Saakshi Bangera, DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
The second most important greenhouse in the atmosphere – methane is increasing in the atmosphere at an average rate of 10ppb every year. Enteric fermentation is the largest source of methane in the agricultural sector. India has about 13 of the global cattle population and 53% of the global buffalo population. These two species are responsible for more than 85% of total enteric methane emissions in India. The methane emitted by cattle animals accounts for 2-12% of gross energy intake. The ruminal methanogens community is a complex group of organisms despite being less diverse than bacteria. To devise effective methane mitigation strategies, it is important to understand the ruminal archaea community. Environmental conditions and the host influence the ruminal archaea community. Diet is the major determinant to shape the microbial community of the animal.
The hypothesis of the study
In this study, the hypothesis is that when cattle and buffaloes are fed on the same diet, no difference in the methane yield or demographics will occur. This study was designed to distinguish between the methane yield and archaeal composition between buffaloes and cattle which are fed on the same Napier-grass-and-concentrate diet.
Findings obtained
Enteric methane emission was found to be significantly greater in cattle than the buffaloes. This was due to greater body weight and dry matter intake in cattle as compared to buffaloes. The methane yield was unaffected by the same diet and was within the acceptable range. There was no statistical difference in the concentration of ammonia-N or TVFA in the ruminal fluids. The number of total protozoa was larger in buffaloes as compared to cattle. The study also reports that the host species affects the methanogenic diversity of the rumen. The ruminal community in both buffaloes and cattle was dominated by archaeal methanogens associated with the phylum Euryarchaeota. The distribution of Methanobacteriales was similar in cattle as well as buffaloes. The non-motile Methanosaeta harundinacea – an acetoclastic methanogen was detected in the rumen of cattle. This organism was isolated from an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. The results of the study also demonstrate that the methane yield depends on the feed instead of the host species.
In summary
In conclusion, the yield of ruminal methane did not depend on the diet of the organisms. Despite both the cattle and buffaloes being fed the same diet, methane yield did not differ. Phylum Euryarchaeota was the dominant methanogen in both hosts. Whereas Crenarchaeota was present in a limited fraction of the archaeal community. The most prominent genus of methanogens was found to be Methanobrevibacter. Methanobrevibacter wolinii and Methanosarcinales were found to be greater in number in cattle as compared to in buffaloes. The study proves that when the environmental conditions and the feed are the same, the host has no significant influence on the structure of the archaeal community. Further studies may help to confirm these results with more choices of diets and in different locations.
References
Malik, P. K., Trivedi, S., Mohapatra, A., Kolte, A. P., Sejian, V., Bhatta, R., & Rahman, H. (2021). Comparison of enteric methane yield and diversity of ruminal methanogens in cattle and buffaloes fed on the same diet. PLOS ONE, 16(8), e0256048. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256048
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About the author
The author is currently pursuing MSc in Biotechnology from DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. She believes that she doesn’t have a specific area of interest yet. She wishes to explore toxicology and food biotechnology. She’s quite passionate about Biotechnology and aims to grab every opportunity she comes across.
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