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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Livestock, Forage and Pasture Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413957
Research Project: Integrated Research to Enhance Forage and Food Production from Southern Great Plains Agroecosystems

Location: Livestock, Forage and Pasture Management Research Unit

Title: Maternal methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen flux compared to progeny gas flux

Author
item Gunter, Stacey
item Friend, Emalee
item Moffet, Corey

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2024
Publication Date: 9/14/2024
Citation: Gunter, S.A., Friend, E., Moffet, C. 2024. Maternal methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen flux compared to progeny gas flux [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 102(3):735. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae234.828.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae234.828

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nineteen (BW = 370 ± 8.1 kg) Red Angus heifers and their paired offspring (BW = 283 ± 4.2 kg; 18 heifers, 1 steer) were used to compare the respiration gas parameters between dams and their progeny over 2 calving cycles (8 pairs in the 1st cycle, 11 in the 2nd). The dam’s CH4, CO2 emissions and O2 consumption were measured at 14 months of age over a 70-day period using an automated head-chamber system (AHCS) that measured the flux of these 3 gases. Dams grazed native mixed-grass prairie and were offered a daily supplement of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) pellets (1.0 kg) via the AHCS. Dams were artificially inseminated using sexed semen (female) from a single Black Angus sire. The offspring’s gas fluxes were measured, beginning at 11 months of age, over a 70-day period. Like the dams, during their measurement period, the offspring grazed native mixed-grass prairie and were offered a daily supplement (1.0 kg) of alfalfa pellets via the AHCS. Pearson correlations were developed between the 70-d means of daily CH4 and CO2 emissions, O2 consumption, CH4:CO2 ratio, respiratory quotient (RQ), and heat of production (HP) estimates for the dams and their progeny by regressing maternal parameters on the parameters of the calves, using beginning dam and progeny BW as covariates, and year as an indicator variable. A dam’s CH4 emission was very strongly correlated with that of their offspring (' = 0.86). A dam’s CO2 emission and O2 consumption were both also very strongly (' = 0.92 and ' = 0.97, respectively) correlated, with that of their progeny. A dam’s heat production and CH4:CO2 ratio were very strongly (' = 0.96) and fairly (' = 0.50) correlated, respectively, with that of their progeny. Lastly, the dam’s RQ was also very strongly correlated (' = 0.87) with the progeny’s RQ. These results indicate that a dam’s CH4 and CO2 emissions, O2 consumption, CH4:CO2 ratio, and HP are fairly to strongly correlated to the progeny’s gas flux parameters. Hence, even with this small dataset, there is evidence that beef cattle traits related to greenhouse gas emissions are somewhat heritable and could potentially be selected in breeding animals to lower greenhouse gas emission intensity.