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

Abstract

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.