CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD
Given the ongoing emergence of environmental challenges, the exploration of environmental physiology is poised to gain escalating significance in scientific inquiry. The global influence of climate change is evident, leading to prolonged disruptions in typical weather patterns to which our livestock are accustomed.
Animals thriving in various regions have developed multiple strategies to adapt to their environments and the changes, essential for their survival, thereby giving rise to diverse genotypes through distinct mechanisms. Still, even slight alterations in an animal’s normal body physiology significantly affect production, activating specific mechanisms that divert energy from productive purposes to maintenance needs. One of the primary means by which the environment influences animals is through the exchange of energy which is the function of heat gain from the environment, metabolic heat production and heat loss from the body. The presence of vegetation produces very stable microclimates as it regulates the amount of radiation reaching the ground and humidity level. Moreover, presence of an animal in a small enclosed space also modifies the microclimate for other animals, as it emits both heat and water vapour, and also produces liquid and solid wastes which equilibrate with the surrounding air. So, it becomes essential for animals to maintain a poised situation and remain within their thermoneutral zone, where there is no need for additional energy expenditure to regulate cellular physiology. Within dairy cattle systems, employing zebu breeds in hot climates proves more advantageous than temperate breeds as zebu cattle consistently exhibit enhanced adaptation to heat, diseases, and harsh conditions owing to their evolutionary roots. A holistic, integrative analysis of the organism-environment interaction can form the basis of understanding about evolutionary processes of adaptation and speciation, linking molecular and organismal organisational levels under complex biotic and abiotic stressors. Lastly, the study of environmental physiology may offer insights into the tolerance and resource usage efficiency of diverse animals which can aid in formulating selection criteria and breeding policies to ensure sustained ecological balance amidst anticipated climate change in the forthcoming decades.
Source:
Rana Tanmoy (ed.). Principles of Veterinary Animal Physiology. CRC Press,2026. — 290 p.. 2026
More on the topic CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD:
-
Veterinarian -