Issue Information

Duck gut metagenome. The cover image is inspired by the proverbial challenge of ‘Herding ducks onto a shelf’, portraying ducks housed in cages, a departure from the traditional open-water raising. In this study, Prof. Yingping Xiao and co-authors constructed the first comprehensive catalog of duck gut microbial genes and metagenome-assembled genomes, exploring the microbiome signatures in duck across various intestinal regions, developmental stages, and diverse rearing conditions. The image shows that ducks raised with water will have different cecal microbiota communities and functions than those without water, highlighting the crucial role of microbiota in influencing poultry health and production. The cover was designed by Yingping Xiao and Lingyan Ma at Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences.