Seasonal change of food items of the Japanese Rock Ptarmigan

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

et al. 2016

ABSTRACT. Preservation of indigenous gastrointestinal microbiota is deemed to be critical for successful captive breeding of endangered wild animals, yet its biology is poorly understood. Here, we investigated cecal bacterial communities in wild Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) and compared them with those in Svalbard rock ptarmigans (L. m. hyperborea) in captivity. Ultra-deep sequencing of 16S rRNA gene indicated that the community structure of cecal microbiota in wild rock ptarmigans was remarkably different from that in captive Svalbard rock ptarmigans. Fundamental differences between bacterial communities in the two groups of birds were detected at the phylum level. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Synergistetes were the major phyla detected in wild Japanese rock ptarmigans, whereas Firmicutes alone occupied more than 80% of abundance in captive Svalbard rock ptarmigans. Furthermore, unclassified genera of Coriobacteriaceae, Synergistaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Actinomycetaceae, Veillonellaceae and Clostridiales were the major taxa detected in wild individuals, whereas in zoo-reared birds, major genera were Ruminococcus, Blautia, Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia. Zoo-reared birds seemed to lack almost all rock ptarmigan-specific bacteria in their intestine, which may explain the relatively high rate of pathogenic infections affecting them. We show evidence that preservation and reconstitution of indigenous cecal microflora are critical for successful ex situ conservation and future re-introduction plan for the Japanese rock ptarmigan. The Japanese rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta japonica) is a typical endangered species, and recently, a national program for its conservation was approved [19]. Apart from the in situ conservation program, a number of ex situ conservation approaches are currently being implemented at zoos. However, several health problems, such as diarrhea and kidney failure, due to lithiasis are frequently detected in captive bred and reared Japanese rock ptarmigans ([20, 23] and N. Miyano, personal communication), and thus, treatment with antibiotics has been obligatory. Unbalanced intestinal microbiota in captive birds may cause these symptoms, because, in absence of the barrier function of normal gastrointestinal (GIT) microbiota, diarrhea is usually caused by opportunistic enteropathogens [10], and kidney calculus is caused by accumulation of oxalic acid which, under normal circumstances, is degraded by indigenous intestinal bacteria [1,15].Identification of indigenous, health-promoting GIT microorganisms in rock ptarmigans is important for the success of captive breeding of these birds. Therefore, in the present study, we employed next-generation sequencing, also known as ultra-deep sequencing, in order to reveal the distinctiveness and key components of GIT microbiota in healthy wild rock ptarmigans in the Tateyama Mountains, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, by comparing the results with those from captive bred Svalbard rock ptarmigans (L. m. hyperborea) in a captive facil...

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Cecal bacterial communities in wild Japanese rock ptarmigans and captive Svalbard rock ptarmigans

Ushida

Segawa

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

et al. 2016

“…They forage wild alpine plants, Rhododendron aureum, Vaccinium vitis, Empetrum nigrum, and Pinus pumila (Kobayashi and Nakamura, 2011) which often contain toxic substances, such as grayanotoxin, rhododendron, and rhodojaponin, and anti-nutritional compounds, such as condensed tannins, oleanolates, ursolates, and saponosides (Wagstaff, 2008). The Japanese rock ptarmigans occasionally forage insects according to their availability, but they largely rely on wild plants, particularly in the snowy season (from early November to the middle of May).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…It seems reasonable that Japanese rock ptarmigans harbor highly tannase-active streptococcal strains because foods rich in tannin, such as pine seeds and winter buds, are the only food available in the winter season with its dense snow cover. In fact, in the spring season, leaves of green plants such as R. aureum, V. vitis, E. nigrum, and P. pumila are available (Kobayashi and Nakamura, 2011). However, this is still inconclusive due to the limited number of birds tested and the unavailability of the exact population size, and additional samplings from birds may be required.…”

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confidence: 99%

Isolation of <i>Streptococcus gallolyticus</i> with very high degradability of condensed tannins from feces of the wild Japanese rock ptarmigans on Mt. Tateyama

J. Gen. Appl. Microbiol.

Murata

Ohkuma

et al. 2017

None of the authors of this manuscript has any financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence their work.ing on the snow-covered Mt. Tateyama, were at least 80 times more active in tannase than those previously shown in the strain from koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, and at least 8 times more active than those in the brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula.Freshly defecated cecal feces, or rectal feces, were promptly collected from the snow following close observation (ca. 5 m distance) of the birds on Mt. Tateyama at the end of November 2014 and the middle of May 2015. A portion of the feces was streaked on a BL plate (Nissui, Tokyo, Japan), which was supplemented with 5% defibrinated chicken blood, or a GAM plate (Nissui, Tokyo, Japan). Plates were immediately placed in a plastic bag containing an Anaeropouch (Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, Tokyo, Japan) and then incubated at 41∞C in a portable incubator after returning to the Raicyo-so Lodge (15-30 minute after collection), where electricity was available.After overnight culture, plates were placed in a styrene foam box with cooling devices and transported to our laboratory. Visible colonies were chosen and re-streaked on the same plate medium. After purification, partial 16S rRNA gene sequences were determined as described previously (Tsuchida et al., 2014). Similar sequences were retrieved from public databases, and calculations for pairwise sequence similarities for 16S rRNA genes were made using MEGA version 6.06 (Tamura et al., 2013). Multiple sequence alignments were performed using the CLUSTAL W program (Thompson et al., 1994) and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the neighbor-joining method (Saitou and Nei, 1987). Tree topology was evaluated by a bootstrap analysis with 1000 replicates using CLUSTAL W.In accordance with Osawa (1990), we prepared tanninIsolation of Streptococcus gallolyticus with very high degradability of condensed tannins from feces of the wild Japanese rock ptarmigans on Mt. Tateyama

“…Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica ) live in the mountains at altitudes of approximately 3,000 m and, therefore, depend on alpine plants belonging to the families Ericaceae and Empetraceae as their major food resources [6]. These alpine plants have the above-mentioned chemicals to protect them from herbivory [7].…”

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confidence: 99%

Effective Degradation of Phenolic Glycoside Rhododendrin and its Aglycone Rhododendrol by Cecal Feces of Wild Japanese Rock Ptarmigans

Jpn. J. Zoo Wildl. Med.

Ohara

Kuramochi

et al. 2017

Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) graze alpine plants as a major food resource. These alpine plants harbor defensive chemicals, often toxic, to avoid animal herbivory. Wild Japanese rock ptarmigans decompose these chemicals to avoid any ill effect from such plants, and detoxification presumably depends on gut-associated bacteria.In this report, we demonstrated the efficient degradation of a phenolic glycoside, rhododendrin, and its aglycone,