in scientific research, and estimate their impact on animal welfare, based on the literature and on data from our past and ongoing work. The assessment of harm-benefits tradeoffs is a legal prerequisite for animal research in Switzerland. We conclude that a diverse set of known stressors reliably lead to suppressed singing rate, and that by contraposition, increased singing rate may be a useful indicator of welfare. We hope that our study can contribute to answering some of the most burning questions about zebra finch welfare in research on vocal behaviors.

scholarly journals Development and application of a robotic zebra finch (RoboFinch) to study multimodal cues in vocal communication

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Judith Varkevisser ◽  
Ezequiel Mendoza ◽  
Klaus Hochradel ◽  
Constance Scharff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Temporal Alignment ◽  
Stimulus Representation ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
And Control ◽  
Video Presentations

Understanding animal behaviour through psychophysical experimentation is often limited by insufficiently realistic stimulus representation. Important physical dimensions of signals and cues, especially those that are outside the spectrum of human perception, can be difficult to standardize and control separately with currently available recording and displaying techniques (e.g. video displays). Accurate stimulus control is in particular important when studying multimodal signals, as spatial and temporal alignment between stimuli is often crucial. Especially for audiovisual presentations, some of these limitations can be circumvented by the employment of animal robots that are superior to video presentations in all situations requiring realistic 3D presentations to animals. Here we report the development of a robotic zebra finch, called RoboFinch, and how it can be used to study vocal learning in a songbird, the zebra finch.

scholarly journals Highly efficient genome modification of cultured primordial germ cells with lentiviral vectors to generate transgenic songbirds

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Gessara ◽  
Falk Dittrich ◽  
Moritz Hertel ◽  
Staffan Hildebrand ◽  
Alexander Pfeifer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Primordial Germ Cells ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Lentiviral Vectors ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Stem Cell Markers ◽  
Highly Efficient

SUMARYThe ability to genetically manipulate organisms has led to significant insights in functional genomics in many species. In birds, manipulation of the genome is hindered by the inaccessibility of the one-cell embryo. During embryonic development, avian primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate through the blood stream and reach the gonadal anlage; where they develop into mature germ cells. Here, we explored the use of PGCs to produce transgenic offspring in the zebra finch, which is a major animal model for sexual brain differentiation, vocal learning and vocal communication. Zebra finch PGCs (zfPGCs) obtained from embryonic blood significantly proliferated when cultured in an optimized culture medium and conserved the expression of germ and stem cell markers. Transduction of cultured zfPGCs with lentiviral vectors was highly efficient leading to strong expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP). Transduced zfPGCs were injected into the host embryo and transgenic songbirds were successfully generated.

scholarly journals Development and application of a robotic zebra finch (RoboFinch) to study multimodal cues in vocal communication

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Judith Varkevisser ◽  
Ezequiel Mendoza ◽  
Klaus Hochradel ◽  
Constance Scharff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Temporal Alignment ◽  
Stimulus Representation ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
And Control ◽  
Video Presentations

Understanding animal behaviour through psychophysical experimentation is often limited by insufficiently realistic stimulus representation. Important physical dimensions of signals and cues, especially those that are outside the spectrum of human perception, can be difficult to standardize and control separately with currently available recording and displaying techniques (e.g. video displays). Accurate stimulus control is in particular important when studying multimodal signals, as spatial and temporal alignment between stimuli is often crucial. Especially for audiovisual presentations, some of these limitations can be circumvented by the employment of animal robots that are superior to video presentations in all situations requiring realistic 3D presentations to animals. Here we report the development of a robotic zebra finch, called RoboFinch, and how it can be used to study vocal learning in a songbird, the zebra finch.

scholarly journals Development and application of a robotic zebra finch (RoboFinch) to study multimodal cues in vocal communication

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Judith Varkevisser ◽  
Ezequiel Mendoza ◽  
Klaus Hochradel ◽  
Constance Scharff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Temporal Alignment ◽  
Stimulus Representation ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
And Control ◽  
Video Presentations

Understanding animal behaviour through psychophysical experimentation is often limited by insufficiently realistic stimulus representation. Important physical dimensions of signals and cues, especially those that are outside the spectrum of human perception, can be difficult to standardize and control separately with currently available recording and displaying techniques (e.g. video displays). Accurate stimulus control is in particular important when studying multimodal signals, as spatial and temporal alignment between stimuli is often crucial. Especially for audiovisual presentations, some of these limitations can be circumvented by the employment of animal robots that are superior to video presentations in all situations requiring realistic 3D presentations to animals. Here we report the development of a robotic zebra finch, called RoboFinch, and how it can be used to study vocal learning in a songbird, the zebra finch.

scholarly journals Development and application of a robotic zebra finch (RoboFinch) to study multimodal cues in vocal communication

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Judith Varkevisser ◽  
Ezequiel Mendoza ◽  
Klaus Hochradel ◽  
Constance Scharff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Temporal Alignment ◽  
Stimulus Representation ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
And Control ◽  
Video Presentations

Understanding animal behaviour through psychophysical experimentation is often limited by insufficiently realistic stimulus representation. Important physical dimensions of signals and cues, especially those that are outside the spectrum of human perception, can be difficult to standardize and control separately with currently available recording and displaying techniques (e.g. video displays). Accurate stimulus control is in particular important when studying multimodal signals, as spatial and temporal alignment between stimuli is often crucial. Especially for audiovisual presentations, some of these limitations can be circumvented by the employment of animal robots that are superior to video presentations in all situations requiring realistic 3D presentations to animals. Here we report the development of a robotic zebra finch, called RoboFinch, and how it can be used to study vocal learning in a songbird, the zebra finch.

