Abstract
The gut microbial composition and function are shaped by different factors (e.g., host diet and phylogeny). Gut microbes play an important role in host nutrition and development. The gut microbiome may be used to evaluate the host potential environmental adaptation. In this study, we focused on the coevolution of the gut microbiome of captive and translocated Père David's deer populations (Elaphurus davidianus; Chinese: Père David's deer). To address this, we used several different macro‐ and micro‐ecological approaches (landscape ecology, nutritional methods, microscopy, isotopic analysis, and metagenomics). In this long‐term study (2011–2014), we observed some dissimilarities in gut microbiome community and function between the captive and wild/translocated Dafeng Père David's deer populations. These differences might link microbiome composition with deer diet within a given season. The proportion of genes coding for putative enzymes (endoglucanase, beta‐glucosidase, and cellulose 1,4‐beta‐cellobiosidase) involved in cellulose digestion in the gut microbiome of the captive populations was higher than that of the translocated population, possibly because of the high proportion of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the plants most consumed by the captive populations. However, the two enzymes (natA and natB) involved in sodium transport system were enriched in the gut microbiome in translocated population, possibly because of their high salt diet (e.g., Spartina alterniflora). Thus, our results suggested that Père David's deer gut microorganisms potentially coevolved with host diet, and reflected the local adaptation of translocated population in the new environment (e.g., new dietary plants: Spartina alterniflora). A current problem for Père David's deer conservation is the saturation of captive populations. Given that the putative evolutionary adaptation of Père David's deer gut microbiome and its possible applications in conservation, the large area of wetlands along the Yellow Sea dominated by S. alterniflora might be the major translocation region in the future.
Highlights
Translocation is an effective conservation management strategy that decreases extinction risk by increasing species ranges, augmenting critical populations, and establishing new populations (Rout, Hauser, & Possingham, 2005)
Considering the significant difference on the dietary nutrition between captive and translocated populations, we focus the gut microbial genes coding some putative enzymes involved in two primary functions
In this long‐term study (2011–2014) of the Dafeng Père David's deer captive and translocated Père David's deer populations, we observed some dissimilarities in Père David's deer gut microbiome community and function that might link microbiome composition to diet
Summary
Translocation (e.g., introduction and reintroduction) is an effective conservation management strategy that decreases extinction risk by increasing species ranges, augmenting critical populations, and establishing new populations (Rout, Hauser, & Possingham, 2005). Given the putative connection between conservation and microbiomes (Bahrndorff, Alemu, Alemneh, & Nielsen, 2016; Metcalf et al, 2017; O'Doherty et al, 2014; Redford, Segre, Salafsky, Martinez, & del Rio, and D McAloose., 2012; Stumpf et al, 2016), changes in the gut microbi‐ ome dynamics of translocated populations might an unavoidable consequence of translocation These dynamics have yet to be investigated. Differences in gut microbial communities have been identified be‐ tween the Beijing and Shishou Père David's deer populations using 16S RNA gene sequences; these differences be associated with the differing abundances of the available plant species (Meishan et al, 2018). We used different approaches (landscape ecology, nutritional analysis, mi‐ croscopy, isotopic analysis, and metagenomics) to characterize the regional dynamics of gut microorganism composition and function between translocated and captive populations (two captive, DFI and DFII; one wild, DFIII) with respect to different habitat. We aimed to assess the relevance of our results for Père David's deer conservation in the future
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