In animal husbandry production， the reproductive performance of animals directly affects economic benefits. Improving the semen quality and reproductive performance of breeding livestock is of great significance for accelerating breed improvement and enhancing breeding benefits.There is a complex dynamic balance between gut microbiota and male hosts. Gut microbiota can interact with the local intestinal tract of the host to affect the physiological functions of distal organs including testes， kidneys， and accessory sex glands， thereby regulating the semen quality of the host. This article reviewed the mechanism by which gut microbiota affects the semen quality and reproduction performance of male animals， using the ‘gut-testis axis’ as the theoretical framework. The semen quality is affected by regulating metabolic substrates including short-chain fatty acids， amino acids， and vitamins and androgen metabolism. The reproduction performance of males is regulated by releasing signal molecules including 5-hydroxytryptamine， gamma-aminobutyric acid， nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide. The studies in the future should focus on analyzing how gut microbiota maintains intestinal homeostasis to regulate the semen quality of animal， and developing composite microbial preparations for regulating reproductive function of male animals to promote the development of efficient breeding in animal husbandry. It will provide a new perspective for understanding the complex relationship between gut microbiota and reproductive health of male animals， and offer a theoretical basis for improving the semen quality of male animals by regulating the colony ecology of gut microbiota.