Alginate foraging is conserved in geographically and taxonomically distinct ruminant microbiomes

Seaweed plays a crucial role in carbon cycling and is expected to be a valuable resource for sustainable biomass, with applications in biofuel production, human nutrition, and animal feed. Although seaweed has historically been used as a feed source for livestock grazing near coastlines, the process by which it is digested in the rumen remains unknown. Here, we show how the brown alga Saccharina latissima is catabolized within the rumen ecosystem of two different ruminant species using in vivo and in vitro experimental systems. Evidence of digestion was obtained using a combination of animal models, bacterial imaging, multilayered meta-omics, and enzyme biochemistry. Our results demonstrate that geographically distinct ruminants harbor conserved alginate utilization loci, of which essential enzymes were expressed in response to S. latissima in the diet. While core enzymes involved in alginate metabolism have been maintained throughout populations, ancillary enzymes appear to be gained or lost through gene duplication or loss events. The conservation of these systems indicates that the ruminant microbiome retains a latent capacity to metabolize marine polysaccharides.