Introductory Animal Science - General Terms & Concepts Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from ANSC 107 introductory animal science lecture notes, covering essential terminology, reproduction concepts, breeding categories, and environmental physiology terms.

Ad Libitum

Allowing animals to eat all they want at all times.

Compensatory Growth

An increased growth rate displayed by an animal in response to previous undernourishment.

Calorie

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water from $14.5^\text{o}\text{C}$ to $15.5^\text{o}\text{C}$.

Kilocalorie

An energy unit equivalent to $1{,}000$ calories.

Concentrate

A feed that is high in energy, low in fiber content, and highly digestible.

T.D.N. (Total Digestible Nutrients)

The combined total amounts of digestible protein, nitrogen-free extract, fiber, and fat ($\times 2.25$) added together to approximate total energy content.

Roughage

Feed that is high in fiber, low in digestible nutrients, and low in energy, such as hay, straw, silage, and pasture.

Feeder

Animals that require further feeding prior to slaughter.

Fill

The contents of an animal's digestive tract.

Carcass Merit

The total economic and nutritional value of a carcass for consumption.

Dark Cutter

A condition describing dark-colored lean in a carcass, usually caused by severe environmental or physical stress to the animal prior to slaughter.

Contemporary Group

A set of animals of the same age, sex, and breed that have been raised under similar environmental and management conditions.

Breed

Animals having a common origin and characteristics that distinguish them from other groups within the same species.

Scurs

Small horn-like tissue attached to the skin of polled or de-horned animals.

Cull

To eliminate an animal from the breeding population.

Fertility

The capacity to initiate, sustain, and support reproduction.

Open

Refers to non-pregnant females.

Haploid

Containing half the normal number of chromosomes, typically found in sperm and ova.

Clone

An individual grown from a single somatic cell of its parent and genetically identical to that parent.

Estrus

The period of mating activity in the female, commonly known as heat.

Estrous

An adjective meaning heat that modifies words such as cycle (e.g., estrous cycle, the period from one heat period to the next).

Estrus Synchronization

Controlling the estrous cycle so that a high percentage of females in the herd express estrus at the same time.

Gestation Period

The length or duration of pregnancy.

Dystocia

A difficult or prolonged birth.

Anestrous Period

The time when a female is not cycling, does not experience estrus, and will not breed.

Castration

The surgical or mechanical removal of the testicles.

Spaying

The removal of the ovaries from the female reproductive tract, most often performed in companion animals.

Colostrum

The first milk given by the female following delivery of her young, containing high antibody levels absorbed for quick immunity.

Lactation Period

The total period during which a female produces milk.

Dry

Refers to a non-lactating female livestock animal (such as a dry mare, cow, ewe, or sow).

Weaning

The process of separating an offspring animal from its dam (mother).

Maternal Breed

A breed characterized by early sexual maturity, inherent fertility, moderate to heavy milking ability, and small to moderate body size.

Sire Breed

A breed characterized by fast growth, heavy muscling, late maturity, and low milk production.

Composite Breed

A crossbreed displaying desirable traits from multiple parent breeds that is fast growing, hardy, and productive.

Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS)

A recessive genetic condition in swine linked to extreme muscularity that is triggered by stress and can lead to death or PSE pork.

PSE (Pale, Soft, Exudative)

A undesirable pork carcass defect characterized by meat that is pale, soft, and exuding excess fluid.

Adaptation

Long-term, genetically based physiological or behavioral changes in animals in response to their environment.

Acclimation

The short-term process or result of an animal becoming accustomed to a new climate or condition.

Critical Temperature

The ambient threshold temperature below (lower critical) or above (upper critical) which an animal must make physiological adjustments to maintain body temperature.

Effective Temperature

The overall heating or cooling power exerted by the environment, influenced by ambient temperature, wind, humidity, and solar radiation.

Homeotherm

An animal that maintains a relatively constant internal body temperature regardless of external environmental temperature.

Thermoneutral Zone (TNZ)

The range of ambient temperatures where an animal's heat loss and heat production are equal, allowing comfort without physiological stress.

Mastitis

Inflammation of the mammary gland/udder caused by bacterial infection, recognized as the primary cause of economic loss in the dairy industry.

Ketosis

A metabolic disorder caused by an severe energy deficiency, typically occurring $4$ to $6$ weeks after parturition in high-producing dairy cows.

Milk Fever

A metabolic condition caused by abnormally low blood calcium levels that results in severe muscle weakness at or near calving.