Microbiology Procedure

Index >> Growth of Microorganism >> Ruminant Symbiosis

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Growth of Microorganism Part 1 Physiological Functions of Trace Elements Vitamins and Their Functions Methods of Determining Growth Ectosymbioses Endosymbioses Functions of Symbiosis Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere Mycorrhizae Root Nodule Bacteria and Legumes Root Nodule Bateria and nonlegumes Lichens

Ruminant Symbiosis

	Ruminant Symbiosis - The ruminants are a group of herbivorous mammals like cattle, sheep, goats, camels, giraffes etc. Ruminant gut provides a more obvious example of mutualism. They use plant cellulose as the major carbohydrate source of their diet. However, their normal gut can not digest cellulose. Their digestive tract contains no less than four successive stomachs. They have developed a special region for cellulose digestion. This region is the rumen, that is essentially vast incubation chamber teeming with bacteria and protozoa. In cow, this resembles a large fermentation vat, about 100 litres, into which masticated plant materials enter for further digestion by large number of anaerobic bacteria and protozoa.
The mutualistic microbes hydrolyse cellulose and other complex plant polysaccharides to their component monosaccharides which are then fermented to simple fatty acids (acetic, propionic, butyric) and gases (methane, carbon dioxide). The fatty acids are absorbed through the wall of rumen into the bloodstream for use as carbon and energy source.
The gases are passed out of rumen at frequent intervals. The microbial population of the rumen grows rapidly. These microbial cells pass out of the rumen along with undigested plant material into the stomach. These cells are destroyed and digested in the stomach through proteases (the rumen produces no digestive enzymes), in normal way to provide essential amino acids and vitamins etc. required for the growth of animal The cellulose digesting bacteria of rumen are all strict anaerobes. The species include Bacteroids succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavofaciens, R. albus and Botryovibrio fibrisolvens.
The great bulk of bacterial population, however, is noncellulolytic. Many of the rumen bacteria including some of the cellulolytic species are able of digesting starch, proteins and lipids. Only lignin of the ingested plant matter escapes digestion. The products of digestion of polysaccharides, proteins and lipids are fermented by the rumen bacteria. During these processes, hydrogen gas combines with CO2 to form methane by Methanobacterium ruminantium.

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Growth of Microorganisms Part 1 Cyanellae Zoochlorella and Zooxanthellae Endosymbiosis of Algae Normal Flora of Human Ruminant Symbiosis Ectosymbioses of Microbes Ectosymbioses of Protozoa Endosymbioses of Fungi Continous Cultures Synchronous Cultures Diauxic Growth Factors Affecting Growth and Growth Rates

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