Gao Wei-Zhen, Yang Yi, Shi Lei
College of Life Sciences Xinjiang Agricultural University Urumqi China.
Ecol Evol. 2023 Aug 2;13(8):e10363. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10363. eCollection 2023 Aug.
Seasonal dietary shifts in animals are important strategies for ecological adaptation. An increasing number of studies have shown that seasonal dietary shifts can influence or even determine the composition of gut microbiota. The Turpan wonder gecko, , lives in extreme desert environments and has a flexible dietary shift to fruit-eating in warm seasons. However, the effect of such shifts on the gut microbiota is poorly understood. In this study, 16S rRNA sequencing and LC-MS metabolomics were used to examine changes in the gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns of . The results demonstrated that the gut microbes of underwent significant seasonal changes, and the abundance of phylum level in autumn was significantly higher than spring, but meanwhile, the diversity was lower. At the family level, the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota were both higher in autumn. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the dominant gut microbes of . Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria exhibited dynamic ebb and flow patterns between spring and autumn. Metabolomic profiling also revealed differences mainly related to the formation of secondary bile acids. The pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and lysine degradation pathways identified by KEGG enrichment symbolize the exuberant metabolic capacity of . Furthermore, strong correlations were detected between metabolite types and bacteria, and this correlation may be an important adaptation of to cope with dietary shifts and improve energy acquisition. Our study provides a theoretical basis for exploring the adaptive evolution of the special frugivorous behavior of , which is an important progress in the study of gut microbes in desert lizards.
动物的季节性饮食转变是生态适应的重要策略。越来越多的研究表明，季节性饮食转变能够影响甚至决定肠道微生物群的组成。吐鲁番沙虎生活在极端沙漠环境中，在温暖季节会灵活转变为以水果为食。然而，这种转变对肠道微生物群的影响却鲜为人知。在本研究中，采用16S rRNA测序和液相色谱 - 质谱代谢组学方法来检测吐鲁番沙虎肠道微生物群组成和代谢模式的变化。结果表明，吐鲁番沙虎的肠道微生物发生了显著的季节性变化，秋季门水平的丰度显著高于春季，但同时多样性较低。在科水平上，秋季肠道微生物群的丰度和多样性均较高。厚壁菌门、拟杆菌门和变形菌门是吐鲁番沙虎的主要肠道微生物。疣微菌门和变形菌门在春季和秋季之间呈现出动态的消长模式。代谢组学分析还揭示了主要与次级胆汁酸形成相关的差异。KEGG富集鉴定出的泛酸和辅酶A生物合成以及赖氨酸降解途径象征着吐鲁番沙虎旺盛的代谢能力。此外，还检测到代谢物类型与细菌之间存在强相关性，这种相关性可能是吐鲁番沙虎应对饮食转变和提高能量获取的重要适应性表现。我们的研究为探索吐鲁番沙虎特殊食果行为的适应性进化提供了理论依据，这是沙漠蜥蜴肠道微生物研究中的一项重要进展。
