Rumen Microorganisms
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 25
Special Issue Editors
Interests: ruminant nutrition; animal feed and feeding; nutritional balance of plateau herbivorous livestock system; biomass and feed utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: rumen microbial ecology; rumen microbial interactions; rumen microbial metabolism; rumen microbial function; bioinformatics and omics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rumen of ruminants—nature's most efficient bioreactor—harbors a complex ecosystem composed of trillions of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi. This unique microbial fermentation system transforms low-quality plant fibrous materials—inedible by humans—into high-quality animal protein for human consumption, while its reservoir of natural enzyme resources provides disruptive solutions for bioenergy and green industry. Furthermore, methanogenic archaea in the rumen contribute to 30% of global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions; their hydrogenotrophic metabolic pathways represent key targets for emission reduction efforts. Therefore, through systematic research on the rumen and its microbial ecosystem, we can provide support for ensuring food security and environmental sustainability.
This Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge research and delve into the latest breakthroughs regarding the rumen microbiome in enhancing animal production efficiency, exploring natural enzyme resources, ensuring host health, revealing the mechanisms of methane generation and reduction, and developing novel regulatory technologies. The goal is to provide innovative solutions for improving the quality and efficiency of ruminant production and for global sustainable development.
This Special Issue focuses on the following cutting-edge directions:
- Dynamics of Microbial Communities: Composition and functional evolution of rumen and intestinal bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protozoa under dietary interventions and environmental stresses.
- Host–Microbe Interactions: Genetic background–microbiome synergistic regulatory mechanisms.
- Methane Emission Reduction Innovations: Inhibitor development and microbial targeted regulation.
- Resource Exploration and Transformation: Isolation and functional characterization of uncultivated microorganisms; application of extremophilic enzymes in feed/biomanufacturing.
- Multi-scale Ecological Analysis: Microbial interaction networks and metabolic flux in the rumen microenvironment.
We invite original research and review papers to jointly promote the groundbreaking applications of the rumen microbiome in enhancing animal health, resource conversion efficiency, and achieving carbon neutrality goals.
Dr. Lizhuang Hao
Guest Editor
Dr. Jianbo Zhang
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- rumen microbiota
- rumen microbial ecology
- rumen microbial interactions
- rumen microbial metabolism, absorption, and function
- bioinformatics and omics
- feed conversion efficiency (FCE)
- methane emission
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