Introduction to
Animal Science
Animals in the
ecological system
Marjune T. Telebrico, MSc.
INTRODUCTION TO
ANIMAL SCIENCE
OVERVIEW
With the increasing human population,
nature’s bounty are not sufficient anymore
to meet basic needs for food. Hence, men
need to cultivate land and herd animals for
steady supply of food. Animal Production
brings several benefits but poses several
problems and challenges as well.
Relatively, maximizing production to help
meet the demand for meat, milk and egg,
were found to contribute to climate
change.
ECOLOGY
What is Ecology?
Ecology is the scientific study of the
interactions between organisms and their
environment.
It is the science that seeks to describe
and explain the relationship between
living organisms and their environment.
What is Ecology?
Ecology is describing the relationships
between living organisms and their
environment.
Ecology comes from the Greek words
Oikos= House
Logia= Study of Life
Study of the “house/environment” in
which we live.
Factors of Ecology
There is two factors that Ecology study:
The Abiotic Factors (non-living
components) are those inert factors
of the ecosystem, as the light, the
temperature, the chemical products,
the water and the atmosphere.
Biotic Factors (living organisms) are all
the living beings in an environment.
Factors of Ecology
Non-living components in the
environment…
Light
Water
Wind
nutrients in soil
Heat
solar radiation
atmosphere, etc.
Factors of Ecology
Plants
Animals
Microorganisms in soil, etc.
Background of Animal Ecology
Charles Elton, is commonly credited as
“the father of animal ecology”. Elton’s
most famous studies were conducted
during his time as a biological consultant
to the Hudson Bay Company to help
understand the fluctuations in the
company’s fur harvests.
Background of Animal Ecology
Elton studied the population fluctuations
and dynamics of snowshoe hare,
Canadian lynx, and other mammals of the
region. Elton is also considered the first to
coin the terms, food chain and food cycle
in his famous book Animal Ecology.
Definition of Animal Ecology
Animal ecology it is the study of animals
and how they relate to each other as
well as their environment. It can also be
defined as the scientific study of
interactions that determine the
distribution and abundance of organisms.
Animal ecology is one area of zoology
Various Form of Animal Ecology
Behavioral ecology, the study of the
behavior of the animals with relation
to their environment and others.
Various Form of Animal Ecology
Population ecology - the study of
the effects on the population of
these animals.
Various Form of Animal Ecology
Marine ecology - is the scientific study
of marine-life habitat, populations, and
interactions among organisms and the
surrounding environment including
their abiotic (non-living physical and
chemical factors that affect the ability
of organisms to survive and reproduce)
and biotic factors (living things or the
materials that directly or indirectly
affect an organism in its environment).
Various Form of Animal Ecology
Evolutionary
ecology - is the study of
how animals evolve over time to meet
the demands on them.
Guiding Principles in the study of
Animal Ecology
One is the balance of nature, which
states that ecological systems are
regulated in approximately steady
states. When a population becomes
large, ecological pressures on
population size, including food
shortage, predation and disease, tend
to reduce the number of individuals.
Guiding Principles in the study of
Animal Ecology
Second principle is that populations
exist in dynamic relationship to their
environments and that these
relationships may cause ecological
systems to vary dramatically over time
and space.
ECOSYSTEMS
Plants are Food Producer for they can
convert energy coming from the sun, thru
the process of photosynthesis, into
carbohydrates (CHO). Plants can also fix
nitrogen from atmosphere and utilize
other elements from air, water and soil
and convert these to protein.
ECOSYSTEMS
On the other hand, animals and human
cannot produce their own food, thus, are
considered as Food Consumers.
Classification of food consumers:
Herbivores- are animals that depend on
plants for subsistence.
Carnivores- are animals that depend on
other animals as their source of food.
Omnivores- are animals that depend
both on plants and other animals as
their source of food.
Scavengers are larger animals that
consume dead animals (carrion),
breaking them down into smaller
pieces.
Decomposers, like bacteria and fungi,
then further break down these smaller
pieces and waste, ultimately converting
them into simpler inorganic substances
that can be used by plants
Growth of plants & animals depends
largely on maintenance of balance
between Food Producers (Plants) &
Food Consumers (animals & man). Note
that only small part of energy spent by
animals are returned to the soil and
eventually to plants.
WHY?
Most of the energy produced by
animals are dissipated to the
atmosphere during respiration. Animal
population growth further causes
ecological imbalance due to the
depletion of vegetation as a result of
overgrazing.
Not withstanding of the relative
inefficiency as food producer, animals
are important components of the food
production system. Livestock and
poultry help enhance the ability of an
agricultural system to produce food for
man.
Animal Science and Agriculture:
Scope of Animal Science
Animal Science Definition:
The art, science and industry of
breeding, care & management,
marketing and processing of animals
and their products for the purpose of
obtaining profit from the enterprise.
Animal Science as an ART:
Art is applied in the selection of animals
where animals are selected on the basis
of beauty or aesthetic value in addition to
production performance. Breeders
breed animals not only based on
efficiency of production but also for
“beauty.
Animal Science as a SCIENCE:
Science: a well ordered & systematic
body of knowledge.
Research / Experimentation is done to
gather data so as to determine the
efficiency of production of farm animals
and as bases of selecting desirable
animals for breeding.
Experimentation are done to
ascertain:
1. Adaptability
2. Efficiency of performance;
3. Systems of management to use;
4. Inheritance of desirable traits
5. Animal health
Animal Science as an INDUSTRY:
Combines art and science to make
animal production a profitable activity.
It entails making the right decisions to
make the enterprise “economic” and
stay competitive in the market. Proper
knowledge of breeding, feeding,
management systems based on
updated information and desirable
marketing practices must combine
harmoniously to attain desired profit.
Animal Science as an INDUSTRY:
Continued viability and progress of
Animal Industry depends on how it is
able to respond successfully well on the
changing conditions of the biological,
physical, socio-economic and political
environments.
Animal Conservation in the
Philippines
Republic Act No. 9147, also known as
the Wildlife Resources Conservation and
Protection Act, is a consolidation of
House Bill No. 10622 and Senate Bill No.
2128, and was signed into law on 30 July
2001 by President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo.
Thank You
Individual Class Project
Create a diagram illustrating the
food web of a specific ecosystem,
including the relationships between
predators and prey and the flow of
energy and nutrients
