Guo Jinhao, Li Zheng, Jin Yongchao, Sun Yue, Wang Binying, Liu Xinxin, Yuan Ziao, Zhang Weiqi, Zhang Changzhi, Zhang Minghai
College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Jul 15;15:1401373. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1401373. eCollection 2024.
Insufficient density of red deer has affected the stability of forest ecosystems and the recovery of large carnivores (represented by Amur tiger). Conservation translocations from captivity to the wild has become an important way to restore the red deer populations. However, the difference in gut microbes between pre-release and wild red deer may affect the feeding adaptability of red deer after release. In this study, we clarified the differences in gut microbes between pre-released and wild red deer and screened the key gut microbes of the red deer involved in feeding by using metagenomic sequencing and feeding analysis. The results showed that the microbial difference between pre-released and wild red deer was mainly related to Firmicutes represented by Eubacteriales and Clostridia, and Firmicutes abundance in pre-released red deer (68.23%) was significantly lower than that of wild red deer (74.91%, < 0.05). The expression of microbial metabolic pathways in pre-released red deer were significantly lower than those in wild red deer ( < 0.05), including carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, etc. The combinations of Firmicutes were significantly positively correlated with the intake of plant fiber and carbohydrate ( < 0.05), and were key microbes to help red deer deal with wild plant resources. Additionally, the combinations of Firmicutes represented by Eubacteriales and Clostridia lacking in pre-released red deer contributed the most to expression of microbial metabolic pathways ( > 1), showing a significant positive correlation ( < 0.05). This study indicates that high abundance of Firmicutes is an important guarantee for red deer to adapt to the wild feeding environment, which provides critical implications for the recovery of red deer populations and the protection of endangered ungulates.
马鹿种群密度不足已影响到森林生态系统的稳定性以及大型食肉动物（以东北虎为代表）的恢复。从圈养到野外的保护转移已成为恢复马鹿种群的重要途径。然而，放归前的马鹿与野生马鹿肠道微生物的差异可能会影响放归后马鹿的采食适应性。在本研究中，我们通过宏基因组测序和采食分析，阐明了放归前马鹿与野生马鹿肠道微生物的差异，并筛选出参与采食的马鹿关键肠道微生物。结果表明，放归前马鹿与野生马鹿的微生物差异主要与以真杆菌目和梭菌纲为代表的厚壁菌门有关，放归前马鹿的厚壁菌门丰度（68.23%）显著低于野生马鹿（74.91%，P<0.05）。放归前马鹿微生物代谢途径的表达显著低于野生马鹿（P<0.05），包括碳水化合物代谢、氨基酸代谢、聚糖生物合成与代谢等。厚壁菌门的组合与植物纤维和碳水化合物的摄入量显著正相关（P<0.05），是帮助马鹿应对野生植物资源的关键微生物。此外，放归前马鹿缺乏的以真杆菌目和梭菌纲为代表的厚壁菌门组合对微生物代谢途径表达的贡献最大（>1），呈显著正相关（P<0.05）。本研究表明，厚壁菌门的高丰度是马鹿适应野生采食环境的重要保障，这对马鹿种群的恢复和濒危有蹄类动物的保护具有重要意义。
