Rumen

(noun)

The first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. It serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feed.

Related Terms

Examples of Rumen in the following topics:

  • The Rumen and Ruminant Animals

    • The four compartments are called the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum.
    • The food then enters the first two stomach chambers, the reticulum and rumen (or reticulorumen).
    • The reticulum and rumen work together to separate solids and liquids.
    • Specialized microbe species live in the rumen and help ruminants break down cellulose.
    • There is no oxygen in the rumen, so bacteria in the rumen are typically anaerobes or facultative anaerobes.

  • Vertebrate Digestive Systems

    • The four compartments of the stomach are called the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
    • These animals do not have a rumen, but do have an omasum, abomasum, and reticulum.
    • The first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, contain prokaryotes and protists that are able to digest cellulose fiber.

  • Methanogenesis

    • In the rumen, anaerobic organisms, including methanogens, digest cellulose into forms usable by the animal.