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Daily rhythmicity of the thermoregulatory responses of locally adapted Brazilian sheep in a semiarid environment

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Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the daily rhythmicity of the thermoregulatory responses of Morada Nova ewes that were raised in a semiarid environment. The experiment was conducted during the dry season. Data were collected from 5:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.. Samples were taken over the course of 8 days, with a 1-week interval between sampling periods. During each day that the data were collected, animals were measured once an hour for 24 h in an area directly exposed to solar radiation. The environment was characterized by measuring the following variables: air temperature (TA), relative humidity (RH), Black Globe Humidity Index (BGHI), radiant heat load (RHL), and wind speed (WS). Physiological variables that were measured included rectal temperature (RT, °C), respiratory rate (RR, breaths/min), surface temperature (ST, °C), and sweating rate (SR, g m2 h−1). We observed that RT, RR, and ST increased as environmental conditions became more stressful. Specifically, environmental conditions became more stressful as RHL, air temperature, and BGHI increased, while RH decreased. All physiological variables of the animals were strongly affected by the time of the day: environmental variables changed drastically between nighttime and noon. Physiological parameters increased sharply from the morning (7:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.) until noon (11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.), except for sweating rate. After noon, these variables began to drop until nighttime (11:00 p.m.–6:00 am), and values of the main physiological indexes were stable during this period. The Morada Nova breed exhibited daily cyclic variations in thermoregulatory responses. Evaporative heat loss mechanisms were triggered during the most stressful times of the day. The first mechanism that animals used was panting, which was an immediate response to environmental heat stress. Cutaneous evaporation had a slower response mechanism to environmental heat stress. Homeothermy conditions were restored to the animals at approximately 5:00 p.m.; however, these findings confirm the importance of providing environmental protection during critical periods of the day, even for locally adapted breeds. These responses suggest that the use of thermal storage allowed the animals to achieve equilibrium with the environment and maintain a stable body temperature.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge EMBRAPA—Goat and Sheep and Capes. Luis Alberto Bermejo Asensio was funded by the Ciência sem Fronteiras Program under Special Visiting Researcher project n° 88881030352/2013-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Francisco Mota Avenue, 572, district Costa e Silva, Mossoró, RN, 59625-900, Brazil

    Wilma Emanuela da Silva, Jacinara Hody Gurgel Morais Leite, José Ernandes Rufino de Sousa, Wirton Peixoto Costa, Wallace Sostene Tavares da Silva & Débora Andréa Evangelista Façanha

  2. Department of Science Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, RN 160, KM 03, Macaíba, RN, 59280-000, Brazil

    Magda Maria Guilhermino

  3. Department of Science Universidad de La Laguna, Carretera General do Geneto, 2, 38071, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

    Luis Alberto Bermejo Asensio

Authors
  1. Wilma Emanuela da Silva
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  2. Jacinara Hody Gurgel Morais Leite
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  3. José Ernandes Rufino de Sousa
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  4. Wirton Peixoto Costa
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  5. Wallace Sostene Tavares da Silva
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  6. Magda Maria Guilhermino
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  7. Luis Alberto Bermejo Asensio
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  8. Débora Andréa Evangelista Façanha
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wilma Emanuela da Silva.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee CEUA-UFERSA (number 23091003895/2014–71) and was conducted at the Center of Studies and Research in Small Ruminants at the Federal Rural University of Semiarid-UFERSA, Campus Mossoró-RN, with the geographic coordinates 5° 12′ South, 37° 19′ West.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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da Silva, W.E., Leite, J.H.G.M., de Sousa, J.E.R. et al. Daily rhythmicity of the thermoregulatory responses of locally adapted Brazilian sheep in a semiarid environment. Int J Biometeorol 61, 1221–1231 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-016-1300-2

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