| Xichou Black-bone chickens are a locally unique poultry breed in Yunnan Province,characterized by their black skin,meat,and bones,and are considered a valuable genetic resource.Due to the traditional culture and complex mountainous conditions in the area,a complex breeding system has evolved for Xichou Black-bone chickens,mainly consisting of free-range with small amounts of cage and flat rearing.However,these different breeding modes not only limit the economic potential of Xichou Black-bone chickens but also affect the composition of their gut microbiota and consequently alter their disease resistance.the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different breeding modes on the diversity of gut microbiota in Xichou Black-bone chickens,and to compare the differences in gut microbiota composition,distribution,and immune performance indicators among different breeding modes.In this study,Xichou Black-bone chicken eggs were collected from Zhengyuan Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co.,Ltd.in Xichou County for hatching.After hatching and acclimation,1500 chicks were randomly selected and divided into three groups: free-range,cage,and flat rearing,with 500 chicks in each group.under the guarantee of the same climatic environment,the same feed,immunization program,and medication were used in a standardized feeding management process throughout all stages of the experiment.After being raised to 120 days old,blood samples were collected via the brachial vein for biochemical analysis,and cecal contents were collected as experimental samples for metagenomic sequencing.The main results of the experiment are as follows:(1)Differences in gut microbiota composition among different groups were analyzed at various taxonomic levels including phylum,class,order,family,genus,and species.In the flat rearing group,the dominant microbial taxa with high abundance were Fusobacteria,Butyricicoccus,Anaerotignum,and Angelakisella.In the cage group,the dominant microbial taxa with high abundance were Actinobacteria,Negativicutes,Faecalibacterium,and Massiliomicrobiota.In the free-range group,the microbial taxa with relatively high richness and abundance were Epsilonproteobacteria,Oscillospiraceae,Anaeromassilibacillus,and Gemmiger.(2)Carbohydrate metabolism was found to be the most active metabolic pathway in the gut microbiota of Xichou black-bone chickens,followed by amino acid metabolism,while xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism were less active.The most active genetic information processing pathways were replication and repair,and translation.In the organic system pathway,endocrine and immune systems were active.In the cellular processes pathway,the community-prokaryotes and cell growth and death were active.Membrane transport and signal transduction were highly active in the environmental information processing pathway.The functional group differences at different levels showed that polysaccharide biosynthesis and metabolism were significantly enriched in the cage group,tryptophan metabolism was significantly enriched in the flat rearing group,and aging and transcription were significantly enriched in the free-range group.(3)The results of immune performance testing in different breeding modes of Xichou black-bone chickens are as follows: There were no significant differences(P>0.05)in C3,C4,and Ig A levels among the three experimental groups.The Ig M level in the free-range group(C group)was significantly higher than that in the flat rearing group(A group)(P<0.01),while the Ig M level in the flat rearing group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups.The Ig G level in the flat rearing group(A group)was significantly lower than that in the cage group(B group)and free-range group(C group)(P<0.05).In summary,different breeding modes have significant effects on the immune function,gut microbiota composition,and functional metabolism of Xichou black-bone chickens,with the cage-rearing mode showing more prominent advantages.Overall,cage-rearing mode is more suitable for the scientific breeding of Xichou black-bone chickens. |
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