Role of Age-Related Shifts in Rumen Bacteria and Methanogens in Methane Production in Cattle

Abstract

Rumen microbiota are essential for maintaining digestive and metabolic functions, producing methane as a byproduct. Dairy heifers produce large amounts of methane based on fermentation of digested organic matter, with adverse consequences for feed efficiency and the environment. It is therefore important to understand the influence of host age on the relationship between microbiota and methane production. This study explored the age effect on the relationship between microbial communities and enteric methane production in dairy cows and heifers using high-throughput sequencing. Methane production and volatile fatty acid concentrations were age-related. Heifers (9–10 months) had lower methane production but higher methane production per dry matter intake (DMI). The acetate:propionate ratio decreased significantly with increasing age. Age-related microbiota changes in the rumen were reflected by a significant shift in bacterial taxa, but relatively stable archaeal taxa. Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Flavonifractor, Succinivibrio, and Methanobrevibacter were affected by age. This study revealed different associations between predominant bacterial phylotypes and Methanobrevibacter with increasing age. Prevotella was strongly correlated with Methanobrevibacter in heifers; howerver, in older cows (96–120 months) this association was replaced by a correlation between Succinivibrio and Methanobrevibacter. This shift may account for the age-related difference in rumen fermentation and methane production per DMI.

Compositional and structural dynamics of the ruminal microbiota in dairy heifers and its relationship to methane production

“…This is further supported by our findings of higher concentrations of acetate in high CH 4 ‐producing animals. We note that the bacterial taxa identified in this study contrast with those found in previous work that identified Prevotella and Succinivibrio from a comparison of PP heifers (9–10 months of age, similar in age to the PP heifers used in this study) to older cows (45+ months of age) …”

“…We note that the bacterial taxa identified in this study contrast with those found in previous work that identified Prevotella and Succinivibrio from a comparison of PP heifers (9-10 months of age, similar in age to the PP heifers used in this study) to older cows (45+ months of age). 16 Finally, our analysis of the ruminal fungal communities did not identify any putative mitigation targets. This is likely a result of the sampling method, which predominantly represents the liquid portion of the rumen community.…”

“…In particular, altering the rumen microbiota may be effective, as younger animals do not have fully established microbial communities and may be amenable to alterations that reduce CH 4 output. Most research in this area has focused on bacterial and archaeal communities since these microorganisms are directly responsible for H 2 and CH 4 production, respectively. However, anaerobic fungal communities are also of interest as these microorganisms serve to expose cellulosic materials to bacteria as well as produce VFAs .…”

Differences in microbiome and virome between cattle and horses in the same farm

“…However, dominant in cattle, Prevotella was not a major in this study. The relative abundance of Prevotella may replace affected by its phylotype or host ages [22]. Luteimonas, found in three group (C_F, C_D, and H_D) is frequently found in diverse environment such as soil, wastewater, and ammonia biofilter [23].…”

Genetic and biochemical analysis of host-microbe interactions affecting gut homeostasis: functional and genomic analysis of polyphenol catabolism by bacteria from Clostridium cluster IV

“…It should also be noted that Flavonifractor spp. are more commonly reported in 16S rRNA and metagenome profiling studies performed in animal subjects (Oakley et al, 2014, Medvecky et al, 2018, Zhang et al, 2018a, Borrelli et al, 2017, Liu et al, 2017a, Liu et al, 2018.…”