Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-24hb2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-19T04:25:24.278Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Body heat storage in steers (Bos taurus) in fluctuating thermal environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. A. McLean
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland
D. P. Stombaugh
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland
A. J. Downie
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland
C. A. Glasbey
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Unit of Statistics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland

Summary

Heat stored in the body of cattle subjected to a daily 10 CC range of environmental temperature was measured by calorimetry and thermometry. The daily range of bodycore temperature of the animals was of the order of 0·5 °C but mean skin temperature cycled with a range of approximately 6 °C. Calorimetric estimates of changes in mean body temperature showed good agreement with thermometric estimates when core and mean body temperature changes were weighted in the ratio a: (1 – α) where α was found to be 0·85. This result is consistent with the findings of another study where cattle were subjected to abrupt changes in environmental temperature, the combined best estimate of a from the two studies being 0·86 ± 0·014 (s.E.). The 10 °C range of daily environmental fluctuation resulted in a daily variation of approximately 1 °C in mean body temperature, which is equivalent to the amount of heat produced by the animals every 40 min. It is suggested that a weighting factor α = 0·86 could be employed, using thermometry only, to estimate fluctuations in body heat storage which are likely to occur in animals subjected to fluctuating environmental conditions in the field.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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

Hardy, J. D., Milhorat, A. T. & DuBois, E. F. (1941). Basal metabolism and heat loss of young women at temperatures from 22 °C to 35 °C. Journal of Nutrition 21, 383404.Google Scholar
Hicks, C. S., Moore, H. O. & Eldridge, E. (1934). The respiratory exchange of the Australian Aboriginee. Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science 12, 7989.Google Scholar
Livingstone, S. D. (1968). Calculation of mean body temperature. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 46, 1517.Google Scholar
McLean, J. A., Downie, A. J., Jones, C. D. R., Stombauqh, D. P. & Glasbey, C. A. (1983). Thermal adjustments of steers (Bos taurus) to abrupt changes in environmental temperature. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 305314.Google Scholar
McLean, J. A., Downie, A. J., Watts, P. R. & Glasbey, C. A. (1982). Heat balance of ox steers (Bos taurus) in steady-temperature environments. Journal of Applied Physiology: Respiration, Environmental and Exercise Physiology 52, 324332.Google Scholar
Schmidt-Nielsen, K., Schmidt-Nielsen, B., Jarnum, S. A. & Houpt, T. R. (1957). Body temperature of the camel and its relation to water economy. American Journal of Physiology 188, 103112.Google Scholar