000151034 001__ 151034 000151034 005__ 20250221105702.0 000151034 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105643 000151034 0248_ $$2sideral$$a128733 000151034 037__ $$aART-2022-128733 000151034 041__ $$aeng 000151034 100__ $$aPlaza, J. 000151034 245__ $$aGPS monitoring reveals circadian rhythmicity in free-grazing sheep 000151034 260__ $$c2022 000151034 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000151034 5203_ $$aGPS collars are a technology that is used extensively to monitor livestock due to its versatility. In this study, the main objective was to confirm whether they can detect the circadian rhythmicity that modulates the behavior of free-grazing sheep. The Churra-breed flock that was monitored grazed an approx. 166-ha fenced area within a dehesa ecosystem in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Geolocations were recorded every 30 min for two years. Animal activities were categorized based on the speed; an animal was “moving” if the speed was > 0 m/s (the analyzed category), and “resting” if the speed was 0 m/s. Sheep grazing activity in terms of their speed, azimuth, and distance traveled, was subjected to a circadian adjustment derived from the online Cosinor tool. Results reveal that the flock activity, whether based on speed, distance traveled, or azimuth, fit a circadian rhythmicity (p < 0.05). In the summer, particularly July and August, sheep exhibited a significant advance in the acrophase (the time at which the peak of a rhythm occurs), which might have been caused by day length and temperature. In all seasons, flock activity was significantly higher in the diurnal period, while the lowest activity was found in all cases at night, although in the summer sheep activity was high at dawn. In addition, in the day, sheep activity was significantly higher in the fall than it was at other times of the year. The preferred grazing direction of the sheep was non-random, since it was modulated by the contour orientation and the limits of the grazing area. It could be concluded that GPS geolocations allow to demonstrate that free-grazing sheep activity is modulated by a circadian rhythmicity. 000151034 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/ 000151034 590__ $$a2.3$$b2022 000151034 591__ $$aVETERINARY SCIENCES$$b35 / 144 = 0.243$$c2022$$dQ1$$eT1 000151034 591__ $$aAGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE$$b18 / 62 = 0.29$$c2022$$dQ2$$eT1 000151034 591__ $$aBEHAVIORAL SCIENCES$$b33 / 52 = 0.635$$c2022$$dQ3$$eT2 000151034 592__ $$a0.63$$b2022 000151034 593__ $$aAnimal Science and Zoology$$c2022$$dQ1 000151034 593__ $$aFood Animals$$c2022$$dQ2 000151034 594__ $$a4.2$$b2022 000151034 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000151034 700__ $$aPalacios, C. 000151034 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-2827-3054$$aAbecia, J. A.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151034 700__ $$aNieto, J. 000151034 700__ $$aSánchez-García, M. 000151034 700__ $$aSánchez, N. 000151034 7102_ $$12008$$2700$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Produc.Animal Cienc.Ali.$$cÁrea Producción Animal 000151034 773__ $$g251 (2022), 105643 [8 pp.]$$pAppl. anim. behav. sci.$$tApplied Animal Behaviour Science$$x0168-1591 000151034 8564_ $$s6309031$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151034/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000151034 8564_ $$s2658953$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151034/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000151034 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:151034$$particulos$$pdriver 000151034 951__ $$a2025-02-21-09:52:57 000151034 980__ $$aARTICLE