Maternal Rumen Bacteriota Shapes the Offspring Rumen Bacteriota, Affecting the Development of Young Ruminants
Shuwen Jin, Zhe Zhang, Gonghai Zhang, Bo He, Yilang Qin, Bin Yang, Zhongtang Yu, Jiakun Wang
Abstract
Using a study design that enabled direct comparison of the rumen microbiota between sheep dams and their lambs, between littermates, and between sheep dams and lambs from other mothers, we identified the heritable subsets of rumen bacteriota in Hu sheep, some of which may play important roles in affecting the growth traits of young lambs. Some maternal rumen bacteria could help predict the growth traits of the young offspring, and they may assist in breeding of and selection for high-performance sheep.
Topics & Concepts
RumenBiologyOffspringWeaningAnimal scienceBacteriaFermentationZoologyFood scienceGeneticsPregnancyRuminant Nutrition and Digestive PhysiologyGenetic and phenotypic traits in livestockReproductive Physiology in Livestock