ANSC 4100 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2025-2026
5 movements of housing - Answers i) movement of animal
ii) movement of nutrition/food
iii) movement of manure
iv) movement of humans in that facility
v) light/wind movement (can engineer light but not wind)
features of the animal that influence its environmental requirements - Answers natural history
(where it evolved, how it lived, what it's built for)
temperature requirements (hot, cold, temperatre, seasonal fluctuations in coat/metabolism)
patterns of locomotion and if this is part of enrichment - running, flying, perching, burrowing,
brachiating
social organization
feeding and drinking patterns
parental behaviour - bonding, isolation, nesting
other maintenance behaviour (wallowing, dustbathing, grooming)
how can genetics affect adaptability to different environments? - Answers tolerance to heat and
cold
coat colour and depth
disease resistance (exposure, specific pathogen-free/SPF facilities, resistant to infectious
diseases, geology and parasite resistance)
flightiness/hot, warm, cold-wired behaviour traits
handling and facility design
mothering ability and how much we want to allow this ability
what can rearing environment during development have effects on? - Answers morphology,
body shape, physical abilities
physiology, stress response
sensory systems
,learning - Answers temporary effects of experience
affect ability to adapt to feeding, watering, or other automated systems, handling
features of the environment that influence animal biology - Answers thermal environment (temp,
humidity, air movement, solar radiation)
group vs individual housing
flooring, bedding
constant vs fluctuating temps
lighting (type, incandescent, fluorescent, natural daylight, intensity, brightness, light:dark ratio,
schedule, constant, changing (chronobiology)
air quality - levels of dusts, gases, pathogens, affected by ventilation rates+patterns, flooring,
bedding, manure management, activity patterns of the animals
sanitation/hygiene/disease transfer (manure management, groups vs individual housing, indoor
vs outdoor housing)
nutrition/environment interactions
space and social setting (density, group composition)
equipment (flooring, design of cages, crates, feeders, drinkers)
noise
stress - Answers how animal copes when challenged beyond its behavioural and physiological
capacities to adapt to its environment
name two aspects crucial to an animal's psychological well-being - Answers can perform highly
motivated species appropriate behaviours
animal needs opportunities to have control over its environment
if both aren't satisfied leads to frustration and stress
5 freedoms - Answers Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
Freedom to express normal behavior
Freedom from fear and distress
, what determines an animal's coping pattern? what are the different coping patterns? - Answers
genetic disposition and early experience
i) threat of control - fight and flight (activates sympathico-adreno-medullary system, leading to
increased catecholamines, variable corticosteroids, and increased T)
ii) loss of control - depression (activates pituitary-adrenocortical system, leading to increased
corticosteroids, variable catecholamines, and decreased T)
how does an animal's "endpoint" affect their stress? - Answers animals that are most stressed
are those that live longer bc their stress is more chronic, whereas animals that live a short time
experience more acute stress (but this can affect meat quality)
what are the three responses to adverse environments? - Answers adaptation
acclimatization
habituation
adaptation - Answers change which reduces physiological strain produced by a stressful
component of the total environment - long-term change (genetic adaptation)
acclimatization - Answers shorter term change to an environmental stressor (seasonal or
geographical)
habituation - Answers reduction of responses to repeated stimulation
climatic stress - Answers extreme heat and cold, high humidity
physiological stress - Answers rapid growth, process of maturing sexually (genotype)
physical stress - Answers handling, immobilization, injections, transport
nutritional stress - Answers shortages of nutrients, feed intake control, subclinical metabolic
disorders
environmental stress - Answers bright light, wet bedding, poor ventilation
social stress - Answers overcrowding
pathological stress - Answers subclinical infection due to poor biosecurity/sanitation, hopefully
minimized w/optimization of all physiological stressors
avoidable stressors - Answers overcrowding/competition
poor ventilation (high ammonia)
handling
5 movements of housing - Answers i) movement of animal
ii) movement of nutrition/food
iii) movement of manure
iv) movement of humans in that facility
v) light/wind movement (can engineer light but not wind)
features of the animal that influence its environmental requirements - Answers natural history
(where it evolved, how it lived, what it's built for)
temperature requirements (hot, cold, temperatre, seasonal fluctuations in coat/metabolism)
patterns of locomotion and if this is part of enrichment - running, flying, perching, burrowing,
brachiating
social organization
feeding and drinking patterns
parental behaviour - bonding, isolation, nesting
other maintenance behaviour (wallowing, dustbathing, grooming)
how can genetics affect adaptability to different environments? - Answers tolerance to heat and
cold
coat colour and depth
disease resistance (exposure, specific pathogen-free/SPF facilities, resistant to infectious
diseases, geology and parasite resistance)
flightiness/hot, warm, cold-wired behaviour traits
handling and facility design
mothering ability and how much we want to allow this ability
what can rearing environment during development have effects on? - Answers morphology,
body shape, physical abilities
physiology, stress response
sensory systems
,learning - Answers temporary effects of experience
affect ability to adapt to feeding, watering, or other automated systems, handling
features of the environment that influence animal biology - Answers thermal environment (temp,
humidity, air movement, solar radiation)
group vs individual housing
flooring, bedding
constant vs fluctuating temps
lighting (type, incandescent, fluorescent, natural daylight, intensity, brightness, light:dark ratio,
schedule, constant, changing (chronobiology)
air quality - levels of dusts, gases, pathogens, affected by ventilation rates+patterns, flooring,
bedding, manure management, activity patterns of the animals
sanitation/hygiene/disease transfer (manure management, groups vs individual housing, indoor
vs outdoor housing)
nutrition/environment interactions
space and social setting (density, group composition)
equipment (flooring, design of cages, crates, feeders, drinkers)
noise
stress - Answers how animal copes when challenged beyond its behavioural and physiological
capacities to adapt to its environment
name two aspects crucial to an animal's psychological well-being - Answers can perform highly
motivated species appropriate behaviours
animal needs opportunities to have control over its environment
if both aren't satisfied leads to frustration and stress
5 freedoms - Answers Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
Freedom to express normal behavior
Freedom from fear and distress
, what determines an animal's coping pattern? what are the different coping patterns? - Answers
genetic disposition and early experience
i) threat of control - fight and flight (activates sympathico-adreno-medullary system, leading to
increased catecholamines, variable corticosteroids, and increased T)
ii) loss of control - depression (activates pituitary-adrenocortical system, leading to increased
corticosteroids, variable catecholamines, and decreased T)
how does an animal's "endpoint" affect their stress? - Answers animals that are most stressed
are those that live longer bc their stress is more chronic, whereas animals that live a short time
experience more acute stress (but this can affect meat quality)
what are the three responses to adverse environments? - Answers adaptation
acclimatization
habituation
adaptation - Answers change which reduces physiological strain produced by a stressful
component of the total environment - long-term change (genetic adaptation)
acclimatization - Answers shorter term change to an environmental stressor (seasonal or
geographical)
habituation - Answers reduction of responses to repeated stimulation
climatic stress - Answers extreme heat and cold, high humidity
physiological stress - Answers rapid growth, process of maturing sexually (genotype)
physical stress - Answers handling, immobilization, injections, transport
nutritional stress - Answers shortages of nutrients, feed intake control, subclinical metabolic
disorders
environmental stress - Answers bright light, wet bedding, poor ventilation
social stress - Answers overcrowding
pathological stress - Answers subclinical infection due to poor biosecurity/sanitation, hopefully
minimized w/optimization of all physiological stressors
avoidable stressors - Answers overcrowding/competition
poor ventilation (high ammonia)
handling
