Thermal stress—Thermoregulatory and Adaptive Responses of Livestock
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Physiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 96209
Special Issue Editors
Interests: adaptive physiology and behaviour; heat stress; animal welfare; tropical livestock production
Interests: heat stress; cellular stress responses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: heat stress; cellular stress responses; animal behaviour; animal production and meat quality
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Climate change is considered a significant threat to the survival of many species, ecosystems, and the sustainability of livestock production systems in numerous regions of the world. The thermal environment is the most significant factor determining the growth, reproduction, and performance of domestic animals.
Thermoregulatory responses may differ in intensity and time depending on the type of thermal stimuli, as well as to the specific animal’s anatomical characteristics. Short-term physiological responses are often caused by acute stressors like a heat wave, for example, while the long-term responses may be due to chronic stressors. Differences of anatomical and physiological features across species have led to different specialization of heat exchange, leading to distinct thermal tolerance.
Variations in the specific surface, conductance and coat characteristics are essential for the differences in heat exchange observed. Also, the ability to lose more latent heat provides a putative advantage for overcoming more challenging hot environments. Also, livestock combines the thermoregulation and cellular metabolism for adaptive thermogenesis. These two pathways are linked to the autonomic sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system. Nevertheless, thermal plasticity and degree of acclimation are crucial factors determining the ability of animals to respond to environmental change and maintain its homeostasis.
We invite original papers (i.e., research articles and review articles) that address the thermoregulatory and adaptive responses of livestock and wild ruminants to thermal stress. The topics of the Special Issue “Thermal stress - Thermoregulatory and adaptive responses of livestock” include thermoregulation, adaptive behaviour, cellular responses, reproduction and health, performance under thermal stress, acclimatization, and adaptation.
Kind regards,
Prof. Alfredo Manuel Franco Pereira
Prof. Cristiane Titto
Prof. Ana Geraldo
Prof. Henrique Hooper
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- thermal stress
- adaptive behavior
- cellular responses
- production performance
- livestock
- wild ruminants
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