VSC003 Advanced Certificate In Applied Animal Science

Study, Learn and Work in Animal Science A specially designed certificate for people wishing to work or working in ·animal biology·animal care·animal health care or ·the environment. The course will deepen knowledge of animal health, animal science and zoology and provide a solid foundation for either learning on the job, or through further study (eg: Mammalogy, Zoology, Veterinary Science or Biology - as a preparatory qualification before committing to university or other studies).
This Advanced Certificate consists of 8 modules and a Research Project or 100 hour Industry meeting, covering Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Taxonomy (Classification), Behaviour etc. It also incorporates optional study in Environmental Assessment, a marketable skill for people who graduate with a good understanding of animals.

If appropriate Research Project I may be replaced by Industry Meetings (100 hour).
Modules
Core Modules These modules provide foundation knowledge for the Advanced Certificate In Applied Animal Science.
Animal Biology (Animal Husbandry I) BAG101
Biochemistry I (Animal) BSC103
Marine Studies I BEN103
Ornithology BEN102
Vertebrate Zoology BEN104
Animal Behaviour BAG203
Biochemistry II (Plant and Animal) BSC203

Stream Modules Studied after the core modules, stream modules cover more specific or niche subjects.
Research Project I BGN102

Elective Modules In addition to the core modules, students study any 1 of the following 6 modules.
Cell Biology BSC110
Developmental Psychology BPS210
Wildlife Management BEN205
Biochemistry III (Animal Processes) BSC303
Environmental Assessment BEN301
Professional Practice For Consultants BBS301


Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate In Applied Animal Science is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Extract from Course Notes

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

The digestive system is basically a long tube extending from the mouth to the anus. Its function is to take in food, grind it, digest it, absorb the nutrients, and eliminate the solid waste products that result from the process. Digestion reduces the nutrients in food to compounds which are simple enough to be absorbed and used by the animal for energy and the building of tissues.

Previously we discussed how livestock are divided into ruminants and non-ruminants. Common ruminants on the farm are cattle and sheep while non-ruminants include pigs and horses. We saw that ruminants eat grass while non-ruminants eat cereals and some grass.

Ruminants' stomachs are designed to deal with large amounts of fibrous material (think how tough old grass and corn/sorghum stalks are). Ruminants have a much larger stomach than non-ruminants. The ruminant stomach is divided into four compartments and food travels slowly through them so that a tough food can be thoroughly digested. By contrast, the non-ruminant has a single or simple stomach (like ours).

We will deal in more detail with simple and ruminant stomachs later, but for now we are going to look at the various parts that make up a digestive system. We will first discuss the digestive system of a non-ruminant so that you can understand the workings of a simple system before moving on to the slightly more complicated ruminant system.

Mouth

The mouth is a cavity that has several functions. Some of the functions of the mouth are to:

gather food
grind food into small pieces
mix food with saliva and mucous to form a slippery ball (called a bolus) that can be easily swallowed by the animal
The mouth is lined by a mucous membrane.
Mucous membrane is a layer of specialised epithelial tissue

Tongue

The tongue is a muscular organ that is covered in a mucous membrane. The tongue helps in the grinding of food, the formation of the bolus, and in the swallowing of the bolus. The surface of the tongue contains glands and taste buds which play an important part in the selection of food. The taste buds are sensitive to sweet, bitter, sour and salty tastes. In grazing animals, the tongue is also covered with a layer of small, stalk-like structures called papillae, which help the animal to grip the blades of grass.

Teeth

An animal's teeth play an important part in the biting, tearing, and grinding of food. There are three types of teeth:

Incisors - the sharp cutting teeth at the front of the mouth;
Canines - the conical, pointed teeth used for ripping;
Molars and Premolars - the blunt, irregularly shaped teeth used for grinding food into small pieces.

Farmers and veterinary surgeons look at an animal's teeth to estimate its age. Teeth will be dealt with in more detail in the section on teeth and dentition.

Oesophagus

The oesophagus is a thick, muscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach. It passes through the diaphragm (the partition between the chest and the abdomen). The tube is lined with mucous membrane and the walls are made up of involuntary muscle.

Once a ball or bolus of food has been forced into the oesophagus from the mouth by the process of swallowing it is automatically pushed down the tube by an action known as peristalsis. This process is also found in other organs of the GIT tract.


The muscle behind the bolus becomes contracted and narrow but the muscle in front of the bolus becomes relaxed and wide. This squeezes the bolus forward into the area of relaxed muscle. This muscle now contracts and propels the bolus further forward. The whole process is like a wave-like motion. Once the bolus is in the oesophagus, it must travel down to the stomach. The animal has no control over this process.