Part One the Place of Animals and Animal Science in the Lives of Humans
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M01_DAMR6050_06_SE_C01.indd Page 1 1/17/17 10:23 AM user /203/PH02929/9780134436050_DAMRON/DAMRON_INTRODUCTION_TO_ANIMAL_SCIENCE_GLOBAL_BI ... part one The Place of Animals and Animal Science in the Lives of Humans CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the Animal Sciences CHAPTER 2 The Value of Animals to Humanity CHAPTER 3 Factors Affecting World Agricultural Structure CHAPTER 4 Worldwide Systems of Agricultural Production M01_DAMR6050_06_SE_C01.indd Page 2 1/17/17 10:23 AM user /203/PH02929/9780134436050_DAMRON/DAMRON_INTRODUCTION_TO_ANIMAL_SCIENCE_GLOBAL_BI ... M01_DAMR6050_06_SE_C01.indd Page 3 1/17/17 10:23 AM user /203/PH02929/9780134436050_DAMRON/DAMRON_INTRODUCTION_TO_ANIMAL_SCIENCE_GLOBAL_BI ... 1 Introduction to the Animal Sciences Key Terms Learning Objectives Agriculture Farmer After you have studied this Animal behavior Genetic code chapter, you should be able to: Animal breeding Genetics • Define animal science and all Animal health Green revolution of its component parts. Animal science Heredity • Describe how, why, and when domestication occurred. Biofuel Hunter-gatherer • Give an overview of the distri- Biometry Livestock revolution bution of agricultural animals Biotechnology Meat worldwide. Civilization Meat science • Explain to a nonagriculturist Culture Nutrient density the contributions of domestic Dairy product science Nutrition animals to humankind and the Diet Omnivore value of studying animal Domestic animals Physiology science. Draft animal Renewable resources • Describe the worldwide livestock revolution and its Essential amino acids implications. INTRODUcTiON Animals. We live with them, worship them, consume them, admire them, fear them, love them, care for them, and depend on them. They are part of our sustenance, our sociology, and our day-to-day lives. Because they are so important to us, we also study them and apply what we learn to improve their lives and enhance their roles in our lives. The branch of science that deals with domestic animals is animal science, which is the Animal science The combi- topic of this book. nation of disciplines that Much of our use for animals revolves around their contributions to together comprise the study of domestic animals. our food supply. To coax a more stable food supply from the land, humans developed a complicated resource management system called agriculture. Agriculture The combina- In agriculture, domestic plants and animals are kept to produce for tion of science and art used humankind’s needs. Humans have practiced agriculture for thousands of to cultivate and grow crops and livestock and process years and, either directly or indirectly, every person on the planet depends the products. on agriculture for his or her daily food (Figure 1-1). Because this is true, it is also ultimately true that all of humankind’s other occupations are tied Domestic Those species to agriculture. This is especially the case in the world’s developed coun- that have been brought under human control and tries. In fact, the entire urban industrial complex of the developed world that have adapted to life is sustained only because of food surpluses generated by agriculturists. with humans. M01_DAMR6050_06_SE_C01.indd Page 4 1/17/17 10:23 AM user /203/PH02929/9780134436050_DAMRON/DAMRON_INTRODUCTION_TO_ANIMAL_SCIENCE_GLOBAL_BI ... 4 part one the place of animals and animal science in the lives of humans Figure 1-1 Bolivian farmers cultivating potatoes on old Incan terraces. They use the same tools as those used by their ancestors. (Roberto Faidutti/ United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization.) Humans have found many other uses for domestic animals in such areas as sports, recreation, manufacturing, religion, scientific research, and as companions. Add these uses to food production and we discover that animals are at the core of virtually all of our lives, whether or not we are aware of it. Because agriculture and its animals are integral to our existence, they have become a dominating part of our Culture In this context, culture, our influence on the landscape, and, either directly or indirectly, our day- culture refers to the set of to-day activities. occupational activities, Exactly when individual animal species were domesticated is unknown. DNA economic structures, beliefs/values, social forms, sequencing technology suggests that the dog was domesticated from a now extinct and material traits that wolf as long as 30,000 years ago, but archaeological evidence suggests that the dog was define our actions and domesticated about 14,000 years ago (12000 b.c.). The earliest domestic food animal activities. species (as most Westerners currently define it) was the sheep (somewhere