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| ==Microbial Environment== | | ==Microbial Environment== |
| *Microbes convert carbohydrates to [[Volatile Fatty Acids - Anatomy & Physioogy|volatile fatty acids]] (VFAs). | | *Microbes convert carbohydrates to [[Volatile Fatty Acids - Anatomy & Physioogy|volatile fatty acids]] (VFAs). |
| + | **The horse recieves 75% of it's energy requirements from VFAs. |
| + | **The large intestine is bufferred by secretion of large amounts of bicarbonate from the pancreas and the ileum. Glands in the wall of the large intestine may also produce bicarbonate. |
| *The microbial population exists in the caecum and ventral colon. | | *The microbial population exists in the caecum and ventral colon. |
| *It is mixed; there are both bacteria and protozoa. | | *It is mixed; there are both bacteria and protozoa. |
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| *The microbial population is dependant on diet and frequency of feeding, as different microbes are suited to digesting different things. | | *The microbial population is dependant on diet and frequency of feeding, as different microbes are suited to digesting different things. |
| **The number of microbes can change 100 fold in a 24 hour period. | | **The number of microbes can change 100 fold in a 24 hour period. |
| + | *VFAs produced are absorbed across the intestinal wall. |
| + | *Urea from the blood is transported to the intestinal lumen to be used by microbes, which also use nitrogen from the diet. |
| *Environmental factors of the caecum and ventral colon can influence fermentation of microbial population. | | *Environmental factors of the caecum and ventral colon can influence fermentation of microbial population. |
| **Environmental factors include: | | **Environmental factors include: |