Yang Zeya, Wang Yixuan, Wang Yuhan, Zhou Jiuxuan, Wang Ruimei, Shi Mingfei, Bao Mingwei, Wang Binghui, Yuan Ruiling
Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20692. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06798-w.
Studying the gut microbiome diversity of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) is crucial for understanding their environmental adaptability, health status, and conservation needs. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was utilized to analyze and compare the microbial community composition and diversity of 50 wild Asian elephants from three regions in Yunnan Province. The results indicated significant differences in gut microbiome richness among the regions, and the lowest diversity observed in the Lincang region. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed that the microbial community structure of the Lincang population was markedly different from that of the other two regions. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant bacterial groups across all three regions. However, in the Lincang region, the abundance of Proteobacteria was the highest and significantly greater than in the other regions. Additionally, the levels of potential pathogenic bacteria, such as Acinetobacter and Stenotrophomonas, were significantly elevated in the Lincang population compared to the other two regions. Therefore, future conservation efforts need to integrate ecological restoration with microbiome monitoring to mitigate the microbial dysbiosis caused by human disturbances.
研究亚洲象（Elephas maximus）的肠道微生物群落多样性对于了解它们的环境适应性、健康状况和保护需求至关重要。在本研究中，利用16S rRNA基因的高通量测序技术，对来自云南省三个地区的50头野生亚洲象的微生物群落组成和多样性进行了分析和比较。结果表明，各地区之间肠道微生物群落丰富度存在显著差异，其中临沧地区的多样性最低。主坐标分析（PCoA）显示，临沧种群的微生物群落结构与其他两个地区明显不同。在门水平上，厚壁菌门、变形菌门和拟杆菌门是所有三个地区的主要细菌类群。然而，在临沧地区，变形菌门的丰度最高，且显著高于其他地区。此外，与其他两个地区相比，临沧种群中不动杆菌和嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌等潜在病原菌的水平显著升高。因此，未来的保护工作需要将生态恢复与微生物群落监测相结合，以减轻人类干扰导致的微生物失调。
