Principles of Modelling Animal Systems
R.L. Baldwin
Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis,
California
E-Mail:
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1976, 36: 128-139
The use of modelling techniques in pursuit of greater
understanding of animals and animal production systems is currently in
its infancy. Naive and improper applications of this approach have led
to doubt among many experimentalists about the usefulness of these
techniques. If a negative attitude towards mathematical models persists
among experimentalists and, as a result, models are constructed without
associated experimentation, the usefulness of a powerful technique will
be limited. If, on the other hand, experimentalists accept and utilize
these techniques, contributions to the advancement of knowledge could
soon rival the contributions of conventional statistical techniques.
Certainly, methods which complement intuition are required for analysis
of the complex, dynamic systems we seek to understand.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Last Updated 24-08-2000
