Gut microbiota of provisioned and wild rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) living in a limestone forest in southwest Guangxi, China

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays an important role in animal health and is strongly affected by the environment. Captivity and human source food have been shown to influence drastically the gut microbiota composition and function of wild animals. Therefore, in the present study, the gut microbiota of provisioned and wild populations of limestone‐living rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were compared using high‐throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. The results indicated that provisioned macaques had a higher microbial richness than wild macaques, but there was no significant difference in the evenness of the gut microbiota between the two populations. Provisioned macaques also showed a higher abundance of Firmicutes and a lower abundance of Bacteroidetes than wild macaques. Functional analysis revealed that wild macaques had enriched microbial pathways involved in glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, transport and catabolism, and the digestive and endocrine systems, while provisioned macaques were richer in pathways associated with signaling molecules and interaction, neurodegenerative diseases. These differences were likely due to modification of the gut microbiota of the provisioned macaques to enable the digestion of new foods.

Monitoring the variation in the gut microbiota of captive woolly monkeys related to changes in diet during a reintroduction process

“…Released individuals explore different resources (not necessarily eaten by wild primates) but keep also an alternative diet matching captivity, resulting on a mixture of bacteria from captivity, and bacteria associated with the liberation site. This is the case of macaques in the wild, that when they are given food supplies, they display a greater diversity than those in the traditional wild diet allowing them to digest new and different types of food 30 .…”

First Descriptive Analysis of the Faecal Microbiota of Wild and Anthropized Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in the Region of Bejaia, Northeast Algeria

“…In the context of conservation, some of the anthropogenic disturbances that are causing the decline of primate populations (e.g., habitat degradation, captivity and food provisioning) were associated with faecal microbiota alterations [ 13 , 19 , 20 ]. The evidence of microbiota alteration by habitat degradation can be clearly seen in the case of red colobus ( Procolobus gordonorum ) [ 13 ].…”

“…The results of this study showed significant differences between degraded and non-degraded habitats, with significantly higher faecal microbiota diversity in non-degraded habitats [ 13 ]. On another hand, recent evidence suggests that, in tourist areas, the intake of anthropogenic food, low in fibre and high in non-structural carbohydrates, is determinantal to the microbiota of primate species [ 17 , 20 ]. Chen et al, [ 20 ] demonstrated that food provisioning modifies the gut microbiota of rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ).…”

“…On another hand, recent evidence suggests that, in tourist areas, the intake of anthropogenic food, low in fibre and high in non-structural carbohydrates, is determinantal to the microbiota of primate species [ 17 , 20 ]. Chen et al, [ 20 ] demonstrated that food provisioning modifies the gut microbiota of rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ). Indeed, the results of this study indicate the presence of a large variation in the richness and structure of the bacterial community between provisioned and wild rhesus macaques.…”

“…Indeed, the results of this study indicate the presence of a large variation in the richness and structure of the bacterial community between provisioned and wild rhesus macaques. Furthermore, wild macaques showed a higher abundance of bacterial communities involved in several important physiological and metabolic processes such as glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, transport and catabolism [ 20 ].…”