Multi-kingdom microbial shifts and associated functional variation in the rumen of lactating dairy cows: I. Effect of dietary energy source and level

This study investigated the effect of the source and level of dietary energy on rumen bacteria, methanogens, protozoa and fungi in the rumen of lactating dairy cows. A 2  2 factorial design resulted in four dietary treatments: low and high energy levels (LE: 1.52-1.53; and HE: 1.71-1.72 Mcal) and two energy sources [finely ground corn (GC) and steam-flaked corn (SFC)]