Wang Chong, Li Changcheng, You Fuyong, Zhou Yongkang, Tu Genjun, Liu Ruoya, Yi Pingsi, Wu Xiaobing, Nie Haitao
The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University Wuhu China.
Anhui Chinese Alligator National Nature Reserve Xuancheng Anhui China.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Apr 9;15(4):e71221. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71221. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Reintroduction plays a significant role in the self-maintenance and reconstruction of wild animal populations, serving as a communication bridge between captive and wild animals. The Chinese alligator () is a distinct and endangered reptile species found in China. The mechanisms by which artificially bred Chinese alligators adapt following their release into the wild remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the alterations in gut microbiomes and metabolic phenotypes of Chinese alligators during their reintroduction. During the Chinese alligator's reintroduction, Fusobacterium and became more abundant, while typical pathogens declined significantly. The gut type of the Chinese alligator changed from to . The construction of the gut microbial community was dominated by neutral (random) processes and shifted towards deterministic processes with the progression of reintroduction. In terms of species function, reintroduction significantly upregulated the expression of host immune-related genes and significantly decreased the expression of gut bacterial pathogenic genes and antibiotic resistance genes. Metagenomic and metabolomic KEGG enrichment analyses indicate that glucoside hydrolase families 13 and 23-alongside glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways-may play pivotal roles in energy metabolism, host-pathogen interactions, and homeostasis maintenance for Chinese alligators. Differential metabolite analysis identified significant upregulation of metabolites related to neuroendocrine immune modulation and significant down-regulation of anti-inflammatory metabolites during Chinese alligator reintroduction. Association analysis showed that there were significant co-metabolic effects between microorganisms and metabolites, which coordinated host adaptive interaction. This study provides insights into the synergistic mechanisms of host adaptation and wild environment adaptation for Chinese alligators.
再引入在野生动物种群的自我维持和重建中发挥着重要作用，是圈养动物和野生动物之间的沟通桥梁。扬子鳄（ ）是中国特有的濒危爬行动物物种。人工养殖的扬子鳄放归野外后的适应机制仍知之甚少。本研究旨在阐明扬子鳄再引入过程中肠道微生物群和代谢表型的变化。在扬子鳄再引入过程中，梭杆菌属和 变得更加丰富，而典型病原体显著减少。扬子鳄的肠道类型从 变为 。肠道微生物群落的构建以中性（随机）过程为主，并随着再引入的进行向确定性过程转变。在物种功能方面，再引入显著上调了宿主免疫相关基因的表达，并显著降低了肠道细菌致病基因和抗生素抗性基因的表达。宏基因组和代谢组KEGG富集分析表明，糖苷水解酶家族13和23以及糖酵解和糖异生途径可能在扬子鳄的能量代谢、宿主-病原体相互作用和内稳态维持中起关键作用。差异代谢物分析确定，在扬子鳄再引入过程中，与神经内分泌免疫调节相关的代谢物显著上调，抗炎代谢物显著下调。关联分析表明，微生物和代谢物之间存在显著的共代谢效应，它们协调宿主的适应性相互作用。本研究为扬子鳄宿主适应和野生环境适应的协同机制提供了见解。
