Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T00:52:40.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Adaptation of whole animal energy metabolism to undernutrition in ewes: influence of time and posture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

I. Ortigues
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Croissance et Métabolism.es des Herbivores INRA, Theix, Saint Genès Champanelle, France
M. Vermorel
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Croissance et Métabolism.es des Herbivores INRA, Theix, Saint Genès Champanelle, France
Get access

Abstract

The effects of undernutrition and of the duration of undernutrition on changes in whole animal energy metabolism and on spontaneous physical activity were studied in adult, non-lactating, non-pregnant ewes. Animals were first given food at 338 kj metabolizable energy (ME) per day per kg live weight 0·75 (LW0·75), (M). Intake was then reduced by half (0·5M) during 7 weeks. Diet apparent digestibility decreased slightly with undernutrition. Rate of LW loss remained constant throughout the whole 0·5M period. Heat production (HP) declined by proportionately 0·18 within the 1st week at 0·5M and by another 0·05 in the following weeks. These latter changes were directly related to LW loss, since HP scaled to metabolic LW remained unchanged over the whole 0·5M period. Time spent standing decreased with undernutrition from proportionately 0·42 at M to 0·33 at 0·5M as a result of a reduction in the average duration of individual standing periods at all hours of the day except in a few hours preceeding feeding times. Energy cost of standing could not be dissociated from the energy cost of eating; these overall costs were not clearly modified by undernutrition but varied with time post prandially. Standing cost alone was estimated at 10 J/min per kg LW. Efficiency of ME utilization for maintenance (km) was calculated at 0·71, and ME requirements for maintenance (MEm) at 338 kj/day per kg LW0'75. No adaptation was noted with the duration of undernutrition. Accounting for the behavioural adaptation tended to increase km to 0·74 but MEm remained unchanged, suggesting that the behavioural changes observed with undernutrition were not sufficient to significantly modify whole animal energy metabolism.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blaxter, K. L. 1962. The energy metabolism of ruminants. Hutchinson, London.Google Scholar
Brouwer, E. 1965. Report of the sub-committee on constants and factors. In Energy metabolism (ed. Blaxter, K. L.), pp. 441443. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Brown, D., Cole, T. J., Dauncey, M. J., Marrs, R. W. and Murgatroyd, P. R. 1984. Analysis of gaseous exchange in open-circuit indirect calorimetry. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing. 22: 333338.Google Scholar
Cammell, S. B., Haines, M. J., Gill, M., Dhanoa, M. S., France, J. and Beever, D. E. 1993. Examination of energy utilization in cattle offered a forage diet at near- and sub-maintenance levels of feeding. British journal of Nutrition. 70: 381392.Google Scholar
Clapperton, J. L. and Blaxter, K. L. 1965. Absence of long term adaptation in the energy metabolism of sheep on constant feed. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 24: xxxiii–xxxiv.Google Scholar
Gingins, M., Bickel, H. and Schiirch, A. 1980. Efficiency of energy utilization in undernourished and realimented sheep. Livestock Production Science. 7: 465471.Google Scholar
Graham, N. M., Black, J. L. and Faichney, G. J. 1977. Computer simulation of energy and nitrogen utilization in sheep. In Proceedings of the first international symposium feed composition, animal nutrient requirements and computerization of diets (ed. Fonnesbeck, P. V., Harris, L. E., Kearl, L. C.), pp. 447455. Utah State University, Logan.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. and Searle, T. W. 1972. Balances of energy and matter in growing sheep at several ages, body weights and planes of nutrition. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 23: 97108.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. and Searl, T. W. 1975. Studies of weaner sheep during and after a period of weight stasis. I. Energy and nitrogen utilization. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 26: 343353.Google Scholar
Grimaud, P. and Doreau, M. 1994. Effect of extended underfeeding on digestion and nitrogen balance in dry cows. Journal ofAnimal Science. 73: 211219.Google Scholar
Harris, P. M., Garlick, P. J. and Lobley, G. E. 1989. Interactions between energy and protein metabolism in the whole body and hind limb of sheep in response to intake. In Energy metabolism of farm animals (ed. Honing, Y. van der, Close, W. H.), pp. 167170. Pudoc, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Homer, J. H. 1989. Introduction to experimental design psychology. Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. 1978. Alimentation des ruminants. INRA Publications, Versailles.Google Scholar
Kabre, P., Doreau, M. and Michalet-Doreau, B. 1995. Effects of underfeeding and of fish meal supplementation on forage digestion in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge. 124: 119127.Google Scholar
