Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China
The “gut fungal microbiome” maintains the immune system, homeostasis, and various physiological functions of an organism. Different factors shape and affect gut fungal diversity and community composition, such as environment, habitat type, food resources, and seasons during migration. Wild birds ami...
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/941 |
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| author | Nazia Mahtab Lizhi Zhou Fengling Zhang Wei Wang |
| author_facet | Nazia Mahtab Lizhi Zhou Fengling Zhang Wei Wang |
| author_sort | Nazia Mahtab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The “gut fungal microbiome” maintains the immune system, homeostasis, and various physiological functions of an organism. Different factors shape and affect gut fungal diversity and community composition, such as environment, habitat type, food resources, and seasons during migration. Wild birds amid migration are exposed to different habitats with different environments, available food resources, and seasons, which may substantially impact their gut fungal community composition and diversity. The hooded crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) is a known migratory bird that migrates over long distances and is exposed to varied habitats with different environments and food types. We investigated the differences in gut fungal diversity and community composition between wintering and stopover sites amid three migratory seasons. We deduced the gut fungal pathogenic diversity and community composition during winter, fall, and spring by using high throughput sequencing (Illumina Mi-seq), and the internal transcribed region 2 (ITS2) was examined. Samples were collected from Shengjin Lake in the winter and Lindian during the fall and spring. The dominant fungal phyla found across the three seasons were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, and Rozellomycota. The gut fungal alpha diversity showed significant shifts during winter at the wintering site compared with the fall and spring seasons at the stopover site. The fungal community composition exhibited a significant change across the three seasons (ANOSIM <i>p</i> = 0.001). The results also demonstrated that the diversity and relative abundance of potential pathogens also showed divergence in winter compared to fall and spring. This study provides the basis for understanding the discrepancy in gut fungal diversity and community composition during migratory seasons at both wintering and stopover grounds. It also suggests that conservation measures should be applied to the conservation of hooded cranes and other wild birds, as the risk of cross-infection increases during seasonal migration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:52:57Z |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:52:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-256e76bf324c46cd806552f9579f6ade2023-11-21T12:09:29ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-03-0111494110.3390/ani11040941Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in ChinaNazia Mahtab0Lizhi Zhou1Fengling Zhang2Wei Wang3School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaThe “gut fungal microbiome” maintains the immune system, homeostasis, and various physiological functions of an organism. Different factors shape and affect gut fungal diversity and community composition, such as environment, habitat type, food resources, and seasons during migration. Wild birds amid migration are exposed to different habitats with different environments, available food resources, and seasons, which may substantially impact their gut fungal community composition and diversity. The hooded crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) is a known migratory bird that migrates over long distances and is exposed to varied habitats with different environments and food types. We investigated the differences in gut fungal diversity and community composition between wintering and stopover sites amid three migratory seasons. We deduced the gut fungal pathogenic diversity and community composition during winter, fall, and spring by using high throughput sequencing (Illumina Mi-seq), and the internal transcribed region 2 (ITS2) was examined. Samples were collected from Shengjin Lake in the winter and Lindian during the fall and spring. The dominant fungal phyla found across the three seasons were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, and Rozellomycota. The gut fungal alpha diversity showed significant shifts during winter at the wintering site compared with the fall and spring seasons at the stopover site. The fungal community composition exhibited a significant change across the three seasons (ANOSIM <i>p</i> = 0.001). The results also demonstrated that the diversity and relative abundance of potential pathogens also showed divergence in winter compared to fall and spring. This study provides the basis for understanding the discrepancy in gut fungal diversity and community composition during migratory seasons at both wintering and stopover grounds. It also suggests that conservation measures should be applied to the conservation of hooded cranes and other wild birds, as the risk of cross-infection increases during seasonal migration.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/941hooded cranemigrationseasonalityfungihigh-throughput sequencingpathogens |
| spellingShingle | Nazia Mahtab Lizhi Zhou Fengling Zhang Wei Wang Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China Animals hooded crane migration seasonality fungi high-throughput sequencing pathogens |
| title | Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China |
| title_full | Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China |
| title_short | Seasonal Variations in the Gut Fungal Communities of Hooded Crane (<i>Grus monacha</i>) at Wintering and Stopover Sites in China |
| title_sort | seasonal variations in the gut fungal communities of hooded crane i grus monacha i at wintering and stopover sites in china |
| topic | hooded crane migration seasonality fungi high-throughput sequencing pathogens |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/941 |
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