Rumen microbial diversity of dairy cows

Currently, knowledge on the extent to which rumen microbiota differ in a large population of cattle fed the same diet and whether such differences are associated with animal performance is limited. In the present study, the composition of rumen microbiota was assessed from a large cohort (n = 334) of dairy cows, aiming to identify (1) to what extents rumen microbiota differ when the cows are fed the same diet under the same management regime; and (2) whether the core or pan microbiota contribute to the variation in rumen fermentation measurements and subsequent cow phenotypes. Fundamental knowledge on the rumen core and pan bacteriomes and the relationship between the rumen microbiome and phenotypes will provide novel insights into manipulation of core and non-core bacteriome for improved cattle performance.