Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress
Heat stress (HS) negatively affects animal productivity and welfare. The usage of wearable sensors to detect behavioral changes in ruminants undergoing HS has not been well studied. This study aimed to investigate changes in sheep’s behavior using a wearable sensor and explore how ambient temperatur...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/16/9281 |
| _version_ | 1797585628406218752 |
|---|---|
| author | Barbara Roqueto dos Reis Tien Nguyen Sathya Sujani Robin R. White |
| author_facet | Barbara Roqueto dos Reis Tien Nguyen Sathya Sujani Robin R. White |
| author_sort | Barbara Roqueto dos Reis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heat stress (HS) negatively affects animal productivity and welfare. The usage of wearable sensors to detect behavioral changes in ruminants undergoing HS has not been well studied. This study aimed to investigate changes in sheep’s behavior using a wearable sensor and explore how ambient temperature influenced the algorithm’s capacity to classify behaviors. Six sheep (Suffolk, Dorset, or Suffolk × Dorset) were assigned to 1 of 2 groups in a cross-over experimental design. Groups were assigned to one of two rooms where they were housed for 20d prior to switching rooms. The thermal environment within the rooms was altered five times per period. In the first room, the temperature began at a thermoneutral level and gradually increased before decreasing. Simultaneously, in the second room, the temperature began at hot temperatures and gradually decreased before increasing again. Physiological responses (respiratory rate, heart rate, and rectal temperature) were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. A random forest algorithm was developed to classify lying, standing, eating, and ruminating (while lying and standing). Thermal stress shifted daily animal behavior budgets, increasing total time spent standing in hot conditions (<i>p =</i> 0.036). Although models had a similar capacity to classify behaviors within a temperature range, their accuracy decreased when applied outside that range. Although wearable sensors may help classify behavioral shifts indicative of thermal stress, algorithms must be robustly derived across environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:09:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a63f54fc023e40ceb9c02994ee838589 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:09:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a63f54fc023e40ceb9c02994ee8385892023-11-19T00:07:18ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-08-011316928110.3390/app13169281Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat StressBarbara Roqueto dos Reis0Tien Nguyen1Sathya Sujani2Robin R. White3School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USASchool of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USASchool of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USASchool of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USAHeat stress (HS) negatively affects animal productivity and welfare. The usage of wearable sensors to detect behavioral changes in ruminants undergoing HS has not been well studied. This study aimed to investigate changes in sheep’s behavior using a wearable sensor and explore how ambient temperature influenced the algorithm’s capacity to classify behaviors. Six sheep (Suffolk, Dorset, or Suffolk × Dorset) were assigned to 1 of 2 groups in a cross-over experimental design. Groups were assigned to one of two rooms where they were housed for 20d prior to switching rooms. The thermal environment within the rooms was altered five times per period. In the first room, the temperature began at a thermoneutral level and gradually increased before decreasing. Simultaneously, in the second room, the temperature began at hot temperatures and gradually decreased before increasing again. Physiological responses (respiratory rate, heart rate, and rectal temperature) were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. A random forest algorithm was developed to classify lying, standing, eating, and ruminating (while lying and standing). Thermal stress shifted daily animal behavior budgets, increasing total time spent standing in hot conditions (<i>p =</i> 0.036). Although models had a similar capacity to classify behaviors within a temperature range, their accuracy decreased when applied outside that range. Although wearable sensors may help classify behavioral shifts indicative of thermal stress, algorithms must be robustly derived across environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/16/9281individual monitoringheat stressbehavior |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Roqueto dos Reis Tien Nguyen Sathya Sujani Robin R. White Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress Applied Sciences individual monitoring heat stress behavior |
| title | Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress |
| title_full | Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress |
| title_fullStr | Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress |
| title_short | Open-Source Wearable Sensors for Behavioral Analysis of Sheep Undergoing Heat Stress |
| title_sort | open source wearable sensors for behavioral analysis of sheep undergoing heat stress |
| topic | individual monitoring heat stress behavior |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/16/9281 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT barbararoquetodosreis opensourcewearablesensorsforbehavioralanalysisofsheepundergoingheatstress AT tiennguyen opensourcewearablesensorsforbehavioralanalysisofsheepundergoingheatstress AT sathyasujani opensourcewearablesensorsforbehavioralanalysisofsheepundergoingheatstress AT robinrwhite opensourcewearablesensorsforbehavioralanalysisofsheepundergoingheatstress |