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Physiological adjustment to repeated wind exposure in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. G. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, 29 Lauder Road, Edinburgh, 9
J. M. Doney
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, 29 Lauder Road, Edinburgh, 9
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Summary

An experiment was undertaken to examine the possibility that progressive adjustments in tissue insulation on the trunk might occur following repeated wind cooling. Two sheep were exposed at right angles to an air flow of 12 mph for 6 hr daily on each of 7 consecutive days.

When first exposed to the wind the heat loss from the fleece-covered surfaces increased due to a reduction in insulation and apparently increased vaso-dilatation. After the first day there was a progressive increase in surface vaso-constriction before exposure and a gradual decrease in the extent of the vaso-dilatation during exposure. The results indicate the possibility of centrally-induced peripheral adjustments in blood flow occurring on the trunk of the sheep in response to repeated wind cooling.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1969

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References

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