UTILIZATION OF NON-PROTEIN-NITROGEN BY RUMINANTS CONSUMING A LOW-QUALITY FORAGE

By SOPHIA BROWN

CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION DIGESTION 2 RATE AND EXTENT OF DIGESTION 3 DIGESTA FLOW 4 IN VITRO AND IN SITU TECHNIQUES FOR ESTIMATING DIGESTIBILITY 5 PARTICLE DYNAMICS 6 VOLATILE FATTY ACID PRODUCTION 7 NITROGEN TRANSACTIONS IN RUMINANTS 8 RUMEN MICROORGANISMS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS 9 MICROBIAL ENERGETICS 10 RUMEN FUNCTION METABOLISM 11 GLUCOSE AND SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACID METABOLISM 12 METABOLISM OF THE PORTAL-DRAINED VISCERA AND LIVER 13 FAT METABOLISM AND TURNOVER 14 PROTEIN METABOLISM AND TURNOVER 15 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PROTEIN AND ENERGY METABOLISM 16 CALORIMETRY 17 METABOLIC REGULATION 18 MINERAL METABOLISM THE WHOLE ANIMAL 19 GROWTH 20 PREGNANCY AND FETAL METABOLISM 21 LACTATION: STATISTICAL AND GENETIC ASPECTS OF SIMULATING LACTATION DATA FROM INDIVIDUAL COWS USING A DYNAMIC, MECHANISTIC MODEL OF DAIRY COW METABOLISM 22 MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF WOOL GROWTH AT THE CELLULAR AND WHOLE ANIMAL LEVEL 23 VOLUNTARY FEED INTAKE AND DIET SELECTION 24 FEED PROCESSING: EFFECTS ON NUTRIENT DEGRADATION AND DIGESTIBILITY 25 ANIMAL INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT: DAIRY COWS IN INTENSIVE SYSTEMS 26 PASTURE CHARACTERISTICS AND ANIMAL PERFORMANCE 27 INTEGRATION OF DATA IN FEED EVALUATION SYSTEMS