The adaptive strategies of yaks to live in the Asian highlands

Jing, Xiaoping; Ding, Luming; Zhou, Jianwei; Huang, Xiaodan; Degen, A. Allan; Long, Ruijun

doi:10.1016/j.aninu.2022.02.002

Cited by 52 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…In ruminant feeding, changes in dietary conditions modulate rumen microsystems by regulating the development and colonization of rumen microbiota [ 38 ], influencing diversity, composition, and function of rumen microbiota, and interfering with the metabolism and energy absorption of hosts [ 60 , 61 ]. In addition, changes in the rumen microbiota allow ruminants to adapt to changes in dietary conditions [ 17 , 62 , 63 ]. Our study also found that rumen microbiota was significantly correlated with dietary conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rumen Microbiome Reveals the Differential Response of CO2 and CH4 Emissions of Yaks to Feeding Regimes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Zhang

Guo

Wang

et al. 2022

Animals

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Shifts in feeding regimes are important factors affecting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock farming. However, the quantitative values and associated drivers of GHG emissions from yaks (Bos grunniens) following shifts in feeding regimes have yet to be fully described. In this study, we aimed to investigate CH4 and CO2 emissions differences of yaks under different feeding regimes and their potential microbial mechanisms. Using static breathing chamber and Picarro G2508 gas concentration analyzer, we measured the CO2 and CH4 emissions from yaks under traditional grazing (TG) and warm-grazing and cold-indoor feeding (WGCF) regimes. Microbial inventories from the ruminal fluid of the yaks were determined via Illumina 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing. Results showed that implementing the TG regime in yaks decreased their CO2 and CH4 emissions compared to the WGCF regime. The alpha diversity of ruminal archaeal community was higher in the TG regime than in the WGCF regime. The beta diversity showed that significant differences in the rumen microbial composition of the TG regime and the WGCF regime. Changes in the rumen microbiota of the yaks were driven by differences in dietary nutritional parameters. The relative abundances of the phyla Neocallimastigomycota and Euryarchaeota and the functional genera Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Orpinomyces, and Methanobrevibacter were significantly higher in the WGCF regime than in the TG regime. CO2 and CH4 emissions from yaks differed mainly because of the enrichment relationship of functional H2- and CO2-producing microorganisms, hydrogen-consuming microbiota, and hydrogenotrophic methanogenic microbiota. Our results provided a view that it is ecologically important to develop GHG emissions reduction strategies for yaks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau based on traditional grazing regime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The yak living on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is an important ruminant and supports the development of the livestock farming. However, yaks are also one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions from livestock farming on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau [ 16 , 17 ]. Therefore, GHG emissions from yaks should be investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rumen Microbiome Reveals the Differential Response of CO2 and CH4 Emissions of Yaks to Feeding Regimes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Zhang

Guo

Wang

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…In summer, these ruminants spend the majority of their time in alpine deserts at 5,000 MASL. During winter, as temperatures and food availability decrease, they migrate to lower elevations ( Jing et al, 2022 ). These rare ruminants appear on the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of threatened species, and research has been conducted to promote their conservation ( Dong et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Overview Of Rumen/gut Microbiota In Wild and Domesticated In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Known as “the roof of the world” and the “Water Tower of Asia,” the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is the highest and largest plateau in the world, averaging 4,500 m above sea level and covering more than 2.5 million km 2 . Water supply from the QTP thus affects roughly 40% of the global population that reside in the surrounding lowlands ( Yu et al, 2020 ; Jing et al, 2022 ). A large proportion of QTP residents live at altitudes over 3,500 m, and more than 90% of this population are engaged in farming and herding ( Wu, 2001 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These indigenous Tibetan ruminants have evolved several adaptive traits to withstand the severe environmental conditions, especially cold, with night-time temperatures averaging around −20°C and routinely dropping below −30°C in winter ( Wang et al, 2004 ). In addition, low oxygen partial pressure, high altitude, strong UV radiation, Low precipitation, and poor forage availability on the alpine rangelands all present physiological challenges for its fauna ( Long et al, 1999 ; Yao et al, 2012 ; Liu et al, 2016 ; Friedrich and Wiener, 2020 ; Jing et al, 2022 ). Despite the challenges to husbandry associated with the need for enhanced adaptation, several domesticated ruminants have also been successfully introduced to the alpine pasture regions for meat and dairy production, such as hybrid sheep, goats, and cattle ( Huang et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rumen microbiota of indigenous and introduced ruminants and their adaptation to the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau

