Impact of Climate Change on Cattle Production

Due to global warming the climate is changing continuously and there is also change in the weather patterns. Climate changing is also causing decreased production in cattle.

Climate change causes following effects:

·         Stress: Animals undergoes heat stress due to high temperature and cold stress due to decrease in temperature which ultimately causes death of an animal.

·         Water Scarcity: Climate Changes causes the water scarcity, water pollution and warm water causes decreases water intake.

·         Fodder Shortage: Fodder shortage is caused by intense weather conditions.

·         Disease: Decrease resistance, viral borne diseases and bacterial colonization.

·         Biodiversity: Biodiversity is affected.

·         Rain fall: Low rain fall causes decrease in pasture lands, decrease in fodder quality, less number of trees and underwater reservoirs.

·         Milk Production: It causes decrease in yield, protein, fat, lactose and calcium contents.

·         Meat Production: Green house emission and methane emission.

·         Growth: Due to increase in temperature water intake is increased and there is also increase in the respiration rate which causes the decrease in the feed intake. 

Impact of Climate Change on Cattle Reproduction

Climate change has a direct and indirect effect on reproductive traits in cattle. As when the feed intake decreases then there is decrease in estradiol and GnRH secretion. Also there is less ovarian follicle development and the ovulation rate is decreased. Reproduction in cattle is affected by the following points:

·         Thermal Stress: Reproductive Processes are affected due to heat stress. It induces the hormonal changes in the reproductive system.

·         Conception Rate: It is reduced in high temperatures. Due to effect on ovarian function it drops from 20 to 27%.  And conception rate is also reduced in the cold stress.

·         Body Temperature: When body temperature of cattle reaches at 40⁰C, it changes the patterns of follicular growth, steroid secretion and gene growth.

·         Oestrus: Cattle in heat stress show poor expression of oestrus due to low oestradiol secretion.

·         Progesterone Secretion: Progesterone secretion is altered which affects the oocyte growth in cattle also the LH, FSH and Ovarian dynamics during the oestrus cycle.

·         Spermatocytes: Due to heat stress proliferation of spermatocyte occurs.

 

Different Methods of Thermoregulation in Cattle

Thermoneutral Zone: The cattle have a thermo-neutral zone in between it stays comfortable and provides its better performance and production. This condition is achieved by the suitable temperature in the external and internal environment.

Thermoregulation: Cattle maintain its internal temperature with respect to its surrounding environment which is called as the thermoregulation. The average temperature of all cattle ranges between 32⁰ and 77⁰F.

Sweat Glands: These glands are present in the body to cool down in the warm season.

Shivering: It happens in the cold season to make the body warmer.

Energy: A cattle requires a lot of energy to stay in its thermo-neutral zone. Whether it’s cold or hot climate it dissipates the heat for thermoregulation. Thus, stored energy is use in the temperature regulation thus affecting the body other functions.

Thermoregulatory Center: It’s a region in the brain consisting of bunch of nerves. It indicates whether the external temperature is cold or warm. This thermoregulatory region is responsible for making animal’s hair coat thick in the autumn and shed hairs in the spring thus preparing them to stand in extreme weather conditions.