Mothers provide similar care to related and unrelated chicks in quail

International audienceAdoption is a usual procedure to experiment non-genomic influences on young development. However relatedness may be a variation factor of maternal behaviour who can recognize and/or discriminate her own young that non-related ones. Here we investigate the influence of relatedness on maternal and chicks' behaviour during breeding period in a precocial bird, the Japanese quail. We placed 2 non-related chicks and 2 related chicks with a mother (N = 24). We recorded their behaviour andtheir distance during the 11 days of mothering. Then we tested the emotivity and social development of chicks with 4 behavioural tests: openfield/novel object, emergence with sudden test for emotivity; separation and runway for social. We analysed the data with PCA, one for mothers' behaviour, one for chicks' behaviour and one for behaviouraldevelopment. We compared by GLMM the distances and the PCA factorial scores of the individuals. We had not noticed any difference of maternal behaviour (Factor 1: p = 0.71; Factor 2: p = 0.64), chicks' behaviour (Factor 1: p = 0.71; Factor 2: p = 0.64) and distances between individuals (P = 0.38) according to the relatedness of the chicks. Their emotivity (Factor 1: p = 0.39) and social (Factors 2 & 3: p = 0.80 & p = 0.90) profiles were not significantly different whether they were related or not. Our results had shown that relatedness was not a crucial factor of maternal behavioural variation in quail and raised the question about recognition and discrimination of the chicks by the mother in precocial solitary birds

Chitosan Functionalization: Covalent and Non-Covalent Interactions and Their Characterization

Chitosan (CS) is a natural biopolymer that has gained great interest in many research fields due to its promising biocompatibility, biodegradability, and favorable mechanical properties. The versatility of this low-cost polymer allows for a variety of chemical modifications via covalent conjugation and non-covalent interactions, which are designed to further improve the properties of interest. This review aims at presenting the broad range of functionalization strategies reported over the last five years to reflect the state-of-the art of CS derivatization. We start by describing covalent modifications performed on the CS backbone, followed by non-covalent CS modifications involving small molecules, proteins, and metal adjuvants. An overview of CS-based systems involving both covalent and electrostatic modification patterns is then presented. Finally, a special focus will be given on the characterization techniques commonly used to qualify the composition and physical properties of CS derivatives

Maternal influences on vocal development in a precocial bird, the Japanese Quail (Coturnix c. japonica)

International audienceIn many mammals and birds, the mother play a major role in the development of their young through pre- and postnatal influences. As early as prenatally, the embryo is exposed to olfactory, visual and auditory stimulations that are likely to affect the behavioural expression of the young during postnatal life. In particular, several studies have shown the effects of auditory stimulation in ovo on perceptual responses or hearing preferences for maternal vocalizations after hatching. The mother can also influence the behavioural phenotype of her young at the postnatal stage through her presence and behaviour. In this study, we explored both prenatal and postnatal maternal influences on the vocal development of a precocial bird, the Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica). To do this, fertilized eggs were incubated in the laboratory, and they were stimulated (s) or not (ns) by maternal vocalizations during the last days of incubation. After hatching, the stimulated group and the control groups were paired, and were raised with (M) or without an adoptive mother (NM). The vocal development of chicks from four experimental groups were thus compared: Ms, Mns, NMs and NMns. Vocalizations were recorded in situation of social isolation (separation from the familiar chick (all groups) and from the mother (Ms and Mns), during the mothering period and until the age of two months. The first results indicate pre- and postnatal maternal influences on vocalizations’ structure. This confirms that vocal plasticity exists in the Japanese quail, a species that is traditionally considered as a non-vocal learner

Brood size can influence maternal behaviour and chick’s development in precocial birds

International audienceMothers have a crucial influence on offspring development. Variations of maternal behaviour can be due to numerous parameters, for instance costs are related to the size of a brood/litter, which in turn can influence the level of mothers’ investment in each offspring. Here we investigated the influence of brood size on the behaviour of Japanese quail mothers and chicks during the mothering period and on offspring development. We compared two types of broods: small broods of three chicks (N = 9) and large broods of six chicks (N = 9). Behavioural tests assessed chicks’ social and emotional traits. Mothers of large broods emitted more maternal vocalisations at the beginning of the mothering period, but at the end they assumed more non-covering postures and trampled chicks more than mothers of small broods. Chicks in large broods huddled up more whereas chicks in small broods rested alone more frequently. Moreover, the social motivation of chicks in large broods was higher than that of chicks in small broods, although their emotional reactivity levels were similar. Our results evidence the importance of brood size for maintaining family cohesion and the influence of brood size on chicks’ interactions with their siblings. We evaluated the influence of mothers and siblings on chicks’ behavioural development

Brood size affects maternal behaviour and chick’s social development in a precocial bird

