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Comparative metabolome analysis of serum changes in sheep under overgrazing or light grazing conditions.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Overgrazing is a primary contributor to severe reduction in forage quality and production in Inner Mongolia, leading to extensive ecosystem degradation, sheep health impairment and growth performance reduction. Further studies to identify serum biomarkers that reflect changes in sheep health and nutritional status following overgrazing would be beneficial. We hereby hypothesize that reduced sheep growth performance under overgrazing conditions would be associated with metabolic and immune response alterations. This study used an untargeted metabolomics analysis by conducting ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) of sheep serum under overgrazing and light grazing conditions to identify metabolic disruptions in response to overgrazing. RESULTS:The sheep body weight gains as well as serum biochemical variables associated with immune responses and nutritional metabolism (immunoglobulin G, albumin, glucose, and nonesterified fatty acids) were significantly decreased with overgrazing compared with light grazing condition. In contrast, other serum parameters such as alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, and interleukin-8 were markedly higher in the overgrazing group. Principal component analysis discriminated the metabolomes of the light grazing from the overgrazing group. Multivariate and univariate analyses revealed changes in the serum concentrations of 15 metabolites (9 metabolites exhibited a marked increase, whereas 6 metabolites showed a significant decrease) in the overgrazing group. Major changes of fatty acid oxidation, bile acid biosynthesis, and purine and protein metabolism were observed. CONCLUSIONS:These findings offer metabolic evidence for putative biomarkers for overgrazing-induced changes in serum metabolism. Target-identification of these particular metabolites may potentially increase our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of altered immune responses, nutritional metabolism, and reduced sheep growth performance under overgrazing conditions.

SUBMITTER: Zhang J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6933664 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Comparative metabolome analysis of serum changes in sheep under overgrazing or light grazing conditions.

Zhang Jize J Gao Yang Y Guo Huiqin H Ding Yong Y Ren Weibo W

BMC veterinary research 20191226 1

<h4>Background</h4>Overgrazing is a primary contributor to severe reduction in forage quality and production in Inner Mongolia, leading to extensive ecosystem degradation, sheep health impairment and growth performance reduction. Further studies to identify serum biomarkers that reflect changes in sheep health and nutritional status following overgrazing would be beneficial. We hereby hypothesize that reduced sheep growth performance under overgrazing conditions would be associated with metaboli ...[more]

PMID: 31878922

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Project description:Frequent grazing can establish high forage value grazing lawns supporting high grazer densities, but can also produce overgrazed grass communities with unpalatable or low grass basal cover, supporting few grazers. Attempts to create grazing lawns via concentrated grazing, with a goal to increase grazer numbers, are thus risky without knowing how environmental conditions influence the likelihood of each outcome. We collected grass species and trait data from 33 frequently grazed grass communities across eastern South Africa (28 sites) and the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (five sites), covering wide rainfall (336-987 mm year-1) and soil (e.g., 44%-93% sand) gradients. We identified four grass growth forms using hierarchical clustering on principal components analyses of trait data and assessed trait-environment and growth form-environment relationships using fourth corner and principal components analyses. We distinguished two palatable grass growth forms that both attract yet resist grazers and comprise grazing lawns: (1) "lateral attractors" that spread vegetatively via stolons and rhizomes, and (2) "tufted attractors" that form isolated tufts and may have alternate tall growth forms. By contrast, (3) tough, upright, tufted "resisters," and (4) "avoiders" with sparse architectures or that grow appressed to the soil surface, are of little forage value and avoided by grazers. Grazing lawns occurred across a wide range of conditions, typically comprising lateral attractor grasses in drier, sandy environments, and tufted attractor grasses in wetter, low-sand environments. Resisters occurred on clay-rich soils in mesic areas, while avoiders were widespread but scarce. While grazing lawns can be established under most conditions, monitoring their composition and cover is important, as the potential for overgrazing seems as widely relevant. Tufted attractor-dominated lawns appear somewhat more vulnerable to degradation than lateral attractor-dominated lawns. Increased avoider and resister abundance both reduce forage value, although resisters may provide better soil protection.

Project description:It is estimated that the genus Synechococcus is responsible for about 17% of net primary production in the Global Ocean. Blooms of these organisms are observed in tropical, subtropical and even temperate zones, and they have been recorded recently even beyond the polar circle. The long-term scenarios forecast a growing expansion of Synechococcus sp. and its area of dominance. This is, among others, due to their high physiological plasticity in relation to changing environmental conditions. Three phenotypes of the genus Synechococcus sp. (Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3a) were tested in controlled laboratory conditions in order to identify their response to various irradiance (10, 55, 100 and 145 µmol photons m-2 s-1) and temperature (15, 22.5 and 30 °C) conditions. The highest total pigment content per cell was recorded at 10 ?mol photons m-2 s-1 at all temperature variants with the clear dominance of phycobilins among all the pigments. In almost every variant the highest growth rate was recorded for the Type 1. The lowest growth rates were observed, in general, for the Type 3a. However, it was recognized to be less temperature sensitive in comparison to the other two types and rather light-driven with the highest plasticity and adaptation potential. The highest amounts of carotenoids were produced by Type 2 which also showed signs of the cell stress even around 55 ?mol photons m-2 s-1 at 15 °C and 22.5 °C. This may imply that the Type 2 is the most susceptible to higher irradiances. Picocyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. require less light intensity to achieve the maximum rate of photosynthesis than larger algae. They also tolerate a wide range of temperatures which combined together make them gain a powerful competitive advantage. Our results will provide key information for the ecohydrodynamical model development. Thus, this work would be an important link in forecasting future changes in the occurrence of these organisms in the context of global warming.

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Dataset Information

Comparative metabolome analysis of serum changes in sheep under overgrazing or light grazing conditions.

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Comparative metabolome analysis of serum changes in sheep under overgrazing or light grazing conditions.

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