Dataset Information

High-starch diets alter equine faecal microbiota and increase behavioural reactivity.

ABSTRACT: Gut microbiota have been associated with health, disease and behaviour in several species and are an important link in gut-brain axis communication. Diet plays a key role in affecting the composition of gut microbiota. In horses, high-starch diets alter the hindgut microbiota. High-starch diets are also associated with increased behavioural reactivity in horses. These changes in microbiota and behaviour may be associated. This study compares the faecal microbiota and behaviour of 10 naïve ponies. A cross-over design was used with experimental groups fed high-starch (HS) or high-fibre (HF) diets. Results showed that ponies were more reactive and less settled when being fed the HS diet compared to the HF diet. Irrespective of diet, the bacterial profile was dominated by two main phyla, Firmicutes, closely followed by Bacteroidetes. However, at lower taxonomic levels multivariate analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing data showed diet affected faecal microbial community structure. The abundance of 85 OTUs differed significantly related to diet. Correlative relationships exist between dietary induced alterations to faecal microbiota and behaviour. Results demonstrate a clear link between diet, faecal microbial community composition and behaviour. Dietary induced alterations to gut microbiota play a role in affecting the behaviour of the host.

SUBMITTER: Bulmer LS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6901590 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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High-starch diets alter equine faecal microbiota and increase behavioural reactivity.

Bulmer Louise S LS Murray Jo-Anne JA Burns Neil M NM Garber Anna A Wemelsfelder Francoise F McEwan Neil R NR Hastie Peter M PM

Scientific reports 20191209 1

Gut microbiota have been associated with health, disease and behaviour in several species and are an important link in gut-brain axis communication. Diet plays a key role in affecting the composition of gut microbiota. In horses, high-starch diets alter the hindgut microbiota. High-starch diets are also associated with increased behavioural reactivity in horses. These changes in microbiota and behaviour may be associated. This study compares the faecal microbiota and behaviour of 10 naïve ponies ...[more]

PMID: 31819069

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Project description:Yak is the only ruminant on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau that grazes year-round. Although previous research has shown that yak rumen microbiota fluctuates in robust patterns with seasonal foraging, it remains unclear whether these dynamic shifts are driven by changes in environment or nutrient availability. The study examines the response of yak rumen microbiota (bacteria, fungi, and archaea) to simulated seasonal diets, excluding the contribution of environmental factors. A total of 18 adult male yaks were randomly divided into three groups, including a nutrition stress group (NSG, simulating winter pasture), a grazing simulation group (GSG, simulating warm season pasture), and a supplementation group (SG, simulating winter pasture supplemented with feed concentrates). Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) profiling showed that ruminal acetate, propionate and total VFA contents were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in GSG rumen. Metagenomic analysis showed that Bacteroidetes (53.9%) and Firmicutes (37.1%) were the dominant bacterial phyla in yak rumen across dietary treatments. In GSG samples, Actinobacteriota, Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002, and Ruminococcus albus were the most abundant, while Bacteroides was significantly more abundant in NSG samples (p < 0.05) than that in GSG. The known fiber-degrading fungus, Neocallimastix, was significantly more abundant in NSG and SG samples, while Cyllamyces were more prevalent in NSG rumen than in the SG rumen. These findings imply that a diverse consortium of microbes may cooperate in response to fluctuating nutrient availability, with depletion of known rumen taxa under nutrient deficiency. Archaeal community composition showed less variation between treatments than bacterial and fungal communities. Additionally, Orpinomyces was significantly positively correlated with acetate levels, both of which are prevalent in GSG compared with other groups. Correlation analysis between microbial taxa and VFA production or between specific rumen microbes further illustrated a collective response to nutrient availability by gut microbiota and rumen VFA metabolism. PICRUSt and FUNGuild functional prediction analysis indicated fluctuation response of the function of microbial communities among groups. These results provide a framework for understanding how microbiota participate in seasonal adaptations to forage availability in high-altitude ruminants, and form a basis for future development of probiotic supplements to enhance nutrient utilization in livestock.

Project description:The diet structure is very important for the growth and development of calves. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary protein-to-starch metabolizable energy ratios (DPSRs) on growth performance, blood index, and gastrointestinal microbiota of calves. Forty-eight Holstein bull calves were fed six dietary DPSRs including A20-35 (20% CP and 35% starch), B20-30, C20-25, D22-35, E22-30, and F22-25 at d 4 to d 60, and then changed to another six dietary DPSRs at d 61 to d 180 (A18-30, B18-27, C18-24, D20-30, E20-27, and F20-24). Twelve calves (d 60) from groups A20-35, C20-25, D22-35, and F22-25 (n = 3) and another twelve calves (d 180) from groups A18-30, C18-24, D20-30, and F20-24 (n = 3) were euthanized. The growth performance parameters were measured. Blood, ruminal fluid, and cecum digesta were collected for further analysis. Results showed heart girth gain of B18-27 was significantly higher than A18-30, C18-24, and heart girth gain (d 180) was significantly affected by protein × starch (DPSRs; p < 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN; d 60) in C20-25 was significantly higher than A20-35 and B20-30 (p < 0.05). The BUN (d 180) in D20-30 was significantly higher than A18-30 (p < 0.05). The BUN was significantly affected by protein × starch (p < 0.05) on d 60. The albumin (ALB) levels in C20-25 and C18-24 were significantly higher than that in A20-35 on d 60 and A18-30 on d 180, respectively (p < 0.05). The ALB level in D22-35 on d 60 and E20-27 on d 180 was significantly higher than that in other groups (p < 0.05). The ALB level was significantly affected by protein and starch, respectively, on d 60 (p < 0.05). In the rumen, the genera Roseburia (C20-25) and Dialister (D22-35), Prevotellaceae UCG-001 (C18-24), Erysipelotrichaceae UCG-002, and Anaerovorax (F20-24) were found in significant higher relative abundances than those in other groups (p < 0.05). In the cecum, the genera Bacteroides and Eisenbergiella (F22-25), Ruminiclostridium_1 and Candidatus Stoquefichus (A18-30), Erysipelotrichaceae UCG-004 and Tyzzerella 4 (D20-30), and Prevotellaceae UCG-003 and Klebsiella (F20-24) were found in significant higher abundances than those in other groups (p < 0.05). Collectively, these results indicated that the heart girth, BUN, ALB, and gastrointestinal microbiota responded distinctly to differing DPSRs.

Dataset Information

High-starch diets alter equine faecal microbiota and increase behavioural reactivity.

Publications

High-starch diets alter equine faecal microbiota and increase behavioural reactivity.

Similar Datasets

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