Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows
The transhumance system, which consists in moving animals to high mountain pastures during summer, plays a considerable role in preserving both local biodiversity and traditions, as well as protecting against natural hazard. In cows, particularly, milk production is observed to decline as a response...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2020-07-01
|
| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.200638 |
| _version_ | 1819037634238873600 |
|---|---|
| author | Solange Duruz Elia Vajana Alexander Burren Christine Flury Stéphane Joost |
| author_facet | Solange Duruz Elia Vajana Alexander Burren Christine Flury Stéphane Joost |
| author_sort | Solange Duruz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The transhumance system, which consists in moving animals to high mountain pastures during summer, plays a considerable role in preserving both local biodiversity and traditions, as well as protecting against natural hazard. In cows, particularly, milk production is observed to decline as a response to food shortage and climatic stress, leading to atypical lactation curves that are barely described by current lactation models. Here, we relied on 5 million monthly milk records from over 200 000 Braunvieh and Original Braunvieh cows to devise a new model accounting for transhumance, and test the influence of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on cattle productivity. Counter to expectations, environmental conditions in the mountain showed a globally limited impact on milk production during transhumance, with cows in favourable conditions producing only 10% more compared with cows living in detrimental conditions, and with precipitation in spring and altitude revealing to be the most production-affecting variables. Conversely, physiological factors such as lactation number and pregnancy stage presented an important impact over the whole lactation cycle with 20% difference in milk production, and alter the way animals respond to transhumance. Finally, the considered morphological factors (cow height and foot angle) presented a smaller impact during the whole lactation cycle (10% difference in milk production). The present findings help to anticipate the effect of climate change and to identify problematic environmental conditions by comparing their impact with the effect of factors that are known to influence lactation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:24:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ebb53516f09d4046ad7a9c018add827e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:24:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-ebb53516f09d4046ad7a9c018add827e2022-12-21T19:10:21ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032020-07-017710.1098/rsos.200638200638Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cowsSolange DuruzElia VajanaAlexander BurrenChristine FluryStéphane JoostThe transhumance system, which consists in moving animals to high mountain pastures during summer, plays a considerable role in preserving both local biodiversity and traditions, as well as protecting against natural hazard. In cows, particularly, milk production is observed to decline as a response to food shortage and climatic stress, leading to atypical lactation curves that are barely described by current lactation models. Here, we relied on 5 million monthly milk records from over 200 000 Braunvieh and Original Braunvieh cows to devise a new model accounting for transhumance, and test the influence of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on cattle productivity. Counter to expectations, environmental conditions in the mountain showed a globally limited impact on milk production during transhumance, with cows in favourable conditions producing only 10% more compared with cows living in detrimental conditions, and with precipitation in spring and altitude revealing to be the most production-affecting variables. Conversely, physiological factors such as lactation number and pregnancy stage presented an important impact over the whole lactation cycle with 20% difference in milk production, and alter the way animals respond to transhumance. Finally, the considered morphological factors (cow height and foot angle) presented a smaller impact during the whole lactation cycle (10% difference in milk production). The present findings help to anticipate the effect of climate change and to identify problematic environmental conditions by comparing their impact with the effect of factors that are known to influence lactation.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.200638high alpine grazingtranshumanceclimate changelactation curve modellingbraunvieh dairy cattleenvironmental variables |
| spellingShingle | Solange Duruz Elia Vajana Alexander Burren Christine Flury Stéphane Joost Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows Royal Society Open Science high alpine grazing transhumance climate change lactation curve modelling braunvieh dairy cattle environmental variables |
| title | Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows |
| title_full | Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows |
| title_fullStr | Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows |
| title_full_unstemmed | Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows |
| title_short | Big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental, physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain-pastured Braunvieh cows |
| title_sort | big dairy data to unravel effects of environmental physiological and morphological factors on milk production of mountain pastured braunvieh cows |
| topic | high alpine grazing transhumance climate change lactation curve modelling braunvieh dairy cattle environmental variables |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.200638 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT solangeduruz bigdairydatatounraveleffectsofenvironmentalphysiologicalandmorphologicalfactorsonmilkproductionofmountainpasturedbraunviehcows AT eliavajana bigdairydatatounraveleffectsofenvironmentalphysiologicalandmorphologicalfactorsonmilkproductionofmountainpasturedbraunviehcows AT alexanderburren bigdairydatatounraveleffectsofenvironmentalphysiologicalandmorphologicalfactorsonmilkproductionofmountainpasturedbraunviehcows AT christineflury bigdairydatatounraveleffectsofenvironmentalphysiologicalandmorphologicalfactorsonmilkproductionofmountainpasturedbraunviehcows AT stephanejoost bigdairydatatounraveleffectsofenvironmentalphysiologicalandmorphologicalfactorsonmilkproductionofmountainpasturedbraunviehcows |