Joining Dr. Angela Cánovas’ lab at the Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, offers an opportunity to be part of leading research in beef cattle, with a focus on the powerful relationship between the rumen microbiome and host genetics to improve feed efficiency and reduce methane emissions. The lab’s holistic approach treats the “hologenome” — the animal and its microbial community as a unified unit — to understand how trillions of microbes contribute to digestion and methane production. This relationship has vast potential for driving both economic benefits and environmental sustainability in the beef industry.
Dr. Cánovas, in collaboration with Dr. Wood, Dr. Steele, and Dr. Guan, is spearheading a preliminary study at the Ontario Beef Research Center to uncover these interactions. The research team aims to characterize the distinct microbial compositions found in cattle with varying feed efficiencies, investigate how the interplay between the host genome and microbiome affects phenotypes such as methane emissions, and determine the consistency of microbial profiles in animals with similar feed efficiency levels. This approach will help answer questions like whether specific microbial taxa influence feed efficiency and methane output and how these associations might be harnessed to improve production.
The study involves collecting phenotypic data, rumen fluid, and hair samples to map microbial and genetic traits, focusing on metrics including metabolism, digestion efficiency, and methane output. By identifying microbial taxa that reliably correlate with feed efficiency and methane production, this research aims to develop precise genetic models and selection criteria that integrate both microbial and genomic data.
The potential applications of this research are transformative. By leveraging these insights, it paves the way for breeding strategies that enhance livestock productivity, profitability, and resilience in a changing climate. Such advancements promise to help producers make informed decisions that support both industry growth and sustainability goals, setting a new standard for the future of beef production. Stay tuned for results from this groundbreaking work.
