ABSTRACT
The high cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and proteolytic activity of rumen anaerobic fungi observed in vitro in pure cultures or cocultures, the physical association with the lignocellulosic tissues of plant particles, observed in vivo, and the ability to produce a large panel of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes suggest that the fungi are able to play an important role in vivo. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the mycoflora, like that of the other rumen populations, depends on the abiotic conditions in the rumen and consequently on the diet given to the animals. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the mycoflora, like that of the other rumen populations, depends on the abiotic conditions in the rumen and consequently on the diet given to the animals. Although anaerobic fungi have been found in sheep saliva and in the digestive tract and feces of numerous herbivores, very few studies, either quantitative or qualitative, have been made on the fungal flora of the intestine.
