Management of the Impact of Stress on Ruminant Reproduction

A special issue of Ruminants (ISSN 2673-933X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 328

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 43131 Karditsa, Greece
Interests: physiology of reproduction and milk production in ruminants; management of reproduction; assisted reproduction; embryonic and neonatal development; heat stress; oxidative stress; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 43131 Karditsa, Greece
Interests: ewe; melatonin; animal nutrition; animal production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 43131 Karditsa, Greece
Interests: physiology/physiopathology and endocrinology of male and female small ruminant’s reproduction; effects of endogenous/exogenous factors on hormones concentration and specific proteolytic enzymes activity; sperm physiology/cryopreservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The impact of stress on reproduction can be characterized as an animal’s inability to effectively adapt to its environment, leading to a failure to reach its genetic potential in terms of its physical development, milk yield, disease resistance, or fertility. The effects of stress on reproduction are mediated through complex interactions between endocrine, paracrine, and neural pathways, leading to hormonal imbalances and impaired signaling. Factors such as the type, duration, and timing of stress, along with genetic and individual characteristics, determine the severity of its impact. Acute stress during critical reproductive events, such as estrus and ovulation, can cause temporary infertility or subfertility. In contrast, chronic stress exerts more pervasive effects, including persistent subfertility, impaired sexual behavior, and a reduced embryo implantation rate. Understanding the mechanisms linking stress and reproduction is integral to managing stress to support optimal reproductive health and performance in ruminants.

Following our previous Special Issue, we are pleased to announce the launch of the second edition, “Management of the Impact of Stress on Ruminant Reproduction”. This new Special Issue focuses on advanced strategies to mitigate stress effects on ruminant reproduction. Topics include genetic selection, dietary interventions, antioxidants, stress biomarkers, innovative methodologies, and practical applications to emerging challenges in the field. We welcome original research and review articles that advance our knowledge and enhance the reproductive performance of ruminants subjected to stress stimuli.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Animals.

Prof. Dr. Irene Valasi
Dr. Efterpi Bouroutzika
Dr. Ekaterini K. Theodosiadou
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Ruminants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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

  • stress
  • ruminants
  • reproduction
  • management
  • biomarkers
  • antioxidants
  • diet

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

21 pages, 845 KB  
Review
Adaptation to Stressful Environments in Sheep and Goats: Key Strategies to Provide Food Security to Vulnerable Communities
by Jorge A. Maldonado-Jáquez, Glafiro Torres-Hernández, Gabriela Castillo-Hernández, Lino De La Cruz-Colín, Gerardo Jiménez-Penago, Sandra González-Luna, Liliana Aguilar Marcelino, Pablo Arenas-Báez and Lorenzo Danilo Granados-Rivera
Ruminants 2025, 5(4), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants5040063 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 68
Abstract
This narrative review aims to summarize, synthesize, and organize current knowledge on the adaptation of sheep and goats to stressful environments and to discuss how these adaptations contribute to food security in vulnerable communities. A structured search of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, [...] Read more.
This narrative review aims to summarize, synthesize, and organize current knowledge on the adaptation of sheep and goats to stressful environments and to discuss how these adaptations contribute to food security in vulnerable communities. A structured search of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar was conducted using combinations of terms related to sheep and goats, harsh environments (e.g., arid and semi-arid regions, heat stress, water restriction, poor-quality forage), and adaptation or resilience, combined with Boolean operators. A total of 1718 research publications were found, of which 86 were retained as the most relevant because they provided direct and detailed evidence on anatomical, physiological, digestive–microbiome, behavioral, and genomic adaptations of sheep and goats to stressful environments. The selected studies describe a wide range of phenotypic and integumentary traits, thermoregulatory and endocrine responses, digestive and microbial adjustments, behavioral strategies, and genomic signatures that, together, allow small ruminants to maintain basic functions, reproduction, and production under conditions of climatic and nutritional stress. Evidence from these studies also highlights how adaptive traits support herd productivity, economic stability of households, and the sustainable use of natural resources in regions where climatic variability and resource scarcity are common. Overall, the synthesis presented here underscores the importance of conserving and strategically using locally adapted sheep and goat breeds, incorporating resilience-related traits into breeding and management programs, and prioritizing further research on genomic, microbiome, and epigenetic mechanisms that underpin adaptation to harsh environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of the Impact of Stress on Ruminant Reproduction)
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