Gut Microbiome of Chinese Forest Musk Deer Examined across Gender and Age

Abstract

Animal gut microbiota begins to colonize after birth and is functionally indispensable for maintaining the health of the host. It has been reported that gender and age influence the composition of the intestinal microbiome. However, the effects of gender and age on the intestinal microorganism of forest musk deer (FMD) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between the structure and composition of fecal microbiota of male and female forest musk deer with age. Here, Illumina Miseq 300PE sequencing platform targeting 16S rRNA V3–V4 hypervariable region applied to define the fecal microbiota of male and female FMD with two age groups, juvenile (age 1–2 years) and adult (age 4–10 years). Alpha diversity index did not show significant difference in bacterial diversity between the males and females or among age groups. The intestinal microbiota of FMD was dominated by three phyla, the Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes regardless of gender and different ages. Higher proportions of Proteobacteria were found in adult male and juvenile female individuals. The composition of Bacteroidetes was stable with the gender and age of FMD. Interestingly, the relative abundance of genera Clostridiales and Bacteroidales were higher in the juvenile FMD. Conversely, proportions of Pseudomonas and Lachnospiraceae were abundant in the adult FMD. Higher proportions of Ruminococcaceae, Dore, and 5-7N15 were found in the juvenile male groups. They may reflect the different immune resistance of male and female individuals at different stages of development. This study explored the fecal microbiota composition of forest musk deer in relation to gender and age, which may provide an effective strategy for developing intestinal microecological preparations and potential musk deer breeding.

Analysis of gut microbiota in three species belonging to different genera (Hemitragus, Pseudois, and Ovis) from the subfamily Caprinae in the absence of environmental variance

“…In addition, host phylogeny and divergence time could even be predicted by gut microbiota, and it brings new insights into the potential mechanisms and interrelations between host and microorganisms (Li et al., 2017 ). Although interrelations between host species and gut microbiota are important, few studies on rare and protected ruminants (Li et al., 2019 ; Naya & Karasov, 2011 ; Przybylo et al., 2019 ; Zhao et al., 2019 ). Our findings provide new insights into changes in the microbial flora and host phylogeny and provide strategies for protection.…”

Social behavior of musk deer during the mating season potentially influences the diversity of their gut microbiome

“…2A and 2B ). Previous research in another captive center also found no significant difference in Shannon index between the sexes ( Zhao et al, 2019 ). Thus, there may be no significant differences in alpha diversity of the captive musk deer gut microbiome linked to sex.…”

“…Captivity has the potential effect on the mammal gut microbiome composition compared to that of the wild field ( Clayton et al, 2016 ). Here, the gut microbiome composition of the captive musk deer was similar across different captive centers ( Sun et al, 2020 ; Zhao et al, 2019 ). However, wild musk deer showed significant enrichment of Firmicutes, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was very low ( Sun et al, 2020 ), which may be caused by different living environments (e.g., diet, and habitat).…”

Levels of Main Bacterial Phyla in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Sheep Depending on Parity and Age

“…The obtained differences in the levels of studied phyla between primiparous and multiparous ewes could also be related to the adaptation of the gastrointestinal microbiome and the changes occurring in it during pregnancy, which in turn may also be related to the age of females [ 20 , 28 ]. In the case of ruminants, changes/manipulations in the microbiome occur more easily in young animals compared to older ones, which may be related to the ability of the microbiome to adapt to both internal (physiological changes, including pregnancy) and external (under the influence of environmental factors) environments [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. In the experiment, the ewes in the groups differed significantly in age: primiparous ewes were 12 months old while multiparous ewes were 2 years old, which means a year difference, so it can be supposed that adaptation of the microbiome to changes in hormone levels may be related to the age of the examined ewes; however, this requires further study.…”