Whole Body Growth Lecture Flashcards
Cumulative growth over time is shaped like
sigmoidal curve
Cumulative weight is expressed as
total weight at any given time
Shape of cumulative growth is really
stair stepped due to sporadic growth spurts
Self accelerating phase is characterized by
exponential growth
rapid growth with little complexity
In the Self-accelerating phase velocity of growth continues to increase because
there are more and more cells available to divide
rate at which each cell divides soon begins to slow because it becomes
difficult to supply each cell with nutrients and efficiently remove harmful waste
How does the embryo respond to the slowing of the rate at which each cell divides
develops increasingly complex transport mechanisms to supply nutrients and remove waste
when acceleration force is in balance with the counteracting effects of increased complexity and limited nutrients, growth becomes
linear
Point of Inflection
point of maximum growth velocity after which the animal will continue growing but at a decreasing rate
Maximum growth velocity=
period of greatest ADG
Point of inflection occurs during
puberty
Self-decelerating phase
animal approaches mature weight at a decreasing rate of growth
Reduced growth rate is controlled by
many signals including the secretion of somatostatin by the hypothalamus
Asymptote
Point at which food intake matches maintenance requirement
Mature body weight
Mature body weight fluctuates throughout life depending on
available food
reproductive cycle
season
Failure of vital systems is usually after the
reproductive phase of life
Growth may be compared as a function of
chronological age
physiological age
why is the death of an animal important
ensures space for the next generation
Growth over time may be described using different types of curves:
Cumulative
absolute
relative
Chronological age
age in absolute time units
not the same for every animal
Factors that influence growth that can alter the shape of the growth curve
Nutrition
disease
stress
activity level
Physiological age is used to
overcome drawbacks of using chronological age as a point of comparision
Physiological age refers to specific physical or chemical stages of maturity including
height
weight
composition
puberty
sexual maturity
the age at which animals are successfully able to reproduce
Cumulative growth curve
plot of total animal weight over time
sigmoidal curve
Cumulative curves are useful to compare growth but are
not easy to interpret to determine the period of maximum growth (point of inflection)