An updated review on cattle thermoregulation: physiological responses, biophysical mechanisms, and heat stress alleviation pathways

Santos, Mateus Medeiros dos; Souza, João Batista Freire de; Dantas, Maiko Roberto Tavares; Costa, Leonardo Lélis de Macedo

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-14077-0

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Cattle dissipate excess heat load via evaporative heat loss by increasing sweating and respiration rates, and the efficiency of these processes is largely dependent on the humidity of the air (dos Santos et al, 2021). The high humidity climate found in Florida compromises evaporative heat loss (Berman, 2006), whereas in California's low humidity climate, the water vapor easily leaves the hair coat, contributing to cooling (Gebremedhin and Wu, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological responses of Holstein calves and heifers carrying the SLICK1 allele to heat stress in California and Florida dairy farms

Carmickle

Larson

Sosa

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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Inheritance of the SLICK1 allele of the prolactin receptor gene improves thermotolerance of lactating Holstein cows under humid heat stress conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-and postweaning Holstein heifers carrying the SLICK1 allele would show physiological responses indicative of higher tolerance to heat stress in high-and low-humidity climates. A total of 101 heifer calves of two age groups heterozygous for the SLICK1 allele and 103 wild-type half-siblings were evaluated during July 2020 in 3 dairy farms in central California and 2 in south Florida. Dry bulb temperature and relative humidity data were recorded during evaluation and used to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI). Physiological measurements were obtained between 1600 and 1900 h in California, and 1200 and 1400 h in Florida and included rectal temperature, respiration rate, skin temperature, and sweating rate. Data were analyzed via Generalized Linear Mixed Models including the main effects of genotype, state, group, sire, farm within state, and interactions, with THI included as a covariate. The correlations between THI and dependent variables were analyzed via linear regression. The average 24-h THI was higher in Florida compared with California (90 vs. 72, respectively); the main driver of the higher THI in Florida was the high relative humidity (average 85.6% in Florida vs. 36.7% in California). In Florida, the rectal temperature of slick calves was 0.4°C lower than non-slick calves (39.5 ± 0.1 vs 39.9 ± 0.1°C); no differences were detected between slick and non-slick calves in California. Regardless of genotype, heifer calves in Florida had higher respiration rate, higher rectal and skin temperatures, and lower sweating rate than in California. This study is the first to evaluate physiological responses of calves carrying the SLICK1 allele under heat stress conditions in different climates. Our findings demonstrate that the presence of this allele is associated with lower rectal temperatures in pre-and post-weaning Holstein females. According to the physiological parameters evaluated, calves raised in Florida appeared to be under more severe heat stress; in those conditions, the SLICK1 allele was advantageous to confer thermotolerance as evidenced by lower rectal temperature in slick animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological responses of Holstein calves and heifers carrying the SLICK1 allele to heat stress in California and Florida dairy farms

Carmickle

Larson

Sosa

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Hyperthermia (heat stress) occurs when the heat dissipation cannot be adequately modulated to meet the thermoneutral heat generation and maintain the basal (normal) body temperature (Spiers 2012). For a detailed discussion of thermoregulation and thermal stress in cattle, see the review by dos Santos et al (2021) and the sources therein cited.…”

Section: Thermoregulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The many statistical indices are not reviewed here. The reader is instead referred to the recent publications by Ji et al ( 2020a ) and dos Santos et al ( 2021 ). In the absence of similar reviews of heat-balance models, the few existing models are briefly discussed here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As homeotherms, cattle maintain a relatively constant core body temperature in a range known as the “thermoneutral” zone, where minimal energy is spent on thermoregulation and maximal energy is devoted to metabolism and production (Mount 1974 ; Godyń et al 2019 ). Beyond this zone, thermoregulatory mechanisms are activated to return to the thermoneutral zone (dos Santos et al 2021 ). There is a limit to the effectiveness of the thermoregulatory mechanisms beyond which thermal stress, hyperthermia or hypothermia, occurs (Kamal et al 2016 ; Sejian et al 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meteorological parameters, on the other hand, are readily available either from on-farm measurements or nearby weather stations. Furthermore, some indicators can only be observed when stress has already occurred [milk yield reduction (dos Santos et al 2021 )] or is well underway (core body temperature rise). Therefore, indices based on meteorological parameters, primarily ambient temperature, humidity, and wind speed, are sought to identify and categorize the conditions that are likely to cause heat stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Thermodynamic assessment of heat stress in dairy cattle: lessons from human biometeorology

Foroushani

Amon

2022

Int J Biometeorol

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A versatile meteorological index for predicting heat stress in dairy cattle remains elusive. Despite numerous attempts at developing such indices and widespread use of some, there is growing skepticism about the accuracy and adequacy of the existing indices as well as the general statistical approach used to develop them. At the same time, precision farming of high-yielding animals in a drastically changing climate calls for more effective prediction and alleviation of heat stress. The present paper revisits classical work on human biometeorology, particularly the apparent temperature scale, to draw inspiration for advancing research on heat stress in dairy cattle. The importance of a detailed, mechanistic understanding of heat transfer and thermoregulation is demonstrated and reiterated. A model from the literature is used to construct a framework for identifying and characterizing conditions of potential heat stress. New parameters are proposed to translate the heat flux calculations based on heat-balance models into more tangible and more useful meteorological indices, including an apparent temperature for cattle and a thermoregulatory exhaustion index. A validation gap in the literature is identified as the main hindrance to the further development and deployment of heat-balance models. Recommendations are presented for systematically addressing this gap in particular and continuing research within the proposed framework in general.

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Climate Resilient Livestock Production System in Tropical and Subtropical Countries

Hossain,

Rahman,

Karim

et al. 2023

Climate-Resilient Agriculture, Vol 1

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An updated review on cattle thermoregulation: physiological responses, biophysical mechanisms, and heat stress alleviation pathways

Cited by 26 publications

References 102 publications

Physiological responses of Holstein calves and heifers carrying the SLICK1 allele to heat stress in California and Florida dairy farms

Physiological responses of Holstein calves and heifers carrying the SLICK1 allele to heat stress in California and Florida dairy farms

Thermodynamic assessment of heat stress in dairy cattle: lessons from human biometeorology

Climate Resilient Livestock Production System in Tropical and Subtropical Countries

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