Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
J Anim Sci. 2013 Jan;91(1):331-41. doi: 10.2527/jas.2012-5567.
Robert Hungate, considered the father of rumen microbiology, was the first to initiate a systematic exploration of the microbial ecosystem of the rumen, but he was not alone. The techniques he developed to isolate and identify cellulose-digesting bacteria from the rumen have had a major impact not only in delineating the complex ecosystem of the rumen but also in clinical microbiology and in the exploration of a number of other anaerobic ecosystems, including the human hindgut. Rumen microbiology has pioneered our understanding of much of microbial ecology and has broadened our knowledge of ecology in general, as well as improved the ability to feed ruminants more efficiently. The discovery of anaerobic fungi as a component of the ruminal flora disproved the central dogma in microbiology that all fungi are aerobic organisms. Further novel interactions between bacterial species such as nutrient cross feeding and interspecies H2 transfer were first described in ruminal microorganisms. The complexity and diversity present in the rumen make it an ideal testing ground for microbial theories (e.g., the effects of nutrient limitation and excess) and techniques (such as 16S rRNA), which have rewarded the investigators that have used this easily accessed ecosystem to understand larger truths. Our understanding of characteristics of the ruminal microbial population has opened new avenues of microbial ecology, such as the existence of hyperammonia-producing bacteria and how they can be used to improve N efficiency in ruminants. In this review, we examine some of the contributions to science that were first made in the rumen, which have not been recognized in a broader sense.
罗伯特·亨盖特（Robert Hungate）被誉为反刍动物微生物学之父，他率先对反刍动物瘤胃微生物生态系统进行了系统探索，但他并非孤军奋战。他开发的从瘤胃中分离和鉴定纤维素分解菌的技术，不仅对描绘瘤胃这一复杂生态系统具有重大意义，而且对临床微生物学和对其他一些厌氧生态系统（包括人类的大肠）的探索也具有重大意义。反刍动物微生物学开创了我们对许多微生物生态学的理解，并拓宽了我们对生态学的一般认识，同时还提高了更有效地饲养反刍动物的能力。瘤胃真菌作为瘤胃菌群的一个组成部分的发现，推翻了微生物学的中心教条，即所有真菌都是需氧生物。进一步发现细菌之间的新型相互作用，如营养交叉喂养和种间 H2 转移，最初是在瘤胃微生物中描述的。瘤胃中存在的复杂性和多样性使其成为微生物理论（例如营养限制和过剩的影响）和技术（例如 16S rRNA）的理想测试平台，这些理论和技术为利用这种易于获取的生态系统来了解更大的真理的研究人员带来了回报。我们对瘤胃微生物种群特征的理解为微生物生态学开辟了新的途径，例如产高氨细菌的存在以及如何利用它们来提高反刍动物的氮效率。在这篇综述中，我们考察了一些最初在瘤胃中取得的但尚未在更广泛意义上得到认可的对科学的贡献。
