Łopucki Rafał, Sajnaga Ewa, Ożga Kinga, Stępień-Pyśniak Dagmara, Jastrzębski Arkadiusz, Świątek Marcin, Kloch Marta, Sadok Ilona, Nasiadka Paweł, Kjellander Petter, Klich Daniel
Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1J, Lublin, 20-708, Poland.
Department of Veterinary Prevention and Avian Diseases, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, Lublin, 20-612, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 7;15(1):28876. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14933-w.
Environmental stressors can influence the gut microbiota of wild ruminants, yet their effects in free-ranging populations remain poorly understood. This study examined associations between physiological stress and gut microbiota composition in free-ranging European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from agricultural landscapes in central Poland. Fecal samples from 54 legally hunted individuals were analyzed for cortisol metabolite concentrations and bacterial community composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Cortisol metabolite levels ranged from 17.9 to 371.4 ng ml⁻¹, allowing classification into low- and high-stress groups. Alpha diversity metrics did not differ between groups, but beta diversity analyses revealed significant differences in microbial community structure linked to stress. Stress remained a significant predictor of microbiota composition even after adjusting for confounding variables such as area and season, with its effect varying by context. Ratios of Christensenellaceae to Rikenellaceae, Bacteroidaceae and Prevotellaceae were significantly elevated in the high-stress group, indicating potential as microbial biomarkers of physiological stress. Additionally, Barnesiellaceae and Succinivibrionaceae (families involved in immune modulation and fermentation) were depleted under higher stress conditions. These findings highlight the role of gut microbiota in responses to environmental stressors and suggest that microbial signatures could serve as biomarkers for assessing the impact of agriculture on wildlife health and ecosystem stability.
环境应激源会影响野生反刍动物的肠道微生物群，但它们在自由放养种群中的影响仍知之甚少。本研究调查了波兰中部农业景观中自由放养的欧洲狍（Capreolus capreolus）生理应激与肠道微生物群组成之间的关联。使用16S rRNA基因测序分析了54只合法狩猎个体的粪便样本中的皮质醇代谢物浓度和细菌群落组成。皮质醇代谢物水平在17.9至371.4 ng ml⁻¹之间，据此可分为低应激组和高应激组。两组之间的α多样性指标没有差异，但β多样性分析显示与应激相关的微生物群落结构存在显著差异。即使在调整了诸如区域和季节等混杂变量后，应激仍然是微生物群组成的重要预测因子，其影响因背景而异。高应激组中克里斯滕森菌科与理研菌科、拟杆菌科和普雷沃菌科的比率显著升高，表明其有作为生理应激微生物生物标志物的潜力。此外，在较高应激条件下，Barnesiellaceae和琥珀酸弧菌科（参与免疫调节和发酵的科）减少。这些发现突出了肠道微生物群在应对环境应激源中的作用，并表明微生物特征可作为生物标志物，用于评估农业对野生动物健康和生态系统稳定性的影响。
