Animal Nutrition

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Slide 1

The Need to Feed

Food is taken in, taken apart, and taken up in the process of animal nutrition.

In general, animals fall into three categories:

Herbivores eat mainly autotrophs (plants and algae).

Carnivores eat other animals.

Omnivores regularly consume animals as well as plants or algal matter.

Slide 2

An animal’s diet must supply chemical energy, organic molecules, and essential nutrients

An animal’s diet provides chemical energy, which is converted into ATP and powers processes in the body.

Animals need a source of organic carbon and organic nitrogen in order to construct organic molecules.

Essential nutrients are required by cells and must be obtained from dietary sources.

Slide 3

Essential Nutrients

There are four classes of essential nutrients:

Essential amino acids

Essential fatty acids

Vitamins

Minerals

Slide 4

Essential Amino Acids

Animals require 20 amino acids and can synthesize about half from molecules in their diet.

The remaining amino acids, the essential amino acids must be obtained from food in preassembled form.

A diet that provides insufficient essential amino acids causes malnutrition called protein deficiency.

Slide 5

Meat, eggs, and cheese provide all the essential amino acids and are thus “complete” proteins.

Most plant proteins are incomplete in amino acid makeup.

Individuals who eat only plant proteins need to eat specific plant combinations to get all essential amino acids.

Some animals have adaptations that help them through periods when their bodies demand extraordinary amounts of protein.

Slide 6

Essential amino acids from a vegetarian diet

Beans and other legumes

Corn (maize) and other grains

Lysine

8 Essential amino acids for adults

Tryptophan

Isoleucine

Leucine

Phenylalanine

Threonine

Valine

Methionine

Slide 7

Essential Fatty Acids

Animals can synthesize most of the fatty acids they need.

The essential fatty acids are certain unsaturated fatty acids that must be obtained from the diet.

Deficiencies in fatty acids are rare.

Slide 8

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic molecules required in the diet in small amounts. Many vitamins function as coenzymes.