College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Aug 17;11(4):e0043323. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00433-23. Epub 2023 Jun 28.
Variations in ambient temperature () may significantly influence the gut microbiotas of ectothermic and endothermic animals, affecting fitness. It remains unclear, however, whether temperature fluctuations affect the gut microbial communities of hibernating animals during torpor. To investigate temperature-induced changes in the gut microbiota during hibernation under entirely natural conditions, we took advantage of two adjacent but distinct populations of the least horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus pusillus), which inhabit sites with a similar summer but a different winter . Using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, we estimated differences in gut microbial diversity and composition between the hibernating (winter) and active (summer) populations at both sites. During the active period, gut microbiotas did not differ significantly between the two populations, probably due to the similar s. However, during hibernation, a higher was associated with decreased α-diversity in the gut microbiome. During hibernation, temperature variation did not significantly affect the relative abundance of , the dominant phylum at both sites, but marked site-specific differences were detected in the relative abundances of , , and . In total, 74 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were significantly differentially abundant between the hibernating and active bat guts across the two sites; most of these ASVs were associated with the cooler site, and many belonged to pathogenic genera, suggesting that lower ambient temperatures during hibernation may increase the risk of pathogen proliferation in the host gut. Our findings help to clarify the mechanisms underlying the gut microbiota-driven adaptation of hibernating mammals to temperature changes. Temperature variations affect gut microbiome diversity and structure in both ectothermic and endothermic animals. Here, we aimed to characterize temperature-induced changes in the gut microbiotas of adjacent natural populations of the least horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus pusillus) which hibernate at different ambient temperatures. We found that the ambient temperature significantly affected the α-diversity, but not the β-diversity, of the gut microbiota. Bats hibernating at cooler temperatures experienced more drastic shifts in gut microbiome structure, with consequent effects on energy-related metabolic pathways. Our results provide novel insights into the effects of ambient temperature on the gut microbiotas of hibernating animals.
环境温度的变化可能会显著影响变温动物和恒温动物的肠道微生物群，从而影响其适应能力。然而，目前尚不清楚温度波动是否会影响冬眠动物在蛰伏期间的肠道微生物群落。为了在完全自然的条件下研究冬眠期间温度对肠道微生物群的影响，我们利用了两种相邻但不同的小马蹄蝠（Rhinolophus pusillus）种群，它们栖息在夏季温度相似但冬季温度不同的地方。利用 16S rRNA 基因高通量测序，我们在两个地点估计了冬眠（冬季）和活跃（夏季）种群之间肠道微生物多样性和组成的差异。在活跃期，两个种群的肠道微生物群没有显著差异，这可能是由于夏季温度相似。然而，在冬眠期间，较高的温度与肠道微生物组的 α-多样性降低有关。在冬眠期间，温度变化并没有显著影响两个地点主要菌群的相对丰度，但在相对丰度上检测到明显的特定地点差异，包括、和。总的来说，在两个地点，有 74 个扩增子序列变异（ASV）在冬眠和活跃蝙蝠肠道之间存在显著差异丰度；这些 ASV 中的大多数与较冷的地点有关，其中许多属于致病性属，这表明冬眠期间较低的环境温度可能会增加宿主肠道中病原体增殖的风险。我们的研究结果有助于阐明冬眠哺乳动物对温度变化的肠道微生物群驱动适应的机制。温度变化会影响变温动物和恒温动物的肠道微生物组多样性和结构。在这里，我们旨在描述相邻自然小马蹄蝠（Rhinolophus pusillus）种群的肠道微生物群在不同环境温度下冬眠时，温度诱导的变化。我们发现环境温度显著影响肠道微生物群的 α-多样性，但不影响 β-多样性。在较冷温度下冬眠的蝙蝠经历了更剧烈的肠道微生物组结构变化，从而对与能量相关的代谢途径产生影响。我们的研究结果为环境温度对冬眠动物肠道微生物群的影响提供了新的见解。