Jia²,

Wen³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

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The grassland in the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau provide habitat for many indigenous and introduced ruminants which perform important ecological functions that impact the whole Qinghai–Tibetan plateau ecosystem. These indigenous Tibetan ruminants have evolved several adaptive traits to withstand the severe environmental conditions, especially cold, low oxygen partial pressure, high altitude, strong UV radiation, and poor forage availability on the alpine rangelands. Despite the challenges to husbandry associated with the need for enhanced adaptation, several domesticated ruminants have also been successfully introduced to the alpine pasture regions to survive in the harsh environment. For ruminants, these challenging conditions affect not only the host, but also their commensal microbiota, especially the diversity and composition of the rumen microbiota; multiple studies have described tripartite interactions among host-environment-rumen microbiota. Thus, there are significant benefits to understanding the role of rumen microbiota in the indigenous and introduced ruminants of the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau, which has co-evolved with the host to ensure the availability of specific metabolic functions required for host survival, health, growth, and development. In this report, we systemically reviewed the dynamics of rumen microbiota in both indigenous and introduced ruminants (including gut microbiota of wild ruminants) as well as their structure, functions, and interactions with changing environmental conditions, especially low food availability, that enable survival at high altitudes. We summarized that three predominant driving factors including increased VFA production, enhanced fiber degradation, and lower methane production as indicators of higher efficiency energy harvest and nutrient utilization by microbiota that can sustain the host during nutrient deficit. These cumulative studies suggested alteration of rumen microbiota structure and functional taxa with genes that encode cellulolytic enzymes to potentially enhance nutrient and energy harvesting in response to low quality and quantity forage and cold environment. Future progress toward understanding ruminant adaptation to high altitudes will require the integration of phenotypic data with multi-omics analyses to identify host-microbiota co-evolutionary adaptations enabling survival on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau.

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Land parcellation reduced spatial redundancy resulting in grassland degradation

Jiao,

Li,

Wang

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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Degradation is the most immediate threat to biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods of global pastoral grasslands. However, we are still uncertain why grassland degradation is enhanced by the land policy of grassland parcellation. We hypothesized that spatial redundancy of the grazing system, that is, parcellation accelerates land fragmentation and reduces spatial redundancy, leads to land degradation. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between households, livestock and grassland management under the grassland contract policy, and to determine the causes and consequences of grassland fragmentation and degradation. We interviewed households who received land under the grassland contract policy in typical pastoral areas of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and then, we employed binary logistic regressions, multinomial logistic regressions and fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analyses to examine the relationship between spatial redundancy and grassland–livestock balance. A very significant (p < 0.001) negative asymptotic exponential trend emerged between grassland area and stocking rate, but with regional differences. Grassland spatial redundancy and stocking rate displayed a significant (r2 = 0.96; p < 0.05) negative asymptotic exponential trend, that is, households with a lower spatial redundancy had a higher stocking rate. Based on our results, spatial redundancy can be used as one of the key indices to evaluate landscape stability of grazing systems. In any terrestrial ecosystem, the size of spatial redundancy reflects the carrying capacity of the land and determines the delicate relationship between land, animals and population, that is, in equilibrium or non‐equilibrium. Therefore, taking the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau as an example, we face the spread of grassland degradation caused by the gradual fragmentation of resources under the current grassland contract policy and parcellation in global pastoral areas. Determining the spatial redundancy size of grassland is an important prerequisite for understanding grassland degradation and formulating grassland management strategies. These novel findings have potential beneficial information for resource utilization, especially land management planning in pastoral areas worldwide. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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The adaptive strategies of yaks to live in the Asian highlands

Cited by 52 publications

References 85 publications

Rumen Microbiome Reveals the Differential Response of CO2 and CH4 Emissions of Yaks to Feeding Regimes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Rumen Microbiome Reveals the Differential Response of CO2 and CH4 Emissions of Yaks to Feeding Regimes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Rumen microbiota of indigenous and introduced ruminants and their adaptation to the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau

Land parcellation reduced spatial redundancy resulting in grassland degradation

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