Microbial Biogeography along the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Wild Chinese Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays an important role in host nutrient absorption, immune function, and behavioral patterns. Much research on the gut microbiota of wildlife has focused on feces samples, so the microbial composition along the gastrointestinal tract of wildlife is not well reported. To address this gap, we performed high-throughput sequencing of 16s rRNA genes and ITs rRNA genes in the gastrointestinal contents of a wild adult male Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) to comparatively analyze the microbial diversity of different gastrointestinal regions. The results showed that the dominant bacterial phyla were Firmicutes (66.19%) and Bacteroidetes (22.7%), while the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycetes (72.81%). The highest bacterial diversity was found in the stomach, and the highest fungal diversity was found in the cecum. The microbial communities of the large intestine and small intestine were of similar structures, which were distinct from that of the stomach. These results would facilitate the continued exploration of the microbial composition and functional diversity of the gastrointestinal tract of wild Chinese muntjacs and provide a scientific basis for microbial resource conservation of more wildlife.