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Mo Q, Yao H, Wu H, Zhao D. Impact of Environmental Food Intake on the Gut Microbiota of Endangered Père David's Deer: Primary Evidence for Population Reintroduction. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:728. [PMID: 38473113 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Reintroduction has been successful in re-establishing several endangered wild animals in their historical habitats, including Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Continuous monitoring of reintroduced individuals is essential for improving the sustainability of ex situ conservation efforts. Despite an increased recognition of the significance of the gut microbiome for animal health, the correlation between diet and the gut microbiome in E. davidianus is unclear. In this study, 15 fresh fecal samples of E. davidianus were collected from Tianjin Qilihai Wetland and the association between dietary and gut microbiota composition was evaluated. Microscopic observations showed that Nymphoides peltata [relative density (RD = 0.3514), Phragmites australis (RD = 0.2662), Setaria viridis (RD = 0.1211), and Typha orientalis (RD = 0.1085) were the main dietary plants in the fecal samples. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing showed a predominance of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and the genus Psychrobacillus (26.53%) in the gut microbiota. The RD of N. peltata was significantly positively correlated with the abundance of Firmicutes (p = 0.005) and the genus UCG-005 (p = 0.024). This study indicates a close association between food digestion and nutrient intake, providing basic monitoring data for the full reintroduction and recovery of wild E. davidianus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiying Mo
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Animal Diversity, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
- College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Hongyu Yao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Animal Diversity, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Hong Wu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Animal Diversity, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Dapeng Zhao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Animal Diversity, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
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Oliveros A, Terraube J, Levengood AL, Powell D, Frère CH. Influence of scat ageing on the gut microbiome: how old is too old? BMC Genomics 2023; 24:427. [PMID: 37525141 PMCID: PMC10388479 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09520-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The study of the host-microbiome by the collection of non-invasive samples has the potential to become a powerful tool for conservation monitoring and surveillance of wildlife. However, multiple factors can bias the quality of data recovered from scats, particularly when field-collected samples are used given that the time of defecation is unknown. Previous studies using scats have shown that the impact of aerobic exposure on the microbial composition is species-specific, leading to different rates of change in microbial communities. However, the impact that this aging process has on the relationship between the bacterial and fungal composition has yet to be explored. In this study, we measured the effects of time post-defecation on bacterial and fungal compositions in a controlled experiment using scat samples from the endangered koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). RESULTS We found that the bacterial composition remained stable through the scat aging process, while the fungal composition did not. The absence of an increase in facultative anaerobes and the stable population of obligate anaerobic bacteria were likely due to our sampling from the inner portion of the scat. We report a cluster of fungal taxa that colonises scats after defecation which can dilute the genetic material from the autochthonous mycoflora and inhibit recovery. CONCLUSION We emphasize the need to preserve the integrity of scat samples collected in the wild and combat the effects of time and provide strategies for doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Oliveros
- The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.
