Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids
To explore how the living environment influences the establishment of gut microbiota in different species, as well as the extent to which changes in the living environment caused by captive breeding affect wildlife’s gut microbiota and health, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.832410/full |
| _version_ | 1811241377717026816 |
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| author | Zhichao Zhou Liping Tang Liping Yan Huiping Jia Yu Xiong Jin Shang Changliang Shao Qiangwei Zhang Hongjun Wang Lun He Defu Hu Dong Zhang |
| author_facet | Zhichao Zhou Liping Tang Liping Yan Huiping Jia Yu Xiong Jin Shang Changliang Shao Qiangwei Zhang Hongjun Wang Lun He Defu Hu Dong Zhang |
| author_sort | Zhichao Zhou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To explore how the living environment influences the establishment of gut microbiota in different species, as well as the extent to which changes in the living environment caused by captive breeding affect wildlife’s gut microbiota and health, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare the gut microbiome of two species of threatened equids, the Przewalski’s Horse and the Asian wild ass, in the wild and captivity. The results revealed that different species of Equidae living in the same environment showed remarkable convergence of gut microflora. At the same time, captive populations exhibited significantly “unhealthy” microbiota, such as low Alpha diversity, high levels of potentially pathogenic bacteria and biomarkers of physical or psychological disease, and enrichment of microbial functions associated with exogenous exposure and susceptibility, implying that the artificial environment created by captivity may adversely impact the health of wildlife to some extent. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the environmental factors for the establishment of gut microbiota and host health and provide new insights into the conservation of wildlife in captivity from the perspective of the microbiome. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:35:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-294a6b3b3fd243288f1faabaa66e2ade |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:35:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-294a6b3b3fd243288f1faabaa66e2ade2022-12-22T03:31:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2022-06-011310.3389/fmicb.2022.832410832410Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened EquidsZhichao Zhou0Liping Tang1Liping Yan2Huiping Jia3Yu Xiong4Jin Shang5Changliang Shao6Qiangwei Zhang7Hongjun Wang8Lun He9Defu Hu10Dong Zhang11School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaMt. Kalamaili Ungulate Nature Reserve, Changji, ChinaGansu Endangered Animals Protection Center, Wuwei, ChinaGansu Endangered Animals Protection Center, Wuwei, ChinaChina Wildlife Conservation Association, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaTo explore how the living environment influences the establishment of gut microbiota in different species, as well as the extent to which changes in the living environment caused by captive breeding affect wildlife’s gut microbiota and health, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare the gut microbiome of two species of threatened equids, the Przewalski’s Horse and the Asian wild ass, in the wild and captivity. The results revealed that different species of Equidae living in the same environment showed remarkable convergence of gut microflora. At the same time, captive populations exhibited significantly “unhealthy” microbiota, such as low Alpha diversity, high levels of potentially pathogenic bacteria and biomarkers of physical or psychological disease, and enrichment of microbial functions associated with exogenous exposure and susceptibility, implying that the artificial environment created by captivity may adversely impact the health of wildlife to some extent. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the environmental factors for the establishment of gut microbiota and host health and provide new insights into the conservation of wildlife in captivity from the perspective of the microbiome.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.832410/fullgut microbiotasympatrymicrobiome convergencewild and captiveequidhealth |
| spellingShingle | Zhichao Zhou Liping Tang Liping Yan Huiping Jia Yu Xiong Jin Shang Changliang Shao Qiangwei Zhang Hongjun Wang Lun He Defu Hu Dong Zhang Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids Frontiers in Microbiology gut microbiota sympatry microbiome convergence wild and captive equid health |
| title | Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids |
| title_full | Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids |
| title_fullStr | Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids |
| title_short | Wild and Captive Environments Drive the Convergence of Gut Microbiota and Impact Health in Threatened Equids |
| title_sort | wild and captive environments drive the convergence of gut microbiota and impact health in threatened equids |
| topic | gut microbiota sympatry microbiome convergence wild and captive equid health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.832410/full |
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