Sytematics is commonly defined as the study of biological diversity and the relationships among organisms. Taxonomy, that component of systematics specifically focusing on the theory and practice of classification, is not clearly separable and both are frequently used interchangeably by biologists. This chapter will first briefly review the importance of systematics to the pest management…
Taxonomy, in a broad sense the science of classification, but more strictly the classification of living and extinct organisms i.e., biological classification. The term is derived from the Greek taxis (arrangement) and nomos (law). Taxonomy is, therefore, the methodology and principles of systematic botany and zoology and sets up arrangements of the kinds of plants and animals in hierarchies of superior and subordinate groups. Among biologists the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature, created by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus in the 1750s,…
Amino acids are either produced by fermentation or chemical synthesis. The products produced by chemical synthesis are produced as racemic mixtures, the D- and L- form of the amino acids. Today in commercial practice all amino acids except sulphur-containing amino acids (methionine) sources are produced by fermentation. This is due to the fact that fermentation…
The Earth can be divided into distinct regions based on the presence or absence of various organisms. These regions are known as realms. Over time, different scientists have proposed various classifications of these realms. In 1857, P. L. Sclater categorized the Earth’s geographical areas into six regions based on bird distribution. Later, in 1876, Alfred…
Barriers and dispersal are fundamental concepts in zoogeography, the study of the geographical distribution of animals. They influence how species spread, adapt, and evolve in different regions. Barriers in Zoogeography: Barriers restrict or prevent the movement of species, influencing their distribution. They can be classified into: a. Physical (Geographic) Barriers: Oceans & Seas: Prevent land…
Animal distribution refers to how animal species are spread across different geographical regions. The distribution of animals is influenced by factors such as climate, habitat availability, competition, predation, geological changes, and evolutionary history.Animal distribution can be classified into several types based on their geographical spread and limitations. Cosmopolitan Distribution: Species with a cosmopolitan distribution are…
Zoogeography is the branch of biogeography that studies the geographical distribution of animal species across different regions of the world. It helps in understanding how animals are distributed, their evolutionary history, and the factors influencing their dispersal. 1. Descriptive Zoogeography Descriptive zoogeography is a branch of zoogeography that focuses on systematically documenting and describing the…
Zoogeography is the branch of biogeography that studies the distribution of animal species across different geographical regions and the factors influencing their dispersal. It provides insights into how species originated, migrated, and adapted to different environments. Importance of Zoogeography • Helps in understanding species distribution and biodiversity. • Assists in conservation biology by identifying species-rich…
The assessment of amino acid requirement is an ongoing topic with overwhelming importance for the livestock industry. Dietary supply of nutrients like amino acids to meet animals` requirements directly impacts on the economic bottom line of operations. It is well known that imbalances in dietary amino acids profiles result in reduced growth rate and feed…
A concentrate is usually described as a feed or feed mixture which supplies primary nutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) at higher level but contains less than 18% crude fibre (CF) with low moisture. In general, concentrates are feeds that are high in nitrogen free extract (NFE) and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) and low in crude…
Different raw materials are characterised by their amino acid composition. In addition within a specific type of raw material but between different samples, differences in amino acid composition may occur as a result of cultivation and geographic influences. Therefore when mean tabular values of amino acid composition are used, consideration must be given to the…
The Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) Spectroscopy technique can be used for fast evaluation of the nutritional content of feedstuffs. This method requires a sufficiently large number of chemically verified analytical values for instrument calibration. The population of samples used for calibration has to be representative in terms of type and composition of the type of…
The nitrogen content of different proteins is relatively constant and varies only slightly from an average value of 16%. The level of protein in a feedstuff is usually measured by determining the nitrogen content according to the conventional Kjeldahl or Dumas method; the protein level of the feed can then be estimated by multiplying the…
5.1 Feed specification A nutritionist must define a certain nutrient level of the feed he wants to produce. By reviewing recommendations from different sources, research reports in the scientific literature, and the perspectives gained by personal experience they can establish reasonable nutrient levels for feeds. These nutrient levels can be strongly influenced by production goals….
Technical processing is used to a great extent in feed production. Protein-containing feedstuffs and compound feeds are treated with steam and heat. For proteins damaged by heat during processing, the measurement of ileal digestible amino acids gives a better estimation of the amino acids available to the animal compared with total content or fecal digestibility….
