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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(8); 2300; doi: 10.3390/ani11082300

Seasonal Variation in the Faecal Microbiota of Mature Adult Horses Maintained on Pasture in New Zealand.

Abstract: Seasonal variation in the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses was investigated over a 12-month period to determine whether the bacterial diversity fluctuated over time. Horses ( = 10) were maintained on pasture for one year, with hay supplemented from June to October. At monthly intervals, data were recorded on pasture availability and climate (collected continuously and averaged on monthly basis), pasture and hay samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and faecal samples were collected from all horses to investigate the diversity of faecal microbiota using next-generation sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The alpha diversity of bacterial genera was high in all samples ( = 118), with significantly higher Simpson's ( 0.001) and Shannon-Wiener ( 0.001) diversity indices observed during the months when horses were kept exclusively on pasture compared to the months when pasture was supplemented with hay. There were significant effects of diet, season, and month (ANOSIM, 0.01 for each comparison) on the beta diversity of bacterial genera identified in the faeces. While there was some inter-horse variation, hierarchical clustering of beta diversity indices showed separate clades originating for samples obtained during May, June, and July (late-autumn to winter period), and January, February, and March (a period of drought), with a strong association between bacterial taxa and specific nutrients (dry matter, protein, and structural carbohydrates) and climate variables (rainfall and temperature). Our study supports the hypothesis that the diversity and community structure of the faecal microbiota of horses kept on pasture varied over a 12-month period, and this variation reflects changes in the nutrient composition of the pasture, which in turn is influenced by climatic conditions. The findings of this study may have implications for grazing management and the preparation of conserved forages for those horses susceptible to perturbations of the hindgut microbiota.
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Publication Date: 2021-08-04 PubMed ID: 34438757PubMed Central: PMC8388417DOI: 10.3390/ani11082300Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 research study is about looking into the regular changes in the digestive bacteria of mature horses that are fed on pastures in New Zealand throughout a year to identify if their bacterial diversity changes over time.

Study Design

  • The experimental group comprised 10 horses that were kept on the pasture throughout the year. Hay was provided as a supplement from June to October.
  • Data was regularly captured every month on elements like pasture availability and climate. The climate data was taken consistently and averaged on a monthly basis.
  • New pasture and hay samples were gathered for nutrient examination each month while faecal samples from all horses were collected to look into the faecal microbiota’s diversity using next-generation sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform.

Diversity of Bacterial Genera

  • High alpha diversity was found in every sample with significantly higher Simpson’s and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices noticed in the months where horses were kept only on the pasture compared with the months when hay supplemented the pasture diet.
  • There were noticeable impacts of diet, season, and month on the beta diversity of bacterial genera found in the horse faeces.

Variations Observed

  • Though there was some degree of variation among the horses, the gathered data revealed separate branches for samples from specific months like May, June, and July (late-autumn to winter)f; and January, February, and March (the drought period).
  • There was a clear link between bacterial species and specific nutrients (dry matter, protein, and structural carbohydrates) and climate variables (rainfall and temperature).

Conclusion

  • The study supports the idea that the faecal microbiota’s diversity and community structure in horses that are pasture-fed fluctuates throughout the year. This variation reflects changes in the nutrient content of the pasture, which in turn, is impacted by climatic conditions.
  • The results of this study can have implications for grazing management and the preparation of conserved forages, particularly for horses susceptible to disruptions of the hindgut microbiota.

Cite This Article

APA
Fernandes KA, Gee EK, Rogers CW, Kittelmann S, Biggs PJ, Bermingham EN, Bolwell CF, Thomas DG. (2021). Seasonal Variation in the Faecal Microbiota of Mature Adult Horses Maintained on Pasture in New Zealand. Animals (Basel), 11(8), 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082300

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 8
PII: 2300

Researcher Affiliations

Fernandes, Karlette A
  • School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Gee, Erica K
  • School of Veterinary Science, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Rogers, Chris W
  • School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
  • School of Veterinary Science, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Kittelmann, Sandra
  • AgResearch Ltd., Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Biggs, Patrick J
  • School of Veterinary Science, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Bermingham, Emma N
  • AgResearch Ltd., Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Bolwell, Charlotte F
  • School of Veterinary Science, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Thomas, David G
  • School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors confirm that there are no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report.

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Citations

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