The animalreceives the benefits of digestion, as well as the extra protein when theciliates die as part of the normal life cycle. The ciliates are protectedin a warm safe environment where there is a constant supply of food andan absence of free oxygen. The type of ciliates that live in the rumen willdie if exposed to oxygen because they metabolize using a method called anaerobicrespiration. If free oxygen enters the cycle,then the oxygen will disrupt the cycle, so to some anaerobes, oxygen gasis lethal. The organisms and the rumen are accessed through the side of a ruminantusing a rubber plug called a cannula.
Cannulation is the process of puttingthe plug into place.
A veterinary team works on an anesthetized animal,cutting through the skin, muscle, and rumen wall. They sew all these layerstogether and place the rubber plug in the hole to prevent it from closing. By pulling the center of the plug out, researchers can access the contentsof the rumen. The rumen holds about fifty gallons,which is a whole lot of ciliates, even when it is considered that nearlytwo-thirds of the rumen content is made up of plant material. About 6, 000,000were holotrichs, and about 810,000,000 were entodiniomorphids.