3 Dairy Lab-2

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College of Southern Idaho *

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533

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Anatomy

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Anatomy and Physiology Heat Regulation and Integument Lab Name: __ Madison Hill _______ ___________ 8 Points The purpose of this lab is to think through challenges animals face with maintaining a consistent body temperature in spite of changes in the weather or their activity levels. First let’s think about the physiological mechanisms whereby they regulate their body temperature by examining the largest heat regulating organ, the skin. 1) Equine heart rate monitors are (were) difficult to get to work consistently on cattle, as described in the lab manual. What is different between the skin of a cow versus that of a horse? How do the two different species normally use their skin to attempt to regulate their body temperature? (1 pt) Cow skin tends to be thicker and more rugged compared to horse skin. It often has a coarser texture with more prominent hair follicles and sweat glands. Whereas horse skin is generally thinner and smoother. It has fewer hair follicles and sweat glands compared to cows. C attle primarily regulate their body temperature through evaporative cooling via panting . They sweat profusely, and the moisture on their skin evaporates, cooling them down. Additionally, their thick hair coat provides insulation from excessive heat or cold. They rely heavily on blood vessel dilation within the dermis. On the other hand, h orses regulate their body temperature through sweating and behavioral adaptations. T heir sweat glands are not as numerous as those in cows. They both also regulate body temperature through behaviors such as seeking shade, moving to cooler areas, and altering their metabolic rate. 2) Examine the ingredients of the products used to get the equine heart rate monitors to work on cattle, as shown in the photos in the lab manual. How do these two products likely help turn the skin of the cow into something that more resembles the skin of the horse, and thus create more electrical conductivity in the skin? (0.5 pt) There are moisturizing agents in the products that would make the cow’s skin more like a horse’s. For example, hydrated skin conducts electricity better than dry skin, and making the skin more similar to the horse’s will increase the chances of the monitor working on cattle, since it was designed for horses. Next let’s focus a bit more on the physiological cost of body temperature regulation. 3) Animals prioritize available energy (both from the diet and from stored energy such as fat, glycogen and protein) in this order: 1. Maintenance, 2. Growth, 3. Lactation, 4. Reproduction. Being as physiologically specific as possible, describe what processes (examples of bodily functions) require energy for maintenance (0.25 pt)
Examples of processes that would require energy for maintenance are thermoregulatio n , replacement of damaged cel ls , and maintaining a minimal level of essential organ functions such as those of the heart, the brain, the lungs, etc. 4) If an animal is stressed by a hot or cold environment, what happens to energy required for maintenance? Why? (0.25 pt) The energy required for maintenance would increase if an animal were stressed by a hot or cold environment. This is so because more effort (energy and resources, for example, sweating or shivering) would be required to maintain body temperature. a) Physiologically, how does using increased energy for maintenance impact lactation? (0.5 pt) Physiologically, increased energy demands for maintenance would reduce lactation yield because the energy and resources available for lactation would be diverted or compromised towards meeting maintenance requirements as a priority. Now that we know a bit more about how body temperature regulation can impact the productivity of animals, let’s focus a bit on the physical environment of production animals and how this can provide challenges to their heat regulation. Our on-campus students will travel to the KSU dairy and examine the housing conditions of the animals but you may not have access to a facility like this. If you do have cows or horses of your own, you can answer the following questions by looking at their environment. If you don’t, just go into your back yard and imagine that cows are living there, mooing quietly and chewing their cud. Apologize to your neighbors for all the mooing and teeth grinding and then answer the following: 5) Summer conditions in the middle to southern parts of the United States can become very difficult for cows. Imagine that it’s a very hot day and the sun is shining brightly with a fair amount of humidity (say, it’s 90 F and 70% humidity). What kinds of things are available to your cows (real or imaginary) to help them stay as cool as possible under these conditions? Use the following as a guide in providing your answers (1pt): a) Limiting heat gain by radiation: Resting in the shade of trees , staying out of the sun, and not exerting a lot of energy to stay cool. b) Increasing heat loss by convection: Providing the cattle with fans to increase heat loss. c) Increasing heat loss by conduction: Providing the cattle with an exceptional number of trees for shade to create cool surfaces for the cattle to rest. d) Increasing heat loss by evaporation:
Ensuring cattle have constant access to clean, cool drinking water is essential for maintaining hydration and facilitating evaporative cooling through sweating and panting. Sprinkler systems can be utilized as well to increase evaporative cooling. i) My backyard, thanks to the people from whom we bought our house, has a large overhead trellis covered with wisteria vines to provide deep shade and a small koi pond that the animals could get into to increase conductive and evaporative cooling. Obviously that would be great for a small backyard cow herd but probably wouldn’t work very well in a larger production setting. What kinds of things would a producer in Western Kansas (look at Google Images if needed) have to consider in order to improve cooling for their cattle in each of the four areas of heat transfer ? (1pt) a) Limiting heat gain by radiation: Using reflective or light-colored roofing materials on shelters or barns can reduce the absorption of solar radiation and minimize heat gain inside structures where cattle seek shade. b) Increasing heat loss by convection: Spraying water or misting systems can aid in evaporative cooling and enhance convective heat loss as the water evaporates from the cattle ’ s skin, taking heat with it. c) Increasing heat loss by conduction: Building shelters or providing natural shade from trees can help reduce the amount of direct sunlight cattle are exposed to, minimizing heat absorption through conduction from hot surfaces. d) Increasing heat loss by evaporation: Installing misting or sprinkler systems in shaded areas or near watering troughs can help wet the cattle’s skin, enhancing evaporative cooling as the water evaporates. Also ensuring cattle have access to clean drinking water. 6) Obviously hot conditions are a challenge to animal production and can cost a lot in terms of efficiency, but very cold conditions can cause some of the same issues. Let’s go back to our theoretical farm in Western Kansas now and imagine that it is snowing and -10 F, with a 25 mph wind out of the north. What kinds of things can the producer do to the animal’s environment to improve their efficiency of staying warm in terms of each of the four methods of heat transfer? (1pt) a) Improving heat gain by radiation Giving cattle insulated blankets or covers made of materials like wool or waterproof fabrics helps retain body heat and reduce radiation heat loss.
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