Aline Bertin

French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) | INRAE · INRAe UMR 85, CNRS-UMR 7247, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements (PRC)

Prenatal maternal stress (PMS) is known to shape the phenotype of the first generation offspring (F1) but according to some studies, it could also shape the phenotype of the offspring of the following generations. We previously showed in the Japanese quail that PMS increased the emotional reactivity of F1 offspring in relation to (i) a variation in...

The study of facial expressions in mammals provided great advances in the identification of their emotions and then in the comprehension of their sentience. So far, this area of research has excluded birds. With a naturalist approach, we analysed facial blushing and feather displays in domestic fowl. Hens were filmed in situations contrasting in em...

To improve the early perinatal conditions of broiler chicks, alternative hatching systems have been developed. On-farm hatching (OFH) with an enriched microbial and stimulating environment by the presence of an adult hen is a promising solution. Day-old certified JA 757 chicks were allotted within different hatching and rearing conditions: OFH, con...

Animal welfare is a result of accumulated negative and positive emotions. Therefore, it is important to limit the former and promote the latter. Doing so requires a precise identification of these emotions. The aim of this study was to characterize the behaviors, facial expressions and locomotor parameters of 21 horses in two conditions with opposi...

In mammals, human-animal bonding is recognized as a source of positive affect for companion or farm animals. Because this remains unexplored in birds, we investigated captive parrots' perspective of the human-animal relationship. We used a classical separation-reunion paradigm and predicted that variations in parrots' facial displays and behaviours...

As the sensory systems of vertebrates develop prenatally, embryos perceive many environmental stimuli that can influence the ontogeny of their behaviour. Whether the nature and intensity of prenatal stimuli affect differently this ontogeny remains to be investigated. In this context, this study aimed to analyse the effects of prenatal auditory stim...

Prenatal maternal stress (PMS) influences many facets of offspring’s’ phenotype including morphology, behaviour and cognitive abilities. Recent research suggested that PMS also induced epigenetic modifications. In the present study, we analysed, in the Japanese quail, the effects of PMS on the emotional reactivity and cognitive abilities of the F1...

In mammals, positive tactile contact is recognized as an effective tool for triggering positive affective states. In this study, we investigated the benefits of providing automatic rotative brushes for group-housed horses. Our three aims were: i. to determine whether horses used automatic brushes and if so how they used them; ii. to investigate whe...

Chronic stress profoundly affects forms of declarative memory, such as spatial memory, while it may spare non-declarative memory, such as cue-based memory. It is known, however, that the effects of chronic stress on memory systems may vary according to the level of training of an individual was submitted. Here, we investigated, in birds, how chroni...

It is now well-accepted that memory is a dynamic process, and that stress and training level may influence which memory system an individual engages when solving a task. In this work, we investigated whether and how chronic stress impacts spatial and cue-based memories according to training level. To that aim, control and chronically stressed Japan...

Recent studies have demonstrated that horses can recognize humans based simply on visual information. However, none of these studies have investigated whether this involves the recognition of the face itself, or simply identifying people from non-complex external clues, such as hair color. To go beyond this we wanted to know whether certain feature...

Chronic stress is a strong modulator of cognitive processes, such as learning and memory. There is, however, great within-individual variation in how an animal perceives and reacts to stressors. These differences in coping with stress modulate the development of stress-induced memory alterations. The present study investigated whether and how chron...

The present study examined in lambs whether exposure to flavors derived from pregnant mother's diet and transferred to amniotic fluid (AF) could induce a preference for artificial milk containing one of these flavors. To test this hypothesis, cumin was added to the maternal diet in the last month of gestation. Preference for artificial milk contain...

Parrots are highly social birds that are recognized for their primate-like cognitive abilities but their way to express emotions remain overlooked. Herein we explored potential facial indicators of emotions in cockatoos. We predicted that facial feather ruffling is an indicator of a cockatoo’s emotional state and hypothesized that specific facial f...

Avoidance of novelty, termed neophobia, protects animals from potential dangers but can also impair their adaptation to novel environments or food resources. This behaviour is particularly well described in birds but the neurobiological correlates remain unexplored. Here, we measured neuronal activity in the amygdala and the striatum, two brain reg...

Maternal behavior develops differently depending on characteristics of the individual, such as age or emotional reactivity. Social motivation, defined as the propensity to establish social contact, has been little studied in relation to maternal behavior in birds. In addition, the transition to motherhood is a time of plasticity in the brain of the...

Regular visual presence of humans is known to reduce chickens’ human-generated stress responses. Here we questioned whether, more than mere visual presence, human behaviour affects laying hen behaviour and subsequently their offspring’s behaviour. We hypothesized that human behaviour triggers maternal effects via variations in yolk hormone levels....

https://planet-vie.ens.fr/article/2571/neophobie-alimentaire-oiseaux

Behavioural and physiological markers of discrete positive emotions remain little investigated in animals. To characterise new markers in horses, we used tactile stimulations to induce emotional situation of contrasting valence. In the Gentle grooming group (G, N = 13) horses were gently groomed during 11 sessions on the body areas they appreciated...

