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Nitrogen isotopic fractionation as a biomarker for nitrogen use efficiency in ruminants: a meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2017

G. Cantalapiedra-Hijar ,
R. J. Dewhurst ,
L. Cheng ,
A. R. J. Cabrita ,
A. J. M. Fonseca ,
P. Nozière ,
D. Makowski ,
H. Fouillet  and
I. Ortigues-Marty
G. Cantalapiedra-Hijar*
Affiliation:
INRA, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
R. J. Dewhurst
Affiliation:
Scotland’s Rural College, King’s Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
L. Cheng
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Dookie Campus, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3647, Australia
A. R. J. Cabrita
Affiliation:
REQUIMTE, LAQV, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
A. J. M. Fonseca
Affiliation:
REQUIMTE, LAQV, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
P. Nozière
Affiliation:
INRA, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
D. Makowski
Affiliation:
UMR Agronomie, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
H. Fouillet
Affiliation:
UMR Nutrition Physiology and Ingestive Behavior, AgroParisTech, INRA, Paris-Saclay University, F-75005 Paris, France
I. Ortigues-Marty
Affiliation:
INRA, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
*
†E-mail: gonzalo.cantalapiedra@inra.fr
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Abstract

Animal proteins are naturally 15N enriched relative to the diet and the extent of this difference (Δ15Nanimal-diet or N isotopic fractionation) has been correlated to N use efficiency (NUE; N gain or milk N yield/N intake) in some recent ruminant studies. The present study used meta-analysis to investigate whether Δ15Nanimal-diet can be used as a predictor of NUE across a range of dietary conditions, particularly at the level of between-animal variation. An additional objective was to identify variables related to N partitioning explaining the link between NUE and Δ15Nanimal-diet. Individual values from eight publications reporting both NUE and Δ15Nanimal-diet for domestic ruminants were used to create a database comprising 11 experimental studies, 41 treatments and individual animal values for NUE (n=226) and Δ15Nanimal-diet (n=291). Data were analyzed by mixed-effect regression analysis taking into account experimental factors as random effects on both the intercept and slope of the model. Diets were characterized according to the INRA feeding system in terms of N utilization at the rumen, digestive and metabolic levels. These variables were used in a partial least squares regression analysis to predict separately NUE and Δ15Nanimal-diet variation, with the objective of identifying common variables linking NUE and Δ15Nanimal-diet. For individuals reared under similar conditions (within-study) and at the same time (within-period), the variance of NUE and Δ15Nanimal-diet not explained by dietary treatments (i.e. between-animal variation plus experimental error) was 35% and 55%, respectively. Mixed-effect regression analysis conducted with treatment means showed that Δ15Nanimal-diet was significantly and negatively correlated to NUE variation across diets (NUE=0.415 −0.055×Δ15Nanimal-diet). When using individual values and taking into account the random effects of study, period and diet, the relationship was also significant (NUE=0.358 −0.035×Δ15Nanimal-diet). However, there may be a biased prediction for animals close to zero, or in negative, N balance. When using a novel statistical approach, attempting to regress between-animal variation in NUE on between-animal variation in Δ15Nanimal-diet (without the influence of experimental factors), the negative relationship was still significant, highlighting the ability of Δ15Nanimal-diet to capture individual variability. Among the studied variables related to N utilization, those concerning N efficiency use at the metabolic level contributed most to predict both Δ15Nanimal-diet and NUE variation, with rumen fermentation and digestion contributing to a lesser extent. This study confirmed that on average Δ15Nanimal-diet can predict NUE variation across diets and across individuals reared under similar conditions.

Keywords

15Nruminantnitrogen use efficiencymeta-analysis
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 12 , Issue 9 , September 2018 , pp. 1827 - 1837
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

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