Cephalopods have been defined as "advanced invertebrates" due to the complexity of their nervous system and to their sophisticated behavioural repertoire. However, until recently, the protection and welfare of this class of invertebrates has been mostly disregarded by EU regulations on the use of laboratory animals. The inclusion of "live cephalopods" in the Directive 2010/63/EU has been prompted by new scientific knowledge on the "sentience" of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes, a fundamental criterion to which animal species are included or not under the protective umbrella of the Directive. In this scenario, the imminent publication of the Guidelines for the care and welfare of cephalopods in research as an initiative by the CephRes-FELASA-Boyd Group is a sign of ethical progress in the consideration of animals in research, and is likely to have a significant impact on both scientific and practical aspects of research conducted with these animals.

While invertebrates make up the majority of animal species, their welfare is overlooked compared to the concern shown to vertebrates. This fact is highlighted by the near absence of regulations in animal research, with the exception of cephalopods in the European Union. This is often justified by assumptions that invertebrates do not experience pain and stress while lacking the capacity for higher order cognitive functions. Recent research suggests that invertebrates may be just as capable as vertebrates in experiencing pain and stress, and some species display comparable cognitive capacities. Another obstacle is the negative view of invertebrates by the public, which often regards them as pests with no individual personalities, gastronomic entities, or individuals for scientific experimentation without rules. Increasingly, studies have revealed that invertebrates possess individual profiles comparable to the personalities found in vertebrates. Given the large economic impact of invertebrates, developing certain attitude changes in invertebrate welfare may be beneficial for producers while providing higher welfare conditions for the animals. While the immense number and type of species makes it difficult to suggest that all invertebrates will benefit from increased welfare, in this review we provide evidence that the topic of invertebrate welfare should be revisited, more thoroughly investigated, and in cases where appropriate, formally instituted.

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is a widespread phenomenon in nature. Although the mechanisms of action of EDCs are actively studied, the consequences of endocrine disruption (ED) at the population level and the adaptations evolved to cope with chronic EDC exposure have been overlooked. Birds probably represent the animal taxon most successfully adapted to synanthropic life. Hence, birds share with humans a similar pattern of exposure to xenobiotics. In this article, we review case studies on patterns of behaviour that deviate from the expectation in bird species exposed to EDCs. We provide behavioural and ecological parameters to be used as endpoints of ED; methodological requirements and caveats based on species-specific life-history traits, behavioural repertoires, developmental styles, and possibility of captive breeding; a list of species that could be used as sentinels to assess the quality of man-made environment.

L'esposizione agli interferenti endocrini (IE) da parte di contaminanti chimici è un fenomeno diffuso in natura. I meccanismi d'azione degli IE sono stati ampiamente studiati, tuttavia è stata prestata poca attenzione alle conseguenze della interferenza endocrina a livello di popolazione e agli adattamenti evoluti per fronteggiare l'esposizione cronica agli IE. Gli uccelli probabilmente rappresentano il taxon animale più adattato alla vita sinantropica. Per questo motivo, gli uccelli condividono con gli esseri umani una simile esposizione agli xenobiotici. In questo articolo viene presentata una rassegna degli studi sui profili comportamentali che deviano da quelli attesi in specie e popolazioni di uccelli esposte agli IE. In particolare, vengono suggeriti parametri comportamentali ed ecologici da utilizzare come potenziali marcatori di esposizione agli IE; una valutazione critica dei metodi e dei problemi legati alle differenze specie-specifiche in caratteristiche eco-etologiche, profili comportamentali, tipologie di sviluppo e possibilità di allevamento in cattività; una lista di specie potenzialmente utili come sentinelle per la valutazione della qualità dell'ambiente antropizzato.