Evaluating the microbial diversity of wild Canadian ruminants

In recent years interest in the bacteria responsible for the breakdown of lignocellulosic feedstuffs within the rumen has increased due to their potential utility in numerous industrial applications. To date, most studies have focused on bacteria from domesticated ruminants. We have expanded the knowledge of the microbial ecology of ruminants by examining the bacterial populations found in the rumen of a number of Canadian ungulates. We have used next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA to characterize the liquid and solid-associated bacterial communities in the rumen of elk (Cervus canadensis), moose (Alces alces), white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Principle component and weighted UniFrac analysis indicated that bacterial communities within these ungulates were distinct. Moreover, populations clustered together based upon the individual host animal, as opposed to differences in the bacterial composition of liquid and solid- associated rumen contents. In all instances, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla, although the relative abundance of these differed among ruminant species and between phases of rumen digesta, respectively. We observed a number of bacterial genera that have not been previously reported in the rumen environment. Our results suggest that the bacterial diversity in wild North American ruminants has not been adequately reflected in previous studies that solely focused on domesticated ruminants and that this area of rumen microbiology merits further exploration.