Modeling Ruminant Digestion and Metabolism

Introduction. Modeling principles and terminology. The modeling process I - objective statements, block diagrams, equation forms and parameterization. The modeling process II - solution algorithms, model evaluations and parameter estimation. Animal energetic models. Energy requirements for maintenance and production. Protein and amino acid models. Biology and algebraic models of ruminant digestion. Biology and algebraic models of growth. Biology of lactation. Dynamic models of ruminant digestion. Dynamic models of ruminant adipose tissue metabolism. Dynamic models of ruminant mammary metabolism. Dynamic models of liver and liver metabolism. Mechanistic, dynamic models of growth. Lactation. Evaluation and use of a growth and lactation model. Index.