Effects of warm-season feeding on yak growth, antioxidant capacity, immune function, and fecal microbiota

Abstract

The yak (Bos grunniens) is of great importance to the local ecosystem and animal husbandry on the Tibetan Plateau. However, the impacts of different feeding practices on yak growth, health, and ecosystem interactions are not fully understood. This study investigates the effects of warm-season grazing and housing-feeding on yak growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, metabolome, and fecal microbiota. The study found that grazing significantly increased the final body weight and average daily gain of yak (P < 0.05), reduced serum globulin and urea nitrogen levels, and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. Grazing enhanced serum total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). It also increased levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ). Meanwhile, grazing decreased levels of IL-4 and IL-10. Additionally, grazing significantly altered the plasma metabolite profile, particularly in bile acid metabolism pathways. The relative abundance of beneficial microbial genera (e.g., Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Monoglobus, Romboutsia) in the feces of grazing yak was significantly higher, while total short-chain fatty acids were lower than in penned yak. Grazing improved growth performance and nutritional metabolism efficiency, enhanced antioxidant and immune functions, and optimized the structure of the gut microbiota in yak. These findings indicate that grazing can better utilize natural forage resources to promote yak health and improve production performance.IMPORTANCEThis study investigates how different feeding patterns-grazing versus housing-feeding-affect the health, growth, and microbiome of yaks in the warm season. Yaks are vital to the Tibetan Plateau's ecosystem and local livelihoods. Understanding how feeding practices impact their health can help optimize yak management, ensuring better welfare and productivity. Grazing yaks showed improved growth, enhanced antioxidant and immune functions, and a healthier gut microbiota compared to penned yaks. These findings highlight the importance of natural forage in promoting yak health and could guide sustainable yak husbandry practices, benefiting both the animals and the communities that rely on them.

Keywords: fecal microbiota; feeding pattern; immune function; yak.

Fig 1

Plasma metabolome analysis diagrams. (A) PCA score plot; (B) PLS-DA score plot; (C) volcano plot of differential metabolites; and (D) KEGG enrichment plot.

Fig 2

Alpha diversity, beta diversity, and microbiota composition at phylum and genus levels of fecal microbiota in different treatment groups. (A) ACE index; (B) Chao1 index; (C) Shannon index; (D) beta diversity; (E) microbiota at phylum level; and (F) microbiota at genus level.

Fig 3

LEfSe multi-level species differential discriminant analysis. (A) LEfSe multi-level species hierarchical tree diagram and (B) LDA discrimination result table.

Fig 4

Radar charts, KEGG enrichment diagrams, and Mantel-test network heatmaps of fecal short-chain fatty acids of feces in different treatment groups. (A) Radar chart; (B) KEGG enrichment diagrams; and (C) Mantel-test network heatmaps.