CH₄ emissions occur directly from animal digestion (enteric) and from animal waste that is stored under anaerobic conditions. In both regards, CH₄ emissions depends on kinetic and thermodynamic factors. With kinetic control, the profile of products formed depends on the relative rates of the...

Ruminal fermentation is an inherently inefficient process converting up to 12% of dietary carbon and energy into end products (e.g. CH₄) that are largely unusable by the animal. Ruminant nutritionists seek to modify fermentation, specifically by increasing ruminal propionic acid yield, reducing...

The expanding world human population will require greater food production within the constraints of increasing societal pressure to minimize the resulting impact on the environment. Breeding goals in the past have achieved substantial gains in environmental load per unit product produced, despite...

The complexity of the rumen microbial ecosystem supports the efficient conversion of various carbohydrates to volatile fatty acids for fulfilling host energy requirement via stepwise disposal of hydrogen (H₂) through the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methane (CH₄). Although, this mechanism...

Viruses of prokaryotes (phages) are obligate microbial pathogens that can, in the lytic phase of development, infect and lyse their respective bacterial or archaeal hosts. As such, these viruses can reduce the population density of their hosts rapidly, and have been viewed as possible agents of...

Mitigation of methane (CH₄) emissions from ruminants is necessary not only from the global warming point of view but also for saving dietary energy. Livestock being the significant contributors to the anthropogenic CH₄ pool have remained the prime target of global research for the past two decades, ...

In recent years, greater concern for environmental health, especially the mitigation of greenhouse gases, has been debated on various platforms. Methane (CH₄) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and is produced globally by both biotic and anthropogenic activities. The most important recognized sources ...

This chapter summarizes the full content of this book where contributors have addressed various aspects of livestock production vis-à-vis climate change. Improving livestock production and productivity is the need of the hour to accomplish the ever increasing demand of the populace. Climate change...

Some kinetic data indicate that thermophilic archaea might be of use in anaerobic reactors where microbial biota can metabolize contaminants in secondary effluents of industrial processes and transform them into methane-rich biogas, producing natural gas as a cleaner energy source and...

This 395-paged-book aims to raise awareness among scientists, academics, students, livestock farmers and policy makers of the twin inter-related and inter-dependent complex mechanisms of livestock rearing and climate change. The contents are divided into sections: one on livestock production, one...