Fig. 6

Transcriptome changes in the hen’s gut and magnum are linked to microbial shifts, with the offspring selectively inheriting these microbes. Spearman correlations between up-regulated DEGs and morphological indices in gut (a) and magnum(b). The relative abundance of taxa significantly enriched in the gut (c) and magnum (d) of hens with immune-enhanced in the gut of their offspring. CON, control group with their hens fed basic diet; BC, experimental group with their hens receiving a basal diet supplemented with β-carotene.