Introdução à meta-análise na produção animal com aplicação em medidas ponderais e morfométricas

Abstract

Animal production in Brazil has been growing in order to meet the world's demand for food. In beef cattle, measurements of weight and morphology are taken at various points in the animals' lives to monitor the herd's performance. Researchers have developed mathematical models to predict weight based on the correlation values between weight and morphological measurements; however, as there are different equations, meta-analytical studies are important. The aim of this literature review was to explore the applicability of meta-analytical studies in animal production, broadly demonstrating how a meta-analysis is developed, its stages and the interpretation of its results. The use of meta-analysis in animal production incorporates different studies so that a statistical comparison between the studies is possible in a balanced way, contributing to the advancement of the most different techniques included in the animal production chain.