306. Short-term Provision of Moderate Dietary Starch Induces Compositional and Functional Shifts in the Fecal Microbiome Independent of Alpha Diversity Metrics in Yearling Quarter Horses.
Gastrointestinal microbial communities are dynamic and adapt to host diet, environment, and physiological status. However, fecal metabolites are rarely quantified alongside species diversity and abundance in microbiome research, limiting functional interpretations of microbial shifts. To test the hypothesis that a st...