Animal-environment interactions
Author(s)
Basiricò Loredana
Date Issued
2023
Type
article
Volume
4:1221756
Journal
Abstract
Animal-environment interaction is a very complex topic with ancient origins. This
multifaceted relationship, across a great diversity of natural environments and animal
species, has helped develop a variable picture of livestock systems (Casasús et al., 2012).
Animals interact with the environment in which they are integrated by establishing
reciprocal relationships. Environmental conditions, such as climate, nutrition, structures,
management, and relationships with conspecifics and humans, affect the characteristics,
health, and productivity of animals (Rust, 2019; Cheng et al., 2022). In turn, animals
influence aspects and quality of the environment such as water, air, and soil (Opio et al.,
2011; Grossi et al., 2019). Over the past three decades, the processes and effects of this
interaction changed as animals, the environment, technology, and consumer demands
evolved. Therefore, it is essential to understand how to design and manage farming systems
to make them increasingly suitable to respond to the needs of a rapidly expanding world
population (Nardone et al., 2010; Opio et al., 2011) and to the climate changes that already
affect many areas of our planet (Weiskopf et al., 2020; Bednar-Friedl et al., 2022; Trisos
et al., 2022), while simultaneously ensuring an adequate balance among animal welfare,
animal production, and the impact livestock systems have on the environment.
The articles accepted for this Research Topic concern three species: cattle, mainly dairy
cows, pigs, and poultry. The authors represent seven countries from four continents:
Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America. The scientific contributions propose
approaches, problems, and investigative tools related to issues in animal-environment
interactions, focusing on the effects of climate change, especially the effect of global
warming on animals, on the environmental impact of farms, and on animal welfare.