Abstract
In this study we analyzed the microbiota composition of fecal samples from the lesser-long nosed bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae in different reproductive stages (juveniles and adult bats of both sexes as well as pregnant and lactating females). The V4 region of the 16s rRNA gene from 33 individuals was analyzed using alpha and beta diversity metrics. We found that microbiota diversity (expressed in Amplicon Sequence Variants) is higher in pregnant and lactating females. The microbiota of the juveniles and non-reproductive adults was dominated by Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes. Reproductive females had a much more diverse microbiota, with a significant increase in phyla such as Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria. There was no difference in fecal microbiota diversity between pregnant and lactating females and juveniles and non-reproductive adults. Results suggest that differences in microbiota diversity are related to reproduction. We infer that males maintain stable microbiota composition because they do not undergo the large physiological changes that females do during reproduction and maintain a more specialized diet throughout all life stages.
Highlights
The community of microorganisms that reside in the vertebrate gut executes a variety of functions that impact host phenotype, nutrition, detoxification of xenobiotics, gut stimulation, immune development and behavior [1,2,3]
Bat fecal microbiota samples were collected at three caves previously known to host specific reproductive stages of the lesser long-nosed bat from the Central population, between January and November, 2015
We found a total of 41 bacterial phyla in the bats’ fecal microbiota
Summary
The community of microorganisms that reside in the vertebrate gut executes a variety of functions that impact host phenotype, nutrition, detoxification of xenobiotics, gut stimulation, immune development and behavior [1,2,3]. Bacteria are directly involved in their hosts’ fitness. Bacteria can improve energy assimilation from different food sources through the synthesis of vitamins necessary for physiological functions [4]. Microbiota of the lesser-long nosed bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae
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