Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T15:59:40.424Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Estimation of the energy costs of locomotion in the Iberian pig(Sus mediterraneus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. Lachica
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Department, Estación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC), Camino del Jueves, s/n. 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain
J. F. Aguilera*
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Department, Estación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC), Camino del Jueves, s/n. 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Dr J. F. Aguilera, fax +34 958 572753, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The energy cost of locomotion of four Iberian pigs was measured in two experiments conducted when the animals averaged 41·3 (se 0·1) kg (first experiment) and 84·1 (se 0·1) kg (second experiment). The heat production of the pigs was determined when standing or walking at a speed of 0·555 m/s on a treadmill enclosed in a confinement-type respiration chamber, on different slopes (-10·5, 0, and +10·5 % in the first experiment, and -5·25, 0 and +10·5 % in the second experiment). The energy costs of locomotion, estimated from the coefficients of linear regressions of heat production per kg body weight (BW) on distance travelled, were in the first experiment 2·99, 3·31 and 5·88 J/kg BW per m for -10·5, 0, and +10·5 % inclines respectively, and 2·56, 2·84 and 7·13 J/kg BW per m for -5·25, 0 and +10·5 % inclines respectively, in the second experiment. The net energy cost of locomotion on the level appeared to be independent of live weight, attaining a value of 2·98 J/kg BW per m. Also, it was found that within experiments the net energy cost of walking on negative slopes was similar to that for locomotion on the level, indicating that no energy was recovered on vertical descent. Mean values were 3·11 and 2·72 kJ/kg BW per m for the light and heavy pigs respectively. The energy cost of raising 1 kg BW one vertical metre was found to be 27·1 J/kg BW per m in the first experiment and 40·0 J/kg BW per m in the second experiment. Correspondingly, the calculated efficiency for upslope locomotion appeared to decline with increasing BW, resulting in average values of 36·2 and 24·5 %.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2000

References

Agricultural Research Council (1980) The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Slough: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Agricultural Research Council (1981) The Nutrient Requirements of Pigs. Slough: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.Google Scholar
Booth, ME, Pearson, RA & Cuddeford, D (1992) The effect of speed of walking on the energy cost of walking in ponies. In 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, pp. 542. Madrid: EEAP.Google Scholar
Boyne, AW, Brockway, JM, Ingram, JF & Williams, K (1981) Modification, by tractive loading, of the energy cost of working in sheep, cattle and man. Journal of Physiology 315, 303316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brockway, JM & Boyne, AW (1980) The energy cost for sheep of walking on gradients. InEnergy Metabolism of Farm Animals. European Association for Animal Production Publication no. 26, pp. 449453 [Mount, LE, editor]. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Brockway, JM & Gessaman, JA (1977) The energy cost of locomotion on the level and on gradients for the red deer. (Cervus elaphus) Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology 62, 333339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brody, S (1945) Bioenergetics and Growth with Special to the Efficiency Complex in Domestic Animals. New York, NY: Reinhold.Google Scholar
Brouwer, E (1965) Report of Sub-committee on Constants and Factors. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals. European Association for Animal Production Publication no. 11, pp. 441443 [Blaxter, KL, editor]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Clapperton, JL (1964) The energy metabolism of sheep walking on the level and on gradients. British Journal of Nutrition 18, 4754.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, Y, Robbins, CT & Davitt, BB (1978) Oxygen utilization by elk calves during horizontal and vertical locomotion compared to other species. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 61A, 4348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dailey, TV & Hobbs, NT (1989) Travel in alpine terrain: energy expenditures for locomotion by mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Canadian Journal of Zoology 67, 23682375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dijkman, JT (1992) A note on the influence of negative gradients on the energy expenditure of donkeys walking, carrying and pulling loads. Animal Production 54, 153156.Google Scholar
Fancy, SG & White, RG (1985) Incremental cost of activity. InBioenergetics of Wild Herbivores, pp. 143160 [Hudson, RJ, and White, RG, editors]. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.Google Scholar
Farrell, DJ, Leng, RA & Corbett, JL (1972) Undernutrition in grazing sheep. II. Calorimetic measurements on sheep taken from pasture. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 23, 466509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakobsen, K, Chwalibog, A, Henckel, S & Thorbek, G (1994) Heat production and quantitative oxidation of nutrients by physical activity in pigs. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 38, 17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lachica, M, Aguilera, JF & Prieto, C (1995) A confinement respiration chamber for short gaseous exchange measurements. Archives of Animal Nutrition 48, 329336.Google ScholarPubMed
Lachica, M, Prieto, C & Aguilera, JF (1997) The energy cost of walking on the level and on negative and positive slopes in the Granadina goat. (Capra hircus) British Journal of Nutrition 77, 7381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrence, PR & Stibbards, RJ (1990) The energy cost of walking, carrying and pulling loads on flat surfaces by Brahman cattle and swamp buffalo. Animal Production 50, 2939.Google Scholar
Margaria, R, Cerretelli, R, Aghemo, P & Sassi, G (1963) Energy cost of running. Journal of Applied Physiology 18, 367370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nienaber, JA, Chen, YR & Hahn, GL (1985) Energetics of activity using indirect calorimetry. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals. European Association for Animal Production Publication no. 32, pp. 164167 [Moe, PW, Tyrrell, HF and Reynolds, PJ, editors]. Beltsville, MD: ARS, USDA.Google Scholar
Noblet, J, Shi, XS & Dubois, S (1993) Energy cost of standing activity in sows. Livestock Production Science 34, 127136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, KL, Robbins, CT & Hanley, TA (1984) Energy expenditures for locomotion by mule deer and elk. Journal of Wildlife Management 48, 474488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petley, MP & Bayley, HS (1988) Exercise and postexercise energy expenditure in growing pigs. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 66, 721730.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ribeiro, JM, De, CR, Brockway, JM & Webster, AJF (1977) A note on the energy cost of walking in cattle. Animal Production 25, 107110.Google Scholar
Shibata, M, Mukai, A & Kume, S (1981) Estimation of energy expenditure in dairy heifers walking on the level and on gradients. Bulletin of the Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station 21, 589607.Google Scholar
Steel, RGD & Torrie, JH (1981) Principles and Procedures of Statistics. A Biometrical Approach, 2nd ed. London: McGraw-Hill International Book Company.Google Scholar
Taylor, CR & Heglund, NC (1982) Energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion. Annual Reviews of Physiology 44, 97107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, CR, Schmidt-Nielsen, K & Raab, JL (1970) Scaling of energetic cost of running to body size in mammals. American Journal of Physiology 291, 11041107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, CR, Shkolnik, A, Dmi'el, R, Baharav, D & Borut, A (1974) Running in cheetahs, gazelles and goats: energy cost and limb configuration. American Journal of Physiology 227, 848850.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, RG & Yousef, MK (1978) Energy expenditure in reindeer walking on roads and on tundra. Canadian Journal of Zoology 56, 215223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar