Fecal microbiota and diets of muskox female adults and calves

Abstract

In mammals, the gut microbiome is vertically transmitted during maternal lactation at birth. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiome and diets of muskox, a large herbivore inhabiting in the high Arctic. We compared the microbiota composition using bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and diets using stable isotope analysis of muskox feces of six female adults and four calves on Ella Island, East Greenland. Firmicutes were the most abundant bacterial phylum in both the adults and calves, comprising 94.36% and 94.03%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of the two Firmicutes families. The adults were primarily dominated by Ruminococcaceae (73.90%), and the calves were dominated by both Ruminococcaceae (56.25%) and Lachnospiraceae (24.00%). Stable isotope analysis of the feces in the study area revealed that both adults and calves had similar ranges of 13C and 15N, likely derived from the dominant diet plants. Despite their similar diets, the different gut microbiome compositions in muskox adults and calves indicate that the gut microbiome of the calves may not be fully colonized to the extent of that of the adults.

Diet analysis of Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) based on stable isotope analysis

“…Although different types of biological samples can be used for stable isotope analysis, faeces are easy to obtain from living animals in field situations especially from rare species without causing unwanted disturbances. Even if faeces represent a largely undigested portion of the diet, they offer a reliable sample type for investigating dietary composition of mammalian herbivores (Hillman and Mandujano 2013, Hata et al 2021, Cho 2022). Studies show that δ 13 C values faithfully distinguish between C3 and C4 based diets because plants with distinct photosynthetic mechanism have distinct δ 13 C values (Neto 2019, Vogel et al 2020, Costa 2021).…”

Corrigendum

“…In the recent article by Cheon et al ( 2022 ), the correct grant number of “Korea Polar Research Institute” should be "PE22060" in the Funding information section.…”