Abstract
Simple SummaryThe Qinghai–Tibetan plateau is considered as the third Pole of the world and is characterized by low oxygen, high altitude, extreme cold weather and strong ultraviolet radiation. Yak, as the main domestic animals raised on the plateau, play various roles in local herdsmen’s lives by supplying necessities such as meat, milk and fuel. Yak are adapted to the harsh environment on the plateau; microbiota in gut equip the hosts with special abilities including adaptability, as illustrated by numerous research projects. Accordingly, the microbes in the gastrointestinal tract of yak must be characteristically profiled as a strategy to adapt to the environment. However, little is known about the microbial community in whole tract of yak; almost all of reported researches focused on rumen. Therefore, in the current study the bacterial community in the gastrointestinal tract of yak was explored using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing technology, and the community profiling characteristic in each section was clearly elucidated. In the current research, samples of yak gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) were used to profile the bacterial compositional characteristics using high through-put sequencing technology of 16S RNA amplicon. A total of 6959 OTUs was obtained from 20,799,614 effective tags, among which 751 OTUs were shared by ten sections. A total of 16 known phyla were obtained in all samples—the most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (34.58%), Bacteroidetes (33.96%) and Verrucomicrobia (11.70%). At the genus level, a total of 66 genera were obtained—Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group (7.24%), Akkermansia (6.32%) and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 (6.14%) were the most abundant. Species of Observed (Sob), Shannon and Chao values of the Stomach were the greatest, followed by the large intestine, while small intestine had the lowest diversity (p < 0.05). Bacteroidete were more abundant in sections from rumen to duodenum; while Firmicutes were the most abundant in sections from jejunum. ABC transporters (7.82%), Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis (4.85%) and Purine metabolism (3.77%) were the most abundant level-3 pathways in all samples. The results of associated correlation analysis indicated that rectum samples might be used as an estimator of rumen bacterial communities and fermentation. The results of this research enrich the current knowledge about the unique animals of the QTP and extend our insight into GITs microecology of various animals.
Highlights
Micro-organisms in animals’ gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) provide digestive abilities via the degradation of complex compounds in various feed materials; especially those invisible organisms in ruminant animals’ rumens that supply the host with the capacity to degrade plant fibers by producing degrading-related enzymes which cannot be secreted by the host [1,2]
While bacterial communities in the GITs of other animals have been subjected to changes due to the rapid development of modern technologies and the abuse of antibiotics, yaks in native areas are still fed under a traditional regime, which might have lasted for hundreds or thousands of years, and have a bacterial composition that has been kept relatively stable and that could be used as an ideal animal model to study microbial communities and as a mirror of history [18,19]
The diversity indexes of each GIT section were compared between the sexes using the SPSS 24.0 software package t-test method, The results showed that bacterial communities of the female yaks were more diverse than those of the males, e.g., the sob of I, VI and VIII of the female were significantly greater than the male (p < 0.05), and the Chao of the female in IV was greater than the male (p < 0.05)
Summary
Micro-organisms in animals’ GITs provide digestive abilities via the degradation of complex compounds in various feed materials; especially those invisible organisms in ruminant animals’ rumens that supply the host with the capacity to degrade plant fibers by producing degrading-related enzymes which cannot be secreted by the host [1,2]. The rumen, as the most important organ in the GITs, is the main place of plant fiber degradation, and intensive studies were conducted to investigate its microbial communities, such as microbial characteristics and variations under different environmental factors, e.g., host genetics, diets, feeding regime and age [4,5,6,7,8]. While bacterial communities in the GITs of other animals have been subjected to changes due to the rapid development of modern technologies and the abuse of antibiotics, yaks in native areas are still fed under a traditional regime, which might have lasted for hundreds or thousands of years, and have a bacterial composition that has been kept relatively stable and that could be used as an ideal animal model to study microbial communities and as a mirror of history [18,19]. It is possible that rectum samples might be used to be an estimator of the rumen’s fermentation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
