Brian, what do you mean with "adaptation mechanisms"? Physiological? Immunological?

Especially for dry zones and areas with prolonged dry seasons they have fat deposits (cattle: hump, some sheep in the tail) to synthesize water. Their water requirements are also relatively low and they are more tolerant to heat.

And once they have food again, they start replenishing themselves before producing milk again, for example. Very different to Holstein-Friesian cattle, that start producing milk straight away (and therefore end up with a higher and higher NEB). We did some studies on that in Ethopia, can send you papers if you are interested. Bt my question still stands :-)

Here, in Brazil, Zebu cattle are prevalent in harsh environments. Mainly in the like-savanna and semi-arid regions. They are able to consume gross and low quality forage and to tolerate high temperatures and low humidity. Furthermore, fat is not marbled which can contribute to this ability. We believe, just as Tassilo, they are able to store water and fat (energy) in the hump and minerals in the corns to face adversities. We are selecting zebu breeds, mainly Guzerat and recently Sindhi, for milk production in this environments. There is an impact of the worst periods on the milk production but not so intense as with B. taurus breeds. What is NEB?

NEB - negative energy balance

All right. Thanks! We are conducting a study on NEB in Guzerá cattle. Weight is taken at calving and along lactation to evaluate how much energy is mobilized from body reserves. We believe that reproduction is more penalized under severe restraints. We hope to conclude it next year.

check this links maybe help you

Article Physiological and cellular adaptations of zebu cattle to the...