本书用系统论相关方法，以草地为基础，以生物的能量流动为主线，以模型、遥感和地理信息系统等为技术支撑，以西藏的主要家畜牦牛为例，对发展西藏畜牧业生产系统进行了探索性的研究，为放牧家畜动态研究提供了一种新颖的理念和方法。

Chapter 1 Our State of Knowledge:Yak Research in China
1.1 Background
1.2 Advances in various fields of yak science
1.2.1 Inventory and survey of yak resources
1.2.2 Physiology and biochemistry of the yak
1.2.3 Genetics and genetic diversity of yak
1.2.4 Crossbreeding of yak
1.2.5 Wild yak and its utilization
1.2.6 Productivity
1.2.7 Nutrition and feeding management
1.2.8 Products quality of yak and their utilization
1.2.9 Basic health service
References
Chapter 2 Major Production Systems in Tibet
2.1 Background
2.1.1 Population and population growth
2.1.2 Animal population and products
2.1.3 Market and market demand
2.2 Materials and methods
2.2.1 Data and data sources
2.2.2 Methods
2.3 Results and discussion
2.3.1 Proposed typology
2.3.2 Description of production systems
2.4 Main issues and challenges
2.4.1 Feed resources
2.4.2 Tradeoffs in grazing management
2.4.3 Enabling policies for agricultural production
2.4.4 The hidden cost of permanent settlement
2.5 Conclusions
References
Chapter 3 Assessing Dry Matter Availability in Tibetan Grasslands Using Ground-Level Remotely-Sensed Data
3.1 Background
3.1.1 Tibetan grasslands
3.1.2 Vegetation Index
3.1.3 Agricultural Digital Camera (ADC)
3.1.4 Objective
3.2 Materials and methods
3.2.1 Sampling sites
3.2.2 Biomass sampling
3.2.3 Sample processing
3.3 Results and discussion
3.3.1 Dry matter availability and quality
3.3.2 Vegetation cover
3.3.3 Dry matter assessment and changes during the rainy season
3.3.4 Improvements
3.4 Conclusions
References
Chapter 4 Mapping and Monitoring Tibetan Grasslands Using VEGETATION/SPOT4 Data
4.1 Background
4.2 Objectives
4.3 Material and methods
4.3.1 Study areas
4.3.2 Climate data
4.3.3 Remotely sensed data
4.3.4 Training sample
4.3.5 Supervised classification
4.3.6 Error correction and registration of the image
4.3.7 Ground truthing
4.3.8 Yearly grassland dynamic in last three years
4.4 Results and discussion
4.4.1 Land use/cover
4.4.2 Seasonal variation in dry matter availability
4.4.3 Highlight features are briefly described below
4.4.4 Dynamic of DM availability in predominated production systems
4.4.5 Mapping dry matter availability
4.4.6 Inter-annual variation
4.5 Conclusion and recommendation
References
Chapter 5 Modeling Yak Production Systems under Grazing Condition in Tibet
5.1 Background
5.2 Model Development
5.2.1 Modeling and simulation
5.2.2 The yak and its taxonomy
5.2.3 Ecotype and distribution of yak in Tibet
5.2.4 Yak population changes during the last 40 years in Tibet
5.2.5 Characteristics of yak production systems
5.2.6 Role of yaks in Tibetan animal husbandry,economy and ecosystem
5.2.7 Animal meat production and its composition
5.3 DM availability an'd digestibility of the Alpine meadow
5.4 Management of the yak production system
5.4.1 Economic input
5.4.2 Algorithm of the model
5.4.3 Using response surface method in simulation studies of yak production system
5.5 Conclusions
References