Abstract
BackgroundThe work presented here provides the first intensive insight into the bacterial populations in the digestive tract of the North American moose (Alces alces). Eight free-range moose on natural pasture were sampled, producing eight rumen samples and six colon samples. Second generation (G2) PhyloChips were used to determine the presence of hundreds of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), representing multiple closely related species/strains (>97% identity), found in the rumen and colon of the moose.ResultsA total of 789 unique OTUs were used for analysis, which passed the fluorescence and the positive fraction thresholds. There were 73 OTUs, representing 21 bacterial families, which were found exclusively in the rumen samples: Lachnospiraceae, Prevotellaceae and several unclassified families, whereas there were 71 OTUs, representing 22 bacterial families, which were found exclusively in the colon samples: Clostridiaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and several unclassified families. Overall, there were 164 OTUs that were found in 100% of the samples. The Firmicutes were the most dominant bacteria phylum in both the rumen and the colon. Microarray data available at ArrayExpress, accession number E-MEXP-3721.ConclusionsUsing PhyloTrac and UniFrac computer software, samples clustered into two distinct groups: rumen and colon, confirming that the rumen and colon are distinct environments. There was an apparent correlation of age to cluster, which will be validated by a larger sample size in future studies, but there were no detectable trends based upon gender.
Highlights
The work presented here provides the first intensive insight into the bacterial populations in the digestive tract of the North American moose (Alces alces)
This study reports on the bacteria found in the rumen and colon of the North American moose, as well as how these environments relate to other studies of the gut microbiome in various species
PhyloChip array Combined rumen and colon A total of 789 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were used for analysis which passed the fluorescence and the positive fraction thresholds
Summary
The work presented here provides the first intensive insight into the bacterial populations in the digestive tract of the North American moose (Alces alces). North American moose, (Alces alces), are the largest browsing ruminant of the deer family Cervidae, and preferably inhabit young hardwood forests, deciduous mixed forests, and salt rich wetland habitats that have an abundance of woody browse and salty aquatic vegetation [1,2,3,4] In northern latitudes, such as Vermont, moose have traditionally done well, unregulated hunting and deforested habitats caused a severe decline in the Vermont population during the 20th century [5]. During the process of fermentation, hydrogen, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and methane gas are produced [11], as well as volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate These VFAs are released into the rumen where they can be absorbed and used by the ruminant as a source of energy [11,12,13]
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