FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOCLIMATOLOGY AND THERMOREGULATION MECHANISMS IN SHEEP: FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS TO PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63330/aurumpub.055-003Keywords:
Thermal comfort, Climatic stress, Animal thermoregulationAbstract
Bioclimatology is the study of the influence and interactions of climate on living beings. Sheep are animals well adapted to climatic conditions, but large variations can alter the tolerance limit of thermal comfort, directly interfering with animal production. The objective of this literature review was to understand the effects of climate on sheep production and how physiological responses behave. The physiological response to thermal stress, although a necessary adaptive mechanism for survival, compromises production efficiency. For this reason, the adoption of management techniques is fundamental to ensuring the efficiency of the system.
Downloads
References
AL-DAWOOD, A. Towards heat stress management in small ruminants: a review. Annals of Animal Science, v. 17, n. 1, p. 59-88, 2017.
AL-RAMAMNEH, D.; GERKEN, D. M.; RIEK, A. Effect of shearing on water turnover and thermobiological variables in German blackhead mutton sheep. Journal of Animal Science, v. 89, n. 12, p. 4294-4304, 2011.
ARERO, G. B.; OZMEN, O. Effects of heat stress on reproduction and gene expression in sheep. Animal Reproduction, v. 22, n. 1, e20240067, 2025.
BONSMA, J. The Wortham Foundation Lectures in Animal Science. [S.l.: s.n.], 1965.
DE, K.; MUKHERJEE, J.; BHARATI, J.; ATTUPURAM, N. M.; MOHAPATRA, A.; SAHOO, A. Physical and behavioural adaptability of sheep to thermal stress. Indian Journal of Animal Health, v. 63, n. 2, p. 73-81, 2024.
DE RENSIS, F.; SCARAMUZZI, R. J. Heat stress and seasonal effects on reproduction in dairy cows: a review. Theriogenology, v. 60, p. 1139-1151, 2003.
DOS SANTOS, J. D. C. et al. Neonatal mortality of lambs in production systems in a semi-arid environment: main risk factors. The Journal of Agricultural Science, v. 161, n. 3, p. 438-449, 2023.
DWYER, C. M. et al. Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: Science into practice. Animal, v. 10, n. 3, p. 449-459, 2016.
EALES, F. A., GILMOUR, J. S., BARLOW, R. M., & SMALL, J. Causes of hypothermia in 89 lambs. The Veterinary Record, 110(6), 118-120, 1982.
FLINN, T., KLEEMANN, DO, SWINBOURNE, AM, KELLY, JM, WEAVER, AC, WALKER, SK, ... & VAN WETTERE, WH (2020). Mortalidade neonatal de cordeiros: principais fatores de risco e o potencial papel atenuante da melatonina. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 11 (1), 107, 2020.
HABEEB, A. A. et al. The detrimental impact of high environmental temperature on physiological response, growth, milk production, and reproductive efficiency of ruminants. Tropical Animal Health and Production, v. 55, n. 6, 388, 2023.
HANN, J. F. Handbuch der Klimatologie. [S.l.: s.n.], 1882.
HANSEN, P. J.; AREÉCHIGA, C. F. Strategies for managing reproduction in the heat-stressed dairy cow. Journal of Animal Science, v. 77, supl. 2, p. 36-50, 1999.
JOY, A. et al. Resilience of small ruminants to climate change and increased environmental temperature: a review. Animals, v. 10, n. 5, 867, 2020.
KHAN, A. et al. Evaluation of heat stress effects on cellular and transcriptional adaptation of bovine granulosa cells. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, v. 11, n. 1, p. 25, 2020.
KOLUMAN, N.; PAKSOY, Y. Sustainability of sheep farming in Eastern Mediterranean Region. In: Sheep Farming: Sustainability from Traditional to Precision Production. IntechOpen, 2024.
LEE, D. H. K. Manual of field studies on heat tolerance of domestic animals. Rome: FAO, 1993. 161 p.
