Rumen and lower gut microbiomes relationship with feed efficiency and production traits throughout the lactation of Holstein dairy cows

Abstract

Fermentation of dietary nutrients in ruminants' gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an essential mechanism utilized to meet daily energy requirements. Especially in lactating dairy cows, the GI microbiome plays a pivotal role in the breakdown of indigestible plant polysaccharides and supply most AAs, fatty acids, and gluconeogenic precursors for milk synthesis. Although the contribution of the rumen microbiome to production efficiency in dairy cows has been widely researched over the years, variations throughout the lactation and the lower gut microbiome contribution to these traits remain poorly characterized. Therefore, we investigated throughout lactation the relationship between the rumen and lower gut microbiomes with production efficiency traits in Holstein cows. We found that the microbiome from both locations has temporal stability throughout lactation, yet factors such as feed intake levels played a significant role in shaping microbiome diversity. The composition of the rumen microbiome was dependent on feed intake. In contrast, the lower gut microbiome was less dependent on feed intake and associated with a potentially enhanced ability to digest dietary nutrients. Therefore, milk production traits may be more correlated with microorganisms present in the lower gut than previously expected. The current study's findings advance our understanding of the temporal relationship of the rumen and lower gut microbiomes by enabling a broader overview of the gut microbiome and production efficiency towards more sustainable livestock production.

A Combination of Novel Microecological Agents and Molasses Role in Digestibility and Fermentation of Rice Straw by Facilitating the Ruminal Microbial Colonization

“…The host depends on a series of enzyme syntheses by these rumen microbes to change the complex fibrous substances into VFA and microbial proteins, which are helpful for growth, production, and maintenance (Kim et al, 2016 ). The attachment of rumen microorganisms is critical for the establishment of microbial communities associated with feed digestion (Monteiro et al, 2022 ). Feed entering the rumen is rapidly colonized by microbes followed by the digestion of plant cell wall carbohydrates.…”

Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Feed Intake of Farm Animals

“…It should be noted, however, that the functional and metabolic performances of the individual segments of the GIT are different and, in terms of the holobiont theory, contribute collectively to the health and nutritional status of the animal. The differences between each segment are reflected in their respective bacterial populations, which together may have an impact on host nutrition and energy balance [ 95 , 96 ]. In a study by Myer et al [ 95 ], the majority of the ruminal bacteria of beef cattle belonged to the Bacteroidetes genus Prevotella , with the majority of the lower GIT taxa belonging to the Firmicutes genera Butyrivibrio and Ruminococcus .…”

“…However, even in ruminants, recent studies indicate that microorganisms in the rumen may also contribute to the regulation of feed intake. Accordingly, cows with higher residual feed intake were associated with a greater ruminal relative abundance of Ruminococcus gauvreauii spp., while cows with lower feed intake had a greater ruminal relative abundance of Howardella [ 96 ]. Whereby Ruminococcus gauvreauii spp.…”

“…The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a protective effect against acidosis-associated physiological changes, such as lowering rumen pH and changes in SCFA [ 111 , 112 ], and it has also been shown to produce behavioral changes, such as reducing the intervals between meals and a tendency to ruminate longer [ 113 ]. However, in healthy cattle, one of the main findings of Monteiro et al [ 96 ] was that the composition of the rumen microbiome was dependent on feed intake and not vice versa. Furthermore, there were no significant associations between feed efficiency phenotypes and microbial communities in the cecum and colon at the phylum level [ 95 ].…”

Characterization of rumen microbiome and metabolome from an oro-esophageal probe and fluid, particulate and fluid-particulate fractions from rumen fistula in Holstein dairy cows

“…Historically, rumen fistula was the gold-standard method used to investigate the interactions of microbes and feed in these forestomaches that play a pivotal role in ruminants’ digestion (3). Recently, several studies used less invasive methods to characterize high-throughput data in large populations (7–9). However, it remains unclear how these less invasive methods represent microbes and metabolites associated with specific fractions of rumen content (i.e., particulate and fluid) previously reported in rumen-fistulated studies (10).…”