EFFECT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
ON GROWTH
Sugiharto, Ph.D.
Environmental stress factors
• Biotic factors including food availability, the presence of predators,
infection with pathogenic organisms or interactions with conspecifics
• Abiotic factors including temperature, water availability and toxicants.
Heat stress in livestock
• The level of heat stress is very likely to vary between livestock kept in the same
place or different places
• Factors affecting the severity of heat stress:
• Actual temperature and humidity experienced by livestock (higher temperature and
humidity will result in a higher heat stress in livestock
• Duration or duration of heat stress experienced by livestock
• Differences in temperature during the day and night time (extreme temperature differences
will exacerbate heat stress felt by livestock)
• Conditions of the pen in which livestock are kept (ventilation and airflow in the pen can
help reduce the effects of heat stress
• Individual livestock factors
• Availability of water in the pen (limited water availability will exacerbate heat stress felt by
livestock)
Signs or conditions in livestock
experiencing heat stress
• See Tables on module
Effect of heat stress on
livestock growth
How thermal stress affect the growth of
animals?
• Reduce feed consumption and nutrient intake
• Result in decreased digestibility or feed digestibility
• Reduce the rate of energy metabolism so that the energy supply for growth
decreases
• Disturb the acid-base and mineral balance in the livestock body
• Disrupt the hormonal balance in the livestock body
• Increase the susceptibility of livestock to disease
• Changes in energy allocation by livestock
• Changes in the growth rate in certain body compartments
• Have a negative impact on the morphology, ecology and barrier integrity of the gut
Reduced feed intake and physiological
changes
• Thermal stress negatively effect on appetite centre of the
hypothalamus to decreases feed intake
• Reducing feed intake is a way to decrease heat production as the heat
increment of feeding is an important source of heat production in ruminants
• Reduce feed intake (roughage) due to thermal stress changes rumen
microbial population and pH from 5.82 to 6.03, decreasing rumen
motility and rumination
Hormonal imbalances
• The endocrine system involved heavily in coordination of metabolism
is substantially altered because of thermal stress
• The plasma GH levels declined in stressed animals
• Thermal stress reduces T3 and T4 secretions
• Thermal stress increase glucocorticoids level
Energy partitioning
• Maintenance requirements of
energy increased by 30% in
heat stress dairy animal
Effect of heat stress on
milk production
Sugiharto, Ph.D.
Impact of heat stress on decreased milk
production
• Heat stress can have an impact on decreasing milk production, peak
lactation and chemical components in milk
Impact of heat stress on decreased milk
production
Relationship between THI and milk
production in dairy cows
Decrease in milk components during hot
environmental conditions
Production and composition
of milk in heat stressed dairy
cows
Arguments explaining the impact of heat stress
on reduced milk production in dairy livestock
• Heat stress reduces feed intake so that it has an impact on reducing
the availability of substrates for energy metabolism
Arguments explaining the impact of heat stress
on reduced milk production in dairy livestock
• Heat stress results in decreased fermentation activity in the rumen
• Heat stress resulted in decreased rumination activity in dairy livestock
• Heat stress can cause endocrine (hormonal) imbalances such as changes in
levels of prolactin, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, growth hormone,
oestrogen, progesterone and oxytocin which in turn affect milk production
• Heat stress can reduce blood flow to the mammary glands
• Heat stress can reduce mammogenesis, especially when the cattle are in
dry conditions
Arguments explaining the impact of heat stress
on reduced milk production in dairy livestock
• Heat stress can increase the prevalence of mastitis in dairy cattle so
that it has an impact on decreasing milk production

Hot temperatures (in

summer) increase the
somatic cell counts (SCC;
indicators of mastitis) and
decrease milk production
Arguments explaining the impact of heat
stress on reduced milk production in dairy
livestock
Arguments explaining the impact of heat
stress on reduced milk production in dairy
livestock
Heat stress during dry period
• Heat stress during the dry period (i.e., last 2 months of gestation)
reduced mammary cell proliferation and so, decreases milk yield in
the following lactation
• Heat stress during the dry period negatively affects the function of the
immune cell in dairy cows facing calving and also extended to the
following lactation
• Transgenerational effect on the offspring
 Reduced growth
 Compromised first lactation production
Heat stress on different stage of lactation
• The stage of lactation is an important factor for severity of imposed
heat stress and animals which were in mid-lactation is mostly heat
sensitive compared to early and late lactating counterparts
• The decline in milk production due to HS was 14% in early lactation and 35%
in mid-lactation
Heat stress on milk compositions
• Milk fat, solids-not-fat (SNF) and milk protein percentage decreased
by 39.7, 18.9 and 16.9%, respectively, during heat stress
• Percentages of casein, lactalbumin, immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA
reduces during heat stress
Heat stress and mastitis
• High circulating levels of stress
hormones interfere with the
ability of the immune system to
destroy bacterial invaders
• Somatic cells enter the udder as
part of the immune response.
When somatic cells are under the
depressing effect of stress
hormones, they cannot function
fully to protect against mastitis
organisms
• Heat stress can change the
mammary histology