The rumen bacteria

The rumen bacteria

© Chapman & Hall 1997 | C. S. STEWART, H. J. FLINT and M. P. BRYANT
This chapter discusses the characteristics of rumen bacteria that have been successfully cultivated in the laboratory. It highlights that only a small fraction of the total microbial diversity in ecosystems, particularly those dominated by slow-growing or specialized microorganisms, has been recovered through cultural methods, leading to potential misrepresentations of the ecosystem. In the rumen, the growth rates of organisms must be sufficient to counteract the constant dilution due to the turnover of rumen contents. The chapter notes that the development of rigorous anaerobic methods and suitable isolation media has improved the recovery of rumen bacteria, but some functionally important groups, such as obligate syntrophs, may still be underrepresented. Molecular studies have revealed significant genetic variation within existing rumen species, suggesting that the current species type strains may not adequately represent the culturable variation in the rumen bacterial community. The chapter also discusses the use of habitat-simulating media and clarified rumen liquor for growing rumen bacteria, noting that these methods can affect the growth rates of different species. Finally, it acknowledges the challenge of determining the exact number of rumen bacterial species and the presence of transient species in the rumen ecosystem.This chapter discusses the characteristics of rumen bacteria that have been successfully cultivated in the laboratory. It highlights that only a small fraction of the total microbial diversity in ecosystems, particularly those dominated by slow-growing or specialized microorganisms, has been recovered through cultural methods, leading to potential misrepresentations of the ecosystem. In the rumen, the growth rates of organisms must be sufficient to counteract the constant dilution due to the turnover of rumen contents. The chapter notes that the development of rigorous anaerobic methods and suitable isolation media has improved the recovery of rumen bacteria, but some functionally important groups, such as obligate syntrophs, may still be underrepresented. Molecular studies have revealed significant genetic variation within existing rumen species, suggesting that the current species type strains may not adequately represent the culturable variation in the rumen bacterial community. The chapter also discusses the use of habitat-simulating media and clarified rumen liquor for growing rumen bacteria, noting that these methods can affect the growth rates of different species. Finally, it acknowledges the challenge of determining the exact number of rumen bacterial species and the presence of transient species in the rumen ecosystem.
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[slides and audio] The rumen bacteria