Baldwin R L, Allison M J
J Anim Sci. 1983 Jul;57 Suppl 2:461-77.
Understanding of ruminant digestive function has improved tremendously over the past 25 yr. This progress, viewed in retrospect, has clearly led to improvements in animal production. The encouraging aspect of this is that these improvements were made through qualitative application of our knowledge. Quantitative application of this knowledge-a major emphasis in current efforts--will likely yield even greater benefits in the future. Although we continue to identify new rumen microbes, it is suggested that the major rumen microbes have been identified. The nutritional requirements, physiological characteristics, biochemical pathways and functions of these microbes have been largely characterized. Major strides have been made toward understanding the complex interactions among rumen microbes that characterize the rumen ecosystem; microbes interact to improve the digestion of complex carbohydrates, such as cellulose, beyond the extent individual species can achieve; microbes provide nutrients required for the growth of other microbes and microbes remove products inhibitory to other microbes usually to their mutual benefit. Considerable progress has been made toward development of quantitative relationships among the chemical composition of ruminant feeds, dynamic aspects of digestion in the rumen, products of digestion absorbed by the ruminant, and, most important, how these can be manipulated to improve animal productivity.
在过去25年里，人们对反刍动物消化功能的理解有了极大的提高。回顾这一进展，显然它已使动物生产得到改善。令人鼓舞的是，这些改善是通过对我们知识的定性应用取得的。对这些知识的定量应用——当前工作的一个主要重点——在未来可能会带来更大的益处。虽然我们仍在不断发现新的瘤胃微生物，但有人认为主要的瘤胃微生物已被识别出来。这些微生物的营养需求、生理特征、生化途径及功能已基本明确。在理解瘤胃微生物之间构成瘤胃生态系统特征的复杂相互作用方面已取得重大进展；微生物相互作用以促进纤维素等复杂碳水化合物的消化，其程度超过单个物种所能达到的水平；微生物为其他微生物的生长提供所需营养，并且微生物去除对其他微生物有抑制作用的产物，这通常对它们彼此都有益。在反刍动物饲料的化学成分、瘤胃消化的动态方面、反刍动物吸收的消化产物之间，以及最重要的是如何通过控制这些因素来提高动物生产力方面，已取得了相当大的进展。