Mainly recognized for their cognitive performance, the visual communication system and, particularly, the potential function of facial displays in parrots remain thus far unexplored. Here, we provide the first descriptive study of facial display use in captive blue-and-yellow macaws. We observed the feather position (sleeked or ruffled) on the crow...

The positive aspect of emotions, like pleasure, remains overlooked in birds. Our aim was to contribute to the exploration of facial indicators of positive emotions. To observe contrasting emotional expressions, we used two lines of Japanese quail divergently selected on their inherent fearfulness: a fearful line (long tonic immobility duration: LTI...

The infuence of embryonic microclimate on the behavioural development of birds remains unexplored. In this study, we experimentally tested whether chronic exposure to suboptimal temperatures engendered plasticity in the expression of fear-related behaviours and in the expression of the corticotropin-releasing factor in the brains of domestic chicks...

In fish, the presence of predator cues in the parental or juvenile environment engenders plasticity in the expression of fear-related behaviours. Whether these cues may engender developmental plasticity when they are present in the environment of embryos remains unexplored. Here, we tested in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss: (1) whether exposure...

We assessed whether the ratio of dietary n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) during egg formation engenders transgenerational maternal effects in domestic chicks. We analyzed yolk lipid and hormone concentrations, and HPA-axis activity in hens fed a control diet (high n-6/n-3 ratio) or a diet enriched in n-3 PUFAs (low n-6/n-3 ratio) for 6 c...

The genetic relationships between behavior and digestive efficiency were studied in 860 chickens from a cross between two lines divergently selected on digestive efficiency. At 2 weeks of age each chick was video-recorded in the home pen to characterize general activity and feeding behavior. Tonic immobility and open-field tests were also carried o...

Chronic stress is considered detrimental for an individual as it is a long-lasting negative emotional state, without or with a limited habituation. The reactivity and sensitivity of animals to stressors depend on the animal's organismic characteristics such as sex. In poultry, the studies dealing with chronic stress were mainly performed on females...

Dossier spécial « L’olfaction : de la molécule au comportement »

In birds there is compelling evidence that the development and expression of behavior is affected by maternal factors, particularly via variation in yolk hormone concentrations of maternal origin. In the present study we tested whether variation in yolk hormone levels lead to variation in the expression of neophobia in young domestic chicks. Unders...

In this study, we assessed whether prenatal exposure to elevated yolk steroid hormones can influence in ovo chemosensory learning and the behavior of domestic chicks. We simulated a maternal environmental challenge by experimentally enhancing yolk progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol concentrations in hen eggs prior to incubation. The embryos...

Background Behavioral traits such as sociability, emotional reactivity and aggressiveness are major factors in animal adaptation to breeding conditions. In order to investigate the genetic control of these traits as well as their relationships with production traits, a study was undertaken on a large second generation cross (F2) between two lines o...

Avian eggs contain a variety of maternally-derived substances that can influence the development and performance of offspring. The levels of these egg compounds vary in relation to environmental and genetic factors, but little is known about whether there are correlative links between maternal substances in the egg underlying common and different p...

Abstract Text: The social behavior of animals, which is partly controlled by genetics, is involved in their adaptation to large breeding groups. Genetic relationships between different social behaviors, fear behaviors and production traits were estimated in a second generation cross of two lines of Quail divergently selected for their social reinst...

Poster - Abstract

Chronic stress is a long-lasting negative emotional state that induces negative consequences on animals' psycho-physiological state. This study aimed at assessing whether unpredictable and repeated negative stimuli (URNS) influence feeding behaviour in quail. Sixty-four quail were exposed to URNS from day 17 to 40, while 64 quail were undisturbed....

The social behavior of animals, which is partially controlled by genetics, is one of the factors involved in their adaptation to large breeding groups. To understand better the relationships between different social behaviors, fear behaviors and production traits, we analyzed the phenotypic and genetic correlations of these traits in Japanese quail...

Nous avons testé l’hypothèse que l’embryon d’oiseau pouvait mémoriser les caractéristiques chimiosensorielles de l’alimentation maternelle et que cet apprentissage perceptif pouvait guider leurs préférences alimentaires après éclosion. Des poules pondeuses ont été nourries avec un aliment standard enrichi avec 2% d’huile de hareng - connue pour con...

In chicken, oils in the maternal diet confer a specific scent to the yolk. Embryos are known to perceive and memorize chemosensory signals of the surrounding environment; however, the potential impact of the maternal diet has not previously been investigated. In the present study, we hypothesized that chicken embryos memorize the chemical signals o...

Texte intégral sur CD ROM p:596-600"Chantier qualité spécifique "Auteurs Externes" département de Génétique animale : uniquement liaison auteur au référentiel HR-Access "

Background Environmental challenges might affect the maternal organism and indirectly affect the later ontogeny of the progeny. We investigated the cross-generation impact of a moderate heat challenge in chickens. We hypothesized that a warm temperature–within the thermotolerance range- would affect the hormonal environment provided to embryos by m...

