Rumen microbiome related to high methane emission in Japanese Black cattle induces physiological changes

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rumen microbiota, physiological change and methane emission in fattening period of Japanese Black cattle. Methane emissions were estimated at early (age 13 months), middle (20 months), and late fattening phases (28 months). Cattle with the highest (HME) and lowest methane emissions (LME) were selected based on the residual methane emission values, and their blood metabolites, hormones, and rumen fermentation characteristics were analyzed. The rumen microbiota of Japanese black cattle in each phase was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.