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Home / Equine Research Bank / Microorganisms / Fecal Microbiota and Diet Composition of Buryatian Horses Gr...
Microorganisms2023; 11(8); 1947; doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11081947

Fecal Microbiota and Diet Composition of Buryatian Horses Grazing Warm- and Cold-Season Grass Pastures.

Abstract: The Buryatian horse is an ancient breed and, as an indigenous breed, they have unique adaptive abilities to use scarce pastures, graze in winter, and survive in harsh conditions with minimal human care. In this study, fecal microbiota of Buryatian horses grazing in the warm and cold seasons were investigated using NGS technology on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We hypothesized that the composition of microbial communities in the feces of horses maintained on pasture would change in the different seasons, depending on the grass availability and different plant diets. We conducted microhistological fecal studies of horse diet composition on steppe pasture. The alpha diversity analysis showed horses had a more abundant and diverse gut microbiota in summer. There were significant effects on the beta diversity of microbial families, which were clustered by the warm and cold season in a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), with 45% of the variation explained by two principal coordinates. This clustering by season was further confirmed by the significant differences observed in the relative abundances of microbial families and genera. The obtained results can serve as an experimental substantiation for further study of the impact of pasture grasses, which have a pharmacological effect, on the diversity of the gut microbiome and horse health.
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Publication Date: 2023-07-30 PubMed ID: 37630507PubMed Central: PMC10459317DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11081947Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers have investigated the changes in fecal microbiota of a unique horse breed, the Buryatian, during different grazing seasons using advanced sequencing technologies. They hypothesize that the microbial composition in the horses’ gut changes with the availability and type of grass during different periods of the year.

Research Methodology

  • The method employed to carry out the research was Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) using the Illumina MiSeq platform. This technology allows for quick and detailed analysis of microbiota.
  • In addition to this, microhistological fecal studies were performed to ascertain the horse diet composition on steppe pasture.

Research Findings

  • The study demonstrated that Buryatian horses had a more diverse gut microbiota in the summer season as compared to the cold seasons. This suggests that the warmer climate provides a better environment for gut microbes to thrive.
  • The genera and families of microbes in the horses’ gut significantly changed with seasons, showing that the type of grass available plays a crucial role in determining the bacterial composition in their gut. This was evident in the beta diversity analysis.
  • The researchers used a statistical method – principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), to evaluate the beta diversity of microbial families. Their analysis showed that 45% variation in gut microbiota could be explained by the seasonal changes.

Implications of the Research

  • The findings of these studies may be used as experimental evidence to further assess the effects of different grasses on the diversity of gut microbiota and horse health.
  • This research could also have implications for the use of different pastures on pharmacological impacts in horses.
  • Additionally, understanding these patterns could help improve the health and productivity of horses by modulating their diet according to the season.

Cite This Article

APA
Zaitseva S, Dagurova O, Radnagurueva A, Kozlova A, Izotova A, Krylova A, Noskov S, Begmatov S, Patutina E, Barkhutova DD. (2023). Fecal Microbiota and Diet Composition of Buryatian Horses Grazing Warm- and Cold-Season Grass Pastures. Microorganisms, 11(8), 1947. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11081947

Publication

Microorganisms
ISSN: 2076-2607
NlmUniqueID: 101625893
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 8
PII: 1947

Researcher Affiliations

Zaitseva, Svetlana
  • Institute of General and Experimental Biology SD RAS, Sakhyanovoy str., 6, 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Dagurova, Olga
  • Institute of General and Experimental Biology SD RAS, Sakhyanovoy str., 6, 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Radnagurueva, Aryuna
  • Institute of General and Experimental Biology SD RAS, Sakhyanovoy str., 6, 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Kozlova, Aleksandra
  • Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, NRC.urchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia.
Izotova, Anna
  • Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, NRC.urchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia.
Krylova, Anastasia
  • Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, NRC.urchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia.
Noskov, Sergey
  • Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, NRC.urchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia.
Begmatov, Shahjahon
  • Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prosp, bld. 33-2, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
Patutina, Ekaterina
  • Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prosp, bld. 33-2, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
Barkhutova, Darima D
  • Institute of General and Experimental Biology SD RAS, Sakhyanovoy str., 6, 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russia.

Grant Funding

  • Agreement u2116 075-15-2021-1401, 3 November 2021 / the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in the framework of the Federal scientific-technical program of the genetic technologies development for 2019-2027

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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