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Simple Summary: Xinjiang Brown cattle are a unique and widely distributed breed of dual-purpose cattle in Xinjiang, the People's Republic of China. It is known that this cattle breed has different milk production performance compared to Holstein cattle. However, the microbiota differences between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle are not well known. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the bacterial community composition of the rumen and feces of these two cattle breeds under the same dietary and management conditions using 16s rRNA sequencing. This study identified microbiota with different relative abundance between these two cattle breeds and their biological functions might be related to milk synthesis. Our study increases the understanding of the differences in bacterial microbiota between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle. Xinjiang Brown cattle are a unique and widely distributed breed of dual-purpose cattle in the Xinjiang area of China, whose milk production performance differs from Holstein cattle. It has been known that variations in bacterial species of the gastrointestinal tract influence milk protein, fat, and lactose synthesis. However, the microbiota differences between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle are less known. This study aims to compare the bacterial community composition of the rumen and feces of these two cattle breeds under the same dietary and management conditions. The 16s rRNA sequencing data and milk production of 18 Xinjiang Brown cows and 20 Holstein cows on the same farm were obtained for analysis. The results confirmed differences in milk production between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle. Microbiota with different relative abundance between these two cattle breeds were identified, and their biological functions might be related to milk synthesis. This study increases the understanding of the differences in microbiota between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle and might provide helpful information for microbiota composition optimization of these dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Junggar Basin was in a dry environment during Jurassic. • The tectonic setting was continental island arc and active continental margin. • The source rocks are mainly felsic rocks in the upper crust. • Provenance of Jurassic sandstones in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin. Jurassic strata in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin are located in the piedmont zone of the North Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China. Due to multiple tectonic movements, the basin has a complicated history of structural deformation. Accurate reconstructions of the tectonic setting, provenance attributes and paleoclimatic characteristics of the Jurassic strata in the area are vital to facilitate mineral resources prospecting (such as coal, oil, natural gas and uranium) in the basin. Here we used scanning electron microscopy, major and trace elements analyses (including rare earth elements; REE), clay mineralogy and heavy mineral composition in outcrop samples, to analyze the paleoclimate, tectonic setting, source rock properties and provenance characteristics in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin during the Jurassic period. The results are as follows: (1) according to major and trace elements and clay mineral assemblages, the degree of drought increased slightly from the Early Jurassic to the Late Jurassic concomitant increase. (2) Major and minor element discrimination and REE patterns indicate that the material was sourced from continental island arc and active continental margin environments, primarily from upper crustal felsic source rocks (mainly greywacke and arkose). (3) Heavy mineral and whole rock analyses show that the provenances of the Lower Jurassic sandstones were mainly from the primarily Zaire Mountain, North Tianshan Mt.-Middle Tianshan Mt., while the Upper Jurassic sediments were sourced from the primarily North Tianshan Mountain, Zaire Mountain, Middle Tianshan Mountain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]