Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1200:225-240. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_8.
Communities of microbes have coevolved in animal organisms and are found in almost every part of the body. Compositions of those communities (microbiota) as well as their genomes and genes (microbiomes) are critical for functional regulations of the body organ systems-the digestive or 'gut' microbiome being the most described so far. Based on extensive research in humans, microbiomes in the reproductive tract may play a role in reproductive functions and pregnancy. However, in wild animal species, those microbiomes have been poorly studied, and as a result, little is known about their involvement in fertility or parental/offspring health. This emerging research area is highly relevant to conservation biology from captive breeding management to successful reintroduction or maintenance of wild populations. The objective of this chapter is to review current knowledge about reproductive microbiomes in healthy wild animal species. While recognizing the current technical limits of microbial identification in all animal species, we also explore the link between microbial communities (within female or male reproductive systems) and fertility, from conception to birth outcome. In addition, it is critical to understanding how reproductive microbiomes are affected by environmental factors (including captivity, contact with other individuals, or changes in the ecosystem) to optimize conservation efforts. Thus, reproductive microbiomes represent a novel dimension in conservation biology that will likely gain importance in the future.
微生物群落与动物机体共同进化，存在于身体的几乎每个部位。这些群落的组成（微生物群）及其基因组和基因（微生物组）对于身体器官系统的功能调节至关重要——迄今为止，消化道或“肠道”微生物群被描述得最为详尽。基于对人类的广泛研究，生殖道中的微生物群可能在生殖功能和妊娠中发挥作用。然而，在野生动物物种中，这些微生物群的研究还很不完善，因此，它们在生育能力或亲代/后代健康方面的作用知之甚少。这一新兴研究领域与保护生物学密切相关，涵盖了从圈养繁殖管理到成功的野生动物再引入或维持野生种群。本章的目的是综述健康野生动物物种生殖微生物群的现有知识。虽然认识到目前在所有动物物种中进行微生物鉴定的技术限制，但我们也探讨了微生物群落（雌性或雄性生殖系统内）与生育能力之间的联系，从受孕到出生结果。此外，了解生殖微生物群如何受到环境因素（包括圈养、与其他个体的接触或生态系统变化）的影响对于优化保护工作至关重要。因此，生殖微生物群代表了保护生物学的一个新维度，在未来可能会变得更加重要。
