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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427285
Research Project: Improved Plant Genetic Resources and Methods to ensure Resilient and Productive Rangelands, Pastures, and Turf Landscapes

Location: Forage and Range Research

Title: Grazing intensities regulated the effects of seasonal dietary pattern on gut bacterial community composition of sheep

Author
item LI, PENGZHEN - China Agricultural University
item ZHANG, ZHENHAO - China Agricultural University
item Monaco, Thomas
item DONG, YAO - China Agricultural University
item RONG, YUPING - China Agricultural University

Submitted to: Microorganisms
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2025
Publication Date: 6/14/2025
Citation: Li, P., Zhang, Z., Monaco, T.A., Dong, Y., Rong, Y. 2025. Grazing intensities regulated the effects of seasonal dietary pattern on gut bacterial community composition of sheep. Microorganisms. 13(6). Article 1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061392.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061392

Interpretive Summary: Dietary selection and intake affect animal health under variable environmental conditions. In this study, we investigated the relationship between lamb dietary and gut microbiota. We found that changes in food resources caused by grazing intensity and seasonal month strongly influenced the composition of gut microbiota. Our results demonstrated that gut microbiota diverged into two enterotypes, which have different microbial diversity and functions. Animals adapted to dietary changes by altering their enterotypes to maximize nutrient utilization from available food resources. Our findings provide valuable insights into the temporal variation of diet–microbiota interactions and the adaptation of animals to changing environments.

Technical Abstract: Gut microbiota “enterotypes” are strongly associated with diet and host health. For grazing animals, plant species richness and nutrient content of vegetation may alter the food supply and diet composition of animals. Understanding this relationship is critical to clarify the adaption of gut microbiota to changes in vegetation quantity and quality in grassland ecosystems. Here, we studied the relationship between dietary and gut microbiota composition of sheep (lambs) over a growing season in a grassland ecosystem in northern China. Variation in vegetation composition among grazing intensities was greatest in September: and sheep preferred forbs and Rosaceae throughout the grazing period in all grazing treatments, yet their preference for Fabaceae was reduced in HG treatments in September. Grazing intensity and seasonal variations in food resource availability influenced dietary patterns, which in turn affected gut bacterial community composition. Enterotype 1, dominated by istensenellaceae_R_7_group and Clostridia_UCG_014_unclassified, predominated during the warm season (July) for both LG and HG treatments. In contrast, Enterotype 2, dominated by Escherichia_Shigella, prevailed during the cool season (September) in HG. Diversity of Enterotype 1 exceeded (p < 0.001) that of Enterotype 2. For MG, Enterotype 1 and Enterotype 2 were evenly distributed over the grazing period. Our results highlight the importance of regulating grazing intensity to maintain the balance and health of gut microbiota according to temporal changes in plant nutrients and aboveground biomass of grassland ecosystems.