Alexandra Destrez

Scientist

General information

Assistant Professor

DOCC – Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition

alexandra.destrez@agrosupdijon.fr

Job

Associate Professor, Institut Agro Dijon


2012 PhD, cognitive ethology
2009 Agricultural engineer diploma, animal sciences

Activities

Research theme
Before my job at the Institut Agro Dijon and CSGA, my research work has been focused on animal welfare and in particular mental states and cognitive functions in livestock. The issue of animal welfare is becoming increasingly important to European citizens and is a main concern about the future of livestock farming. Improving animal welfare requires an understanding of their behavioural and cognitive mechanisms. They are sentient beings i.e. they feel emotions. In this context, my research topic focuses on the understanding of animals’ sensory communication (especially olfaction) through their behavioral and cognitive mechanisms. I study the impact of emotions (mainly stress) on this communication in 3 contexts: mother-young relationship, feeding and human-animal relationship. This research orientation also allows me to provide study materials for engineering students in agronomy, knowledge and reflection on the evolution of farming practices.
Scientific approach
behavior, psychophysiology
Supervision

Aknowledgements

Key words
Animal cognition, animal welfare, olfaction, behaviour, human-animal relationship, ovine, livestock

Important publications

Destrez A., Coulon M., Deiss V., Delval E., Boissy A., Boivin X. (2013). The valence of the long-lasting emotional experiences with various handlers modulates sheep discrimination/generalization of individual humans. Journal of Animal Science, 91, 5418-26.


Destrez A., Deiss V., Leterrier C., Calandreau L., Boissy A. (2014). Repeated exposure to positive events induces optimistic-like judgment and enhances fearfulness in chronically stressed sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 154, 30–38.

Destrez A, Haslin E, Boivin X. (2018). What stockperson behavior during weighing reveals about the relationship between humans and suckling beef cattle: a preliminary study, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 209, 8-13.

Destrez A., Grimm P., Julliand V (2019). Dietary-induced modulation of the hindgut microbiota is related to behavioral responses during stressful events in horses. Physiology & Behavior, 202, 94-100.

Destrez A, Costes-Thiré M, Viart A-S, Prost F, Patris B, Schaal B (2021). Male mice and cows perceive human emotional chemosignals: a preliminary study, Animal Cognition, 2021, 1-10, DOI 10.1007/s10071-021-01511-6

Destrez A, Sausse C, Aublet V, Lanthony M, Schaal B, Costes-Thiré M (2022). Colouration and flavouring of sunflower seeds affect feeding behaviour in urban Carrion crows (Corvus corone): A preliminary study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 251 (2022) 105642.

Alary J, Schaal B, Chotro G, Patris B, Destrez A (2023). Mother’s scent for motherless neonates: Responses of artificially reared lambs to ewe’s inguinal wax odor. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 258 (2023) 105812

Jardat P, Destrez A, Damon F, Menard Peroy Z, Parias C, Barrière P, Keller M, Calandreau L, Lansade L (2023). Horses discriminate human body odors between fear and joy contexts in a habituation-discrimination protocol. Scientific Reports 13, 3285 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30119-8

DOCC – Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition