Spatial and temporal organization of jejunal microbiota in goats during animal development process

This research aimed to investigate the temporal bacterial colonization relating to non‐rumination, transition and rumination phases, together with the spatial organization of microbial community in the jejunal mucosa and digesta of goats. This study explored the colonization programme of the jejunal microbiota by employing 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The colonization pattern of jejunal bacterial community exhibited an age‐ and gut region‐dependent progression during animal development process. Approximately 268 bacterial signatures contributed to the discrimination between gut regions, with Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, Eubacterium and Clostridium_sensu_stricto were enriched in the jejunal digesta, and Bacteroides and unclassified bacteria were enriched in the jejunal mucosa. Intriguingly, a shift from Lactobacillus to Butyrivibrio, Eubacterium and Ruminococcus after d 20 was observed for jejunal digesta. In mucosa, Bifidobacterium, Corynebacterium, Faecalibacterium and Roseburia increased with age (P < 0·05) while Arcobacter, Bacteroides and Porphyromonas peaked at d 10. The jejunal bacterial community was settled after solid starter provision, which may mark the potential boundary of a timeframe for intervention in goats. The spatial heterogeneity highlighted the complicacy of ecological niches during manipulation of gut microbiota. The present study extended the understanding of microbial programming and niche specific in the jejunum among different life stages and the basal cognition of persistent enhancement of nutrient utilization and decline of enteric diseases in ruminants.