[Interrelationship between populations of cellulolytic microorganisms during digestion of cellular tissue by rumen contents].

Digestion of blotting paper and straw by microorganism contained in the rumen of cattle was studied. It was established that bacterial populations (with inhibition of fungi by nystatin) and fungal populations (with inhibition of bacterial by penicillin and streptomycin) digested a greater amount of cellular tissue than the native rumen contents did. Counting the bacterial and fungal populations suggested the existence of competitive relationships between the cellulolytic microorganisms of the rumen.