Abstract
With developing understanding that host-associated microbiota play significant roles in individual health and fitness, taking an interdisciplinary approach combining microbiome research with conservation science is increasingly favored. Here we establish the scat microbiome of the imperiled Channel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis) and examine the effects of geography and captivity on the variation in bacterial communities. Using high throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we discovered distinct bacterial communities in each island fox subspecies. Weight, timing of the sample collection, and sex contributed to the geographic patterns. We uncovered significant taxonomic differences and an overall decrease in bacterial diversity in captive versus wild foxes. Understanding the drivers of microbial variation in this system provides a valuable lens through which to evaluate the health and conservation of these genetically depauperate foxes. The island-specific bacterial community baselines established in this study can make monitoring island fox health easier and understanding the implications of inter-island translocation clearer. The decrease in bacterial diversity within captive foxes could lead to losses in the functional services normally provided by commensal microbes and suggests that zoos and captive breeding programs would benefit from maintaining microbial diversity.
Highlights
The gut microbiome plays an essential role in the health and fitness of its host (McfallNgai et al, 2013; McKenney et al, 2018)
Scat samples were collected during annual trap monitoring of U. littoralis during the fall and winter of 2014–2015 by managers or contractors on the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California, United States (San Miguel Island, SMI; Santa Rosa Island, SRI; Santa Cruz Island, SCZ; Santa Catalina Island, CAT; San Clemente Island, SCL; San Nicolas Island, SNI; Figure 1)
First we agglomerated the count table at the phylum level for all phyla except for the Proteobacteria phylum which was split into its major classes for analysis due to its complexity (Hug et al, 2016), and phyla representing less than 5% of the amplicon sequencing variant (ASV) were grouped together as “other.” With similar methods, we looked at the top genera with the largest proportions
Summary
The gut microbiome plays an essential role in the health and fitness of its host (McfallNgai et al, 2013; McKenney et al, 2018). It is becoming increasingly clear that to fully understand a host one must examine their associated microbiome and the forces driving variation among microbial communities. This approach is burgeoning in the field of conservation biology, where anthropogenic effects such as habitat fragmentation (Barelli et al, 2015) and increasing temperatures (Fontaine et al, 2018) have been shown to alter host-associated microbial communities. Characterizing the current bacterial communities in endangered host species is crucial to identify future changes in microbial diversity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 call
