How do living conditions affect the gut microbiota of endangered Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus)? Initial findings from the warm temperate zone

Abstract

Reintroduction is an effective strategy in the conservation of endangered species under scientific monitoring. Intestinal flora plays an important role in the envir onmental adaptation of endangered Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus). In this study, 34 fecal samples from E. davidianus were collected from different habitats in Tianjin city of China to investigate differences in the intestinal flora under captive and semi-free-ranging conditions. Based on 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology, a total of 23 phyla and 518 genera were obtained. Firmicutes was dominant in all individuals. At the genus level, UCG-005 (13.05%) and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group (8.94%) were dominant in captive individuals, while Psychrobacillus (26.53%) and Pseudomonas (11.33%) were dominant in semi-free-ranging individuals. Alpha diversity results showed that the intestinal flora richness and diversity were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in captive individuals than in semi-free-ranging individuals. Beta diversity analysis also showed a significant difference (P = 0.001) between the two groups. In addition, some age- and sex-related genera such as Monoglobus were identified. In summary, the structure and diversity of intestinal flora showed significant habitat variation. This is the first time an analysis has been undertaken of the structural differences of the intestinal flora in Père David’s deer, under different habitats in the warm temperate zone, providing a reference basis for the conservation of endangered species.

Impact of Environmental Food Intake on the Gut Microbiota of Endangered Père David’s Deer: Primary Evidence for Population Reintroduction

“…A total of 15 fecal samples (samples SF01–SF15) were collected in late November 2021 from Tianjin Qilihai Wetland using a non-invasive sampling method [ 26 ]. The time node of the sample collection was after the traditional Chinese solar term the Beginning of Winter (7 November 2021).…”

“…Unlike in captive individuals, health status evaluation in wild animals should be carried out without disturbing their normal activities. Thus, the analysis of fecal samples based on dietary fragments and gut microbiota could be used to evaluate the health status of individuals, including parasite epidemiological investigations [ 25 ] and gut microbiota monitoring [ 26 ]. Gut microbiota play a crucial role in promoting food digestion and disease immunity [ 27 ].…”

“…Hence, gut microbiota monitoring based on non-invasive sampling techniques can be used to evaluate the adaptability of the host animal to its environment [ 19 ], offering a suitable strategy for the scientific monitoring of the health status of endangered species in the wild [ 29 ]. Although the gut microbiota of Père David’s deer have been studied, more work is needed to further explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and diet composition [ 26 ].…”