Zhou Li, Xu Xiyao, Zhang Zhirong, Zhang Xu, Lin Kaixiong, Luo Hongxing, Huang Cheng, Lin Xipan, Zhang Chunli, Qing Yan, Teng Liwei, Liu Zhensheng
College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
Fujian Meihuashan Institute of South China Tiger Breeding, Longyan 364201, China.
Animals (Basel). 2025 May 19;15(10):1471. doi: 10.3390/ani15101471.
In ex situ conservation, gut bacteria and fungi play a crucial role in maintaining the intestinal microecological balance of the gut, and disruptions in this system may negatively impact host health. The South China tiger () is a critically endangered tiger subspecies currently surviving under human-managed care and captive breeding programs, with only a small number of individuals remaining. Disruption in the gut microbiota, particularly the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, can be fatal for cubs. This study analyzed the composition and seasonal changes of the gut bacterial and fungal communities of South China tigers in captive and semi-released environments during the winter of 2023 and the summer of 2024, using 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the dominant gut bacteria were Bacillota, Actinomycetota, Fusobacteriota, Pseudomonadota, and Bacteroidota. The abundance of Bacillota decreased in summer and was slightly lower in captive tigers than in semi-released tigers. Fungal communities were dominated by Ascomycota, with a negative correlation observed between Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The abundance of Ascomycetes was lower in summer but significantly higher in semi-released tigers than in captive ones. Diversity analysis revealed no significant effects of the season or the environment on bacterial α-diversity, and fungal α-diversity was also not significantly affected by seasonal variation. However, microbial diversity increased under semi-free-range conditions, with fungal richness significantly higher than in captive environments ( < 0.01). Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) based on Bray-Curtis distances revealed significant differences in the community structures of both bacterial (Adonis, R = 0.2364, = 0.001) and fungal (Adonis, R = 0.1542, = 0.001) communities across different seasons and environments. These findings provide valuable insights into the health management strategies and ecological adaptation of South China tigers.
在迁地保护中，肠道细菌和真菌在维持肠道微生态平衡方面发挥着关键作用，该系统的破坏可能会对宿主健康产生负面影响。华南虎（）是极度濒危的老虎亚种，目前在人类管理的照料和圈养繁殖计划下生存，仅存少量个体。肠道微生物群的破坏，尤其是病原菌的增殖，对幼崽可能是致命的。本研究使用16S rRNA和ITS高通量测序技术，分析了2023年冬季和2024年夏季圈养和半放归环境下华南虎肠道细菌和真菌群落的组成及季节变化。结果表明，肠道优势细菌为芽孢杆菌门、放线菌门、梭杆菌门、假单胞菌门和拟杆菌门。芽孢杆菌门的丰度在夏季下降，且圈养老虎中的丰度略低于半放归老虎。真菌群落以子囊菌门为主，子囊菌门与担子菌门呈负相关。子囊菌的丰度在夏季较低，但在半放归老虎中显著高于圈养老虎。多样性分析显示，季节和环境对细菌α多样性无显著影响，真菌α多样性也不受季节变化的显著影响。然而，在半散养条件下微生物多样性增加，真菌丰富度显著高于圈养环境（<0.01）。基于Bray-Curtis距离的主坐标分析（PCoA）显示，不同季节和环境下细菌（Adonis，R = 0.2364，= 0.001）和真菌（Adonis，R = 0.1542，= 0.001）群落结构存在显著差异。这些发现为华南虎的健康管理策略和生态适应提供了有价值的见解。
