Abstract
Preservation of indigenous gastrointestinal microbiota is critical for successful captive breeding of endangered wild animals, yet its biology is poorly understood. Here, we compared the cecal microbial composition of wild living Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) in different locations of Japanese mountains, and the dominant cecal microbial structure of wild Japanese rock ptarmigans is elucidated. Coriobacteraceae and Lachnospraceae were the two dominant bacterial families in all samples analyzed. At the genus level, 10 genera Olsenella, Actinomyces, Megasphaera, Slackia, Cloacibacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, Dialister, Megamonas, and Bilophila were dominant. These results reveal the high level of coexistence of lactic acid bacteria (Olsenella and Bifidobacterium) and lactate-utilizing bacteria (Megasphaera). This coexistence should be taken into account for the successful breeding of captive Japanese rock ptarmigans in the national conservation program.
Highlights
Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) are birds that only inhabit alpine areas of Japan’s main island
We showed a high level of coexistence of lactic acid bacteria and lactate-utilizing bacteria in cecal microbiota of the birds, and this observed result should be taken into account for the successful breeding of captive Japanese rock ptarmigans in the national conservation program
Microbial community structure was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using an Illumina Miseq with the MiSeq Reagent Kits v3 MS-102-3003, together with PhiX Control v3 at BGI Japan (Kobe, Japan), and low quality reads were removed at BGI before assembling, as indicated previously [10]
Summary
Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) are birds that only inhabit alpine areas of Japan’s main island. Huge differences in cecal microbial composition between wild and captive birds were observed. Food plants to which they adapt in each habitat were not necessarily the same [9] This evidence may give rise to geographical differences of microbial composition. In the present study, fresh cecal feces of wild adult Japanese rock ptarmigans in different locations of Northern and Southern Japanese Alps mountain regions were collected, and comparison analyses of cecal microbial composition were performed. We showed a high level of coexistence of lactic acid bacteria and lactate-utilizing bacteria in cecal microbiota of the birds, and this observed result should be taken into account for the successful breeding of captive Japanese rock ptarmigans in the national conservation program
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