Distribution and Difference of Gastrointestinal Flora in Sheep with Different Body Mass Index

Abstract

Fat deposition is the key factor affecting the efficiency of animal husbandry production. There are many factors affecting fat deposition, in which the gastrointestinal microbiota plays an important role. Therefore, the body mass index (BMI) was introduced into the evaluation of sheep fat deposition, and the different microbiota and functional pathways of the sheep gastrointestinal tract in different BMI groups were analyzed. We selected 5% of individuals with the highest and lowest BMI from a feed test population (357 in whole group). Microorganisms in 10 sites of the gastrointestinal tract in 36 individuals (18 in each group) were evaluated by 16S rRNA V3–V4 region sequencing. There were differences (p p p Colidextribacter, Alloprevotella, and Succenivibrio were positively correlated with fat deposition, while Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_Group was negatively correlated (p < 0.05). The above results show that the cecum may be an important part leading to the difference of BMI in sheep, and its microorganisms may affect the level of fat deposition.

Keywords

• sheep
• body mass index
• fat deposition
• functional prediction
• gastrointestinal microorganisms