International audienceThe size of a brood can be costly for the mother, which in turn can influence the level of her investment in each offspring. This factor can lead to a change in the development of offspring. Here we investigated the influence of brood size on maternal and chicks’ behaviour during the mothering period and on offspring development in the Japanese quail. We compared two sizes of brood: small broods of three chicks (N=9) and large broods of six chicks (N=9). We observed mothers’ and chicks’ behaviour during the mothering period and we assessed chicks’ social and emotional traits with behavioural tests. Our results show that mothers of large broods emitted more maternal vocalisations at the beginning of mothering period but, at the end, they were more negligent with their chicks than mothers of small broods. Furthermore, chicks of large brood huddled up more whereas chicks of small broods rested alone more frequently. Finally, these chicks developed a higher level of social motivation than that of small brood chicks, although their emotional reactivity levels were no different. We evidence the importance of brood size and the brood’s influence on the chicks’ interactions with their siblings which both impact on the chicks’ social development

La taille de la couvée influence les vocalisations maternelles et le développement social des cailleteaux

National audienceLa mère en tant que partenaire privilégiée du jeune, est un facteur primordial de son développement. Les variations du comportement maternel sont dues à de nombreux facteurs liés à l'environnement, la femelle ou bien aux jeunes eux-mêmes. Chez les mammifères, le nombre de jeunes peut augmenter la charge de la femelle et donc influencer sa fitness, modifiant son investissement maternel. Nous avons cherché ici à étudier l'influence de la taille de la couvée sur le comportement maternel et le développement des poussins chez une espèce d'oiseau nidifuge, la caille japonaise. Nous avons formé 2 lots de 10 mère-jeunes, un de petites couvées avec 3 poussins (P) et un de grandes couvées avec 6 poussins (G). Nous avons ensuite observé le comportement des mères et celui des jeunes durant les 11 jours de maternage suivant l'adoption. Puis, à travers différents tests comportementaux, nous avons établi un profil social et émotif des cailleteaux après émancipation.La taille de la couvée module les vocalisations maternelles et le type de réchauffement maternel. Elle modifie également le comportement des cailleteaux qui se réchauffent mutuellement plus à la fin du maternage lorsqu'il sont plus nombreux. Les cailleteaux de grandes couvées montrent également une plus grande motivation sociale mais pas de différence en émotivité. Ces résultats exposent l'importance de la taille de la couvée sur la cohésion du groupe familial. Nous concluons sur l'influence mutuelle de la mère et de la fratrie sur le développement des cailleteaux

Modulation des effets d’une influence maternelle prénatale par l’apport de soins maternels postnataux chez le cailleteau

National audienceLes influences maternelles prénatales et postnatales jouent un rôle fondamental dans le développement d’un individu. Bien que l’interaction entre ces deux stades d’influence soit rarement explorée, leur étude est cruciale pour mieux comprendre le rôle des effets maternels sur la construction comportementale. Nos précédents travaux chez la caille japonaise (Coturnix japonica) ont montré que le stress de femelles en phase de ponte affectait le développement comportemental ultérieur de leurs jeunes, les femelles stressées produisant des œufs plus riches en testostérone, et en conséquence des jeunes plus émotifs. Cette présente étude vise alors à explorer l’impact de la présence d’une mère en phase postnatale sur les effets prénatals du stress maternel. Nous avons élevé des jeunes issus de femelles stressées, soit en groupes uniquement de jeunes (lot non materné NM, N = 27), soit en groupes de jeunes et en présence d’une mère adoptive (lot 22 materné M, N = 29). Il est ainsi apparu que les jeunes M étaient moins lourds pendant les trois premières semaines de vie, comparés aux jeunes NM. De plus, les jeunes M ont exprimé, après émancipation avec la mère, une plus faible réactivité émotionnelle que les jeunes NM. Nos résultats suggèrent donc que les soins maternels postnataux peuvent renverser les conséquences phénotypiques issues d’une influence maternelle prénatale. L’étude des interactions entre les influences maternelles prénatales et postnatales est donc fondamentale dans la compréhension de l’émergence de la variabilité phénotypique et l’évolution des populations

Trace anthracene electrochemical detection based on electropolymerized-molecularly imprinted polypyrrole modified glassy carbon electrode

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Prenatal maternal stress impairs the development of cognitive abilities in Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica)

International audienceIt is well established that the prenatal environment can have profound and long-term influences on individual behavioural development. The exposure of a gestating or laying female to stressful events, affects their offspring’s emotional reactivity and social behaviour through hormonal modulations of fetal environment or yolk contents. In mammals, this prenatal maternal stress can also impact offspring’s cognitive abilities but in birds such effects have rarely been explored. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prenatal maternal stress on Japanese quail’s learning capacities. For 24 days, laying quails were either submitted daily to unpredictable and repeated aversive stimuli (physical restraint, unexpected sounds, overcrowding, air or water spurt, etc.) or left undisturbed. Then, the emotional reactivity and learning abilities of females’ offspring were analyzed. Our results confirm that prenatal maternal stress affects emotional reactivity as stressed females’ offspring were more emotive in emergence and novel object tests than those of controls. But, we show also that prenatal maternal stress impairs offspring’s learning abilities. Firstly, stressed females’ chicks were less efficient during the probe test of a spatial learning task. Secondly, they failed in a conditioned place preference test as contrary to the control birds, they were not able to learn the rewarded place. Here we evidence that prenatal maternal stress impacts offspring’s behavioural development and cognitive abilities that may impair individual’s capacity to adapt to their environment

Impact neurobiologique et comportemental du stress prénatal chez la caille japonaise (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

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