28924 - Animal science II
437 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering: 3
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering: 4
437 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering: 3
Compulsory
5.3. Syllabus
BLOCK 1: INTRODUCTION
THEORY
Unit 1.- Introduction to animal anatomy and physiology
- General morphology: external anatomic regions, osseous bases and body cavities.
- Functional organizations: cells, tissues and their embryological origins, organs and systems.
- Histophysiology of animal tissues. Muscle tissue and conversion of muscle into meat.
Unit 2.- Endocrinology
- Main mechanisms of regulation and control in the organism
- Endocrine and neuroendocrine glands
Unit 3.- Growth and development
- Quantitative and qualitative growth y growth curves
- Differential growth of the corporal tissues and organs
- Concept of precocity and corporal composition
- Factors influencing growth and development
WORKSHOP
Unit 4: Ethology and animal welfare (2-hours)
- Nature of behaviour
- Developmental, maintenance, social and reproductive behaviour
- Concept of animal welfare. Assessment and control systems.
PRACTICAL SESSION
Practical session 1.- Osteology
Duration: 2 hours.
Complementing unit 1
Practical session 2.- General morphology and animal identification
Duration: 2 hours.
Complementing unit 1
Practical session 3.- Anatomy of the reproductive system and the digestive system
Duration: 2 hours.
Complementing units 5, 6, 10 and 12.
BLOCK 2: BASIC ASPECTS OF REPRODUCTION
Unit 5.- General and comparative functional anatomy of the male genital system. Physiological aspects of reproduction in the male.
- The male gonads – the testicles. The extratesticular spermatic ways. The glands attached.
- Comparative anatomy of the male reproductive system.
- Spermatogenesis.
- Secretions of the male genital system and seminal plasma.
Unit 6. – General and comparative functional anatomy of the female genital system. The oestrous cycle of the female.
- The female gonads – the ovaries. The female genital ways.
- Comparative anatomy of the female reproductive system.
- Folliculogenesis and ovulation.
- The oestrous cycle. Endocrinology of the oestrous cycle.
Unit 7. – Transport of gametes and fertilization. Gestation. Delivery y post-delivery.
- Fertilization and beginning of the embryonic development. Abnormalities in the fertilization and early embryonic death.
- The development of gestation. Hormonal regulation of gestation. Gestation diagnosis.
- The labour. Hormonal regulation of gestation.
- The post-labour.
Unit 8. – Lactation
- Morphogenesis, development and structure of the mammary gland.
- Secretion and ejection of milk.
- Statistics.
- Factors affecting milk production.
Unit 9. – Reproduction of birds
- Functional anatomy of the male genital system.
- Functional anatomy of the female genital system.
- Formation of the egg y egg-laying.
- Reproductive cycles in the female.
Unit 10. – Techniques for increasing reproductive efficiency
- Artificial insemination.
- Induction and synchronization of the oestrum
- Overpopulation and transfer of embryos
BLOCK 3: BASIC ASPECTS OF NUTRITION
Unit 11.- Nutritive principles of foods
- Classification of foods. Classification of immediate principles.
- Chemical and nutritional composition of foods – Weende scheme, Van Soest scheme and Dietary fibre - Asp method.
Unit 12.- Anatomy and physiology of digestion. Absorption and metabolism. Digestion in pigs.
- Particularities of la digestion in ruminants.
- Particularities of la digestion in horses.
- Particularities of la digestion in rabbits.
- Particularities of la digestion in birds.
- Absorption of digestion products, places and ways.
- Principles of metabolism.
Unit 13.- The digestive use
- Concept of apparent and real digestibility.
- Measuring digestibility.
- Digestibility of the different cellular constituents.
- Factors that impact on digestibility.
Unit 14.- The energy of foods and its use for animal organism
Theoretical fundamentals of nutrition – nutritional valorisation of foods, animal needs and their application to rationing.
- Energetical valorisation of foods: gross energy, digestible energy, metabolizable energy.
- Energetical needs of animals for maintenance.
- Energetical needs of animals for production.
- Energetical assessment systems.
Unit 15.- Protein nutrition
- Protein animal nutrition – maintenance and production.
- Concept of de essential amino-acid, limiting amino-acid and concept of ideal protein.
- Use of dietary nitrogen.
- Protein valorisation of foods for monogastric animals.
- Protein valorisation of foods for ruminants.
Unit 16.- Food intake
- Introduction to the mechanisms of regularisation of food intake.
- Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the capacity of food intake.
- Prediction of voluntary intake and the capacity of food intake.
- Replacement rates.
- Systems of valuation of the ingestion of foods in monogastric animals and ruminants.
Unit 17.- Minerals, vitamins and water
- Minerals. Classification. Absorption, transport and reserve. Functions and main deficiencies. Needs and ways of satisfying them.
- Concept of vitamin, pro-vitamin and anti-vitamin.
- Vitamins. Classification. Absorption, transport and reserve. Functions and main deficiencies. Needs and ways of satisfying them.
- Water. Needs and consumption. Recommendations.
Unit 18.- Foods
- Fresh forage. Dried forage.
- By-products, roots and tubers.
- Energetic concentrated foods.
- Organizational structure of a feed factory.
PRACTICAL SESSION
Practical session 4.- Determination of gross energy, crude protein, non-protein hydrogen, protein hydrogen, crude fibre and ether extract.
Duration: 8 hours.
Corresponding to unit 11
WORKSHOP
Raw materials in animal nutrition (2 hours)
Duration: 2 hours.
Corresponding to unit 18
VISIT
Visit to a feed factory (3 hours)
Duration: 3 hours.
Corresponding to unit 18
PROBLEMS
Rationing using computers (4 hours)
Duration: 4 hours.
Corresponding to unit 11 to 18
BLOCK 4: BASIC ASPECTS OF ANIMAL GENETICS
WORKSHOP
Unit 19.- Genetics of productive characters. Selection and crossbreeding.
- Physical and zoo-technical characters that need to be improved.
- Concept de selection. Introduction to the selection methods. Selection indexes.
- Improvement by crossbreeding. Types of crossbreeding.