Ecological Studies on Rumen Bacteria and Their Activities

Rumen filtrates collected from sheep fed corn silage and concentrate were examined for diurnal changes in pH, gas production activity, the numbers of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and contents of several free B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, biotin, pantothenic acid and nicotinic acid).Values of pH, gas production activity, free B-vitamins contents and the number of bacteria of the rumen filtrates varied temporarily with the lapse of time after feed had been taken by the animals. Then they returned gradually to their initial levels. The results obtained in this case showed a tendency quite similar to, but more distinct than, that described in the previous paper dealing with goates which had been either grazed or fed hay and concentrate. Furthermore, two distinctive patterns were well noticed in changes in free B-vitamins contents of the rumen filtrates, and their gas production activity was at a signicantly higher level in this case.