Nutrition in animals is most important because they do not prepare their own food; therefore, they need other animals or plants for their food.
Animals get their nutrient by eating plants; we called them Herbivores; some by eating other animals we called them carnivores, and also some animals eat both plants and animals we called them omnivores. Hence, in the end, for the growth and survival of all organisms, food is necessary.
For the maintenance of the body, we required different types of food that have various components like fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, and minerals that we called nutrients.
According to the process of digestion, these components are broken down into simpler components because they are complex and cannot be used exactly.
Nutrition in Animal
Nutrition in animals emphasizes the dietary nutrients of animals, primarily those in food production and agriculture, as well as aquariums, wildlife management, and zoos.
The feeding habits of the animals depend upon the nutrients in animals. The process of utilizing food in animals is called ingestion, and every animal has a different ingestion system according to its digestion system.
Like python consumes its prey, bees and hummingbirds gulp nectar from plants and cattle pasture on grass.
Types
The following are five types of Nutrition in animals;
- Fluid feeding: It is commonly used by mosquitos and honey bees to manifest this type of food intake to obtain nutrients by ingesting other organisms’ fluids.
- Filter feeding: It is frequently used by fish to obtain nutrients from particles sling in water.
- Ram and Suction feeding: this type of assimilation is usually manifest by aquatic predators such as bony fish. It was taken by the surrounding fluids.
- Deposit feeding: It is commonly used by earthworms to take nutrients from particles suspended in the soil.
- Bulk feeding: it is frequently used by python to obtain nutrients by swallowing the whole organism.
Process
For Nutrition in animals, the following steps are involved:
- Absorption: With the intestinal wall’s help, digested food is taken into the bloodstream.
- Egestion: when undigested food is detached from the body in the feces, that is egestion.
- Assimilation: when taken, food is utilized for growth, repair of the cells, and energy of the body.
- Digestion: with the help of chemical or physical food is digesting in the water-soluble particles like the process of larger food particles split into smaller ones.
- Ingestion: when animals take food, this process is ingestion.
Components of Diet for Nutrition in Animals
- Protein
- Minerals
- Vitamins
Nutrition in Animals is Important
Nutrition in animals is important because it helps in the maintenance of the cells and proper growth in animals. For the maintenance of the body, we required different types of food that have various components like fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, and minerals that we called nutrients.
Also, Nutrition in plain animals like Amoeba assimilated their food with the support of pseudopodia.
