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Home / Equine Research Bank / Integr Zool / Gut microbial community structure and function of Przewalski...
Integrative zoology2023; doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12699

Gut microbial community structure and function of Przewalski’s horses varied across reintroduced sites in China.

Abstract: Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, DXNNR; and Anxi Extreme-arid Desert Nature Reserve, AENR) using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing. The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations, while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples. The abundance of genes encoding microbe-produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, especially for glycoside hydrolases, was significantly higher in open-spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals. This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski's horse, which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals.
© 2023 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2023-01-06 PubMed ID: 36606497DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12699Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The study scrutinizes how relocation in different nature reserves impacts the gut microbiome ecosystem of Przewalski’s horses in China. The research indicates that the gut microbiota composition and function varied significantly across locations.

Research Objective and Context

  • This research aims to understand how the environment-specific gut microbiomes of Przewalski’s horses, an endangered animal species, vary across various reintroduced sites in three different nature reserves in China, namely – Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR), Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve (DXNNR), and Anxi Extreme-arid Desert Nature Reserve (AENR).
  • The gut microbiome of any species is known to significantly influence the host’s health and survival ability. Therefore, understanding its variability in relocated animals can provide crucial insights for future conservation efforts.

Methods Used

  • In this research, the researchers analyzed the gut microbiome by sequencing the 16s rRNA gene and conducting metagenomic sequencing. They investigated for differences in the microbial composition and function among the horse populations at different reserves.

Key Findings

  • The results show that microbial composition and functions vary significantly across the three different locations despite a set of core microbial taxa consistently present in most of the samples.
  • The researchers found a significantly higher abundance of genes encoding enzymes, especially glycoside hydrolases, which is responsible for carbohydrate metabolism, in the Przewalski’s horse populations located in the open-spaced KNR nature reserve than in more confined AENR nature reserve.

Significance and Implications

  • This research contributes vital insights into understanding how the environment plays a role in determining the gut microbiota diversity in reintroduced animals, with specific attention to the endangered Przewalski’s horse.
  • The varied microbial ecosystems across different reintroduced sites could significantly influence the horses’ health and survival ability, thus underlining the impact of habitat changes during translocations on the gut microbiome.
  • These findings could provide a vital stepping stone for future microecological and conservation research on reintroduced endangered species.

Cite This Article

APA
Tang L, Yan L, Jia H, Xiong Y, Ma X, Chu H, Sun Z, Wang L, Shalitanati M, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D. (2023). Gut microbial community structure and function of Przewalski’s horses varied across reintroduced sites in China. Integr Zool. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12699

Publication

Integrative zoology
ISSN: 1749-4877
NlmUniqueID: 101492420
Country: Australia
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Tang, Liping
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Yan, Liping
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Jia, Huiping
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Xiong, Yu
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Ma, Xinping
  • Xinjiang Mountain Ungulate Nature Reserve Management Center, Urumqi, China.
Chu, Hongjun
  • Institute of Forestry Ecology, Xinjiang Academy of Forestry Sciences, Urumqi, China.
Sun, Zhicheng
  • Administrative Bureau of Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, Dunhuang, China.
Wang, Liang
  • Administration of Gansu Anxi Extra-arid Desert National Nature Reserve, Guazhou, China.
  • School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Shalitanati, Mubalake
  • Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Wild Horse Breeding Research Center, Urumqi, China.
Li, Kai
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Hu, Defu
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Zhang, Dong
  • School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.

Grant Funding

  • 2019JQ0318 / the Beijing Forestry University Outstanding Young Talent Cultivation Project
  • BX20190042 / the Postdoctoral Innovative Talents Support Program
  • 2020M670177 / the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

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