Unit COMPLEMENTARY COURSE OF ANIMAL SCIENCE OF ANIMALI I
- Course
- Animal science
- Study-unit Code
- GP004366
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Mariano Pauselli
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2020
- Offered
- 2022/23
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa integrata
ADAPTIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN LIVESTOCK
| Code | GP004377 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 3 |
| Teacher | Olimpia Barbato |
| Teachers |
|
| Hours |
|
| Learning activities | Affine/integrativa |
| Area | Attività formative affini o integrative |
| Academic discipline | VET/02 |
| Type of study-unit | Opzionale (Optional) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | General aspects of the physiology of adaptation. Main nervous and endocrine mechanisms involved in adaptation. Concept of homeostasis and regulatory mechanisms. Stress and its actions on the reproductive and immune systems. Role of stress in animal production. Physioclimatology; adaptation to environmental temperatures: thermoregulatory mechanisms; effects of thermal stress in livestock production. Energy homeostasis |
| Reference texts | PAPERBOOKS OF ADAPTATION PHYSIOLOGY - L. Menchetti and C. Boiti. |
| Educational objectives | To know: The main objective of the module is to provide PA students with an adequate knowledge of the functional mechanisms underlying the adaptation to the environment of animals of zootechnical interest with particular emphasis on the stressful conditions determined by the farming systems and on homeostasis energy. The main knowledge acquired will provide: - the basis for understanding the functioning of specific organs / systems involved in the adaptive mechanism of stress; - the basis for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of individual organs / systems and the functional interactions between the various organs / systems; - the essential elements for understanding homeostasis and the causes that modify it (stress, nutrition); - the elements for understanding zootechnical practices useful for limiting the negative effects of stress. Knowing how to do: The main skills deriving from the application of the knowledge described above will be: - critically evaluate the functional parameters and the mechanisms of adaptation to the various types of stress; - identify the main causes of stress capable of altering the normal functioning of the animal organism; - the basis for understanding the pathophysiology and pathology associated with animal production (reproduction, milk production, growth) |
| Prerequisites | An indispensable prerequisite to be able to understand the contents covered during the courses and the learning objectives of the teaching, it is necessary that the student has successfully taken the Physiology exam of animals of zootechnical interest |
| Teaching methods | The course is organized as follows: - classroom lectures on all the topics covered Practical activity carried out at different farms and at the Didactic Zootechnical Company (Sant'Angelo di Celle). In relation to the number of students attending the course, they can be divided into groups. The slides used in the official course can be downloaded from the Moodle platform. |
| Other information | The teaching activity is carried out during the first semester of the second year of the course. The student is invited to consult the page relating to the calendar of lessons on the website of the Department of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.medvet.unipg.it/) for further details on the start and end dates of the teaching activities. The lectures and seminars will be held at the educational center (Department of Veterinary Medicine). The practical activities will be carried out at the Educational Zootechnical Company (Sant'Angelo di Celle) and in other farms |
| Learning verification modality | The exam includes an oral test which consists of a discussion lasting about 20-30 minutes aimed at ascertaining the level of knowledge and understanding reached by the student on the theoretical and practical contents provided by the course starting from a topic chosen by the student . The oral exam will also allow to verify the critical ability of the candidate, his communication skills, language skills as well as the degree of autonomous organization in the presentation of the required topics. For information on support services for students with disabilities and / or SLD, visit the page http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
| Extended program | Topics of adaptation physiology and physioclimatology. Meaning of environment and adaptation. Definition and analysis of the main adaptation mechanisms. The hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic nerve structures involved in adaptation responses. Short and long term physiological responses. Homeostasis and feedback control systems (feed back). Homeostasis and homeoresis: definition of the "physiological comfort zone"; influence on animal production. Definition of stress, specific analysis of hormonal action and adaptation to stress. Influence of stressors on immune responses. The temperature and its effects. Exchanges of heat between animals and the environment. General mechanisms of adaptation of animals to cold or warm ambient temperatures: heat production (thrill and non-thrill thermogenesis), heat distribution (counter-current heat exchanges), thermal insulation, regulation of heat loss. Physiological effects of temperature: short, medium and long-term enzymatic adaptations, induction of stress proteins. Specific analysis of the problems of thermoregulation and the effects induced by thermal stress in the breeding of dairy and beef cattle, in sheep and pig breeding: climatic comfort limits in lactating cattle and calves; limits of climatic adaptability of pigs and sheep related to the age of the animals |
PRECISION FARMING
| Code | A001603 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 3 |
| Teacher | Mariano Pauselli |
| Teachers |
|
| Hours |
|
| Learning activities | Affine/integrativa |
| Area | Attività formative affini o integrative |
| Academic discipline | AGR/19 |
| Type of study-unit | Opzionale (Optional) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | To provide knowledge concerning: data collection through management software, automatic milking systems and their elaboration to put in evidence critical point in management of dairy farms. Data collection by the use of commercial accelerometers/pedometers and evaluation of their efficiency in a case study situation. Environmental data collection by sensors in pig farms and dairy farms. Verification of precision in feeding management. |
| Reference texts | Various material (papers and ppt) showed during the course and available on Unistudium |
| Educational objectives | Knowledge: The role of data collecting and their appropriate elaboration in modern livestock farming. - Productive data. - Reproductive data. - Behavioural data. - Environmental data. - Automatic feeders data and total mixed ration mixer. Ability: To collect and elaborate productive, reproductive and behavioural data in cattle management. To collect and elaborate environmental parameters to improve animal welfare. To manage automatic feeders and total mixed ration mixer to improve the dietary efficiency of the herd. Interpersonal skills: Be able to work in group. |
| Prerequisites | The ability to perform simple mathematical calculation and the basic knowledge of Excel software. |
| Teaching methods | The course is organized as follows: Lecturers. Field data collection from automatic milking systems, accelerometers, environmental sensors, automatic feeders and total mixed ration mixer. Classroom exercises for data editing and data elaboration. Seminars with external experts- Classroom discussion about material previously delivered by the teacher. |
| Other information | The course will be held in DSA3 classrooms. Frequence is facultative but recommended |
| Learning verification modality | The exam consists in an oral examination, based on the discussion of a group technical report and answers to questions aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and understanding acquired by the student on the subjects of the course. As a whole, the test will evaluate the students' communication and language skills, the ability to apply the acquired skills, and work out solving problems and solutions. For information on support services for students affected by disabilities and SLD visit the webpage: http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
| Extended program | Lecturers/seminars Introduction (0.3 CFU) Herd efficiency definiton. Importance of data collection at farm level. Methods for data collecting. Data elaboration. Data collection in dairy herd (0.4CFU). Data from herd management software. - Production data. - Reproductive data. - Milk quality data. Data collected from accelerometers/pedometers. Data collected by Automatic Milking Systems. Data collected by environmental sensor. Data collected by total mixed ration mixer. Data collected in beef cattle herd (0.3 FCU) Data from herd management software. - Reproductive data. Data collected by accelerometers. Data collected by geolocation systems. Data collected by automatic feeders. Data collected in pig farms (0.2 FCU). Data collected by herd management software. Data collected by environmental sensors. Data collected by automatic feeders. Practical lessons. Visit to the farms for data collecting (0.9 FCU) Data processing (0.9 CFU). |