Question:

Which among the following is primarily a cellulolytic bacterium in the rumen?

Show Hint

The three major "classic" cellulolytic bacterial species in the rumen to remember are:
1. Fibrobacter succinogenes
2. Ruminococcus albus
3. Ruminococcus flavefaciens
  • Oxalobacter formigenes
  • Fibrobacter succinogenes
  • Succinomonas amylolytica
  • Metanobacterium ruminantium
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Rumen microbes are categorized based on their primary metabolic function and the substrates they ferment (such as cellulose, starch, protein, or lipids).

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

Let us analyze the role of each bacterium:
1. Oxalobacter formigenes: A specialized anaerobic bacterium that degrades oxalate in the gut, helping to prevent kidney stone formation.
2. Fibrobacter succinogenes: One of the most abundant and active cellulolytic (fiber-digesting) bacterial species in the rumen, highly efficient at degrading crystalline cellulose.
3. Succinomonas amylolytica: A rumen bacterium that primarily ferments starch (amylolytic) rather than cellulose.
4. Metanobacterium ruminantium (now Methanobrevibacter ruminantium): An archaeon involved in methanogenesis, utilizing hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce methane, not a cellulolytic bacterium.
Thus, Fibrobacter succinogenes is primarily a cellulolytic bacterium.

Step 4: Final Answer

The correct option is (B).
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