Ruminant ciliates and their relationship with herbivore hosts

The rumen microbiota, consisting of bacteria, fungi, and ciliated protists, is essential to the physiology of ruminants, as it allows the animal to process plant material, using the end products of fermentation for its growth and production. Ethanol and methane are the products that receive the most attention from microbiologists, making ruminants a research model for biofuel production and methane mitigation in the environment. Ciliated protists constitute an important fraction of this microbiota, representing about 60% of the biomass in the rumen and contributing to one-third of the digested material. Furthermore, ciliates contribute to the fermentation of structural and non-structural carbohydrates, protein nitrogen compounds, and lipids. These organisms also maintain anaerobic conditions in the rumen and promote a buffering effect, controlling the pH of the environment and preventing cases of ruminal acidosis, which can lead to the death of the host.This Research Topic aims to expand our knowledge of ruminal ciliates, their relationship with their respective conventional and unconventional hosts, their relationship with other members of the ruminal microbiota, especially their symbiosis with methanogenic bacteria and archaea. Specifically, it seeks to address new records of these symbionts, as well as new methodologies for species delimitation, their roles within their hosts, and the morphological, physiological, molecular, and evolutionary mechanisms of these interactions. By exploring these aspects, the research aims to answer key questions about the diversity, function, and evolution of morphological, genetic, and physiological patterns in this complex relationship with the ruminant and in a unique environment such as the rumen.Themes: 1) Evolution, coevolution, macroevolution patterns of rumen ciliate protozoa2) New records of species in different hosts around world3) Ciliates as hosts to others symbionts and relationship between protist and bacteria and methanogenic archaea4) New methods to describe and delimitate new species5) Omics analysis Types: Brief Research Report, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, and Reviews Topic editors: Alejandro Belanche, Mariana Fonseca Rossi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85076/ruminant-ciliates-and-their-relationship-with-herbivore-hosts