Emotionality trait influences exploratory behaviour in Japanese quail. Diazepam decreases impact of emotionality on exploratory behaviour. Selection on tonic immobility response represents valuable model of bird anxiety. a b s t r a c t This study tested whether lines of Japanese quails divergently selected for a fear response, the tonic immobility...

There is considerable variability in the susceptibility of individuals to the adverse effects of chronic stress. In humans and other mammals, individual traits such as high anxiety are proposed as a vulnerability factor for the development of stress-related disorders. In the present study, we tested whether a similar behavioural trait in birds, a h...

In poultry farming, selection for high production, as for growth rate or feed efficiency, may be associated with risks for animal welfare. In this study, we tested whether divergent selection for a new trait linked to feed efficiency, i.e. digestibility, had correlated side effects on the behaviours of broiler chickens. Digestibility was assessed f...

Like mammals, bird embryos are capable of chemosensory learning, but the ontogeny of their feeding preferences has not been examined. We tested if the timing of stimulation in chicken embryos modulates the impact of in ovo olfactory stimulation on later food preferences. We exposed chicken embryos to an olfactory stimulus for a 4-day period in the...

When exposed to a new feed, farm birds are commonly reluctant to eat this feed. This phenomenon, called feed neophobia, could be reduced by exposing young animals to a variety of novel feeds. We investigated whether previous experience with a variety of feed colours could reduce food neophobia in turkeys. We hypothesised that both greater variety i...

An animal's emotional responses are the result of its cognitive appraisal of a situation. This appraisal is notably influenced by the possibility of an individual to exert control over an aversive event. Although the fact that environment controllability decreases emotional responses in animals is well established, far less is known about its poten...

There is considerable variability in the susceptibility of individuals to the adverse effects of chronic stress. In humans and other mammals, individual traits such as high anxiety are proposed as a vulnerability factor for the development of stress-related disorders. In the present study, we tested whether a similar behavioural trait in birds, hig...

Maternal stress effects on offspring development have been studied largely in rodents and primates, and to a lesser extent in farm animals. Potential lack of knowledge concerning prenatal stress on farm animals is regrettable because they are frequently subjected to a variety of husbandry stressors. Above all, effects of maternal stress on poultry...

En élevage, les animaux sont soumis à des stimulations négatives (SN), répétées et imprévisibles qui peuvent avoir des conséquences sur leur comportement et leur bien-être. Pour tester cette hypothèse, deux groupes de cailles (12 mâles et 12 femelles chacun) ont été constitués : un groupe a été exposé quotidiennement à des SN imprévisibles (e.g. br...

The development of fearfulness and the capacity of animals to cope with stressful events are particularly sensitive to early experience with mothers in a wide range of species. However, intrinsic characteristics of young animals can modulate maternal influence. This study evaluated the effect of intrinsic fearfulness on non-genetic maternal influen...

Individual phenotypic characteristics of many species are influenced by non-genetic maternal effects. Female birds can influence the development of their offspring before birth via the yolk steroid content of their eggs. We investigated this prenatal maternal effect by analysing the influence of laying females' social environment on their eggs' hor...

Chronic stress is known to induce long term alterations of emotional behaviours as well as cognitive performances leading thereby to welfare or husbandry problems. These stress-induced consequences are observed following long periods of stress lasting from several weeks to several years. The current study examined whether a shorter period of stress...

In several mammalian species, prenatal exposure to odours can elicit later positive consummatory behaviour in response to substrates bearing that odorant. In birds, the sense of smell has been considerably underestimated, and very little is known about the effects of early sensory experience on the regulation of feeding behaviour. We tested the hyp...

In many bird species prenatal exposure to yolk androgens of maternal origin has been found to influence offspring behavioural phenotype. In contrast to altricial birds, far less is known about maternal effects in precocial birds. In a previous experiment we found that female quail (Coturnix japonica) that were not previously habituated to humans (N...

Prenatal learning plays an important role in the ontogeny of behavior and birds provide a useful model to explore whether and how prenatal exposure to hormones of maternal origin can influence prenatal learning and the development of behavior. In this study we assessed if prenatal exposure to yolk testosterone can influence auditory learning in emb...

Avian yolk steroid levels may vary according to maternal condition or environmental factors, causing epigenetic modulation of offspring phenotype. Here we test whether artificial selection based on divergent duration of tonic immobility (TI) in Japanese quail (i.e., divergent inherent fearfulness) is correlated with divergent levels of yolk steroid...

Although photoperiodic cycles are known to be the most powerful entraining agent of circadian rhythms in homeotherms, social factors can also play a role in synchronizing activity rhythms. Here we review social influences on circadian behavioural rhythms in vertebrates, focusing on the types of possible effects and the types of stimuli eliciting th...