Spatial heterogeneity determines the gastrointestinal microbiome signatures and ecological processes that govern bacterial community assembly in sheep.

ABSTRACT: Sheep are one of the globally significant livestock, providing meat, dairy products, and wool for human life, playing an indispensable role in human civilization. Despite significant advancements in microbiome research in recent years, most studies have focused solely on the rumen, lacking a comprehensive study covering the microbiome of different gastrointestinal tract (GIT) regions in sheep. In this study, we collected 338 samples from 10 different regions of the sheep GIT and systematically investigated their microbiome signatures, including community structure, enterotypes, interactions among taxa, and microbial community assembly. Our results showed that the bacterial diversity of sheep GIT exhibited a U-shaped pattern along the GIT, with the lowest diversity in the jejunum. The bacte

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11792493 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature