Wageningen Animal Sciences

🌊🦑 Meet the mysterious inhabitants of the deep sea! As an associate professor in tropical marine biodiversity at Naturalis Biodiversity Center Nederland and Wageningen University & Research Lisa Becking studies life in the sea. With her work she aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of marine biodiversity. 🎤 There is ever growing concern for the sea. But does the public know what to care for? Lisa talks about all the sea we do not see in her TEDx Talk (📺 16 min): https://lnkd.in/ebfnXUME #animalscience

🔋ℹ️ Even minor changes in the surroundings of fish, livestock and wildlife can affect their energy usage. "This can slow growth in farmed fish and farm animals and reduce their resistance, without it being immediately visible. In the wild too, a lengthy disruption in the energy utilisation pattern, for example due to a shrinking habitat or pollution, can make an animal less fit", explains researcher Edwin Foekema. "If we find out what’s going on earlier, that will save time and reduce the negative effects on the animals", says Foekema. This is why our animal scientists are developing #sensors that give immediate information about energy utilisation. In the near future, this new #technology will allow fish and livestock farmers and nature managers to take action sooner in order to tackle the cause of the disruption. 💡 Read more about these sensors below ⤵️:https://lnkd.in/gy3eaG-U #Innovative #AnimalScience

"The special thing about dogs is that they are very good at understanding people. Dogs that live with humans sometimes understand and recognise our behaviour even better than the behaviour of other dogs. It is a species that has lived with humans for centuries. This makes it possible to study the influence of domestication and socialisation on what dogs can understand. Domestication is a long process by which a wild species slowly becomes adapted to living with humans. For a long time, dogs were thought to be so focused on humans as a 'by-product' of domestication. Nowadays, researchers believe that dogs have inherited the social traits of the wolf, but can apply them to humans through socialisation. Socialisation is a process by which an individual adapts to its environment and gets used to certain situations. It is quite possible that dogs become easily socialised with human situations and behaviours through domestication, and so there is an interplay between the two processes." "WUR is currently doing research on social cognitive skills of dogs. We investigate how much they understand about human behaviour and how dogs solve (social) problems. In the past, we have also researched the ways people interact with dogs. That research showed that people can have certain 'parenting styles' with their dogs, like parents have with children. For example, people who value their dog's wishes often train with rewards, while authoritarian owners often train with corrections. We now include this information in our research on social cognition to test whether the method of training, the bond with the owner, the dog's character or other factors influence how much a dog understands.“ "Research into dog behaviour and cognition is very important to learn more about what a dog needs to be happy. Dogs have certain basic needs, like food and sleep. But a dog also needs physical and mental challenges. Going for a walk three times a day is often not enough. When the dog and owner do activities or play together, it strengthens their bond. And a better bond with the owner improves the dog's mental state.” “Ultimately, it's about expectations, from both sides. When owners know what to expect from their dog it prevents both overestimation and disappointment. And when dogs know what to expect from their owners it reduces stress and frustration. It can be frustrating for the dog when expectations are not met or when a behaviour gets a different response every time." "Thorough research into what dogs understand about us can in turn help us understand them better. This benefits both the dog and the owner, and contributes to a harmonious society, where dogs are often present in large numbers. This research also provides valuable insights into the effects of socialisation and domestication on other animals living among humans." Jori Noordenbos – Research assistant & PhD student Behavioural Ecology #animalwelfare #dogs #animalscience

🔬🐑 Sick animals behave differently from healthy ones. But how can you monitor the behaviour of animals during infectious disease trials without having to keep watch over them around the clock? Researchers Norbert Stockhofe, Rineke de Jong and Ronald Petie are working together with Harmen Doekes on methods for tracking such behaviour. This will make animal trials more reliable, help refine and cut back on animal testing and improve animal welfare. 👉 Read more about this research: https://lnkd.in/eAWgfh6J #innovative #animalscience

🐽 🐷 🐖 In een dierwaardige veehouderij gaat het om de kwaliteit van leven vanuit het perspectief van het dier en het bieden van een leven dat de moeite waard is. Het gaat verder dan alleen een goede fysieke gezondheid. Het dier kan een positieve mentale staat (positief welzijn) bereiken doordat de leefomgeving aansluit bij gedragsbehoeften. In een serie van 3 afleveringen laten we zien welke eisen dat stelt aan de omgeving waarin we de dieren houden. Vandaag aflevering 3: koe. #dierwaardigeveehouderij

