Riddellvue Angus

The figure presents the relative abundances (in percentages) of different phyla and genus (groups of microorganisms) in faecal samples from yearling steers with high or low growth rates. The colour of each bar represents a different phyla or genus, and each bar represents a different weight group. A key preliminary observation relates to the relatively higher abundance of a microorganism called ‘Ralstonia’ that has been implicated with weight gain in studies focused on obesity. Once characterised, these findings could be used to identify underperforming cattle, and inform management strategies to improve performance of these cattle. Further research is also ongoing, which is focused on investigating whether the relative abundance of different microorganisms in the hind gut is heritable, and if so, what genes/QTLs influence these abundances. This could afford opportunities for genetic selection of Angus cattle, so that they have desirable faecal profiles.