Kabre, P. and Petit, M. 1994. Fish-meal supplement for severely undernourished ewes: effects on apparent digestibility and utilization of the diet. Animal Production. 58: 127133.Google Scholar
Keenan, D. H., McManus, W. R. and Freer, M. 1969. Changes in the body composition and efficiency of mature sheep during loss and regain of live weight. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge. 72: 139147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koong, L. J. and Nienaber, J. A. 1985. Changes of fasting heat production and organ size of pigs during prolonged weight maintenance. In Energy metabolism of farm animals (ed. Moe, P. W., Tyrrell, H. F., Reynolds, P. J.), pp. 4649.Google Scholar
Rowman, and , Littlefield, Totowa, NY.Lassiter, C. A., Huffman, C. F. and Duncan, C. W. 1958. Effect of level of feed intake using hay: grain ratios on feed utilization of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 41: 721 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Ledger, H. P. and Sayers, A. R. 1977. The utilization of dietary energy by steers during periods of resricted food intake and subsequent realimentation. I. The effect of time on the maintenance requirements of steers held at constant live weights. Journal ofAgricultural Science, Cambridge. 88: 1126Google Scholar
Marston, H. R. 1948. Energy transactions in the sheep. I. The basal heat production and heat increment. Australian Journal of Scientific Research. 1: 93129.Google Scholar
Ortigues, I. 1991. [Adaptation of the energy metabolism of ruminants to undernutrition. Quantification at the level of the whole animal and body tissues.] Reproduction Nutrition Development 31: 593616.Google Scholar
Ortigues, I. and Durand, D. 1995. Adaptation of energy metabolism to undernutrition in ewes. Contribution of portal drained viscera, liver and hindquarters. British Journal ofNutrition. 73: 209226.Google Scholar
Ortigues, I., Martin, C., Vermorel, M. and Anglaret, Y. 1994. Energy cost of standing and circadian changes in energy expenditure in the preruminant calf. Journal of Animal Science. 72: 21312140.Google Scholar
Ortigues, I. and Vermorel, M. 1995. Adaptation of whole animal energy metabolism to undernutrition in ewes. Annales de Zootechnie 44: (supplement) 272 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Ortigues, I., Petit, M., Agabriel, J. and Vermorel, M. 1993. Maintenance requirements in metabolizable energy of adult nonpregnant, nonlactating Charolais cows. Journal of Animal Science. 71: 19471956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Osuji, P. O. 1974. The physiology of eating and the energy expenditure of the ruminant at pasture. Journal of Range Management. 27: 437443.Google Scholar
Schnyder, W., Bickel, H. and Schurch, A. 1982. Energy metabolism during retarded and compensatory growth of Braunvieh steers. In Energy metabolism offarm animals (ed. Ekern, A., Sundstol, F.), pp. 9699. The Agricultural University of Norway, Aas.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1987. SAS/STAT guide for personal computers. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Susenbeth, A. and Menke, K. H. 1991. Energy requirement for physical activity in pigs. In Energy metabolism of farm animals (ed. Wenk, C., Boessinger, M.), pp. 416419. Institut fur Nutztierwissenschaften, Zurich.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D. 1980. Digestion and end-product formation in the rumen from production rations. In Digestive physiology and metabolism in ruminants (ed. Ruckebusch, Y., Thivend, P.), pp. 271290. Avi Publishing Company, Westport, Co.Google Scholar
Toutain, P. L., Toutain, C., Webster, A. J. F. and McDonald, J. D. 1977. Sleep and activity, age and fatness, and the energy expenditure of confined sheep. British Journal ofNutrition. 38: 445454.Google Scholar
Turner, H. G. and Taylor, St C. S. 1983. Dynamic factors in models of energy utilization with particular reference to maintenance requirement of cattle. World Review ofNutrition and Dietetics. 42: 135190.Google Scholar
Underwood, E. J. 1981. The mineral nutrition of livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Unsworth, E. F., Gray, R. and McCracken, K. J. 1982. Daily variations in the heat production of fed and fasted sheep. In Energy metabolism of farm animals (ed. Ekern, A., Sundstol, F.), pp. 6265. The Agricultural University of Norway, Aas.Google Scholar
Vermorel, M., Bitar, A., Vernet, J. and Ortigues, I. 1995. [Indirect calorimetry. 3. Control of the validity of respiratory exchange measurements in animals and humans.] Cahiers des Techniques INRA 35: 6376.Google Scholar
Vermorel, M., Bouvier, J.-C., Bonnet, Y. and Fauconneau, G. 1973. [Construction and operation of two “open-circuit” respiration chambers for young cattle.] Annales de Biologie Animate, Biochimie et Biophysique 13: 659681.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Blaxter, K. L. and Smith, J. S. 1972. The utilization of the energy of artificially dried grass prepared n i different ways. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78: 441447.Google Scholar