🧬 Wat is de meest veelbelovende methode om zaadcellen en embryo’s van zee-egels in te vriezen? Dat onderzocht Isaac Vermeulen, MSc student mariene ecologie. Het Centrum voor Genetische Bronnen Nederland (CGN) beheert genenbankcollecties van verschillende diersoorten. Voorafgaand aan het invriezen van genetisch materiaal van een nieuwe diersoort wordt altijd onderzoek gedaan naar invriesmethoden. Daarnaast wordt gekeken naar de vruchtbaarheid van het ingevroren materiaal, om invriesmethoden te valideren. Het invriezen van genetisch materiaal (cryoconservering) kan bijdragen aan het behoud en herstel van populaties. Maar over de mogelijkheden op het gebied van cryoconservering van ongewervelde aquatische soorten is nog weinig bekend. Samen met onderzoekers van het CGN heeft Isaac Vermeulen onderzocht wat de meest veelbelovende methode is om zaadcellen en embryo’s van zee-egels in te vriezen.   🔎Meer weten? Lees hier verder: https://lnkd.in/eNHz8upf

🐽 🐷 🐖 In een dierwaardige veehouderij gaat het om de kwaliteit van leven vanuit het perspectief van het dier en het bieden van een leven dat de moeite waard is. Het gaat verder dan alleen een goede fysieke gezondheid. Het dier kan een positieve mentale staat (positief welzijn) bereiken doordat de leefomgeving aansluit bij gedragsbehoeften. In een serie van 3 afleveringen laten we zien welke eisen dat stelt aan de omgeving waarin we de dieren houden. Vandaag aflevering 2: kip. #dierwaardigeveehouderij

This is a Humans of WUR story of people of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG). With these stories, we aim to spotlight our people. Today we spoke with Jacco van Rijssel. My name is Jacco and I have been working as a quantitative ecologist at Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) for seven years now. Originally, I am an evolutionary ecologist, studying how animals adapt to their environment and how species originate. Currently, I focus on freshwater and migratory fish in the national waters, rivers, and large lakes of the Netherlands. We monitor the freshwater fish population and interpret the developments we observe. I earned my PhD at the University of Leiden and conducted postdoctoral research at a freshwater research institute in Switzerland, EAWAG. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? I mainly work with fish, which have always fascinated me, perhaps because they are often invisible yet present. As a child, I already found fish interesting; my grandfather taught me to fish with a bamboo rod. During my studies, I worked with eel under the guidance of my now-colleague Arjan Palstra. Most of the research we do originates from questions from Rijkswaterstaat and LNV. It is motivating that our advice is often quickly adopted and applied, giving us serious recognition as researchers. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐒𝐆 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧? My work provides more insight into changes in fish species in national waters. Since 1997, we have been monitoring fish populations in these waters, resulting in a 25-year dataset. With this data, we can investigate whether factors like discharge, water level, and temperature affect fish populations. We can statistically analyse whether these factors significantly contribute to the trends we observe. This helps us understand how much climate variability contributes to the increase or decrease of fish species. Additionally, I lead projects like studying the behaviour and diet of the European catfish around a hydropower station adjacent to a weir. Rising water temperatures seem to stimulate the catfish's spread. This research aims to determine whether this protected species poses a threat to other protected fish species and invasive exotics. Thus, we gain insights that contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem issues. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐔𝐑/𝐀𝐒𝐆; 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟎 𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬’ 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? I have a lot of freedom in my work and can organise my day independently. Sometimes, I don't know if I'll be doing fieldwork the next day, but I enjoy that unpredictability. WMR has a flat structure: management and then directly the researchers. This gives researchers more responsibilities, which I find very pleasant. Additionally, I notice that clients highly value our research methods, which is greatly appreciated! #HumansofWUR #animalscience #marine

🐽 🐷 🐖 In een dierwaardige veehouderij gaat het om de kwaliteit van leven vanuit het perspectief van het dier en het bieden van een leven dat de moeite waard is. Het gaat verder dan alleen een goede fysieke gezondheid. Het dier kan een positieve mentale staat (positief welzijn) bereiken doordat de leefomgeving aansluit bij gedragsbehoeften. In een serie van 3 afleveringen laten we zien welke eisen dat stelt aan de omgeving waarin we de dieren houden. Vandaag aflevering 1: varken. #dierwaardigeveehouderij

💡🤝 Welke nieuwe kennis en samenwerking is nodig om in 2040 tot een dierwaardige veehouderij te komen? Op initiatief van Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship (CenSAS) gingen onderzoekers van Faculteit Diergeneeskunde (Universiteit Utrecht) en Wageningen Livestock Research in gesprek daarover. Nieuwsgierig? Bekijk hier het filmpje ⤵