The rumen of ruminants is inhabited by complex and diverse microorganisms. Young animals are exposed to a variety of microorganisms from their mother and the environment, and a few colonize and survive in their digestive tracts, forming specific microflora as the young animals grow and develop. In this study, we conducted full-length sequencing of bacterial and fungal communities in the rumen of pastured yaks of different ages (from 5 days after birth to adulthood) using amplified sequencing technology. The results showed that the rumen microflora of Zhongdian yaks changed gradually from 5 to 180 days after birth and tended to stabilize at 2 years of age. The rumen of adult yaks was the most suitable for the growth and reproduction of most bacteria. Bactria diversity of the yak rumen increased gradually from 5 days after birth to adulthood. With the growth of yaks, different dominated bacteria were enriched in different groups, but Prevotella remained highly abundant in all groups. The yak rumen at 90 days of age was the most suitable for the growth and reproduction of most fungi, and 90 days of age could be a cut-off point for the distribution of fungal communities. Fungal Thelebolus was the firstly reported in yak rumen and was enriched in the yak rumen of 90 days after birth. The most abundant and balanced fungal genera were found in adult yaks, and most of them were only detected in adult yaks. Our study reported on the rumen bacterial and fungal communities of Zhongdian yaks grazed at different ages and provided insights into the dynamic changes of dominant microflora with yak growth.
This experiment was conducted to study the regularity influence in apparent digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters, and relative bacterial abundance in buffaloes with different concentrate to roughage ratios. Three adult female barren buffaloes with permanent rumen fistulas were fed five diets with concentrate to roughage ratios of 20:80, 35:65, 50:50, 65:35, and 80:20 according to an incomplete Latin square design of 3×5, respectively. The pre-feeding period of each period was 12 d. From day 13 to 15 of the experiment, the feed intake of each buffalo was accurately recorded and all feces were collected. Samples of diet and feces were collected for nutrient analysis. Rumen fluid was collected to determine rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen bacteria were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. After 2 hours of feeding in the morning on the 15th day of the experiment, rumen bacteria were analyzed. The daily gain and DMI (G/kgW0.75) reached the highest at the concentrate to roughage ratio of 50:50, and the apparent digestibility of ADF NDF NDICP ADICP reached the highest at the concentrate to roughage ratio of 35:65. The weight loss of the experimental animals when the concentrate to roughage was 80:20. Rumen pH decreased with the increase of concentrate level, starch content and NFC content. The rumen ammonia nitrogen concentration increased with the increase in the concentrate to roughage ratio and protein content. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids (mmol/L) in the rumen decreased with the increase of NDF but increased with the increase of NFC and CP, and the acetic acid proportion increased with the increase of NDF. There were differences in the relative abundance of rumen bacterial microbiota with the different concentrate to roughage ratios. Moreover, the relative abundance of each bacterial microbiota changed regularly with the change of concentrate to roughage ratio. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and other rumen core microbiota varied linearly or nonlinearly with the change of concentrate to roughage ratio. This suggests that the relative abundance of the ratio of rumen microbiota can be used to specify or measure rumen health and subacute rumen acidosis/rumen acidosis.
The gut microbial community of mammals, especially ruminants, plays an important role at different ages of the host. Ruminants have a unique compartment in their digestive tract; the rumen, comprising microorganisms that can effectively decompose plant fibers for the host to transform into milk and for growth and development, which is important for meat production. Colonization of rumen microorganisms is closely related to host developmental stage and affects host performance production. There is little information regarding initial colonization and subsequent changes of the rumen microbial population in wild grazing animals, from birth to adulthood. This study investigated the rumen bacterial and fungal populations of grazing yaks in five experimental groups, ranging from a few days after birth to adulthood using amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that rumen microbial communities of these yaks undergo a gradual change from 5 to 180 days after birth, with the bacterial and fungal diversity stabilizing at the age of 2 years. Additionally, Ruminococcus was detected in 5-day-old yak rumens, with a high percentage of Penicillium and other microbial species are important for normal rumen function detected in the adult rumen. The changes to the yak rumen microbial community after birth were reflected in the increased anaerobic fiber degradation group, and decreased aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. Microbial diversity and abundance in the yak rumen increased with age. Rumen microbial composition of 6-month and 2-year-old yaks had obvious homogeneity. There were some differences in dominant rumen microorganisms among the different age groups. Further studies are required to confirm the functions of these differential and dominant microorganisms in each age group.
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