ABSTRACT

Ten northeast Brazilian donkeys were used to evaluate the influence of meteorological variables on their physiological responses in tropical conditions. Physiological data included respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (RT), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and cortisol concentrations. The environment was characterized using the following meteorological variables: air temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (WS). The variables were organized into time. The performed statistical tests included correlations, multivariate and variance analysis. The RR variable was lower in the period between 7 pm and 10 am associated with a decreased RT in the same period. Differences were not detected within each time group of the day for the HR, cortisol concentrations, SBP, DBP and MAP. The physiological traits of the animals in this study were not affected by the time of the day according to the principal component analysis. Significant results were found in the correlation analysis between the RR physiological variable and the meteorological variables of RH (−0.66) and WS (0.69). Thermoregulation mechanisms exhibit few daily cyclical variations; therefore, the northeast Brazilian donkeys have little physiological responses influenced by environmental factors in the semi-arid region.

摘要

十头巴西东北驴被用来评估气象变量对其在热带条件下的生理反应的影响。生理数据包括呼吸频率 (RR)、心率 (HR)、直肠温度 (RT)、收缩压 (SBP)、舒张压 (DBP)、平均动脉压 (MAP) 和皮质醇浓度。使用以下气象变量表征环境：气温（AT）、相对湿度（RH）和风速（WS）。变量被组织成时间。进行的统计测试包括相关性、多变量和方差分析。RR 变量在晚上 7 点到上午 10 点之间较低，与同期的 RT 降低相关。在一天的每个时间组内未检测到 HR、皮质醇浓度、SBP、DBP 和 MAP。根据主成分分析，本研究中动物的生理特征不受一天中时间的影响。在RR生理变量与RH（-0.66）和WS（0.69）气象变量之间的相关性分析中发现了显着结果。体温调节机制表现出很少的每日周期性变化；因此，巴西东北部驴在半干旱地区几乎没有受环境因素影响的生理反应。体温调节机制表现出很少的每日周期性变化；因此，巴西东北部驴在半干旱地区几乎没有受环境因素影响的生理反应。体温调节机制表现出很少的每日周期性变化；因此，巴西东北部驴在半干旱地区几乎没有受环境因素影响的生理反应。