Table 2.
Comparison of rumen parameters and microbial population among transfaunation types
| Period | HH (N = 4) | HL (N = 4) | LH (N = 4) | LL (N = 4) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VFAs | Total VFA, mM | Before | 124.1 ± 7.2 | 156.2 ± 9.5 | 127.6 ± 7.2 | 123.2 ± 12.5 |
| After | 147.7 ± 10.6 | 165.5 ± 10.3 | 144.1 ± 5.4 | 146.6 ± 14.4 | ||
| P | * | NS | NS | NS | ||
| Acetate, mol/100 mol VFA | Before | 53.1 ± 2.3 | 50.3 ± 2.7 | 50.0 ± 3.4 | 51.2 ± 2.7 | |
| After | 47.0 ± 2.6 | 44.1 ± 3.4 | 48.5 ± 3.1 | 49.3 ± 0.5 | ||
| P | † | † | NS | NS | ||
| Propionate, mol/100 mol VFA | Before | 29.7 ± 5.0 | 37.1 ± 5.3 | 33.3 ± 5.3 | 35.0 ± 6.2 | |
| After | 35.3 ± 3.9 | 40.9 ± 4.8 | 33.9 ± 4.1 | 37.6 ± 1.4 | ||
| P | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||
| Butyrate, mol/100 mol VFA | Before | 11.8 ± 3.1 | 7.4 ± 1.6 | 11.9 ± 2.4 | 9.7 ± 3.4 | |
| After | 12.2 ± 2.6 | 10.0 ± 1.4 | 12.9 ± 1.8 | 8.9 ± 1.1 | ||
| P | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||
| N-NH3 | Ammonia, μg/ml | Before | 10.5 ± 2.5 | 10.2 ± 1.5 | 13.9 ± 2.0 | 10.8 ± 3.6 |
| After | 8.3 ± 1.2 | 7.0 ± 1.5 | 12.3 ± 4.5 | 9.4 ± 2.0 | ||
| P | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||
| pH | Before | 5.90 ± 0.05 | 5.64 ± 0.15 | 5.83 ± 0.10 | 5.82 ± 0.13 | |
| After | 5.83 ± 0.15 | 5.48 ± 0.07 | 5.81 ± 0.02 | 5.78 ± 0.07 | ||
| P | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||
| Microbial population | Total bacteria, × 1011/g | Before | 1.51 ± 1.12 | 9.00 ± 7.09 | 13.01 ± 6.65 | 0.90 ± 0.55 |
| After | 3.04 ± 1.07 | 7.52 ± 5.96 | 9.50 ± 5.90 | 2.48 ± 0.54 | ||
| P | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||
| Total archaea, × 108/g | Before | 8.04 ± 1.01 | 4.84 ± 0.74 | 5.85 ± 1.50 | 7.05 ± 1.94 | |
| After | 17.38 ± 6.16 | 15.08 ± 3.21 | 12.79 ± 2.08 | 16.04 ± 2.92 | ||
| P | NS | ** | * | * |
NS non-significant
†0.05 ≤ P < 0.1
*0.01 ≤ P < 0.05
**P < 0.01