How would you expect each of the following to change if a ruminant animal is swi

Question

How would you expect each of the following to change if a ruminant animal is switched from a diet containing 66% corn grain and 34% alfalfa silage to a diet containing 66% alfalfa silage, 27% corn grain, and 7% soybean oil? For each indicate increase, decrease, or no change.

pH in rumen;

number of cellulolytic microbes in the rumen;

formate production in microbial cells;

lactate production in microbial cells;

likelihood that rumen epithelium remains remains healthy in the long-term;

feed intake if the animal is a dairy cow;

rate of VFA uptake and transport across the rumen wall;

content of protein in milk if the animal is a dairy cow;

metabolizable energy available to a fattening steer;

amount of lignin consumed by the animal;

concentration of blood insulin in the animal;

proportion of VFA in the free-acid form in the rumen;

likelihood of developing liver abscesses in beef steer if fed long-term;

amount of VFA produced in the rumen within the first 2 hours of feeding;

need of sodium bicarbonate in the long-term.

Explanation / Answer

pH in rumen: increases (since the corn grain intake in inversely proportional to pH of the rumen, and alfalfa silage is directly proportional to the ph of the rumen)

number of cellulolytic microbes in the rumen: decreases ( since the cellulose content of the diet decreases)

formate production in microbial cells: decrease (since the pH increases)

lactate production in microbial cells: increase (since the corn intake reduced, the lactose utilizing bacteria reduced)

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