Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota of Three Sympatric Terrestrial Wild Bird Species Overwintering in Farmland Habitats

Abstract

The gut microbiota of wild birds are affected by complex factors, and cross-species transmission may pose challenges for the host to maintain stable gut symbionts. Farmland habitats are environments strongly manipulated by humans, and the environmental characteristics within a large area are highly consistent. These features provide the ideal natural conditions for conducting cross-species comparative studies on gut microbiota among wild birds. This study aimed to investigate and compare the gut microbiota of three common farmland-dependent bird species, Great Bustard (Otis tarda dybowskii), Common Crane (Grus grus), and Common Coot (Fulica atra), in a homogeneous habitat during the wintering period. The results indicated that under the combined action of similar influencing factors, the gut microbiota of different host species did not undergo adaptive convergence, maintained relatively independent structures, and exhibited host-driven signals. In addition, we also detected various pathogenic genera that may cause outbreaks of periodic infections among sympatric migratory birds. We conclude that phylosymbiosis may occur between some wild birds and their gut microbiota. Usage of non-invasive methods to monitor the changes in the gut microbiota of wild bird fecal samples has important implications for the conservation of endangered species.

Comparative analysis of the intestinal microbiota of black−necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) in different wintering areas

“…Twenty fecal samples were used in our study, identifying 10 bacterial phyla and 9 fungal phyla. The bacterial phyla were primarily made up of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, and this result was consistent with earlier studies on other birds, including the bar-headed goose ( Dong et al., 2021 ), Whooper Swan ( Wang et al., 2021 ), Great Bustard, Common Coot , and Common Crane ( Lu et al., 2022 ). Animals have a large distribution of Firmicutes, essential to hosts in sustaining energy metabolism ( Kaoutari et al., 2013 ) and as a gauge of fecal health ( Ley et al., 2006 ).…”

Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds

“… 2018 , Hird et al 2018 , Maraci et al 2021 , Bartlow et al 2022 ). In many cases, differences in the gut microbiota were still apparent despite sympatric occurrence and similar habitat types used by different species (Yang et al 2016 , Cho and Lee 2020 , Lu et al 2022 but see Grond et al 2019 ), which is consistent with our results. It has also been suggested that diet and feeding preferences are among the most important drivers of interspecific variation in the composition of gut microbiota, not only in shorebirds, but also in other avian lineages (Grond et al 2018 , Matheen et al 2022 , Sun et al 2022 ).…”

“…The investigation of the gut microbiota in the Galapagos penguin Spheniscus mendiculus revealed the presence of five putative pathogenic taxa, including one taxon ( Clostridium perfringens ) with extremely high prevalence (95% samples) (Rohrer et al 2023 ). The analysis of the gut microbiota in three nonpasserine bird species (great bustard, common crane, and common coot Fulica atra ) during the winter period revealed the presence of 13 potentially pathogenic genera, but all showed rather low (< 4%) relative abundance (Lu et al 2022 ). In our study we detected nearly 60 species of putative pathogenic bacteria in faecal samples from shorebirds migrating though Poland and eight of them were found in all study hosts.…”

Host genetic background rather than diet-induced gut microbiota shifts of sympatric black-necked crane, common crane and bar-headed goose

“…Exploring the mechanisms of coexistence of different species in the same location at a microscopic level helps us better understand the relationship between host and gut microbiota, and also allows us to understand the dietary preferences of different species under similar dietary conditions ( Fu et al, 2021 ). Previous studies have shown that three species that depend on farmland in the same region, Otis tarda dybowskii , Grus grus , and Fulica atra , maintain distinct gut microbiota structures during the wintering period in the same habitat, despite similar external factors ( Lu et al, 2022 ). Researchers believe that species symbiosis is promoted by the gut microbiota, which is independently driven by each host ( Lu et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that three species that depend on farmland in the same region, Otis tarda dybowskii , Grus grus , and Fulica atra , maintain distinct gut microbiota structures during the wintering period in the same habitat, despite similar external factors ( Lu et al, 2022 ). Researchers believe that species symbiosis is promoted by the gut microbiota, which is independently driven by each host ( Lu et al, 2022 ). In a study on the co-distribution of Great Bustards and Common Cranes, differences in gut microbiota abundance and diversity were found between the two species.…”