Rumen methanogen and protozoal communities of Tibetan sheep and Gansu Alpine Finewool sheep grazing on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China

Background Tibetan sheep (TS) and Gansu Alpine Finewool sheep (GS) are both important plateau sheep raised and fed on the harsh Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China. Rumen methanogen and protozoal communities of plateau sheep are affected by their hosts and living environments, and play important roles in ruminant nutrition and greenhouse gas production. However, the characteristics, differences, and associations of these communities remain largely uncharacterized.