Study on composition and function of rumen bacterial community in Hu sheep at 120 days of gestation and in parturient

ZHAO Yanyan; LI Shengli

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.17.003

Abstract：The experiment aimed to investigate the composition and function of rumen bacterial communities in Hu sheep at 120 days of gestation and in parturient.Twelve healthy Hu sheep with their first pregnancy(90 days of gestation)were selected and randomly divided into two groups:The 120 days of gestation group(group T120)and the labor group(group T150),with six sheep in each group.The diets and management conditions of the two groups were the same.Rumen fluid was collected on the 120th day of pregnancy and the 150th day of pregnancy,respectively,and bacteria were detected by metagenomic sequencing technology.The results showed that the bacterial composition of groups T120 and T150 at the phylum and species levels were similar,with Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes being the dominant phyla in both groups.The dominant bacterial species were Prevotella ruminicola,Treponema_bryantii,and Ruminococcus flavefaciens.The relative abundance of Proteobacteria in group T150 was significantly higher than that in group T120(P＜0.05).Selenomonas ruminantium was enriched in group T120,and Pseudobutyrivibrio ruminis was enriched in group T150.There were 35 metabolic pathways significantly enriched in group T150,including two belonging to carbohydrate metabolism,10 belong to amino acid metabolism,and four belong to cofactor and vitamin metabolism.There were nine metabolic pathways significantly enriched in group T120,including the prolactin signaling pathway,glucagon signaling pathway,antigen processing and presentation pathways,etc.The study indicates that the composition of rumen bacterial communities in lake sheep at 120 days of gestation and those about to give birth is similar,with no difference in the dominant flora,but there are differences in the relative abundance of low-abundance flora.The abundance of rumen bacteria in the amino acid and carbohydrate metabolic functional pathways in lake sheep about to give birth is higher than that at 120 days of gestation.In the later stage of pregnancy of Hu sheep,the supply of high-quality protein and easily fermentable carbohydrates in the diet can be gradually increased to meet the enhanced demands of rumen bacteria for amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism functions.Beneficial bacteria such as Prevotella ruminicola and Ruminococcus flavefaciens can be added to diet to improve the overall health of ewes and their offspring.