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Animals
Special Issues
Heat Stress and Livestock: Effects on the Physiology
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Heat Stress and Livestock: Effects on the Physiology

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 396

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Levente Kovács

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Animal Sciences, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Interests: stress physiology; behavioral physiology; animal welfare; precision livestock farming; heat stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daniel Falta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: food science; animal science; milking technology; animal breeding; dairy foods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change has brought unprecedented challenges to livestock production worldwide, with rising temperatures and more frequent extreme heat events significantly impacting animal welfare and productivity. This special issue aims to compile cutting-edge research examining the physiological responses of livestock to heat stress and innovative approaches to mitigate these effects.

This Special Issue will advance our understanding of how heat stress fundamentally alters livestock physiology and identify practical solutions for sustainable animal production in a warming climate.

In this Special Issue, we invite original research papers, reviews, and case studies addressing topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Neuroendocrine and metabolic adaptations to heat stress in different livestock species;
  • Impacts on reproductive physiology and fertility;
  • Immunological consequences and disease susceptibility under heat stress conditions;
  • Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of thermotolerance;
  • Novel biomarkers for heat stress assessment;
  • Precision livestock technologies for monitoring physiological parameters;
  • Nutritional interventions to alleviate heat stress effects;
  • Comparative physiology across breeds and production systems.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Levente Kovács
Dr. Daniel Falta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • livestock
  • heat stress
  • physiological responses
  • health
  • welfare

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 731 KiB  
Article
Effects of Heat Stress on Estrus Expression and Pregnancy in Dairy Cows
by Szilvia Szalai, Ákos Bodnár, Hedvig Fébel, Mikolt Bakony and Viktor Jurkovich
Animals 2025, 15(12), 1688; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15121688 - 6 Jun 2025
Abstract
This study investigated how environmental temperature affects estrus behavior and pregnancy rates in lactating dairy cows during induced estrus. We hypothesized that higher temperatures reduce estrus expression and pregnancy rates and influence hormone levels. Fifty-eight healthy, multiparous, ovulation-synchronized cows were studied under heat [...] Read more.
This study investigated how environmental temperature affects estrus behavior and pregnancy rates in lactating dairy cows during induced estrus. We hypothesized that higher temperatures reduce estrus expression and pregnancy rates and influence hormone levels. Fifty-eight healthy, multiparous, ovulation-synchronized cows were studied under heat stress (summer) and non-stress (winter) conditions. Cows were assigned to G7G or OvSynch (OVS) hormone protocols. Blood samples collected on insemination day measured estradiol, LH, prolactin, insulin, and IGF-1 concentrations. Estrus signs and behaviors were also recorded. We found that during summer, daily maximum temperature–humidity Index (THI) values mostly exceeded 68, confirming the presence of heat stress. Estrus behaviors—especially standing and mounting—were significantly reduced under heat stress, occurring five to seven times more frequently in winter than in summer. Estrus detection rate was 86% in winter and 53% in summer. Pregnancy rates also declined sharply in summer (10%) compared to winter (39%), with all summer pregnancies in the G7G group. Hormonal analysis showed that estradiol levels remained consistent in the G7G group, while in the OVS group, it was significantly higher in winter than in summer. No significant seasonal differences were observed in the other hormones. Our findings indicate that heat stress impairs estrus expression and pregnancy rates in dairy cows. However, we conclude that the choice of hormone synchronization protocol (G7G) and the use of an automated estrus detection system may help to improve reproductive performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Stress and Livestock: Effects on the Physiology)
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14 pages, 1426 KiB  
Article
Rumination Time, Reticulorumen Temperature, and Activity in Relation to Postpartum Health Status in Dairy Cows During Heat Stress
by Szilvia Szalai, Ákos Bodnár, Hedvig Fébel, Mikolt Bakony and Viktor Jurkovich
Animals 2025, 15(11), 1616; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15111616 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 183
Abstract
Effective health management during the transition period depends on early disease detection, which can be achieved through continuous monitoring using precision livestock farming tools. This study assessed reticulorumen temperature, rumination time, and activity in dairy cows during the periparturient period under summer heat [...] Read more.
Effective health management during the transition period depends on early disease detection, which can be achieved through continuous monitoring using precision livestock farming tools. This study assessed reticulorumen temperature, rumination time, and activity in dairy cows during the periparturient period under summer heat stress. We hypothesized differences in these parameters between healthy (HE) cows and those developing postpartum disorders (DI). Forty clinically healthy, multiparous cows were monitored from 5 days prepartum to 14 days after calving (days in milk; DIM). A cow was considered healthy and allocated to the HE group (n = 26) if she was not affected by any postpartum health disorders until the end of the study period. A cow was considered diseased and allocated to the DI group (n = 14) if she had been diagnosed with mastitis, metritis, lameness, or ketosis. Weather loggers recorded barn microclimate data, while rumination, activity, and rumen temperature were tracked using a microphone-based sensor in the neck collar (Ruminact HR) and rumen bolus (Smaxtec). THI values remained above 68 throughout the study, peaking at 80, indicating sustained heat stress. Rumen temperature ranged between 39 and 41 °C and moderately correlated with THI (correlation coefficient was 0.27; 95% CI: 0.20; 0.33; p < 0.0001). Both groups exhibited a nadir in rumen temperature at calving, with no differences. Rumination time declined prepartum, reaching its lowest at 2 DIM in DI cows. It was significantly affected by days around calving, postpartum disorders, and THI. Activity increased prepartum and normalized by 4 DIM in HE cows, while DI cows showed higher activity at 4 DIM, stabilizing by 5–7 DIM. These findings underscore the value of precision monitoring tools for early disease detection and intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Stress and Livestock: Effects on the Physiology)
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