Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle
The health benefits of grass-fed beef are well documented. However, the rumen microbiome features in beef steers raised in a grass-fed regimen have yet to be identified. This study examined the rumen microbiome profile in the feeding regimes. Our findings show that the rumen microbiome of the grass-...
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/21/2995 |
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| author | Jianan Liu Ying Bai Fang Liu Richard A. Kohn Daniel A. Tadesse Saul Sarria Robert W. Li Jiuzhou Song |
| author_facet | Jianan Liu Ying Bai Fang Liu Richard A. Kohn Daniel A. Tadesse Saul Sarria Robert W. Li Jiuzhou Song |
| author_sort | Jianan Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The health benefits of grass-fed beef are well documented. However, the rumen microbiome features in beef steers raised in a grass-fed regimen have yet to be identified. This study examined the rumen microbiome profile in the feeding regimes. Our findings show that the rumen microbiome of the grass-fed cattle demonstrated greater species diversity and harbored significantly higher microbial alpha diversity, including multiple species richness and evenness indices, than the grain-fed cattle. Global network analysis unveiled that grass-fed cattle’s rumen microbial interaction networks had higher modularity, suggesting a more resilient and stable microbial community under this feeding regimen. Using the analysis of compositions of microbiomes with a bias correction (ANCOM-BC) algorithm, the abundance of multiple unclassified genera, such as those belonging to Planctomycetes, LD1-PB3, SR1, <i>Lachnospira</i>, and <i>Sutterella</i>, were significantly enriched in the rumen of grass-fed steers. <i>Sutterella</i> was also the critical genus able to distinguish the two feeding regimens by Random Forest. A rumen microbial predictor consisting of an unclassified genus in the candidate division SR1 (numerator) and an unclassified genus in the order Bacteroidales (denominator) accurately distinguished the two feeding schemes. Multiple microbial signatures or balances strongly correlated with various levels of SCFA in the rumen. For example, a balance represented by the log abundance ratio of <i>Sutterella</i> to <i>Desulfovibrio</i> was strongly associated with acetate-to-propionate proportions in the rumen (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.87), which could be developed as a valuable biomarker for optimizing milk fat yield and cattle growth. Therefore, our findings provided novel insights into microbial interactions in the rumen under different feed schemes and their ecophysiological implications. These findings will help to develop rumen manipulation strategies to improve feed conversion ratios and average daily weight gains for grass- or pasture-fed cattle production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:19:58Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:19:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-4eafc7ec8e474216ae44d0c497515df12023-11-24T03:25:15ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-10-011221299510.3390/ani12212995Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus CattleJianan Liu0Ying Bai1Fang Liu2Richard A. Kohn3Daniel A. Tadesse4Saul Sarria5Robert W. Li6Jiuzhou Song7Department of Animal & Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USACollege of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, ChinaCollege of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaDepartment of Animal & Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USAFood and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Research, Laurel, MD 20708, USAFood and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Research, Laurel, MD 20708, USAUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USADepartment of Animal & Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USAThe health benefits of grass-fed beef are well documented. However, the rumen microbiome features in beef steers raised in a grass-fed regimen have yet to be identified. This study examined the rumen microbiome profile in the feeding regimes. Our findings show that the rumen microbiome of the grass-fed cattle demonstrated greater species diversity and harbored significantly higher microbial alpha diversity, including multiple species richness and evenness indices, than the grain-fed cattle. Global network analysis unveiled that grass-fed cattle’s rumen microbial interaction networks had higher modularity, suggesting a more resilient and stable microbial community under this feeding regimen. Using the analysis of compositions of microbiomes with a bias correction (ANCOM-BC) algorithm, the abundance of multiple unclassified genera, such as those belonging to Planctomycetes, LD1-PB3, SR1, <i>Lachnospira</i>, and <i>Sutterella</i>, were significantly enriched in the rumen of grass-fed steers. <i>Sutterella</i> was also the critical genus able to distinguish the two feeding regimens by Random Forest. A rumen microbial predictor consisting of an unclassified genus in the candidate division SR1 (numerator) and an unclassified genus in the order Bacteroidales (denominator) accurately distinguished the two feeding schemes. Multiple microbial signatures or balances strongly correlated with various levels of SCFA in the rumen. For example, a balance represented by the log abundance ratio of <i>Sutterella</i> to <i>Desulfovibrio</i> was strongly associated with acetate-to-propionate proportions in the rumen (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.87), which could be developed as a valuable biomarker for optimizing milk fat yield and cattle growth. Therefore, our findings provided novel insights into microbial interactions in the rumen under different feed schemes and their ecophysiological implications. These findings will help to develop rumen manipulation strategies to improve feed conversion ratios and average daily weight gains for grass- or pasture-fed cattle production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/21/2995rumenmicrobiomegrain-fed beefgrass-fed beefAngus cattleshort-chain fatty acids |
| spellingShingle | Jianan Liu Ying Bai Fang Liu Richard A. Kohn Daniel A. Tadesse Saul Sarria Robert W. Li Jiuzhou Song Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle Animals rumen microbiome grain-fed beef grass-fed beef Angus cattle short-chain fatty acids |
| title | Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle |
| title_full | Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle |
| title_fullStr | Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle |
| title_short | Rumen Microbial Predictors for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and the Grass-Fed Regimen in Angus Cattle |
| title_sort | rumen microbial predictors for short chain fatty acid levels and the grass fed regimen in angus cattle |
| topic | rumen microbiome grain-fed beef grass-fed beef Angus cattle short-chain fatty acids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/21/2995 |
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