Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes
The Egyptian mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon</i>) is a medium-size carnivore that, in Europe, is restricted to Iberia. The bio-ecology of this species remains to be elucidated in several dimensions, including gut microbiota that is nowadays recognized as a fundamental component of mamma...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/3/392 |
| _version_ | 1811226058221944832 |
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| author | André C. Pereira Victor Bandeira Carlos Fonseca Mónica V. Cunha |
| author_facet | André C. Pereira Victor Bandeira Carlos Fonseca Mónica V. Cunha |
| author_sort | André C. Pereira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Egyptian mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon</i>) is a medium-size carnivore that, in Europe, is restricted to Iberia. The bio-ecology of this species remains to be elucidated in several dimensions, including gut microbiota that is nowadays recognized as a fundamental component of mammals. In this work, we investigated the gut microbiota of this herpestid by single-molecule real-time sequencing of twenty paired male (<i>n</i> = 10) and female (<i>n</i> = 10) intestinal samples. This culture-independent approach enabled microbial profiling based on 16S rDNA and investigation of taxonomical and functional features. The core gut microbiome of the adult subpopulation was dominated by Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Eight genera were uniquely found in adults and five in non-adults. When comparing gut bacterial communities across sex, four genera were exclusive of females and six uniquely found in males. Despite these compositional distinctions, alpha- and beta-diversity analyses showed no statistically significant differences across sex or between adult and non-adult specimens. However, when function was inferred, males presented a significantly higher abundance of amino acid and citrate cycle metabolic pathways, compared to the significant overrepresentation in females of galactose metabolic pathways. Additionally, adults exhibited a significantly higher abundance of cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance pathways, while non-adults bared a significant overrepresentation of two-component systems associated with antibiotic synthesis, flagellin and biofilm production, and chemotaxis control. This study adds new insights into the mongoose bio-ecology palette, highlighting taxonomical and functional microbiome dissimilarities across sex and age classes, possibly related to primary production resources and life-history traits that impact on behavior and diet. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:17:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-206fc1aede4747ffa79971284a24f084 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:17:54Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-206fc1aede4747ffa79971284a24f0842022-12-22T03:38:46ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072020-03-018339210.3390/microorganisms8030392microorganisms8030392Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age ClassesAndré C. Pereira0Victor Bandeira1Carlos Fonseca2Mónica V. Cunha3INIAV, IP- National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalDepartamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, PortugalDepartamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, PortugalINIAV, IP- National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalThe Egyptian mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon</i>) is a medium-size carnivore that, in Europe, is restricted to Iberia. The bio-ecology of this species remains to be elucidated in several dimensions, including gut microbiota that is nowadays recognized as a fundamental component of mammals. In this work, we investigated the gut microbiota of this herpestid by single-molecule real-time sequencing of twenty paired male (<i>n</i> = 10) and female (<i>n</i> = 10) intestinal samples. This culture-independent approach enabled microbial profiling based on 16S rDNA and investigation of taxonomical and functional features. The core gut microbiome of the adult subpopulation was dominated by Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Eight genera were uniquely found in adults and five in non-adults. When comparing gut bacterial communities across sex, four genera were exclusive of females and six uniquely found in males. Despite these compositional distinctions, alpha- and beta-diversity analyses showed no statistically significant differences across sex or between adult and non-adult specimens. However, when function was inferred, males presented a significantly higher abundance of amino acid and citrate cycle metabolic pathways, compared to the significant overrepresentation in females of galactose metabolic pathways. Additionally, adults exhibited a significantly higher abundance of cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance pathways, while non-adults bared a significant overrepresentation of two-component systems associated with antibiotic synthesis, flagellin and biofilm production, and chemotaxis control. This study adds new insights into the mongoose bio-ecology palette, highlighting taxonomical and functional microbiome dissimilarities across sex and age classes, possibly related to primary production resources and life-history traits that impact on behavior and diet.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/3/392egyptian mongoosegut microbiotamicrobial profilingbio-ecologymediterranean wild carnivores |
| spellingShingle | André C. Pereira Victor Bandeira Carlos Fonseca Mónica V. Cunha Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes Microorganisms egyptian mongoose gut microbiota microbial profiling bio-ecology mediterranean wild carnivores |
| title | Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes |
| title_full | Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes |
| title_fullStr | Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes |
| title_short | Egyptian Mongoose (<i>Herpestes ichneumon)</i> Gut Microbiota: Taxonomical and Functional Differences across Sex and Age Classes |
| title_sort | egyptian mongoose i herpestes ichneumon i gut microbiota taxonomical and functional differences across sex and age classes |
| topic | egyptian mongoose gut microbiota microbial profiling bio-ecology mediterranean wild carnivores |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/3/392 |
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