around 8000 b.c.), followed by goats, pigs, and cattle (6500 b.c.); llamas (5500 b.c.); horses (3500 b.c.); donkeys (4000 b.c.); reindeer (3000 b.c.); and chickens (6000 b.c.). Note: This is a very active area of research with other dates being proposed for all species. Hunter-gatherer Hunter- Humans did not plan their dependence on the animals they tamed and then gatherer people support domesticated. Hunter-gatherers (who first domesticated animals) used the meat, their needs by hunting bones, and skins just as they had done before domestication. The only difference after game, fishing, and gather- ing edible and medicinal domestication was convenience. The additional uses (milk, clothing, power, war, plants. sport, and prestige) came later. This happened after people had lived in the company Farmer Anyone who prac- of animals for a long time in a more sedentary lifestyle. tices agriculture by manag- Humans had hunted and consumed animals for 2 million years before domes- ing and cultivating livestock ticating them. The behavioral change required for hunters and gatherers to become and/or crops. farmers was a major cultural revolution and a major step toward what we call Civilization In modern con- civilization. text, this refers to what we With our acquisition of domestic animals came the need to ultimately manage consider a fairly high level of cultural and technological them, care for them, and learn to use them to our best advantage. Meeting those needs development. led to the development of the discipline of study that we call animal science. M01_DAMR6050_06_SE_C01.indd Page 5 1/17/17 10:23 AM user /203/PH02929/9780134436050_DAMRON/DAMRON_INTRODUCTION_TO_ANIMAL_SCIENCE_GLOBAL_BI ... introduction to the animal sciences chapter one 5 ANiMAL SciENcE SPEciALTiEs Animal science is simply the collective study of domestic animals. This includes every aspect, from conception to death, behavior to management, physiology to nutrition, and reproduction to product distribution. Animal science represents an Genetics The science of accumulation of knowledge that began with observations of those hunter-gatherers heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. who began the process of domestication long ago. As animal scientists have learned Heredity The transmission more and more about animals, the accumulated wealth of information has become of genetic characteristics too large for any one person to comprehend completely. Out of necessity, its study is from parent to offspring. divided into disciplines, or specialties, as a means of creating manageable pieces. Animal breeding The use These specialties may be broken down several ways, but the following categories of biometry and genetics illustrate the point: to improve farm animal production. • Genetics is the science of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. Biometry The application of Animal breeding is the use of biometry and genetics to improve farm animal pro- statistics to topics in biology. duction. Genetics is an expanding field due largely to steady progress in deciphering Genetic code The set of the genetic code. rules by which information • Nutrition is the study of how organisms take in and use food/feed for body needs. encoded in genetic material (DNA or RNA sequences) is Whether or not animals develop their genetic potential depends on their environ- translated into proteins ment. The most important environmental factor is feed. Nutrition is the science (amino acid sequences) by that combines feeds with feeding management to bring about the economical pro- living cells. duction of livestock and/or health and long life to animal companions. Nutrition The study of • Physiology is the study of the mechanisms of life from the single biochemical reac- nutrients and how the body tions in cells to the coordinated total of specialized cells that constitute a living uses them. Physiology The study of animal. Because physiology is complex, we usually break down the study to the the physical and chemical workings of physiological systems. Examples include reproductive physiology, renal processes of an animal or physiology, and exercise physiology. any of the body systems or • Animal health is the study of how diseases, parasites, and environmental factors cells of the animal. affect productivity and animal welfare. Disease is defined as any state other than a Animal health The study state of health. and practice of maintaining • Animal behavior and welfare developed along with the livestock industry’s animals as near to a con- stant state of health as is increased dependence on confinement rearing systems, which provide greater con- possible and feasible. trol over animals, reduce labor and feed costs, and help maximize genetic potential. Animal behavior The study Animals in these systems often present problems in their