title: The energy costs of walking on the level and on negative and positive slopes in the Granadina goat (Capra hircus).
abstract: The energy expenditure of six goats averaging 35 (SE 0.3) kg was measured when the animals were standing or walking on a treadmill enclosed in a confinement-type respiration chamber at different speeds (0.167, 0.333 and 0.500 m/s) and slopes (-10, -5, 0, +5 and +10%). The energy costs of locomotion, estimated from the coefficients of linear regressions of heat production (HP) per kg body weight v. distance travelled were 1.91, 2.33, 3.35, 4.68 and 6.44 J/kg BW per m for -10, -5, 0, +5 and +10% inclines respectively, indicating that the energy expenditure of walking over standing changes with slope according to a slightly curvilinear relationship. The energy cost of raising 1 kg body weight one vertical metre was found to be 31.7 J, giving an average efficiency for upslope locomotion of 30.9%. The energy recovered on vertical descent was estimated as 13.2 J/kg per m, indicating an efficiency of the energy recovered above the theoretical maximum.
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Department, Estación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC), Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lachica
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aguilera
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*