Bridging Colostrum and Puberty in Cattle: A Data-Driven, Multi-Niche Synthesis of Microbial Programming and Reproductive Development

Bovine microbiome research has expanded rapidly, yet evidence linking early microbial succession with reproductive maturation remains fragmented across microbial niches and developmental stages. To map the evolution of this field, we conducted a scientometric analysis combined with a systematic review of published evidence spanning reproductive, ruminal/gastrointestinal, and maternal–perinatal/colostral niches. To distinguish field-wide publication trends from studies meeting the review’s biological eligibility criteria, broad searches yielded a final scientometric corpus of 5442 original research articles, while a targeted PRISMA-based search identified 1362 records for screening; 77 original bovine studies met the predefined criteria for microbial characterization in eligible niches and direct relevance to reproductive outcomes or maternal/perinatal exposure and early-life microbial colonization. Between 2016 and 2025, annual publication output increased by 312.8% (196 to 809 articles/year), led by global hubs in China and the United States. The systematic review showed that reproductive-tract microbial signatures correlate with hormonal dynamics and uterine pathologies. Concurrently, ruminal and gastrointestinal studies link microbial consortia to metabolic and reproductive endocrine networks, while maternal–perinatal studies suggest that colostrum exposure influences neonatal gut colonization. However, we did not identify a cohort that jointly evaluated colostrum-associated microbial exposure, subsequent microbial succession, metabolic–endocrine development, and a validated pubertal endpoint—such as age at first ovulation or onset of ovarian cyclicity assessed through progesterone profiles or follicular monitoring—in the same animals. Consequently, cross-niche links remain biologically plausible but untested, underscoring the need for longitudinal studies integrating microbial, metabolic, endocrine, and reproductive measurements from birth through puberty.