Effects on the Ileal Microbiota of Phosphorus and Calcium Utilization, Bird Performance, and Gender in Japanese Quail

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the ileum digesta of a large cohort of Japanese quail fed the same diet, with similar environmental conditions. We also address how P utilization (PU), Ca utilization (CaU), and bird performance (feed intake (FI), feed conversion (FC), and body weight gain (BWG)) modify intestinal microbiota of male and female quail. Despite the great number of samples analyzed (760), a core microbiome was composed of five bacteria. The Unc. Lactobacillus, Unc. Clostridaceae 1, Clostridium sensu stricto, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus alactolyticus were detected in all samples and contributed to more than 70% of the total community. Depending on the bird predisposition for PU, CaU, FI, BWG, and FC, those species were present in higher or lower abundances. There was a significant gender effect on the ileal microbial community. While females had higher abundances of Lactobacillus, males were more colonized by Streptococcus alactolyticus. The entire cohort was highly colonized by Escherichia coli (8%–15%), an enteropathogenic bacteria. It remains unclear, if microbiota composition followed the mechanisms that caused different PU, CaU, FI, FC, and BWG or if the change in microbiota composition and function caused the differences in PU, CaU, and performance traits.

The Gut Microbial Architecture of Efficiency Traits in the Domestic Poultry Model Species Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Assessed by Mixed Linear Models

“…They account for 96% of the total community. Further details regarding the microbiota characteristic are presented in ( Borda-Molina et al , 2020 ).…”

“…Ileum microbial composition was obtained from a previous study ( Borda-Molina et al , 2020 ). Briefly, ileum digesta samples of 760 quails were sequenced using 250bp paired-end sequencing chemistry on an Ilumina MiSeq platform (128 samples did not pass the quality filter of the sequences and were subsequently discarded).…”

“…Japanese quail are well-established model animals in domestic poultry studies because of their short generation interval, small body size, low space requirements, and good comparability to other poultry species ( Cheng et al , 2010 ; Kayang et al , 2004 ; Mills et al , 1997 ; Rodehutscord and Dieckmann 2005 ; Shibusawa et al , 2001 ; Stock and Bunch 1982 ). Only a few studies characterizing the GIT microbiota of Japanese quail were conducted ( Borda-Molina et al , 2020 ; Liu et al , 2015 ; 2018 ; Wilkinson et al , 2016 ; 2020 ). Compared to mammals, the avian GIT is shorter in relation to body size and digesta has a faster passage rate ( Wilkinson et al , 2016 ).…”

Effects of Rearing Conditions and Sex on Cecal Microbiota in Ducks

“…However, the role of the structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota on the intestinal mucus layer and structure in ducks remains unclear. Furthermore, some studies have suggested the existence of sex-dependent effects on the intestinal microbiota in various animal models ( McKenna et al, 2008 ; Yurkovetskiy et al, 2013 ; Bolnick et al, 2014 ; Borda-Molina et al, 2020 ). Under normal circumstances, males grow faster than females, probably due to sexual differences in growth and development ( Osei-Amponsah et al, 2012 ; Benyi et al, 2015 ).…”

Identification of the Key Molecular Drivers of Phosphorus Utilization Based on Host miRNA-mRNA and Gut Microbiome Interactions

“…Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) deduced from 16S rRNA sequencing of the same animals were obtained from a recent study (access number PREJB37544) [63]. Initially, OTUs were assigned to taxa at the genus level and OTU counts belonging to the same genera were summarized.…”