ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1621581
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Horizons in Gut Microbiome Research for Enhancing Livestock ProductivityView all 8 articles
The effects of dietary energy level on the growth performance of yaks (Bos grunniens) were studied based on omics technique
Provisionally accepted
Yahui Jiang
Jiali Zhang
Kaiwen WangHengbo FengPeng DaiYuting YouZhisheng Wang*
Rui Hu
Quanhui Peng
Huawei Zou
Jianxin Xiao
Lizhi Wang
Bai Xue- Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China
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The yak (Bos grunniens) is uniquely adapted to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, yet nutritional guidelines for yaks remain limited and often follow cattle standards. This study aimed to clarify dietary energy requirements to improve yak feeding strategies. Fattening yaks were assigned to three diets with different net energy for gain (NEg): low (LE, 4.06 MJ/kg), medium (ME, 4.46 MJ/kg), and high (HE, 4.87 MJ/kg), with 13% crude protein constant. Growth performance, apparent digestibility, serum biochemistry, hormones, and rumen fermentation were measured. Additional, 16S rDNA sequencing analyzed the rumen and fecal microbiota, and serum non-targeted metabolomics profiling was performed. Results showed that ME and HE diets significantly increased average daily gain and nutrient digestibility while reducing feed conversion ratios (P < 0.05). Serum glucose, triglycerides, and growth-related hormones were higher in ME and HE groups, while non-esterified fatty acids was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Higher energy diets increased microbial protein and reduced ruminal ammonia nitrogen. The ME diet increased ruminal Proteobacteria, enhancing fermentation and soluble carbohydrate utilization, while promoting fiber-degrading UCG-005. High energy diets elevated fecal Spirochaetota and Treponema abundances. Metabolomics revealed differences mainly in lipid-related metabolites correlated with specific microbial taxa. In conclusion, increasing dietary energy improves growth, nutrient utilization, and beneficial microbiota profiles in yaks. A medium-energy diet (NEg: 4.46 MJ/kg) optimizes fermentation and microbial balance, providing a scientific basis for precise nutritional strategies in yak production on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.
Keywords: Yak (Bos grunniens), Dietary energy level, Serum metabolome, growth performance, microbiota
Received: 01 May 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jiang, Zhang, Wang, Feng, Dai, You, Wang, Hu, Peng, Zou, Xiao, Wang and Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhisheng Wang, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China
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