MACEDO JUNIOR, G. D. L. Avaliação bioclimatológica em ovinos. Pubvet, v. 6, n. 20, 2012.
MARINHO, G. T. B. et al. Bioclimatic zoning for sheep farming through geostatistical modeling in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Animals, v. 13, n. 6, 1124, 2023.
MARTÍN-MAESTRO, A. et al. Heat stress affects the functionality of the ovine cumulus-oocyte complex and subsequent in vitro embryo production. Scientific Reports, v. 15, n. 1, 17163, 2025.
MAZLISHAH, M. S. H. et al. Influence of management systems on severity of heat stress and reproductive performance of rams in the tropics: a review. Annals of Animal Science, v. 24, n. 4, p. 1081-1092, 2024.
McARTHUR, A. J. Air movement and heat loss from sheep. III. Components of insulation in a controlled environment. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, v. 209, n. 1175, p. 219-237, 1980.
McCAFFERTY, D. J. et al. Animal thermoregulation: a review of insulation, physiology and behaviour relevant to temperature control in buildings. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, v. 13, n. 1, 011001, 2017.
McDOWELL, R. E. Bases biológicas de la producción animal en zonas tropicales. Zaragoza: Acribia, 1974. 692 p.
MEDEIROS, L. F. D.; VIEIRA, D. H. Bioclimatologia animal. Apostila, 1997.
MIES FILHO, A.; ENDLER, J. O.; MORAES, J. C. F. Indução do estro ovulatório em ovelhas com emprego de estímulos elétricos e/ou hormonais: nota prévia. Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal, v. 13, p. 229-238, 1989.
NAQVI, S. M. K. et al. The effect of thermal stress on superovulatory response and embryo production in Bharat Merino ewes. Small Ruminant Research, v. 55, p. 57-63, 2004.
NARAYAN, E.; SAWYER, G.; PARISELLA, S. Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites and body temperature in Australian Merino ewes during summer artificial insemination program. PLoS ONE, v. 13, n. 1, e0191961, 2018.
NOTTLE, M. B.; KLEEMAN, D. O.; SEAMARK, R. F. Effect of previous undernutrition on the ovulation rate of Merino ewes supplemented with lupin grain. Animal Reproduction Science, v. 49, p. 29-36, 1997.
OSÓRIO, J. C. S. et al. Produção e qualidade de lã. In: SELAIVE, A. B.; OSÓRIO, J. C. S. (Org.). Produção de ovinos no Brasil. Vila Mariana: Roca, 2014. p. 449-467.
POLLI, V. A. et al. Estresse térmico e o desempenho produtivo de ovinos: uma revisão. Medicina Veterinária (UFRPE), v. 14, n. 1, p. 38-47, 2020.
RICCI, G. D. (2025). Bioclimatologia Animal: Clima, Produção e Bem-estar. Freitas Bastos.
SAWYER, G.; NARAYAN, E. J. A review on the influence of climate change on sheep reproduction. In: Comparative Endocrinology of Animals. IntechOpen, 2019.
SILVA, V. C. D. et al. Bioclimatic spatial zoning for small ruminants in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Acta Scientiarum. Animal Sciences, v. 44, e56099, 2022.
SWARNKAR, C. P. et al. Risk factor analysis for neonatal lamb mortality in Malpura sheep. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, v. 89, n. 6, p. 640-644, 2019.
VAN WETTERE, W. H. et al. Review of the impact of heat stress on reproductive performance of sheep. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, v. 12, n. 1, 26, 2021.
WANJALA, G. et al. A review on the potential effects of environmental and economic factors on sheep genetic diversity: consequences of climate change. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, v. 30, n. 1, 103505, 2022.
ZUREK, E.; FOXCROFT, G. R.; KENNELLY, J. J. Metabolic status and interval in postpartum dairy cows to first ovulation. Journal of Dairy Science, v. 78, p. 1909-1920, 1995.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.