scholarly journals Discrimination of natural acoustic variation in vocal signals

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Fishbein ◽  
Nora H. Prior ◽  
Jane A. Brown ◽  
Gregory F. Ball ◽  
Robert J. Dooling
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Acoustic Variation ◽  
Zebra Finch Song ◽  
Human Listener

AbstractStudies of acoustic communication often focus on the categories and units of vocalizations, but subtle variation also occurs in how these signals are uttered. In human speech, it is not only phonemes and words that carry information but also the timbre, intonation, and stress of how speech sounds are delivered (often referred to as “paralinguistic content”). In non-human animals, variation across utterances of vocal signals also carries behaviorally relevant information across taxa. However, the discriminability of these cues has been rarely tested in a psychophysical paradigm. Here, we focus on acoustic communication in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species in which the male produces a single stereotyped motif repeatedly in song bouts. These motif renditions, like the song repetitions of many birds, sound very similar to the casual human listener. In this study, we show that zebra finches can easily discriminate between the renditions, even at the level of single song syllables, much as humans can discriminate renditions of speech sounds. These results support the notion that sensitivity to fine acoustic details may be a primary channel of information in zebra finch song, as well as a shared, foundational property of vocal communication systems across species.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IDEAS OF «GREEN» LIBRARIES IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BELARUS AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. A. Sivurоva ◽  
T. G. Chegodaeva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Awareness ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ongoing Work ◽  
The Way

The article shows the way the Belarus Agricultural Library (BelAL) has been following the ideas of «green libraries»: it describes environmentally friendly practices implemented in the library over the past years; particular attention is paid to the ongoing work of the Green Office Belarus Agricultural Library (GO!BelAL); the authors outlined the prospects for the development of the library in promoting the goals of sustainable development and environmental awareness.

The frame/content theory of evolution of speech production

1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. MacNeilage
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
External Input ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Species Specific

The species-specific organizational property of speech is a continual mouth open-close alternation, the two phases of which are subject to continual articulatory modulation. The cycle constitutes the syllable, and the open and closed phases are segments – vowels and consonants, respectively. The fact that segmental serial ordering errors in normal adults obey syllable structure constraints suggests that syllabic “frames” and segmental “content” elements are separately controlled in the speech production process. The frames may derive from cycles of mandibular oscillation present in humans from babbling onset, which are responsible for the open-close alternation. These communication- related frames perhaps first evolved when the ingestion-related cyclicities of mandibular oscillation (associated with mastication [chewing] sucking and licking) took on communicative significance as lipsmacks, tonguesmacks, and teeth chatters – displays that are prominent in many nonhuman primates. The new role of Broca's area and its surround in human vocal communication may have derived from its evolutionary history as the main cortical center for the control of ingestive processes. The frame and content components of speech may have subsequently evolved separate realizations within two general purpose primate motor control systems: (1) a motivation-related medial “intrinsic” system, including anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area, for self-generated behavior, formerly responsible for ancestral vocalization control and now also responsible for frames, and (2) a lateral “extrinsic” system, including Broca's area and surround, and Wernicke's area, specialized for response to external input (and therefore the emergent vocal learning capacity) and more responsible for content.

scholarly journals Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the Past, Navigating the Present, Planning for the Future

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Pelletier ◽  
Maurice Doyon ◽  
Bruce Muirhead ◽  
Tina Widowski ◽  
Jodey Nurse-Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Face ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Societal Expectations ◽  
Management Changes

Like other livestock sectors, the Canadian egg industry has evolved substantially over time and will likely experience similarly significant change looking forward, with many of these changes determining the sustainability implications of and for the industry. Influencing factors include: technological and management changes at farm level and along the value chain resulting in greater production efficiencies and improved life cycle resource efficiency and environmental performance; a changing policy/regulatory environment; and shifts in societal expectations and associated market dynamics, including increased attention to animal welfare outcomes—especially in regard to changes in housing systems for laying hens. In the face of this change, effective decision-making is needed to ensure the sustainability of the Canadian egg industry. Attention both to lessons from the past and to the emerging challenges that will shape its future is required and multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are needed to understand synergies and potential trade-offs between alternative courses of action across multiple aspects of sustainability. Here, we consider the past, present and potential futures for this industry through the lenses of environmental, institutional (i.e., regulatory), and socio-economic sustainability, with an emphasis on animal welfare as an important emergent social consideration. Our analysis identifies preferred pathways, potential pitfalls, and outstanding cross-disciplinary research questions.

scholarly journals miR-9 regulates basal ganglia-dependent developmental vocal learning and adult vocal performance in songbirds

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhimin Shi ◽  
Zoe Piccus ◽  
Xiaofang Zhang ◽  
Huidi Yang ◽  
Hannah Jarrell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Language Impairments ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Behavioral Deficits ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Dopamine Signaling ◽  
Area X

miR-9 is an evolutionarily conserved miRNA that is abundantly expressed in Area X, a basal ganglia nucleus required for vocal learning in songbirds. Here, we report that overexpression of miR-9 in Area X of juvenile zebra finches impairs developmental vocal learning, resulting in a song with syllable omission, reduced similarity to the tutor song, and altered acoustic features. miR-9 overexpression in juveniles also leads to more variable song performance in adulthood, and abolishes social context-dependent modulation of song variability. We further show that these behavioral deficits are accompanied by downregulation of FoxP1 and FoxP2, genes that are known to be associated with language impairments, as well as by disruption of dopamine signaling and widespread changes in the expression of genes that are important in circuit development and functions. These findings demonstrate a vital role for miR-9 in basal ganglia function and vocal communication, suggesting that dysregulation of miR-9 in humans may contribute to language impairments and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

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