#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Russian scientists have isolated microorganisms from the proventriculus of a reindeer that significantly increase the efficiency of digestion of plant food.
In the future, on the basis of these bacteria, feed additives can be created that will improve the ability of the main farm animals to digest feed, as well as increase their meat productivity. It is reported by InScience.News.
Reindeer are bred by indigenous peoples who live in the Arctic zone of Russia. These animals form the basis of economic activity. They are essential for the survival of local peoples and the preservation of their culture. As it turned out, many biological features of reindeer can be useful for subsequent introduction into agriculture.
The community of microorganisms (microbiome) that lives in the rumen, the largest section of the quadrilocular stomach of a reindeer, is involved in the digestion of roughage. The rumen is located at the very beginning of the stomach, and plant food is fermented in it with the help of microflora. To study these microorganisms, scientists from the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences used a probe to sample the contents of the reindeer’s rumen in their natural habitat.
“We were able to isolate promising microbial associations from the reindeer proventriculus. We believe that it is this spectrum of microorganisms that is responsible for the efficiency of assimilation of the feed that these animals eat”, says the study co-author Kasim Laishev. “In the future, we plan to introduce this association of microorganisms into the rumen of other ruminant species and study their ability to take root and digest feed. If we improve feed conversion and digestive efficiency in livestock, such a feed additive will lead to a significant improvement in meat production”.
Earlier I told about the unique anatomy and physiology of the reindeer. In particular, these animals are capable of seeing ultraviolet light.
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Text: Ekaterina Maksimova, Photo: istockphoto.com
