Percorrer por autor "Oliveira, Ana Rita"
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- Effects of environmental enrichment on the welfare of gilthead seabream broodstockPublication . Oliveira, Ana Rita; Cabrera-Álvarez, María J.; Soares, Florbela; Candeias-Mendes, Ana; Arechavala-Lopez, Pablo; Saraiva, JoãoThe intensification of aquaculture practices in the last decade has led to the reduction in welfare of farmed fish. Recently, one of the tools that has been considered important to guarantee or improve the welfare of captive fish is the application of environmental enrichment (EE). The physiological state and behaviour of fish can be used as indicators of the welfare of the animal, as well as of the positive impact of the EE in their well-being. In this study, behavioural and physiological indicators were measured to assess the effects of structural environmental enrichment on the welfare of gilthead seabream broodstock. Over the course of 5 months, 60 adult seabreams were distributed in six 3000 L cylindrical tanks. Three of the tanks were enriched with nine hanging organic ropes on 1 m2 floating structures, while the other three tanks had no enrichment. Fish were filmed regularly before, during, and after feeding, cleaning, and sampling procedures. Operational welfare indicators (OWIs) recently developed for farmed seabream were used and adapted to build an ethogram for the broodstock behaviour analysis. According to our results, fish reared in enriched tanks hardly schooled and presented a more independent swimming activity compared to fish from non-enriched tanks. Moreover, structural enrichment seemed to increase the spatial use of the bottom of the tank, and promoted seabream natural behaviour (hierarchical competitions, foraging, etc.). In addition, fish in enriched tanks presented a higher growth rate, and further studies will determine if such enrichment structures also affect reproductive potential of seabream broodstocks as well as epigenetic effects on offspring.
- Structural enrichment promotes natural behaviour and welfare of captive gilthead seabream broodstockPublication . Oliveira, Ana Rita; Cabrera-Álvarez, María José; Soares, Florbela; Diáz-Gil, Carlos; Candeias-Mendes, Ana; Saraiva, João; Arechavala-Lopez, PabloThe intensification of aquaculture practices in the last decade can compromise the welfare of farmed fish. However, one strategy to be considered to improve the welfare of captive fish is the implementation of structural enrichment in the rearing environment. The behavioural and physiological effects of suspended ropes inside rearing tanks were experimentally assessed on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) breeders, evaluating the potential use of such structures in production units. Over the course of six months, 60 adult gilthead seabreams, were reared in cylindrical tanks with and without structural enrichment. Fish were video recorded regularly before, during and after feeding. Biometry and blood samples for biochemical analyses of plasma (cortisol, glucose and lactate) were taken throughout the experiment. Suspended ropes modified the horizontal distribution of fish after feeding, influencing the swimming activity and social interactions throughout the experimental period. In addition, structural enrichment promoted foraging and anticipatory behaviour of gilthead seabream. No effects of structural enrichment were detected on gilthead seabream condition or growth, although there was an apparent positive yet fading effect of enrichment on plasma cortisol and glucose. In general, structural enrichment had diverse positive effects on the behaviour diversity and natural repertoire of captive gilthead seabream, and therefore, on fish welfare. This type of structural environmental enrichment can be easily incorporated into land-based flow-through and recirculating aquaculture systems, both for experimentation and commercial purposes.
- The impact of the work-family conflict on employee engagement, performance, and turnover intentionPublication . Ribeiro, Neuza; Gomes, Daniel; Oliveira, Ana Rita; Semedo, Ana SuzetePurpose The incompatibility between the sphere of work and the family is a reality that plagues many workers today. The difficult articulation of these two domains leads to the experience of the phenomenon called work-family conflict (WFC). This paper aims to assess the impact that WFC may have on employee engagement and performance, as well as on their turnover intention. It is also intended to test the mediating effect of engagement on the relationship between WFC and performance, and between WFC and the turnover intention. Design/methodology/approach One hundred and sixty-seven employees from various Portuguese organizations were surveyed. Respondents reported their perceptions of own WFC, engagement, performance and turnover intention. Findings The results revealed that employees who feel a higher WFC have lower levels of engagement and greater intention to leave the organization. The WFC showed no relation to performance. Engagement takes on the mediating role in the relationship between WFC and the turnover intention. Practical implications The relevance of this study is related to the implications that it may bring to companies in the context of implementing work-family balance strategies to reduce the referred conflict. Originality/value This study contributes to WFC literature by attempting to integrate in the same model four concepts in a single study to provide a model that depicts the chain of effects between WFC, engagement, individual performance and turnover intention, which has never been done in the Portuguese context.