Core rumen microbes are functional generalists that sustain host metabolism and gut ecosystem function.

ABSTRACT: Some microbes persist across diverse gut microbiomes, raising the question of what features define these core taxa and allow them to persist across hosts. Using the rumen microbiome as a model system, we show that core microbes exhibit distinct attributes of ecological generalists, including greater strain variability and broader functional capacity, linked to larger genome sizes. By analysing ~3,000 genomes of core and non-core microbes and metabolically measuring their functional attributes with both biochemical assays and untargeted/targeted metabolomics, we find that these traits enable core microbes to be metabolically independent while also supporting non-core microbes and the host. Core taxa produce essential metabolites, such as amino acids and vitamins, and encode fibre-degrading

SUBMITTER: Tovar-Herrera OE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12789038 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature