BRAINCAKEReducing Respiratory Losses in Livestock
In a human food chain, much of the energy that livestock take in is used in respiration and lost as heat, rather than being stored as meat, milk or eggs. Reducing these respiratory losses increases the animals' net production (N = I − (F + R)), so more of the food they eat becomes food for humans.
Methods used in intensive farming include:
• Restricting movement: keeping animals in pens or cages means less energy is used in muscle contraction.
• Keeping animals warm: housing them indoors in a controlled environment means these endotherms use less energy maintaining their body temperature.
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Key terms in this lesson
- endotherm
- An organism that can generate and retain heat metabolically to maintain a fairly constant core body temperature.
More in Energy and Ecosystems
- Gross Primary Production
- Net Primary Production
- NPP = GPP - R
- Net Production of Consumers
- Efficiency of Energy Transfer
- Calculating Percentage Efficiency
- Farming Practices and Productivity
- Simplifying Food Webs to Reduce Energy Loss
All 14 lessons in Energy and Ecosystems · All AQA A-level Biology topics