Metabolic capabilities of key rumen microbiota drive methane emissions in cattle
Ruminant livestock are major contributors to global methane emissions, largely through microbial fermentation in the rumen. Understanding how microbial communities vary between high- and low-methane-emitting animals is critical for identifying mitigation strategies. This study leverages a genome-centric approach to link microbial metabolic traits to methane output in cattle. By reconstructing and functionally characterizing hundreds of microbial genomes, we observe that a low-methane-emission rumen harbors well-balanced, "streamlined" microbial communities characterized by high metabolic capacity and minimal metabolic overlap across populations (low functional redundancy). Our results demonstrate the utility of genome-level functional profiling in uncovering microbial community traits tied to climate-relevant phenotypes.
Authors
- Antton Alberdi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2875-6446)
- Torgeir Rhoden Hvidsten (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6097-2539)
- R. Roehe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4880-3756)
- Phillip Byron Pope (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2067-4059)
- Andy O Leu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9882-9364)
- Velma T. E. Aho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2916-7018)
- Wanxin Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1607-2453)
- Carl M. Kobel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4461-1159)
- Arturo Vera-Ponce de León (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4085-5700)
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Translational Research Institute (AU)
- Scotland's Rural College (GB)
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- mSystems
- Published
- 2025-09-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00601-25
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.81
Funders
- Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division
- European Commission
- Novo Nordisk
- Norges Forskningsråd
- Norges Miljø- og Biovitenskapelige Universitet
- Novo Nordisk Fonden
- Scotland’s Rural College
- Directorate for Biological Sciences
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council