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The current study was to investigate the effects of total dietary fiber (TDF) on growth performance, cecal structure, cecal microbial community, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) profiles in the cecum of growing White Pekin ducks. A total of 108 male Pekin ducks of 14-days-old were randomly allocated and fed diets containing 12.4, 14.7, and 16.2% TDF for 35 days. Each dietary treatment consisted of six replicates with six birds each. The results showed that 14.7 and 16.2% TDF treatments promoted growth performance relative to 12.4% TDF treatments ( P  < 0.05). A total of 14.7 and 16.2% TDF treatments significantly elevated villus height, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth and muscle layer thickness of cecum, and lowered crypt depth compared with 12.4% TDF treatment ( P  < 0.05). Simultaneously, 14.7 and 16.2% TDF treatments up-regulated  Claudin-1  mRNA expression of barrier genes in the cecum compared with 12.4% TDF ( P  < 0.05). Butyrate-producing bacteria like Oscillopiraceae affiliating to the phyla Firmicutes were observed as a biomarker in the 16.2% TDF. Higher concentration of butyrate in the cecum was obtained in the 14.7% TDF compared with 12.4 and 16.2% TDF ( P  < 0.05). The concentrations of isobutyrate, valerate, and isovalerate in the cecum were significantly increased in the 16.2% TDF compared with 12.4 and 14.7% TDF ( P  < 0.05). Meanwhile, the abundance of genus  UCG-005  and  Enterococcus  was positive correlations with isobutyrate and valerate ( P  < 0.05). However, the concentration of propionate in the cecum significantly decreased in 14.7 and 16.2% TDF treatments relative to 12.4% TDF treatments ( P  < 0.05). In summary, increasing TDF levels improved growth performance, cecal histomorphology, and barrier function of meat ducks and it might be mediated by the changes of microbiota communities, especially bloom of SCFAs-producing bacteria, which facilitated the interaction between intestinal mucosa and microbiota.

Effects of Total Dietary Fiber on Cecal Microbial Community and Intestinal Morphology of Growing White Pekin Duck