Rumen mathematical modelling

Abstract

Research efforts focused on the rumen have been motivated by the key role this organ plays in ruminant animals in the food chain of humankind. Thus, each year 400–700 scientific papers are published with ‘rumen’ as a keyword. The rumen is a complex system and many aspects of its structures and functions are far from being understood, despite tremendous research efforts. Ruminal complexity is mainly due to the huge number of interacting microbial species, to the complicated chemical nature of substrates and to the specific and adaptive dynamics of dietary particles. It is also due to the numerous levels of organization and the strong dynamic properties of most of its functions.