Adaptation strategies: ruminants

Gaughan, J. B.; Sejian, Veerasamy; Mader, Terry L.; Dunshea, Frank R.

doi:10.1093/af/vfy029

Cited by 70 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Genetic selection for heat tolerance would provide a sustainable means of augmenting feeding and/or housing modifications [14,65]. In a review of such strategies, Gaughan [66] suggests to identify existing local breeds that are already adapted to production under environmental stresses and to allocate stress-adaptive genes in these breeds would provide a way forward. Subsequently, selection signatures for thermotolerance can be identified through functional genomics and productive breeds improved through cross-breeding with resilient genotypes and incorporation of stress-tolerant genes.…”

Section: Interventions To Reduce Heat Stress On Ruminant Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Selection for Thermotolerance in Ruminants

Osei-Amponsah

Chauhan

Leury

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryRuminants make important contributions to agricultural production, protein food security, livelihoods, and socio-cultural values, particularly in the developing world. Changing climate has dire consequences on animal agriculture and presents a real challenge for humankind. Increasing temperatures, solar radiation, humidity, and resultant heat waves, low rainfall, and drought compromise the availability of forage and water. These environmental factors adversely affect animal growth and reproduction and increase disease incidence as well as threaten biodiversity. The mitigation of such effects has been confined to location or breeds and is often expensive and not always sustainable in view of continuous variations in the climatic data. In this review we have proposed that genetic selection and breeding of thermotolerant ruminants provide a sustainable means of minimizing the effect of climate change on their production. Given the variation in the ability of ruminants to tolerate heat stress and the availability of genomic tools to pursue this agenda, heat stress can be minimised. This is a shared responsibility, requiring action by stakeholders across all sectors of society.AbstractVariations in climatic variables (temperature, humidity and solar radiation) negatively impact livestock growth, reproduction, and production. Heat stress, for instance, is a source of huge financial loss to livestock production globally. There have been significant advances in physical modifications of animal environment and nutritional interventions as tools of heat stress mitigation. Unfortunately, these are short-term solutions and may be unsustainable, costly, and not applicable to all production systems. Accordingly, there is a need for innovative, practical, and sustainable approaches to overcome the challenges posed by global warming and climate change-induced heat stress. This review highlights attempts to genetically select and breed ruminants for thermotolerance and thereby sustain production in the face of changing climates. One effective way is to incorporate sustainable heat abatement strategies in ruminant production. Improved knowledge of the physiology of ruminant acclimation to harsh environments, the opportunities and tools available for selecting and breeding thermotolerant ruminants, and the matching of animals to appropriate environments should help to minimise the effect of heat stress on sustainable animal genetic resource growth, production, and reproduction to ensure protein food security.

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Section: Interventions To Reduce Heat Stress On Ruminant Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Selection for Thermotolerance in Ruminants

Osei-Amponsah

Chauhan

Leury

et al. 2019

Animals

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“…Generally, heat stress causes alteration in blood biochemical parameters. Heat stress causes an increased level of hemoglobin and packed cell volume in cattle and these changes are due to adaptive characteristics to heat stress condition (Gaughan et al 2018). In addition, increased temperature of animal results in impaired erythropoietin (Patel et al 2016).…”

Section: Blood Biochemical Changes In Cattle Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilient capacity of cattle to environmental challenges – An updated review

Parameshwarappa¹,

Physiology²,

Sejian³

et al. 2019

JABB

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Livestock rearing plays an integral role in enabling small and marginal farmers to ensure their livelihood security, which prevents both the food insecurity and poverty. Among the livestock, large ruminants and in particular cattle plays a significant role from economic perspectives. This review is an attempt to compile information pertaining to thermo-tolerance of cattle to heat stress challenges. Heat stress has serious consequences, which negatively influence cattle production causing severe economic burden to the cattle farmers. The ability of the cattle to perform normal biological functions in various adverse environmental conditions denotes its resilient capacity. The resilience capacity is determined by various traits which govern maintaining their body conformation, respiratory and cutaneous evaporative cooling mechanisms, hair coat, maintenance of metabolic rate, feed efficiency, tolerance to dehydration, production maintenance and reproductive efficiency. Breed differences were established for climate resilience and the superiority of indigenous breeds over exotic animals were established in this aspect. The resilience capacity of indigenous cattle based on changes associated with both phenotypic and genotypic traits were reviewed and several biological markers, which reflect the ability of cattle to survive in different climatic conditions, were highlighted. The significance of refining the existing breed program for imparting climate resilience was projected to identify breeds, which have the ability to survive in different agro-ecological zones.

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“…Adaptation physiology or acclimatization is defined as an individual organism’s biological response to environmental stress. Adaptation can be broadly classified into genetic (generational or long-term) and non-genetic (phenotypic or short-term) responses to a stressor [ 1 ]. Under chronic stress experienced over several generations, the animal’s acclimatization response becomes genetically “fixed,” making the animal adapted to its environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming the Adaptation Physiology of Farm Animals through Sensors

Neethirajan¹

2020

Animals

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Despite recent scientific advancements, there is a gap in the use of technology to measure signals, behaviors, and processes of adaptation physiology of farm animals. Sensors present exciting opportunities for sustained, real-time, non-intrusive measurement of farm animal behavioral, mental, and physiological parameters with the integration of nanotechnology and instrumentation. This paper critically reviews the sensing technology and sensor data-based models used to explore biological systems such as animal behavior, energy metabolism, epidemiology, immunity, health, and animal reproduction. The use of sensor technology to assess physiological parameters can provide tremendous benefits and tools to overcome and minimize production losses while making positive contributions to animal welfare. Of course, sensor technology is not free from challenges; these devices are at times highly sensitive and prone to damage from dirt, dust, sunlight, color, fur, feathers, and environmental forces. Rural farmers unfamiliar with the technologies must be convinced and taught to use sensor-based technologies in farming and livestock management. While there is no doubt that demand will grow for non-invasive sensor-based technologies that require minimum contact with animals and can provide remote access to data, their true success lies in the acceptance of these technologies by the livestock industry.

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Adaptation strategies: ruminants

Cited by 70 publications

References 26 publications

Genetic Selection for Thermotolerance in Ruminants

Genetic Selection for Thermotolerance in Ruminants

Resilient capacity of cattle to environmental challenges – An updated review

Transforming the Adaptation Physiology of Farm Animals through Sensors

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