English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Adjusting foraging strategies is a common phenomenon within groups of animals competing for the same resource. In polytocous mammals, neonates concurrently compete for limited milk and alternate between two foraging (suckling) strategies: adaptable exploratory foraging with random sampling of teats, and ordered foraging with a tendency towards exploiting a particular suckling position. Some theoretical (game theory) models have shown that weaker siblings in particular benefit from foraging specialization (suckling order). Neonate piglets establish a well-defined suckling order that develops gradually and fluctuates throughout the lactation period, implying the existence of inter-individual differences in foraging strategies. We therefore analyzed suckling behavior in pigs to determine whether one foraging strategy was more beneficial to neonates in terms of their body weight and foraging environment. We found that intermediate and heavy littermates tended to adjust their suckling strategy according to the foraging environment; however, the selected foraging strategy did not affect their overall growth performance. Lighter individuals that consumed significantly less milk did not greatly alternate their foraging strategy according to the foraging environment, but their growth rate was significantly higher whenever they performed less-exploratory foraging behavior. Although suckling order appeared to be a relatively stable behavioral phenotype, it was beneficial exclusively for weaklings. These results confirm theoretical predictions and indicate that specializing in a suckling position is a beneficial strategy for weaker, light neonates. These findings suggest that physically weaker neonates might have driven the evolution of neonatal foraging specialization.

In polytocous mammals, weakling neonates, but not their stronger littermates, benefit from specialized foraging