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This book illustrates the role of cellular oxidative stress as one of the most important physiological cornerstones in the evolution of biodiversity. The first part of the book provides the fundamentals to navigate the field and analyse the cross-talk between oxidative status homeostasis and other fundamental organismal functions, such as immunity and stress physiology. The second part of the book argues that oxidative stress underpins the astonishing diversity of adaptations to the environments and the evolution of life-history strategies, from growth to reproduction. Unravelling the (un)expected ways through which the need of regulating the organismal oxidative status has influenced the evolution of life, this book presents a novel integrative way of thinking about how a cellular mechanism has shaped the evolution of life and death.

This textbook deals comprehensively with livestock production diseases and their prevention in the major species: ruminants, swine, and poultry. It gives an interdisciplinary view on pathophysiology, prophylaxis, and health management.Livestock breeding and husbandry is often accompanied by a conflict of interest between the animal´s biological requirements and economic producer needs. This conflict is increasingly gaining attention not only by producers, animal scientists, and veterinarians, but also by the public. It creates significant future challenges, which are described and addressed in this book. The main topics covered are: •the use of antimicrobials with emphasis on security and safety for producers/consumers•the impact of locomotion disorders on performance and welfare of farm animals •the interactions of gut microbiome, genetics, climate change, metabolic status and mineral homeostasis with reproduction, performance, animal health and welfare•infectious and respiratory diseases•the raising of neonatesA special section is devoted to behavioural signs indicating an impaired animal welfare. These are the basis for precision livestock farming (PLF) technology and the development of new management concepts. The present work is a valuable resource for veterinarians, students, as well as expert readers from animal and agricultural sciences, food safety and technology. Supplementary videos can be accessed online as well as directly from the print book; simply download the Springer Nature More Media App for free and scan the links with the play button.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the welfare of cattle. It starts with a consideration of animal welfare science and its application to the management of cattle and moves through to discussions of the challenges and opportunities for providing good welfare for cattle in farming and husbandry systems across the globe. The first section comprises three chapters that discuss the social, behavioural and physiological methods that can be used to assess welfare in cattle. The second section considers the welfare challenges of beef and dairy cattle in extensive and intensive systems. The third section details welfare challenges such as at slaughter, during handling and in the growing period and details solutions such as the use of sensors and application of animal breeding techniques. The final section addresses welfare challenges and solutions in achieving sustainability, in smallholder farms in Africa and new entrant dairying in Asia and cow shelters in India. This work makes a valuable contribution to the field of animal welfare and modern livestock farming. It is a must-read for researchers and students, veterinarians as well as industry personnel and informed farmers and producers.

This Volume 1 of a two-volume work is the first textbook to offer a practical yet comprehensive approach to clinical ophthalmology in wild and exotic invertebrates, fishes, amphibia, reptiles, and birds. A phylogenetic approach is used to introduce the ecology and importance of vision across all creatures great and small before focusing on both the diverse aspects of comparative anatomy and clinical management of ocular disease from one species group to the next. Edited by three of the most esteemed authorities in exotic animal ophthalmology, this two-volume work is separated into non-mammalian species (Volume 1: Invertebrates, Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Birds) and Mammals (Volume 2: Mammals). Wild and Exotic Animal Ophthalmology, Volumes 1 and 2 is an essential collection for veterinary ophthalmologists and other veterinary practitioners working with wild and exotic animals.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 10th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was held in Goslar, Germany September 1-4, 2015. The focus of this workshop was on the fundamental, environmental and agricultural aspects of sulfur in plants, and presents an overview of the progress in the research developments in this field in the 28 years since the first of these workshops. The volume covers various aspects of the regulation of the uptake and assimilation of sulfate in plants from a molecular to a whole plant level with an emphasis on the significance of sulfur metabolism in plant responses to stress and in food security.

This book explores the current trends and challenges of sustainable goat meat and milk production in different global contexts, providing valuable insights into this industry in adverse environments like mountain, semiarid and arid regions. It also includes contributions from international experts discussing goat reproduction, genetic diversity and improvement, as well topics such as animal health, welfare, socioeconomic aspects, and many other issues regarding the environmentally friendly and economically viable exploitation of goats. This is a highly informative book providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in sustainable agriculture and socio-economic aspects, as well as goat breed conservation, genetic diversity, and veterinary care. These subjects are complemented in a second volume providing a detailed description of more than 40 indigenous goat breeds and several ecotypes found in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

This volume focuses on those instances when benign and even beneficial relationships between microbes and their hosts opportunistically change and become detrimental toward the host. It examines the triggering events which can factor into these changes, such as reduction in the host's capacity for mounting an effective defensive response due to nutritional deprivation, coinfections and seemingly subtle environmental influences like the amounts of sunlight, temperature, and either water or air quality. The effects of environmental changes can be compounded when they necessitate a physical relocation of species, in turn changing the probability of encounter between microbe and host. The change also can result when pathogens, including virus species, either have modified the opportunist or attacked the host's protective natural microflora. The authors discuss these opportunistic interactions and assess their outcomes in both aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems, highlighting the impact on plant, invertebrate and vertebrate hosts.

Allelopathy is an ecological phenomenon by which plants release organic chemicals (allelochemicals) into the environment influencing the growth and survival of other organisms. In this book, leading scientists in the field synthesize latest developments in allelopathy research with a special emphasis on its application in sustainable agriculture. The following topics are highlighted: Ecological implications, such as the role of allelopathy during the invasion of alien plant species; regional experiences with the application of allelopathy in agricultural systems and pest management; the use of microscopy for modeling allelopathy; allelopathy and abiotic stress tolerance; host allelopathy and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; allelopathic interaction with plant nutrition; and the molecular mechanisms of allelopathy. This book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and advanced students in the fields of plant physiology, agriculture, ecology, environmental sciences, and molecular biology.