Impact of Environmental Food Intake on the Gut Microbiota of Endangered Père David's Deer: Primary Evidence for Population Reintroduction.

Reintroduction has been successful in re-establishing several endangered wild animals in their historical habitats, including Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Continuous monitoring of reintroduced individuals is essential for improving the sustainability of ex situ conservation efforts. Despite an increased recognition of the significance of the gut microbiome for animal health, the correlation between diet and the gut microbiome in E. davidianus is unclear. In this study, 15 fresh fecal samples of E. davidianus were collected from Tianjin Qilihai Wetland and the association between dietary and gut microbiota composition was evaluated. Microscopic observations showed that Nymphoides peltata [relative density (RD = 0.3514), Phragmites australis (RD = 0.2662), Setaria viridis (RD = 0.1211), and Typha orientalis (RD = 0.1085) were the main dietary plants in the fecal samples. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing showed a predominance of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and the genus Psychrobacillus (26.53%) in the gut microbiota. The RD of N. peltata was significantly positively correlated with the abundance of Firmicutes (p = 0.005) and the genus UCG-005 (p = 0.024). This study indicates a close association between food digestion and nutrient intake, providing basic monitoring data for the full reintroduction and recovery of wild E. davidianus.

How do living conditions affect the gut microbiota of endangered Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)? Initial findings from the warm temperate zone.

Reintroduction is an effective strategy in the conservation of endangered species under scientific monitoring. Intestinal flora plays an important role in the envir onmental adaptation of endangered Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). In this study, 34 fecal samples from E. davidianus were collected from different habitats in Tianjin city of China to investigate differences in the intestinal flora under captive and semi-free-ranging conditions. Based on 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology, a total of 23 phyla and 518 genera were obtained. Firmicutes was dominant in all individuals. At the genus level, UCG-005 (13.05%) and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group (8.94%) were dominant in captive individuals, while Psychrobacillus (26.53%) and Pseudomonas (11.33%) were dominant in semi-free-ranging individuals. Alpha diversity results showed that the intestinal flora richness and diversity were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in captive individuals than in semi-free-ranging individuals. Beta diversity analysis also showed a significant difference (P = 0.001) between the two groups. In addition, some age- and sex-related genera such as Monoglobus were identified. In summary, the structure and diversity of intestinal flora showed significant habitat variation. This is the first time an analysis has been undertaken of the structural differences of the intestinal flora in Père David's deer, under different habitats in the warm temperate zone, providing a reference basis for the conservation of endangered species.