The Composition and Stability of the Faecal Microbiota of Sheep

Our study focused on the temporal stability and composition of faecal microbiota of sheep (Ovis aries), a globally important production animal. A detailed investigation of microbial population dynamics was conducted, focusing primarily on short-term stability, using ARISA (28 sheep) and 16S rRNA sequencing (11 sheep). The findingsof this study provide evidence of a core (gut) composition in sheep in the absence of experimental selective pressures, adding to the limited current knowledge on the composition of the sheep faecal microbiota.