The ability of herbivores, especially ruminants, to convert energy from cellulose (an energy source not usable by man) to meat, milk and other products, is both of interest and economic importance. An understanding of the activity in the rumen should aid nutritionists in developing adequate feedstuffs for a variety of ruminant animals. The book also covers information on gastrointestinal fermentation by wild ruminants and non-ruminant herbivores.
Burk Dehority’s career has been primarily in research and graduate education and he currently holds the position of Professor at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, a unit of the Ohio State University.
Contents
- Preface
- Herbivores: animals adapted through microbial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract to feed solely on plant materials
- Gross anatomy, physiology and environment of the ruminant stomach
- Classification and morphology of rumen protozoa
- Establishment, numbers and diurnal changes in concentration of rumen protozoa
- Metabolism, nutrition and growth of rumen protozoa
- Distribution, specificity and role of the rumen protozoa
- Rumen bacteria – history, methods of in vitro cultivation, and discussion of mixed culture fermentations
- Cellulose digesting rumen bacteria
- Species of rumen bacteria active in the fermentation of hemicellulose
- Pectin-fermenting species of rumen bacteria
- Starch digestors, other less numerous species, and facultative anaerobes in the rumen
- Numbers, factors affecting the population and distribution of rumen bacteria
- Rumen fungi
- Additional metabolic activities and interactions among rumen micro- organisms
- Appendix
- Index