Grazing Management Influences Gut Microbial Diversity of Livestock in the Same Area

Pengfei Song,Yangan Huang,Zhenyuan Cai,Lei Wang,Tongzuo Zhang,Wen Qin

doi:10.3390/su12104160

Abstract

The composition of gut microbiota is closely related to health and nutrition of livestock. Research on the interaction between gut microbiota in livestock and grazing management strategies is unfortunately sparse. By studying the compositions of gut microbiota in sheep and goats in a single, mixed grazing population under the control of herdsman, as well as those of free-range camels in the same area of Qaidam Basin, we found that the composition of gut microbiota between sheep and goats showed no significant difference. However, there were significant differences between mixed group and camels at α- and β-diversities. We speculate that grazing management can shape gut microbial diversity indirectly. Mixed grazing under the control of herdsman lead to similarities in the diversity of gut microbiota among different species and limit their diversities of gut microbiota, which is not conducive to healthy growth of the host. On the contrary, free-range grazing is better for the diversity of gut microbiota. In order to sustainably manage populations of livestock, gut microbiota analysis may prove to be an important indicator for evaluating the merits of different grazing management strategies. Our results lay a foundation to improve the health of livestock and grazing management.

Highlights

With the constant growth of the human population and continual improvements to quality of life, the worldwide demand for meat is increasing daily [1]
A total of 1428 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared by all three groups, 301 OTUs were specific to sheep, 32 OTUs were specific to goats and 546 OTUs were only found in camels
The OTUs belonging to sheep spanned 22 phyla, 109 families, and 229 genera; the ones form the goats were classified into 18 phyla, 85 families and 186 genera; and the camel OTUs had 21 phyla, 120 families and 254 genera

Summary

Introduction

With the constant growth of the human population and continual improvements to quality of life, the worldwide demand for meat is increasing daily [1]. Livestock production must increase, even in areas with limited land and human resources, where herdsmen face significant challenges to livestock management. Differential management by herdsmen can lead to significant differences in gut microbiota composition [2]. Gut microbiota, in such cases, may be able to assist livestock in adapting to environmental variations, efficiently obtaining energy, and maintaining homeostatic balance [3]. In such cases, may be able to assist livestock in adapting to environmental variations, efficiently obtaining energy, and maintaining homeostatic balance [3] As of yet, it is still unclear exactly how grazing management strategies interact with livestock gut microbiota, and which factor dominates this relationship

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