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About the Authors:
Derrick E. Fouts
Contributed equally to this work with: Derrick E. Fouts, Sebastian Szpakowski
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Sebastian Szpakowski
Contributed equally to this work with: Derrick E. Fouts, Sebastian Szpakowski
Affiliation: The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Janaki Purushe
Current address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Affiliation: The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Manolito Torralba
Affiliation: The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Richard C. Waterman
Affiliation: Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Miles City, Montana, United States of America
Michael D. MacNeil
Current address: Delta G, Miles City, Montana, United States of America
Affiliation: Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Miles City, Montana, United States of America
Leeson J. Alexander
Affiliation: Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Miles City, Montana, United States of America
Karen E. Nelson
Affiliation: The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Introduction
The bovine rumen harbors a diverse population of microorganisms that converts ingested plant biomass to protein, short chain volatile fatty acids, and gases (e.g., CO2, NH3, and CH4) via fermentation. End-products of rumen microbial fermentation provide the host with essential nutrients for metabolism, but are also released into the environment. Studying the microbial populations associated with the bovine gastrointestinal tract (GIT) holds vast potential for answering questions associated with improving animal production [1] and increasing the efficiency of animal feed [2], [3]. Additionally, it stands to foster an understanding of the impact of the host on GIT bacterial populations [4]. The ultimate implications of these studies include improving renewable fuel production, including conversion of cellulosic waste to biogas [5], and reduction of greenhouse gas production and emissions.
The bovine rumen microbiome is estimated to contain more than 1010 bacteria, 109 phage, 108 protozoa, 107 archaea, and 103 fungal spores per ml [6], [7]. Both 18S and 16S small subunit (SSU) rRNA surveys of the bovine rumen suggest extensive microbial...