Variation, Heritability, and Structure of the Rumen Microbiome in the Context of Health and Productivity of Dairy Cattle
The aim of the research is to determine how the rumen microbiome differs among animals within a herd and whether its composition is influenced by factors such as age, lactation stage, or type of feed. The study will also investigate whether there are microbiome characteristics of animals with outstanding productivity and whether these can be used as information for selection purposes. Additionally, the research will focus on determining the extent to which the microbiome profile is hereditary and whether there are genes whose variability is responsible for regulating the microbiome profile.The results will provide information on the composition of the rumen microbiota, its variability, its impact on production levels, health, milk composition, and feed intake, as well as assess the significance of factors such as age, lactation stage, and the level and chemical composition of feed on the microbiome profile. The study will also identify the fraction of the microbiome influenced by genetic factors, which will form the basis for using microbiome analysis in dairy cattle selection.