Butyrivibrio hungatei MB2003 Competes Effectively for Soluble Sugars Released by Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus B316 T during Growth on Xylan or Pectin

Abstract

Feeding a future global population of 9 billion people and climate change are the primary challenges facing agriculture today. Ruminant livestock are important food-producing animals, and maximizing their productivity requires an understanding of their digestive systems and the roles played by rumen microbes in plant polysaccharide degradation. Butyrivibrio species are a phylogenetically diverse group of bacteria and are commonly found in the rumen, where they are a substantial source of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes for the depolymerization of lignocellulosic material. Our findings suggest that closely related species of Butyrivibrio have developed unique strategies for the degradation of plant fiber and the subsequent assimilation of carbohydrates in order to coexist in the competitive rumen environment. The identification of genes expressed during these competitive interactions gives further insight into the enzymatic machinery used by these bacteria as they degrade the xylan and pectin components of plant fiber.