Definition
The rumen is a pre-gastric, anaerobic fermentation chamber populated by a consortium of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi, which break down feedstuffs in a truly symbiotic relationship within the host animal. The bacterial population is the best known component and is made up of more than 2,000 bacterial species and strains at populations in excess of 1011 cells/ml. Molecular techniques have increased the numbers of bacterial isolates associated with the rumen and have revealed much of the population remains unknown. Further developments have revolutionized our understanding of the microbial ecology of the rumen and gastrointestinal tract and how interactions occur between members of the consortium and the host animal.
Introduction
The rumen of cattle is a large anaerobic fermentation chamber that is home to a large, diverse microbial consortium. This microbial population...
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Callaway, T.R., Wright, AD.G., Brikis, G.O., Edrington, T.S., Nisbet, D.J. (2014). Evaluation of Bacterial Diversity in the Rumen and Feces of Cattle. In: Nelson, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metagenomics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_644-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_644-1
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