| | - Julien Terraube
- Vulture Conservation Foundation, Wuhrstrasse 12, Zürich, CH-8003, Switzerland
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Alexis L Levengood
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Daniel Powell
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Céline H Frère
- The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
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Ptaszyńska AA, Latoch P, Hurd PJ, Polaszek A, Michalska-Madej J, Grochowalski Ł, Strapagiel D, Gnat S, Załuski D, Gancarz M, Rusinek R, Krutmuang P, Martín Hernández R, Higes Pascual M, Starosta AL. Amplicon Sequencing of Variable 16S rRNA from Bacteria and ITS2 Regions from Fungi and Plants, Reveals Honeybee Susceptibility to Diseases Results from Their Forage Availability under Anthropogenic Landscapes. Pathogens 2021; 10:381. [PMID: 33810160 PMCID: PMC8004708 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
European Apis mellifera and Asian Apis cerana honeybees are essential crop pollinators. Microbiome studies can provide complex information on health and fitness of these insects in relation to environmental changes, and plant availability. Amplicon sequencing of variable regions of the 16S rRNA from bacteria and the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) regions from fungi and plants allow identification of the metabiome. These methods provide a tool for monitoring otherwise uncultured microbes isolated from the gut of the honeybees. They also help monitor the composition of the gut fungi and, intriguingly, pollen collected by the insect. Here, we present data from amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA from bacteria and ITS2 regions from fungi and plants derived from honeybees collected at various time points from anthropogenic landscapes such as urban areas in Poland, UK, Spain, Greece, and Thailand. We have analysed microbial content of honeybee intestine as well as fungi and pollens. Furthermore, isolated DNA was used as the template for screening pathogens: Nosema apis, N. ceranae, N. bombi, tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi), any organism in the parasitic order Trypanosomatida, including Crithidia spp. (i.e., Crithidia mellificae), neogregarines including Mattesia and Apicystis spp. (i.e., Apicistis bombi). We conclude that differences between samples were mainly influenced by the bacteria, plant pollen and fungi, respectively. Moreover, honeybees feeding on a sugar based diet were more prone to fungal pathogens (Nosema ceranae) and neogregarines. In most samples Nosema sp. and neogregarines parasitized the host bee at the same time. A higher load of fungi, and bacteria groups such as Firmicutes (Lactobacillus); γ-proteobacteria, Neisseriaceae, and other unidentified bacteria was observed for Nosema ceranae and neogregarine infected honeybees. Healthy honeybees had a higher load of plant pollen, and bacteria groups such as: Orbales, Gilliamella, Snodgrassella, and Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, the period when honeybees switch to the winter generation (longer-lived forager honeybees) is the most sensitive to diet perturbations, and hence pathogen attack, for the whole beekeeping season. It is possible that evolutionary adaptation of bees fails to benefit them in the modern anthropomorphised environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta A. Ptaszyńska
- Department of Immunobiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19 Str., 20-033 Lublin, Poland
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK;
| | - Przemyslaw Latoch
- Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Koszykowa 86 Str., 02-008 Warsaw, Poland;
- Laboratory of Gene Expression, ECOTECH-Complex, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, ul. Gleboka 39, 20-612 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Paul J. Hurd
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK;
| | - Andrew Polaszek
- Department of Life Sciences, Insects Division, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK;
| | - Joanna Michalska-Madej
- Biobank Lab, Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Pilarskiego 14/16, 90-231 Łódź, Poland; (J.M.-M.); (Ł.G.); (D.S.)
| | - Łukasz Grochowalski
- Biobank Lab, Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Pilarskiego 14/16, 90-231 Łódź, Poland; (J.M.-M.); (Ł.G.); (D.S.)
| | - Dominik Strapagiel
- Biobank Lab, Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Pilarskiego 14/16, 90-231 Łódź, Poland; (J.M.-M.); (Ł.G.); (D.S.)
| | - Sebastian Gnat
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Life Sciences, Akademicka 12, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Daniel Załuski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Pharmacognosy, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Marie Curie-Skłodowska 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Marek Gancarz
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4 Str., 20-290 Lublin, Poland; (M.G.); (R.R.)
- Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Balicka 116B, 30-149 Kraków, Poland
| | - Robert Rusinek
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4 Str., 20-290 Lublin, Poland; (M.G.); (R.R.)
| | - Patcharin Krutmuang
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand;
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Raquel Martín Hernández
- Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, IRIAF Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de San Martín s/n, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain; (R.M.H.); (M.H.P.)
- Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (INCRECYT-FEDER), Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla—La Mancha, 02006 Albacete, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes Pascual
- Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, IRIAF Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de San Martín s/n, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain; (R.M.H.); (M.H.P.)
| | - Agata L. Starosta
- Laboratory of Gene Expression, ECOTECH-Complex, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, ul. Gleboka 39, 20-612 Lublin, Poland;
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19 Str., 20-033 Lublin, Poland
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