Gut microbiota analysis of two maternal lines of rabbits with different longevity
Longevity and resilience are two fundamental traits for more sustainable livestock production. These traits are closely related, as resilient animals tend to have longer lifespans. An interesting criterion for increasing longevity could be based on the information provided by rabbit's gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is essential in regulating health and plays crucial roles in immune system development.  The general aim of the research is to find out if the composition of the gut microbiota of the rabbit influences the longevity and resilience of the maternal lines. For this purpose, the life-time gut microbiota of two maternal rabbit lines with different longevities was compared: A maternal line founded using longevity criterion: females with a minimum of 25 parities with an average prolificacy per parity of 9 or more (line LP) and a standard longevity maternal line (line A).  The two lines have similar productive levels and have been created by the animal breeding team of the Universidad Politècnica de Valencia and provided to the industry.  In this study, the bacterial gene 16S rRNA was sequenced in 365 soft faeces samples collected from 195 does (78 of line A and 117 of line LP). And the following specific objectives were proposed: - To compare the gut microbiota at first parity of a longevity line (LP), with the gut microbiota of a standard longevity maternal line. - To compare  the gut microbiota of LP line females that died or were culled after 2 parities or less (LLP) with those with high longevity, females with 15 parities or more (HLP). - To conduct a longitudinal study to investigate the evolution of gut microbiota of two rabbit lines with different longevity (LP, a line founded with longevity criteria, and A, a standard commercial line). - To study the creation of a selection index based on the microbiome profile and/or a probiotic that increases the longevity and resilience of rabbit maternal lines.